Ancient and lively

Conrad Steinmann
Arianna Savall
Luiz Alves da Silva
Giovanni Cantarini
Massimo Cialfi
Melpomen
Ancient Greek Music
newly-explored and interpreted
Ancient and lively
Introduction
Ancient Greek Music from the
Classical period 5th and 6th century BC
For the first time ever, an attempt is being made
to revive music through intense research and
reconstruction from the classical Greek period.
With the use of instruments and their original
playing techniques, in addition to the ancient
Greek language, the everyday musical life of
Ancient Greece is audible again, although the
original music of that time has been lost for ever.
A further important source on the doorway to
sounds is the language of Greek lyrics. Those
characteristics with accents and rhythmical
assertiveness allow us to draw conclusions on how
the shape and moulding of the music must have
been. These elements are brought in line with the
possibilities and tonalities of the used instruments.
Although the music has finally been newly created
by Conrad Steinmann, their elements align as
closely as possible to historical facts.
For almost 20 years the musician and musical
archaeologist, Conrad Steinmann and the
instrument maker, Paul J. Reichlin have worked
together on the reconstruction of musical
instruments and music from the Ancient Greek
classical period. The meticulous study of original
ancient instruments in the museums of London,
Paestum, Copenhagen, Athens, Korinth, Vravróna,
Polýgyros and Thessaloniki form the basis for
the rebuilding of these instruments. Also vase
paintings from the time around 500 BC provide
a significant amount of picture material for the
analysis of these instruments.
The Bárbitos is a string instrument on which singers accompanied
themselves during festivities. Seven long strings, widely swung
side arms and a carapace as sounding box are characteristic for
its construction. The instruments used by the ensemble Melpomen
are based upon fragments preserved in the museum of Paestum/
Southern Italy and upon attic vase paintings of about 500 BC. The
materials used and the making are highly accurate.
Love and Wine
Programme Melpomen
Music for an Athenian Symposium
of 450 BC
provokes two-part voice writing. Finally the hymn
for sleep, as the ruler over all living things, brings
the symposium to a conciliatory end.
The texts of the two subjects ‘love’ and ‘wine’
have been chosen to emulate those that may have
been recited at an Athenian symposium,
the social gatherings of free Athenian citizens.
These monodies are surrounded and high-lighted
by instrumental pieces that attempt to do justice to
the variety of forms and instrumental timbres.
In the first part, the poems selected by the singers
Sappho and Alcaeus from Lesbos and by Anakreon
and Bakchylides look into the elemental power
of commencing love then turn to the enjoyment
of wine. After this double celebration of life, the
following poems explore the dark side of love with
all its disconcerting and destructive power. It is
certainly not surprising that human feelings have
hardly changed at all in 2500 years.
Bewilderment of another sort is depicted by
Archilochos’ poem about the historically
authenticated solar eclipse on 8 April 648 BC.
The experience of night in the middle of the day
is translated into poetic pictures of a threatening
perceptual disturbance and musically nearly
The Aulós is the Greek wind instrument. It has always been
played as a double instrument regardless of lengths, tonalities
and materials. The playing techniques follow double blown
instruments still being played in the area of the Mediterranean
(e.g. the Egyptian Arghoul) such with circular breathing and
finger articulation. The instruments played in this programme
are exact replicas of preserved instruments in the British
Museum of London, the Archaeological Museum of Paestum/
Southern Italy and Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
Bárbitos, Auloí, Seístron and Krótala are re­
constructed by Paul J. Reichlin. The music for
‘Melpomen’ is re-imagined by Conrad Steinmann
according to lyrics by Sappho, Alkaios and
Anakreon.
The Ensemble Melpomen
Arianna Savall
Luiz Alves da Silva Massimo Cialfi Conrad Steinmann
soprano and bárbitos
altus
rhómbos, týmpanon, krótala and sálpinx
aulós, seístron;
direction and music
Victory and Disappointement
Programme Olympionikais
Olympionikais, music to Odes
of Pindar 520–438 BC
The Olympionikais programme, ‘for the Olympic
winners’, presents a musical victory festival for
athletic heroes from the early 5th century BC as it
could have taken place at the court of Hieron II of
Syracuse.
