Humanitext Reader

Aristotle · Politics §8.1341b

Rejection of Professionalism and Uses of Music

Passage 154 of 155 · Greek

Summary

After interpreting the myth of Athena discarding the aulos to criticize professional music education, the author transitions to Section 7 to classify harmonies and rhythms for education, introducing the diverse benefits of music (education, purgation, intellectual pastime, and relaxation).

§8.1341bκαὶ πάντα τὰ δεόμενα χειρουργικῆς ἐπιστήμης.
and all those requiring manual skill [were rejected].
εὐλόγως δʼ ἔχει καὶ τὸ περὶ τῶν αὐλῶν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχαίων μεμυθολογημένον.
And the myth told by the ancients about the auloi is also reasonable.
φασὶ γὰρ δὴ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν εὑροῦσαν ἀποβαλεῖν τοὺς αὐλούς.
For they say indeed that Athena, having found the auloi, threw them away.
οὐ κακῶς μὲν οὖν ἔχει φάναι καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην τοῦ προσώπου τοῦτο ποιῆσαι δυσχεράνασαν τὴν θεόν· οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εἰκὸς ὅτι πρὸς τὴν διάνοιαν οὐθέν ἐστιν ἡ παιδεία τῆς αὐλήσεως, τῇ δὲ Ἀθηνᾷ τὴν ἐπιστήμην περιτίθεμεν καὶ τὴν τέχνην.
It is not bad, then, to say that the goddess did this because she was annoyed also by the ugliness of her face; nevertheless, it is more likely because the education of aulos-playing is nothing in relation to the intellect, whereas we attribute knowledge and art to Athena.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τῶν τε ὀργάνων καὶ τῆς ἐργασίας ἀποδοκιμάζομεν τὴν τεχνικὴν παιδείαν (τεχνικὴν δὲ τίθεμεν τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας· ἐν ταύτῃ γὰρ ὁ πράττων οὐ τῆς αὑτοῦ μεταχειρίζεται χάριν ἀρετῆς, ἀλλὰ τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων ἡδονῆς, καὶ ταύτης φορτικῆς, διόπερ οὐ τῶν ἐλευθέρων κρίνομεν εἶναι τὴν ἐργασίαν, ἀλλὰ θητικωτέραν· καὶ βαναύσους δὴ συμβαίνει γίγνεσθαι· πονηρὸς γὰρ ὁ σκοπὸς πρὸς ὃν ποιοῦνται τὸ τέλος· ὁ γὰρ θεατὴς φορτικὸς ὢν μεταβάλλειν εἴωθε τὴν μουσικήν, ὥστε καὶ τοὺς τεχνίτας τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν μελετῶντας αὐτούς τε ποιούς τινας ποιεῖ καὶ τὰ σώματα διὰ τὰς κινήσεις), σκεπτέον δή τι περί τε τὰς ἁρμονίας καὶ τοὺς ῥυθμούς, καὶ πρὸς παιδείαν πότερον πάσαις χρηστέον ταῖς ἁρμονίαις καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ῥυθμοῖς ἢ διαιρετέον, ἔπειτα τοῖς πρὸς παιδείαν διαπονοῦσι πότερον τὸν αὐτὸν διορισμὸν θήσομεν ἢ δεῖ τινα ἕτερον.
Since we reject professional education in respect to both the instruments and their execution, (and we define as 'professional' that which is for contests; for in this, the performer does not practice for the sake of his own virtue, but for the pleasure of the hearers, and that a vulgar pleasure, wherefore we judge that this execution belongs not to free men, but is rather fit for hirelings; and indeed they happen to become vulgar; for bad is the aim toward which they direct their end; for the spectator, being vulgar, is accustomed to alter the music, so that he also makes the artists who practice for him to be of a certain character, and their bodies too, because of their movements), Now we must consider somewhat concerning harmonies and rhythms, and, in relation to education, whether we should use all harmonies and all rhythms or make a division, then, for those laboring for education, whether we shall lay down the same definition or if some other is needed.
ἐπεὶ δὴ τὴν μὲν μουσικὴν ὁρῶμεν διὰ μελοποιίας καὶ ῥυθμῶν οὖσαν, τούτων δʼ ἑκάτερον οὐ δεῖ λεληθέναι τίνα δύναμιν ἔχει πρὸς παιδείαν, καὶ πότερον προαιρετέον μᾶλλον τὴν εὐμελῆ μουσικὴν ἢ τὴν εὔρυθμον, νομίσαντες οὖν πολλὰ καλῶς λέγειν περὶ τούτων τῶν τε νῦν μουσικῶν ἐνίους καὶ τῶν ἐκ φιλοσοφίας ὅσοι τυγχάνουσιν ἐμπείρως ἔχοντες τῆς περὶ τὴν μουσικὴν παιδείας, τὴν μὲν καθʼ ἕκαστον ἀκριβολογίαν ἀποδώσομεν ζητεῖν τοῖς βουλομένοις παρʼ ἐκείνων, νῦν δὲ νομικῶς διέλωμεν, τοὺς τύπους μόνον εἰπόντες περὶ αὐτῶν.
And since we see that music exists through melody-making and rhythms, and we must not fail to notice what power each of these has for education, and whether we should prefer music that is melodious or that which is rhythmic, believing then that many things are well said about these by some of the present-day musicians and by those in philosophy who happen to be experienced in education concerning music, we shall leave the detailed accuracy on each point to those who wish to seek it from them, but now let us distinguish them in a legislative way, speaking only of their outlines.
ἐπεὶ δὲ τὴν διαίρεσιν ἀποδεχόμεθα τῶν μελῶν ὡς διαιροῦσί τινες τῶν ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ, τὰ μὲν ἠθικὰ τὰ δὲ πρακτικὰ τὰ δʼ ἐνθουσιαστικὰ τιθέντες, καὶ τῶν ἁρμονιῶν τὴν φύσιν τὴν πρὸς ἕκαστα τούτων οἰκείαν, ἄλλην πρὸς ἄλλο μέρος, τιθέασι, φαμὲν δʼ οὐ μιᾶς ἕνεκεν ὠφελείας τῇ μουσικῇ χρῆσθαι δεῖν ἀλλὰ καὶ πλειόνων χάριν (καὶ γὰρ παιδείας ἕνεκεν καὶ καθάρσεως—τί δὲ λέγομεν τὴν κάθαρσιν, νῦν μὲν ἁπλῶς, πάλιν δʼ ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς ἐροῦμεν σαφέστερον—τρίτον δὲ πρὸς διαγωγὴν πρὸς ἄνεσίν τε καὶ πρὸς τὴν τῆς συντονίας ἀνάπαυσιν),
And since we accept the division of melodies as some of those in philosophy divide them, laying down some as ethical, some as active, and some as enthusiastic, and they lay down that the nature of harmonies is proper to each of these, one to one part, another to another, and we say that we must use music not for the sake of one benefit only, but for the sake of several (for indeed for the sake of education and purification—what we mean by purification we will speak of now in general terms, but again more clearly in the Poetics—and thirdly for intellectual pastime, and for relaxation and rest after strain),

