The ancient Greek and Roman eras laid the foundation for the development of Western music. They occupied an extremely important position in the history of European music development. They had a profound impact on the development of Western music and even world music, and provided a great contribution to human music. The progress of civilization has made an indelible contribution. During this period, whether it was musical instruments, drama, poetry and other art forms, or the formation of music theory and music concepts, they all became dazzling wonders in the treasure house of human civilization, and had a profound impact on the development of music culture in the entire world.

The development of ancient Greek musical civilization has lasted for nearly a thousand years and created a rich cultural heritage. However, due to the backward notation method, very little music has been left behind, and only about 40 pieces are currently known. There are fragments of music scores, most of which were formed relatively late. However, the once glorious ancient Greek music is often revealed from other ancient Greek cultural carriers, such as written records, pottery reliefs, paintings and sculptures, etc., from which we can piecemeal glimpses of the mysterious face of ancient Greek music, which is enough for us to understand To the general outline of ancient Greek music culture, and feel the immortal charm of ancient Greek music culture. Ancient Greece was the first country in Europe to create civilization. Before the 12th century BC, some areas had transitioned from primitive society to class society. The ancient Greeks believed in gods, but they did not blindly accept their explanations of the universe. People often held religious activities to sacrifice and worship gods. Such frequent religious activities also provided favorable conditions for the development of ancient Greek music. In addition, ancient Greek music and mythology maintain a special relationship. Greek mythology believes that music originated from gods. According to legend, the earliest creators and practitioners of music were Apollo, Orpheus, Amphion and other gods and goddesses in Greek mythology. Demigods, even the lyre and the aphros, the main musical instruments of ancient Greece, were used to worship the sun god Apollo and the wine god Dionysus respectively.

In the 6th to 4th centuries BC, the culture of ancient Greece was unprecedentedly prosperous, and the development of ancient Greek music also reached its peak. Musical forms such as instrumental music, drama, and lyric poetry all developed to a very high level. Ancient Greek instrumental music performance was mainly performed by two types of instruments: strings and wind instruments. The most representative ones are the lyre and the aphros. They can be used for singing accompaniment and poetry recitation, or they can be played alone as solo instruments. Among them, the lyre has a longer history. As a representative of the native Greek musical instruments, its shape is still used as a symbol and symbol of music. As the most important form of ancient Greek drama, tragedy is also an important achievement of Greek civilization. It is mainly a musical drama that integrates performance, singing, dance and poetry. The chorus in the play is singing and dancing, and many monologues and even dialogues They were all expressed in singing, and the emergence of tragedy also laid the foundation for the emergence of opera in the 17th century. The development of ancient Greek poetry was also very successful. In ancient Greece, music and poetry were always connected, and poetry was always accompanied by music. Taking the famous Homer era as an example, the heroic epic "The Odyssey" was always sung by bards at banquets.

Compared with musical instruments, drama, poetry and other art forms, the music theory of ancient Greece is the largest and most complete legacy that has had a practical impact on Western European music. The earliest person in ancient Greece to make achievements in music theory was Pythagoras. He was not only the earliest music theorist, but also a philosopher and scientist in ancient Greece, and he was also very successful in the study of music technology. He studies music from a mathematical perspective and believes that music and mathematics are inseparable. Numbers are considered to be the key to the entire spiritual and material world. Music is a pitch and rhythm system governed by mathematical laws. His views are very significant. Strong rational thinking characteristics. Aristocenus was another music theorist after Pythagoras. He opposed the idea of ??determining pitch by numbers, believing that Pythagoras lacked perceptual practice and should focus on practical auditory experience. To understand music, whether the music is consonant or dissonant, it should be distinguished by human hearing. Aristocenos expressed his theoretical views in his theoretical work "Elements of Harmony" and discussed theoretical issues of music in the basic elements of music such as mode, interval, melody and so on.

