Music played a crucial role in Roman religious rituals, setting the rhythm and invoking certain emotions. Various instruments had different roles in Roman life, including tibicines, or players of the tibia, playing behind altars. They were depicted wearing a toga with a tibia. Roman music was present at parties, important events, rituals, and battlefields. Many of the instruments used in Rome were invented by other cultures, such as spectacles, theatre, games, entertainment music accompanied banquets, and music related to rites (e.g., funeral ceremonies).
Rhythm and metre were two musical practices that the Ancient Romans were particularly fond of. They used rhythm to create the timing and flow of their music. Music and dance were integral elements of Roman and Greek religious expression, defying disambiguation and a single meaning. The topic of music and ritual is fundamentally anthropological, concerned with how people have used music within a ritual context from prehistory to today. Roman musicians would be present at parties and important events, as well as in rituals and on the battlefield. Many of the instruments used in Rome were invented by other cultures.
Music was also used during religious celebrations, with the Ancient Romans playing music to gods and goddesses and having festivals with music. The received wisdom is that music was largely ceremonial for religious and military purposes, but pictures and texts also describe domestic music. Funerals, public and private gatherings, and gladiatorial spectacles all used music, and even music recitals were performed. Roman poets like Horace and Quintilian composed poetic pieces known as odes, which were performed on civic occasions. In many rituals, music is believed to be necessary to achieve a psychological state for rebirth and regeneration.
📹 What did Popular Music in Ancient Rome sound like?
If you liked this video, you might also enjoy my book “Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked …
📹 Aulos from ancient Greek and Roman times music by Max Brumberg
Aulos or Auloi double pipes from antique Greece, an improvisation on a reconstruction of the Louvre Aulos found in Egypt, played …
A few weeks ago – I work in Vienna’s inner city – while on my way to the office I walked through Tuchlauben over the Graben into Kohlmarkt, the place where, about two millenia ago, the porta decumana (southern gate) of the Roman castra vindobona was located, and I thought, hm, around 2000 years ago, some Roman soldier stood there, and though, darn it!, my shift is about to start, and about 2000 years later, I go there, and think, darn it!, my shift is about to start, which made me wonder – what changed? And now I watch this article, in which you tell us, that rock stars where always rock stars, complete with attitude, fangirls, and everything else. Again: What changed? The technology. But the people are still the same, no matter the decade century millenium.
Another great article. Although I have not had a chance to check out your book, I must compliment you on the cover design. It has a really great retro look. Having grown up in the 1970’s with an archaeologist (Egyptologist) for an older brother I was always exposed to this type of literature. In fact I remember having classical Greek, Roman, and medieval themed coloring books as a child. Keep up the great work.
Loved this!! You should use musical accompaniment in more of your articles! (Even though the subject matter is quite interesting to me and I’d watch them either way simply from your knowledge of the subject) I feel like it helps it feel more like a article and less like a slideshow if you know what I mean. Great stuff as always!
Another superb post, Garrett. I felt for a moment sitting there in the audience, enjoying the soft lyre’s voice which I prefer amongst the other instruments. And then holding my breath at the pantomime’s first swirl. I didn’t want this clip to stop… I found all the images and music samples in this article quite exceptional. Such a delight!
Excellent article. Many thanks ! You omitted mentioning the Greek “krotales” = the ancestor to Spanish castanets. Used in religious/temple processions too. It is possible that the Romans stopped using the krotales, and used metallic cymbals as percussion, instead . I’m not an expert, so I’m not totally sure here. But definitely, the krotales were an important percussion instrument made of wood, in ancient Greece.
Side note: while musicians and actors were favored on the stage, in everyday life, they were socially castigated, often being seen as on pad or just above the freedman social class. The aforementioned is why the senate and other people of the equestrian and senatorial class looked as Nero with such horror when he took part in plays and games.
Fascinating, thank you! Of interest to me because as a professional fashion illustrator in NYC, painter and composer/pianist I had to study ancient musical instruments at the BMFA, Boston Museum of Fine Arts while doing a project to paint floral designs on a harpsichord being built. And while in Rome, we never learned about this, though we visited many of the famous ruins of ancient Rome. While studying to be a fashion illustrator, I had to study the history of costume and illustrate costumes/fashions from ancient Greece and Rome all the way up through the 20th century when I was in my late teens! History repeats in more ways than one if even in shades/echoes per historian Ken Burns!
