Politics

(And it is not difficult to solve by considering) what kind of melodies and what kind of rhythms they should participate in, and further, on what kind of instruments their learning should be made, for indeed it is likely that this also makes a difference. For in these things is the solution to the objection; for nothing prevents certain modes of music from producing the aforementioned effect. It is manifest, therefore, that the learning of it should neither hinder later activities, nor make the body vulgar and useless for military and political exercises, for their use now and for their use later. And this would happen in connection with learning, if they should neither labor at those things which contribute to professional contests, nor at the wondrous and extraordinary performances, which have now entered into the contests and from the contests into education, but even those things which are not of this kind, up to the point where they are able to enjoy noble melodies and rhythms, and not only that which is common in music, as also some of the other animals do, and further, a multitude of slaves and children. And it is clear from these things also what kind of instruments must be used. For neither must we bring the aulos into education, nor any other professional instrument, such as the cithara and if there is any other such thing, but only such as will make them good hearers either of musical education or of other education; and further, the aulos is not of an ethical character, but rather orgiastic, so that it should be used for such occasions in which the experience achieves purification rather than learning. And let us add that there happens to be an opposite effect in it toward education: namely, that playing the aulos prevents using speech. Wherefore our ancestors rightly rejected its use from the young and free-born, although they used it at first. For having become more at leisure through their wealth and more high-minded toward virtue, and even before and especially after the Persian Wars, having become proud because of their achievements, they laid hold of every kind of learning, making no distinctions but searching out everything. Wherefore they also brought aulos-playing to their studies. For indeed in Lacedaemon a certain choregos himself played the aulos for the chorus, and around Athens it became so common that almost the majority of free citizens participated in it; and this is manifest from the tablet which Thrasippus dedicated when he served as choregos for Ecphantides. But later it was rejected through experience itself, when they were better able to judge what contributes to virtue and what does not; and likewise also many of the ancient instruments, such as pektides and barbitoi and those which contribute to the pleasure of those who hear the players, heptagona and trigona and sambykai,