The protagonist is Hieron’s friend, the aristocratic
poet and singer Pindaros who accompanies him­
self on the Kithára. Questioning and commenting
a choir of high and low male voices support him –
and surprisingly build a bridge to the present
modern day Olympic games. The famous com­
petition scenes in honour of Patroklos from
Homer’s Iliad – one of the rare and genuine sports
reviews from the Ancient world – supplements
Pindar’s usually philosophical and mythological
thoughts. The ‘Cantata’ finally ends with a
consolation song for all those who could not be
winners, i.e. for nearly all participants at the
various antique games!
The ‘Olympionikais’ is interspersed with instru­
mental dances which are passed down to us
through Aulós and varied rhythmical music
instruments such as Seístron, Týmpanon, Krótala
and Kýmbala.
Beside the concert version there is a also a scenic
one of ‘Olympionikais’ which shows the original
clothes of the musicians and masks of the choir
but also includes the acrobats and jugglers as they
are often depicted on vases from that period.
Kithára, Auloí, Seístron and Krótala are re­
constructed by Paul J. Reichlin. The music is
re-imagined by Conrad Steinmann.
The Ensemble Melpomen
Arianna Savall
Giovanni Cantarini Massimo Cialfi Conrad Steinmann Choir:
Luiz Alves da Silva Beat Mattmüller
Andreas Schmidt Robert Koller Marcos Padotzke
Andreas Schmidt The Krótala are hand clappers of different size played
pair wise. They have been used to accompany dances
mostly together with Aulós. They produce a dry sound
comparable to the Spanish castanets.
soprano (Muse) and bárbitos
tenor (Pindar) and kithára
sálpinx, týmpanon,
krótala, kýmbala
aulós, seístron;
direction and music
(solo)
(alto)
(solo)
(baryton)
Pleasure and Displeasure
Programme Sappho
Sappho and her time
Greek music from the 6th century BC
The Ensemble Melpomen
This programme follows the traces of the
legendary singer Sappho of Lesbos but also
draws a general picture of the mood of the 6th
century BC in Ancient Greece.
Arianna Savall
Giovanni Cantarini Massimo Cialfi Conrad Steinmann
Personalities of various ‘ego’ become obvious:
Through Theognis staggering between ecstasy
and desperation, or life weary Mimnermos, or
statesmanlike Solon with his always up-to-date
thoughts. As well as Anacreon with his joy of life
and above all Sappho who touches us with her
most intimate feelings. These human shades are
accompanied by the Aphrodite hymns, lyrics in the
style of Homer’s epic poems.
A Mediterranean female voice, one male singer and
plenty of carefully reconstructed instruments of the
period combine a fascinating musical sound.
Bárbitos, Kithára, Krótala and Auloí are re­
constructed by Paul J. Reichlin; Kýmbala by
Markus Uhl; Seístron by Reichlin/Uhl. The music
is re-imagined by Conrad Steinmann according to
lyrics by Sappho, Solon, Theognis, Mimnermos,
Anakreon and to the Homeric Hymns to Aphrodite.
The Kithára, again with seven strings, is the accompanying
instrument of professional singers. A big hollowed resonance box
with rich ornaments show that it must have been a true luxury
instrument. The instrument played in this programme follows attic
vase paintings from about 500 BC which show the Kithára from all
sides. The playing technique is similar to the Bárbitos where the
player’s right hand uses a plectrum to strike the strings where as
the fingers of the left hand stop or pluck the strings.
voice and bárbitos
voice and kithára
sálpinx, týmpanon and
kýmbala
aulós, kýmbala, seístron; direction and music
International and award-winning
Melpomen – the Ensemble
Musical discoveries
Led by Conrad Steinmann the ensemble
Melpomen has dedicated itself to the musical
exploration of classic Ancient Greece.
