Dr Tosca Lynch: List of publications

In this paper, I offer a close discussion of the musical innovations attributed to Phrynis, Timotheus and other ‘New Musicians’ mentioned in a famous fragment of Pherecrates’ Chiron, interpreting this fascinating passage in the light of the extant evidence about ancient harmonic theory and practice, as well as the latest research findings. More specifically, I shall advance a new hypothesis concerning the nature of Phrynis’ innovative ‘twister’ (strobilos): producing a special bending (kampē) of a semitone, this gadget allowed Phrynis to combine five different harmoniai (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Iastian and ‘Loose Lydian’) in one and the same twelve-string tuning. Making a subtle modification to this device, Timotheus further expanded the harmonic palette of his twelve-string kithara, introducing the lamenting aulos-mode par excellence, the Mixolydian, into the realm of lyre music. Philoxenus increased this system by adding an extra string, reaching the 13-step arrangement that is at the heart of Aristoxenian harmonic theory.

In the symposium, Plato presents his readers with many different charac- terisations of the aulos and the performers of this instrument. at the very beginning of the drinking-party (symp. 176e7) the aulos-girl is sent away: given that this instru- ment played a very significant role in the sympotic practices of Classical athens, this exceptional choice calls for an explanation. in the light of the following develop- ments of the dialogue, the dismissal of the αὐλητρίς becomes even more significant. in fact, on the one hand, this character reappears at a key moment of the dialogue, as alcibiades’ dramatic appearance on scene is announced and accompanied precisely by the sound of her “voice” (αὐλητρίδος φωνὴν ἀκούειν, 212c8; cf. 212d6). On the other hand, in his following discourse of praise, alcibiades characterises Socrates as ‘the most wonderful αὐλητής’ and claims that this image not only epitomises the effect of Socrates’ words on the souls of his listeners (cf. 215b-216d) but reveals no less than “the truth” about Socrates (τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἕνεκα, 215a9). but what do Socrates’ words have in common with the seductive voice of the aulos? in this paper, i will show how these apparently conflicting images can help us understand Plato’s complex and nu- anced attitude towards the alluring voice of the aulos and its psychological effects. more specifically, i will contend that alcibiades’ characterisation of Socrates as the ‘most wonderful aulete’ reveals how the power of Socrates’ seductive words can be truly likened to a ‘good use’ of auletic music. Just as marsyas’ and Olympus’ divine music is capable of revealing who needs to participate in mystic rites, so also Socrates’ aulemata are capable of achieving an effect that goes much deeper than mere rational persuasion and exposes the true ethical needs of his interlocutors. differently from what is often maintained, then, i will argue that Plato is not at all concerned with the capacity of the aulos to provoke deep and powerful emotions; on the contrary, far from rejecting entirely the intense and even ecstatic effects of music, Plato’s aim is to highlight the importance of using these powerful forces correctly. if oriented correctly, both musical and rhetorical aulemata become crucial educational “tools” to give shape to the soul and its inner hierarchy of desires. if oriented in the wrong ethi- cal direction, both the power of persuasive speech and that of music lead to the exact opposite result: psychological (and therefore political) strife.

This paper calls into question a long-lasting but ill-founded tenet of Platonic scholarship, namely that Plato was not interested in, or aware of, the technical implications of the musical concepts he employed in the dialogues. Conversely, I will show how Plato exploited the technical and practical features of the concept of symphōnía dià pasôn, and of choral singing more generally, to highlight the unique role played by temperance (sōphrosýnē) in the ideal city. More precisely I contend that Plato’s musical images, far from being decorative or purely metaphoric devices, enrich our understanding of this ethical notion precisely by means of their technical and performative implications, which were very familiar to the original readers of the Republic. Hence musical theory and practice, in addition to being central elements of the cultural context in which Plato’s reflections must be interpreted, represent also a repertoire of concepts that significantly informed his philosophical theories.

This paper was presented on Dec 13th 2017 at the Durham Classics Research Seminar Series on 'the Legacy of Plato's Timaeus'. Abstract: In many passages of Plato’s dialogues, the soul is depicted as a ‘harmonious’ whole – a notion that was already attested in Pythagorean thought but was to be significantly criticised and modified in Plato’s own works, starting at least from the Phaedo. But it is in Book 4 of the Republic that the most important ethical values of the ideal city, and the souls that embody them, are depicted in thought-provoking musical terms: in fact, moderation (sōphrosýnē) and justice (dikaiosýnē) are repeatedly described as a symphonic agreement of sounds (συμφωνία, Resp. 4.430e, 4.431e–432b) or even an actual ‘tuning system’ (ἁρμονία, Resp. 4.443c–444a). This paper will focus on Plato’s fascinating depiction of justice as special kind of harmonía that epitomises the best possible organisation of the soul, exploring his nuanced use of the model of lyre tunings in performative, theoretical as well as educational terms. More specifically, by comparing Plato’s use of harmonic imagery with technical discussions of lyre tunings and their key role in educational settings, I will show how Plato exploited distinctive features of traditional Greek lyre harmoníai to give shape to his innovative understanding of the structure of the soul and the harmonious, but not strifeless, relationship between its individual components. In the second part of this paper, I will look at how the model outlined in the Republic sheds light on the musical structure that gives shape to the World Soul in the Timaeus, advancing a new interpretation of its elusive harmonic organisation. More generally, this chapter aims at showing how Plato’s harmonic characterisation of the structure of the soul is essentially based on his (and his readers’) acquaintance with basic practical as well as theoretical features of these musical models. Hence, musical theory and practice represented a shared repertoire of concepts that Plato could embrace to express his innovative philosophical notions in terms that his readers could easily relate to on the basis of their own aesthetic, emotional, as well as cognitive experience.