Been enjoying your website (and your book). I was looking through my books on Rome and discovered that all my ‘daily life in ancient Rome’ books are all now 50 years old and I seriously need to get some updated stuff. Are you familiar with Ian Mortimer’s ‘A Time Traveller’s Guide to…’ series where he focuses on specific periods of English history (the renaissance, medieval, Elizabethan)? Is there a Roman equivalent? One that goes into detail on clothing, attitudes, food, environment, etc… of both the elite and commoners?
Good research, as you know i am an early suscriber and have been tracking your evolution. This article content exceeds my expectation although i would have enjoyed some more authentic roman music. But i am rising a warning flag for your promotion. There’s a limit when it starts becoming slightly annoying, you’re right at the threshold, especially when it’s coming from multiple angles and at beginning, middle and end of your article. It’s all up to you what you want the website to be but personally i like this to stay more under the radar.
I love this article so much, it’s things like this I’ve wondered about so much. As a musician I often think about what music sounded like in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, Canaan etc. You should do a article on popular culture Roman or Greek theater and famous actors like in this one, it would be interesting what the equivalents of people like Marlon Brando or Audrey Hepburn.
During the time of Nero, they flooded the Colosseum and a famous Greek composer was on an island created in the middle, playing his musical instrument. As he played, a boat on the created Lake floated filled with “Vestal Virgins”. From a gate leading to the tunnels underneath the Colosseum, wild animals were released onto the island and tore the Composer to shreds- the Vestal Virgins all laughed at him- . A slave on the specially designed ship pulled one piece of wood out as crocodiles were released into the water. The boat fell apart and the Vestal virgins were eaten by the Crocs. Nero loved this and decided to build a similar boat for his Mother- which then sank in The Bay of Rome- but she survived. This was from an account written by a Centurion of the time. So hearing this I now understand better what that composer may have done to pi$$ Nero off so bad 🙂 Thanks!!
I always used to fantasize about taking Pink Floyd back in time to the Roman Colosseum with their sound and their light show and everything and to be able to record the looks on people’s faces! Yes it’s a far-out fantasy but it would still be interesting, maybe even to do as a fantasy movie or short story?
Interesting article as always! One thing that Id like to see with these article is perhaps a list of sources as to how we know all this, and where we can read more details and stuff. I cant seem to find any sources on your website for your articles and books either, so if you could include these in the future that would be appreciated 🙂
I find ancient history so fascinating. It feels like they were just like us, not even from a different time but a different planet. Like an alternate universe. They did all of the same things just without technology. Their society was so far ahead of its time. What life was like after the fall of Rome is how you’d think it would’ve always been until the renaissance. Although I guess it wouldn’t have been a “renaissance” in that case but you get my point. It’s just so interesting that their society is so similar in so many ways to modern societies. Idk I guess this is something that should be really obvious but I guess I’ve always taken it for granted.
a Legionnaire officers mask was found in N Germany where one of the legions was famously wiped out. It resembles the mime masks shown in this article. Since those mimes were known to incite riots (or the same thing by some another name), It’s plausible that the masked officers job was to do the same thing to his troops in theatrical form the way Custer wore a red waist sash into battle while playing Gary Owen. But maybe there were just a lot of out of work officers that later got jobs as mimes in Rome.
