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From the 7th century and until the end of the classical period, choral lyric was an important literary genre, connected to religious festivals, public ceremonies and important events in the life of the people. It expressed the moral and cultural values of the community, and thus its character is more public than individual. Its first forms have already been presented in Homer, who mentions wedding songs (hymenaioi), dance songs, dirges and honours addressed to gods (paeans). Other forms of the choral lyric poetry were the hymn and the dithyramb (the former generally honorary for the other gods, and the latter especially addressed to Dionysus), the maiden-song (partheneion), the processional song (prosodion), the song of praise (encomion) (honorary for people) and the skolion (song of symposium). |
The choral songs were performed on the occasion of local religious festivals, like Karneia, the Hyacinthia, the Adrasteia, the Iolaia and the Adonia. Furthermore, they acquired a special place at the Olympia and the Pythia, festivals with a panhellenic character, which also influenced the forming of the language that was used (literary Doric with borrowed elements from the epic Ionic and with a few Aeolic features). The chorus, which performed these songs, and often danced, could have from seven to fifty members. The poet, who besides verses also composed the music, also led the chorus. Only a few things are known about the first lyric poets, Terpandrus and Arion of Lesbos, and the surviving extracts that are attributed to them are of doubtful authenticity. |
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