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  • Essay / Analysis of ancient Roman music

    Music surrounds our daily lives sometimes without even being noticed or appreciated. You get in your car in the morning and the radio turns on. Enter an elevator and there will be background music. It's a component of our lives and for many people, it affects the way we live our days. Personally, I can say that music has been there for me emotionally and has improved many things for me. Music would never be where it is today without the advancements made in ancient Rome. Legend has it that there is not much knowledge about Roman music pieces because the men of the Christian church were against the music of theater, festivals and pagan religion and banned them once Christianity became the largest religion in the Roman Empire. Imagine what happened and what life would be like today if they succeeded. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Music has been known to exist since the earliest dates of ancient Rome. The oldest finds date back to the third century BCE, but they too have been well-researched enough to be accurate. Despite numerous archaeological and written records, few people can say much about the discoveries of ancient Roman music. Many believe that much Roman music was stolen and is extremely close to ancient Greek music. One of the only major differences that researchers have found between the Romans and Greece is the Romans' emphasis on the value of Etruscan tradition, which refers to their military. Additionally, unlike many other cultures involving music, they have not created any type of ethical theory, meaning that things such as rhythm, melody, and even certain instruments have ethics. Ethos means “an expression that has an effect on the soul of the listener.” This left many people doubting the power that music had at the time. One of the best Roman genres was arisic and folk music. They often played their music outdoors, in large open spaces such as ceremonies, big city streets, theaters and banquets. Later, military music became very popular among the Roman people. They used different instruments and sounds to encourage victory. They wanted them to appear very offensive and show that they were not going to retreat. They also used this type of music to try to drive the enemy back or distract them. For normal people, it was used for celebrations and military triumphs. It would have been a disgrace to the culture of the time if a social event was left without any type of performance involving music. They often called these performances “Carmen’s”. For example Ludi saeculares, Roman way of celebrating a new age or beginning. Emperor Octavian Augustus, in 17 BCE, asked a group of children to perform one of the most popular songs called Horace from Carmen Saeculare in a choir. They thought it involved large amounts of mathematics and knowledge. They believed so much that music was linked to education. Music also often appeared in events called pantomimus, which are a form of ballet history featuring vigorous amounts of dance, instruments, and singing in the form of a libretto. Although people today are not sure if the Romans kept musical recordings, they are aware of how.