My favourite work was from the ‘Hit Duo’ Biggus and Incontinentia (Dickus & Buttocks) Live at the Forum Colchester. Sadly the concert was cut short when members of the audience, led by the local trouble maker Boudicca proceeded to slaughter the entire population of the city. Still we got to hear some old favourites like ‘The Long and very straight Road’ ‘All I want for Saturnualia is a Vestal Virgin’ and ‘Judea in the Sky with Diamonds, before the temple, forum, baths and every dwelling was burnt to the ground. Ps good informative article. 👍
Emperor Nero is always referred to as “fiddling” from the top of a tower, when Rome was burning up in the horrific AD64 fire. It would be good to clarify once and for all that “fiddle” in the classic sense meaning “violin” did not exist in ancient Roman times. Anyway, it’s true that he was referred as able to sing, able to compose music, and instead of a “fiddle” he might have probably played a lyre, which was typically heard when someone was singing Greek tragedies or poems such as the Iliad, or “The Trojan War”
i remember a pop, rock or folk band or group (your choice) in the mid 60’s called Orpheus, My girl liked them so much her the album, The only album i think i ever bought. I don’t really remember any of the songs by name just the group’s name which had no “The” before subject, Beatles stones, who, kinks, velvet underground, stooges, to name a few “The’s”.. but i do remember a particular piece that started with a horn solo & ended with the same horn solo fading away, that song’s horn always reminded me of my childhood, just before sunrise walking along the docks on the bay, thick still air & eerily dead quiet, except for a fog horn’s moan slowly pulsating in the distance. { some people seem to always remember and remark where they were the first time they heard some song they liked when they hear it again and again..Strange phenomena.. The show, the decadence the control & power over the masses with audio persuasion & spectacle. Seems the Romans flamboyant tastes and Modern showmanship with varied demeanors have alot in common. Music to fall asleep by, or wake up to, music for romance & music to drive by, and music to tear the house down and brawl,,Imagine stadium gladiators hacking each other to pieces for the fans in a state of bloodlust, while the fans are rocking out, listening to their favorite live music by Magadeath, Famine, Crucifixx or Brutus and the Four Horsemen. Somebody has to clean up the mess when debaucherous the party is over. (call in the wage slaves) The west certainly has modeled it’s civilization after the Greeks & Romans In a culture of control, marketing Government, Military, Architecture and Entertainment, an all you can eat epoch for the masses.
Ordered on September 7, 2021 (1 item) Naked Statues, Fat Gladiators, and War Elephants: Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans (Kindle Books). Yeah, I copied it from my purchased e-book list – Awesome book! Should be read with Gladiator soundtrack (didn’t think of it at the time).
Ancient Roman Music and Dance – Ostia Antica: youtu.be/B0vufYX8Db8 Ancient Roman Dance: youtu.be/fOtVnLWiWQc Villa Giulia – Rome – Ancient Rome Music and Dance: youtube.com/watch?v=7NSnvYd6Y4M Music and Dances of Ancient Rome in Piano di Sorrento: youtu.be/ZgHgyTIyooc
He’s right, the Roman’s may have borrowed from the Greeks but hey, The Beatles covered Buddy Holly. Have you heard Caesar’s Beige Album? I mean sure, you had to buy it or you risked having your nose cut off, but there were some juicy cuts, Back in the Outskirts of Gaul, Why Don’t We Don’t We Do It in the Aqueduct, Happiness is a Warm Javelin. Quite a few tunes made Papyrus’s Top C. Okay, the stone carving that came with it was a bit clumsy but we could nitpick all day long.
I like how we compact a thousand years or more of classical civilization into one gigantic homogenous, unchanging type. Think how much music has changed just in Western Civilization in 100 years. Where I live in the late 1800s they were singing “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” around campfires when my ancestors settled in the Rocky Mountains and now I can have Alexa play infinite types of music at will. Between Greece and Rome that’s a huge span of time and I’m sure music was extremely varied across Africa, Near East, and Europe. Wish they could have recorded things, it would be fascinating to me to hear musical sounds that are probably lost forever.
“Come on, Pluvius, we have to go, the gig with the Emperor starts in an hour.” “I can’t do it, Flavius. I CAN’T!! Sweet Jupiter, I am going to SHIT MY FUCKING PANTS!!” “Bro, we have to go…” “I’m sorry. I can’t. I just can’t. Too much pressure with what happened to mom. I’m having one panic attack after another. Tell them I’m sick or something. I can’t go, I just can’t go. Sorry. Sorry to everybody.” Historians today: 6:35
Lots of interesting information here, but sadly, the musical example at the end had nothing to do with Roman music. It was a modern transverse flute (which was not a visible part of Roman musical culture) playing in modern equal temperament a fully imaginary pseudo-Medieval dance tune. You need to get a musicologist to vet your work.
