ABSTRACT
The Greeks believed that music could spur action, strengthen the spirit, undermine mental and spiritual balance, completely suspend willpower, and produce magic. Greeks knew harmony in three key modes: Dorian, Phrygian, and Lydian. The definitive Greek instrument has five to seven spun-silk strings, struck with a plectrum, sometimes using a turtle shell for sounding board, used to accompany poetic and choral passages. Cacoyannis is considered the première interpreter of Greek tragedy on film. While the film is forgettable and even presumes to rewrite Greek mythology, the DVD features include an excellent delineation of all the Greek gods. Productions in ancient Greece took place in the open air before up to 30,000 people, on stone bleachers in a hollowed-out hillside, surrounding two-thirds of the stage. Many scholars believe that performance was more like dance and song than realistic behavior, that all movement was ritualized, and speeches were chanted.
