Resurrecting the Muse: Kithara and Lyric Poetry Performance Practice in Greco-Roman Antiquity

Both students and pedagogues of classical studies are familiar with the inherent musicality of Greek and Latin poetry, and they also widely accept the idea that poets sang their works to accompaniment on a kithara, or large lyre. However, little work has been done to perform works of poetry according to this tradition, and thus many modern attempts at oral recitation feature a forced and pedantic rhythm that bores the listener and fails to do justice to the revered art of Greco-Roman poetry. Through a review of primary and secondary sources, I examine the construction of the kithara, the context of its performance, and the implications of ancient lyric poetry's rhythm and pitch on the composition of kithara accompaniment. This research cumulates in the reconstruction of a Greco-Roman kithara and the sung performance of Sappho's 31st and Catullus' 51st poems to kithara accompaniment, documented here in modern musical notation. As a result of this exploration, readers of Greek and Latin poetry may strive for a more inspired and enjoyable oral reading of lyric works, and musicians may continue the resurrection of this musical tradition for further performance and greater appreciation.