Ancient Greek culture is the origin of Western civilization. Like ancient Greek philosophy, literature, science, architecture, fine arts and drama, music is also an important part of ancient Greek culture. Although there are very few musical works handed down from ancient Greece, rich written descriptions and sculptures describe the style of ancient Greek music culture. In the long history of Western music, the cultural spirit of ancient Greek music has continuously influenced and inspired people of later generations.

00Mythology is the rich soil of ancient Greek art, and music in ancient Greek mythology is extremely charming. Apollo was not only the god of the sun, but also in charge of music. The demigod King Amphion of Thebes built the Thebes Castle with the magic of the music. The Thracian singer Orpheus used the charm of music to save his wife Eurydice from hell, and then lost her again. This story embodies the human characteristics of ancient Greek mythology, and it has been composed into operas nearly a hundred times. The Muses are the collective name for the nine goddesses in charge of literature, art and science respectively, and the word "music" evolved from the Muses, which shows that in the eyes of the ancient Greeks, music is related to human beings' pursuit of truth and beauty. activities are closely related.

00The earliest stringed instrument in the West is the lyre, also known as the lyre. In mythology, Hermes, the messenger of the gods, covered a turtle shell with cowhide, propped up two antelope horns, stretched a crossbar and pulled the strings to create the lyre. Since the Renaissance, the lyre has been a symbol of music in Western literature and art. The lyre later evolved into the larger kithars. The ancient Greek wind instrument was the Aulos, a single or double-tube recorder made of reed pipes. The lyre is mostly used for solo accompaniment and epic singing. It is the main instrument in the ceremony of worshiping Apollo. In the rituals of worshiping Dionysus, and later in the Dionysian chorus and the Athenian tragedy chorus, Avros was an important instrument. In modern Western cultural concepts, the lyre and music worshiping Apollo and Avros and music worshiping Dionysus have become symbols of two major categories of music with opposing personalities. The former is calm and controlled, the latter is ecstatic and indulgent.

00The discussion of music by ancient Greek philosophers had an important influence and inspiration on the development of Western music. Pythagoras connected the harmony of musical intervals and rhythm with the harmony and order of the universe and the stars, thus incorporating music into his theory of abstract numbers as the source of all things. However, his discussion on the relationship between string length ratio and musical harmony already has the germ of science. Two other philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, are famous for discussing the social and moral role of music.