Compared with Pythagoras and Aristocenos, the two philosophers Plato and Aristotle paid more attention to the issue of musical performance when studying music theory. They believed that Music has an educational effect and is an important means of educating people's character. Good music can purify people's souls, but superficial music can damage social and personal peace. Therefore, they believe that music should be selected strictly. Among the talents who educate and govern the country, the use of melodies that express indulgence and suppleness is avoided, so only the Dorian mode and the Phrygian mode can be reserved for use, because the Dorian mode is considered simple, masculine, and quieting the soul. Ligian mode has the Dionysian spirit and can inspire enthusiasm. They represent the two virtues of restraint and courage respectively. From Plato's point of view, music with too many notes, chaotic rhythms, complicated scales, and ensembles of instruments should also be rejected. Aristotle does not have as many restrictions on rhythm and mode as Plato does. Allow music to be used for entertainment and enjoyment in addition to education.

Ancient Greek music is a comprehensive art form integrating music, dance and poetry. Its musical content is pure and simple. Most of its works are intended to directly reflect the social life and nation of the ancient Greeks. History, no utilitarianism, attaches great importance to the secularity and reality of music. At the same time, the ancient Greeks regarded music as a noble accomplishment. In ancient Greece, only educated and outstanding people were called "musical people", while clumsy and despicable people were called "non-musicians". "person" or "person without music". Ancient Greece attached great importance to the role of music in social education and used music to educate citizens. Among them, ancient Greek tragedy, one of the important forms of ancient Greek music, was regarded as an effective way to publicize and educate the masses, and was often directly carried out by the government. Organize performances. This shows the important position of music in the life of ancient Greeks.

In 146 BC, ancient Greece was conquered by the brave and capable ancient Rome. Subsequently, the center of culture moved to ancient Rome, but ancient Rome relied on the cultural wealth of ancient Greece, both in the field of music and Whether it was epics, philosophy, architecture, religion and other aspects, ancient Greece had an important influence on ancient Roman culture. So that later generations said: "Greece was conquered by Roman troops, and Rome was conquered by Greek ideas." When talking about ancient Roman music culture, some scholars even said: "When we talk about ancient Roman music, we mean It is Greek music that was developed and practiced in Rome. "It can be seen that ancient Roman music was formed under the influence of absorbing foreign music, especially ancient Greek music. In fact, due to different social development environments, including differences in national personality, government functions, economic development and cultural environment, ancient Rome combined the instrumental music, drama, music theory, music education, etc. of ancient Greece with the The cultural and political characteristics of this nation opened up new space for the development of Greek music in ancient Rome.

First of all, in terms of the use of musical instruments, in order to adapt to the huge Roman legions, loud military music became a unique tradition of ancient Roman music. Copper instruments represented by tubas were heavily used and appeared A large orchestra with hundreds or thousands of people. In terms of the function of music art, music is developing towards practicality and entertainment. Unlike the ancient Greeks who attached great importance to the educational function of music, the ancient Romans attached great importance to the hedonic function of music. Music can be heard everywhere in military ceremonies, public occasions, weddings, funerals, family banquets and other occasions. Music in Rome It plays a very important role in people's lives. Among the upper-class aristocratic families, proficiency in music was regarded as a symbol of education and wealth. They selected artistically talented people from slaves to learn music for their own appreciation, which also led to the development of music education. At the same time, professional musicians also appeared in ancient Rome. They took touring as their profession and were sought after by people. In terms of musical concepts, music has lost its artistic and educational qualities in the ancient Greek period and has become a pure entertainment and a propaganda tool serving the ruling class. It is in contrast to the yearning for freshness, moderation and perfection of music in the ancient Greek period. Extremely inconsistent.

The wheel of history always rolls forward, and music is no exception. On the basis of inheriting the musical tradition of ancient Greece, ancient Roman music continues to develop forward in a new direction. This is history. inevitable. Ancient Greek and Roman music, as the source of Western music culture, had a profound impact on Western music. In the development process of Western music, many art forms can find prototypes in ancient Greek and Roman music, such as the influence of ancient Greek tragedy on 17th-century opera, the relationship between modern European major and minor and ancient Greek musical modal theory, and modern chord music. The connection between music, wind music, and the lyre and aphros in the ancient Greek period, etc., all permeate elements of the music culture of the ancient Greek and Roman periods, fully reflecting the influence of ancient Greek and Roman music on the development of Western music. It can be said that without the foundation of ancient Greek and Roman music culture, it would be difficult to imagine the formation of Western musical character in the past thousand years.