I wonder if the competitions amongst musicians formed the early basis for the Grand Prix du Rome that would eventually become the proving grounds for so many of the Classical/Romantic masters. With how much musicology I’ve studied, you’d hope I’d know the answer for that but alas… I’d also like to point out that to non-musicians the “Jazz improv” analogy is flawed considering they would have used Pythagorean tuning or Just Intonation as Even Temperament hadn’t been invented yet.
f̴̟̓̽́̚e̶̺̳̗̙̖̠̟̓̓͂̋̚ę̵̧̛͖͉͈̦̯̖̻̗̝̼̺̀̌͗̈̏͑͛̍͑̏͘̚͝ͅd̴̡̧̧̛̞̥̲̼̪͓͉̺̣̥̣̿͗̀͂̌ͅ ̴̨̳̩̯͓͍̟̔̏̀̀̄̉́̈́͘͝͝t̴̪̙͇͎͇͇͚͙̹͇͚̞̆̂̿̕h̸̘͖͕̜͚͚̥͉̥̪͙̋̂͂̈ẹ̶̢̧̡̱̰̟̔̐ ̶̨̙͖̲̯̘̥͍͙̌̿̀̓͆̃̒̚a̶̡͇̩͍͓̩̹͍̠̓̽̀͌̔̌̃͂̎͛͑̒͌͘͠ļ̴̨̟̤͙̘͇̣̘͉̠̙̈̏͂́̎̚͜͜ǵ̴͔͓̫̳̯͎͍͙͌ö̵̡̨͓̗͎͚̝͚̼̖̺̞͎̫͇́̆̅̊̽̀̽͊̿̉̎̑̒̅̒r̸̨̞͔̬̤̆̃̔͜i̸̧̙̫̮̩̠̻͍͔̤̓̉̎͛̃̾͋͐̃̉̏̚͜t̷̡͔̺͖̺̯͉̱̤̤̊̅͘̚ḥ̵͖̲̼̟͕̙͓͇͊͑̽̉͗̏͝ͅm̴̲̘̮̰̙̞̻̘̂̓͒͛̉́͠͝͝͝
You have to wonder if this has something to do with the absolute proliferation of Italian crooners that popped up in America. Italians fled there to escape starvation, and were horrifically bullied, even lynched – to the point where the Italian Foreign Minister went to the US to see what was going on. And yet, one of the main forms that their unquenchable spirit took form was in music. Someone needs to do a drawing or painting of Dean Martin in a tuxedo/toga, singing to an audience of Romans. If anyone looks and probably sounds like the descendant of an ancient Roman, Deano does. If he hadn’t altered his very Roman nose, he’d look the part even more.
The reason stuff like this got lost in time is because only a few people recorded it and their records were destroyed or couldn’t be translated. The lesson to be learned from this is that every human should record whatever they want left for future generations not just on a hard drive or on a piece of paper but carved into stone buried in a stone box somewhere. And translated into as many languages they knew existed at the time. If every human did this, we’d really know what happened in history despite any catastrophe may have occurred because it couldn’t have destroyed every single one without destroying the Earth itself.
SO….That “rock-n-roll” played during the orgy scene in HBO’s TV series entitled “Rome” was not real? I find it hard to believe ancient Romans did NOT have music with more rhythm. If they didn’t, then white folks across Western Civilization today need to thank AFRICANS for introducing us to that thing that makes up most popular music today called rhythm. Because without it, we would be so bored, and probably would have started more wars just to alleviate such boredom. CORRECTION…Faster rhythm. Thank Africans for FASTER rhythm, or at least thank them for modern Rock-n-roll.
As a point of interest, Salisbury Cathedral in the UK has a working portable organ, very similar to the roman one, which was still working in the mid 1980’s, and produced full toned, rich timbred notes, on a par with a modern church pipe organ, and like the roman version was powered by hand bellows. We would appreciate the music produced in the ranges and quality as modern or current to our ears.
Picture this, you’re walking down the road in ancient rome on your way home from a hard day of work suddenly… you start hearing a bass and some gentleman is singing… GUCCI GANG GUCCI GANG whilst wearing some strange clothing and what to you is a bizare paint on his face and some parts of his body.
sadly this chapter is glossed over in school classes and history documentaries. its a bloody shame. as someone who has a vivid interest in ancient music history and who built his own barbitos and is currently building a pandura (yeah, theyre greek, i know but whatever) the lack of info and sources you can find on it can be really frustrating. its interesting that people discribe romans simply as copycats, without considering the idea that the greek influence might just have been THAT big. i really hope your article sparks interest for ancient music in some people. there are some fascinating instruments that produce fascinating, haunting sounds. (the aulos being one of my favourites but i really suck at windinstruments) its a captivating and interesting and even fun topic to explore and in my eyes you can not discribe a culture wholely without also discribing its music and song.. which is why i really dont understand that its so shamefully neglected in history and/or music class. great article. thanks and more of that, please! oh, also: youve earned yourself another subscriber!
