The actor, the chorus, and music in Greek drama

Abstract

The classical Greek theatre has traditionally been discussed from either of two critical viewpoints—the architectonic or the rhetorical; hence, theories pertaining to the interaction of the solo actor and the chorus have been formulated in reference both to the structural organization of that theatre and to the delivery of poetic diction. Approaching the same problem from a musical point of view produces some controversial, if not startling, conclusions. This article then discusses what little is known of the musical conventions of the classical Greek theatre and suggests several important implications bearing on the staging of the tragedies.