Notes

  1. 1341bκαὶ πάντα τὰ δεόμενα χειρουργικῆς ἐπιστήμης. — This clause lacks a verb and shares the passive verb ἀπεδοκιμάσθη ('was rejected') from the preceding sentence (1341a38), with the neuter plural nominative πάντα... acting as the subject.
  2. 1341b5οὐ κακῶς μὲν οὖν ἔχει φάναι καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀσχημοσύνην τοῦ προσώπου τοῦτο ποιῆσαι δυσχεράνασαν τὴν θεόν· — οὐ κακῶς ἔχει ('it is not bad/unreasonable') governs the infinitive φάναι, which in turn introduces an accusative-and-infinitive (A.c.I.) construction. Its logical subject is the accusative τὴν θεόν (omitted, but clear from the agreeing feminine accusative singular participle δυσχεράνασαν), and the infinitive is ποιῆσαι. The participle δυσχεράνασαν expresses cause ('being annoyed').
  3. 1341b30νομίσαντες οὖν πολλὰ καλῶς λέγειν περὶ τούτων... τὴν μὲν καθʼ ἕκαστον ἀκριβολογίαν ἀποδώσομεν — The nominative participle νομίσαντες (masculine plural) agrees with the first-person plural main verb of the principal clause, ἀποδώσομεν. It governs an accusative-and-infinitive construction πολλὰ καλῶς λέγειν, whose logical subjects are the accusative pronoun ἐνίους (with partitive genitives τῶν... μουσικῶν...) and the relative clause ὅσοι....
  4. 1341b38τί δὲ λέγομεν τὴν κάθαρσιν, νῦν μὲν ἁπλῶς, πάλιν δʼ ἐν τοῖς περὶ ποιητικῆς ἐροῦμεν σαφέστερον — The clause τί δὲ λέγομεν τὴν κάθαρσιν, though using a direct question format, functions as an indirect question serving as the object of the verb ἐροῦμεν. In the first half, νῦν μὲν ἁπλῶς, the verb ἐροῦμεν (or an equivalent predicate) is ellipted and should be understood as 'we speak of it now simply'.

Cite this passage

Aristotle, Politics §8.1341b. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0086.tlg035.humanitext-grc2:8.1341b

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