It might be good to mention that while we may know about social function of music in Roman society, we know nothing about the music itself. The reason is that neither Greek nor Romans invented music notation. Hence dominant role of a music performer (a star) instead of a composer. From this point of view comparison with modern pop musicians is valid, but only to an extent. Most contemporary pop musician have at least some musical knowledge. Even the Beatles who famously claimed not to know anything about music notation can be heard on Let it be movie referring to names of chords and surely had basic knowledge about relations between them. I doubt Romans new even such basics.
Whenever imagining roman music what we hear is a singular flute or lyre. But that is not the reality for most popular music. To be truly popular it is loud, dynamic and orchestral, whether rock groups or symphony. This is what I find missing in essays about Roman and greek music. Or Star Trek music. It is like suddenly we have lost our attraction to rhythm, melody and orchestration and follow the strange warbling, singular, non-musical performance which is hard to hear over a crowd and impossible to hum or repeat.
Nero was an unabashed fan of Roman music. He used to take part in musical competitions,(which he won after bribing the judges). He valued the arts and had a full time director of elegance or Arbiter Elegantiae. He used to put on shows in his palace and usually performed for long periods,boring his audiences to sleep. When he was overthrown and ordered to commit suicide,he begged the Roman senate to allow him to retire so that he could travel around the empire performing for all to see and hear. His dying words,(allegedly) were : “What an artist the world is losing in me”.
I’l say this: despite whose idea it was, to have music like that, at events…it originated from the Romans. We can thank them. Each part of the article flows into next, so it is well put. I was also going to add that the history of the organ (as a whole) dates unthinkably back to the ancient Greeks. Science and history lessons (physics, pneumatic).
Is it because the Romans were “hacks” or they loved Greek music and for everyone born in the Roman world…. that tradition was considered to be what “real music” sounded like. Not much different from the way people for centuries have insisted that Western Classical Music is the high point…. and many other types of music are always seen as inferior to?
I love hearing ancient instruments played. In one way, it is a bridge to their experiences, to their world. On the other hand, it is a reminder of how far away they are. We are so often told that our society is based on theirs that you can sometimes forget just how foreign classical Athens would have been if you could visit
I like it, it does sound haunting, and it is something being figured out from scratch, but I have a theory that the musicians of its day probably plated many more notes much faster, as is the case with an expert launeddas or alghoza player, but it is very beautiful played as slowly as everyone in the music archaeology scene seems to play it.
Hearing this is, so dreamy. You can imagine the massive grasslands, wind howling down, its sunny, its spring, you are in a formation, marching along with your fellows, prepairing mentaly for a day of battle. Truly awesome to live in a time that i can listen to these old tunes from trully a different time. Marvelous. Thank you!
Just read Gates of Fire and Pressfield mentions the aulos multiple times in reference to the battlefield. The aulos helped keep a rhythmic cadence so the phalanx could move forward in unison. His narration of battle in that book is so vivid and moving. I couldn’t imagine that haunting drone above the din of steel and death. Truly captivating.
@Max Bromberg Flutes: Hi Max, Thank you for the beautiful performance. I have never heard aulos being played before. I play recorder and flute, and am wondering why there are more than 4 sound holes on each aulos. Are ther 6 or 7 holes on each aulos? What do the lower 2 or 3 holes do? Could they be played if you used both hands on only one aulos, in manners similar to a recorder or oboe? I also have Chinese bamboo transverse flute, and it too has extra holes at the lower end, but they seems to be decorative in nature. Thank you! Tai
The unison sound at the beginning is similar to the sound of an “air danger” siren in Ukraine before the next Russian missile attack on Ukrainian cities and power plants. (The sirens sound several times every day. By the way, I am also writing this review to the sound of the siren. I am serious, in Poltava (where I’m now) was declared the highest level of missile danger 4 or 5 minutes ago). Your performance is GREAT! I love it!
I have been looking at paintings of Satyrs fauns, and Dionysus and this fat little flat face old dwarf – but with horses ears and tail and hoofs – Silenus… the only 1 of his kind, but called by Satyrs and Fauns “Poppa” (Grandfather) Anyway,, in this paintings, either the Centaurs are playing this instruments,, or the Fauns are … i was imagining high pitched stuff 😆 (boy was i mistaken !