Roman music

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Music was a major part of everyday life in Ancient Rome. Many private and public events were accompanied by music, ranging from nightly dining to military parades.

[edit] Musical notation

The Romans used an "enchiriadic notation" to record their music. They used four letters (in English notation "a", "g", "f" and "c") to indicate a series of four succeeding tones with the range of a tetrachord. They placed rhythm signs above the letters to indicate how long each note should be held.

[edit] Instruments

A wide variety of instruments are known to have been played, including:

• Lute
• Organ
• Kithara a forerunner of the modern guitar
• Lyre
• Flute
• Tympani
• Trumpets
• Panpipes
• Harp
• Drums
• Aulos
• Tuba
• Cornu
• Ascaules a bagpipe
• Sistra rattles strung across bars of metal

[edit] External links

• Roman musical instruments