The ensemble appears in different formations
depending on the project. For the programme
‘Melpomen’ there is a soprano, who plays also the
bárbitos, a singer, a percussionist and an Aulós
player. It can also include a kitharode, an aulet and
a choir as in ‘Olympionikais’, the victory songs of
Pindaros, which were first introduced at the end
of the Olympic games in Athens in 2004. Most of
the members of the ensemble have graduated
from the famous institute for old music, the Schola
Cantorum Basiliensis (SCB). The SCB has provided
Conrad Steinmann/Paul J. Reichlin with a research
grant to work on the theme of Greek instruments
as the basis for the different programmes.
The award-winning CD ‘Melpomen, Ancient Greek
Music’ (Harmonia Mundi/SCB) is the first musical
document of the ensemble (diapason d’or).
Conrad Steinmann
As a recorder player and
lecturer at the SCB for many
years, Conrad Steinmann has
also been a music archaeologist
and Aulós player in the field
of Ancient Greek music of
the classical period for some
twenty years. With great historic conscientiousness
and the intuition of a practising musician, he has
integrated his knowledge of Greek instruments
and literature to a thus far unheard form of ancient
music. A scholarship from the Greek Stavros S.
Niarchos Foundation rewards and supports his
unique endeavours and researches.
As a recorder player Conrad Steinmann has
travelled the world over with groups such as the
‘Ensemble 415’, ‘London Baroque’ or ‘diferencias’.
His commitment to New Music has widened his
horizons. Many compositions dedicated to him
have got ‘classics’ of the respective repertoire.
CDs record his musical explorations, the last being
Vivaldi’s Flute concertos ‘Giorno e Notte’.
Arianna Savall
As a trained singer and
harpist with a Mediterranian
background, Arianna seems
predestined to revive Greek
lyric poets like Sappho. She
accompanies her singing with
string instruments from the
Classical Greek period, here the bárbitos, as did in
her time Sappho herself.
As member of renowned ensembles like ‘Hes­
pe­rion XXI’ or ‘Ricercare Consort’ she is active
worldwide and can be heard on countless CDs.
Alongside this, she dedicates herself to her own
music (‘Bella Terra’).
Luiz Alves da Silva
Born in Brazil, Luiz Alves da
Silva dedicates himself to
the study of Early music and
the technique as an altus/
counter tenor at the SCB in
Basel and in particular to the
reproduction and research
of colonial Brazilian and Portuguese music. He
performs this music with his ‘Ensemble Turicum’
founded in Zurich. A number of CDs document his
commitment, which he has supplemented with
musicological studies in Lisbon.
Giovanni Cantarini
Born in Rimini, Giovanni
Canta­rini began to be fas­
cinated with historic songs at
the University of Bologna as
soon as his studies in Classic
Philology were completed.
Further singing studies at the
SCB and his access to the ancient Greek language
and world made him a genuine singer in the field
of epic and lyrical music of Archaic and Classic
Greece. In addition to this, he is a member of various
renowned vocal groups; ‘La Venexiana’ with music
from Monteverdi or the ensemble ‘Gilles Binchoir’,
directed by Dominque Vellard. In the true sense
of a ‘kitharoden’, Giovanni Cantarini accompanies
himself on a reconstructed kithára.
Massimo Cialfi
Massimo Cialfi was born and
lives in Milan. After his studies
of the historic trombone in The
Hague and in Basel at the SCB,
he has been active worldwide in
various ensembles. In addition,
he is especially interested in
old Italian and Arabian percussion instruments and
their techniques. This make him a welcome guest
in countless concerts. In the ensemble Melpomen
he plays the trompet-style sálpinx as well as the
týmpanon, the krótala and the kýmbala.
Imprint
Text: Conrad Steinmann
Translation: Marianne Kuster, Winterthur
Pictures: Margrit Müller, Paul J. Reichlin,
Antikenmuseum Basel
Design: Claudia Wehrli, Winterthur
Print: Mattenbach AG, Winterthur
Edition: 300 copies, 2007
Contact: Conrad Steinmann
Rychenbergstrasse 56
CH-8400 Winterthur
++41 52 213 94 44
[email protected]