Pausanias Analysis

Passage 9.12.5

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Passage 9.12.5: Portrait statue of Pronomos, inventor and performer of versatile flutes

Historical Non-skeptical

Greek Text

ἀνδριάς τέ ἐστι Προνόμου ἀνδρὸς αὐλήσαντος ἐπαγωγότατα ἐς τοὺς πολλούς. τέως μέν γε ἰδέας αὐλῶν τρεῖς ἐκτῶντο οἱ αὐληταὶ καὶ τοῖς μὲν αὔλημα ηὔλουν τὸ Δώριον, διάφοροι δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐς ἁρμονίαν τὴν Φρύγιον ἐπεποίηντο οἱ αὐλοί, τὸ δὲ καλούμενον Λύδιον ἐν αὐλοῖς ηὐλεῖτο ἀλλοίοις· Πρόνομος δὲ ἦν ὃς πρῶτος ἐπενόησεν αὐλοὺς ἐς ἅπαν ἁρμονίας εἶδος ἔχοντας ἐπιτηδείως, πρῶτος δὲ διάφορα ἐς τοσοῦτο μέλη ἐπʼ αὐλοῖς ηὔλησε τοῖς αὐτοῖς.

English Translation

There is also a portrait statue of Pronomos, a man who played the flute in a manner exceptionally appealing to the public. Until his time, flute-players possessed three different types of flutes: on some flutes they performed the Dorian melody alone; for the Phrygian mode they employed flutes specifically tuned differently; and what is called the Lydian mode was again played upon another sort of flute. It was Pronomos who first invented flutes suitable entirely for every kind of harmony, and was also the first who performed compositions of such varied style upon these same flutes.

Proper Nouns

Dorian (Δώριον) other
Also in: 3.17.2 5.20.9
Lydian (Λύδιον) other
Phrygian (Φρύγιον) other
Pronomos (Πρόνομος) person
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