kitharode

A kitharode, plural kitharodes, is a term from ancient Greece for a professional performer who sings lyric poetry to the accompaniment of the kithara, a large and resonant wooden lyre. The name combines ki-thara with the suffix -ode, signaling a performer. Kitharodes were part of the urban musical culture and could perform in public venues, at symposia, festivals, courts, and theaters. They typically accompanied their singing on the kithara and sometimes worked with lyric poets, adapting texts to music or improvising melodic embellishments.

Performance practice and repertoire: The kitharode specialized in melic poetry—lyrical compositions crafted for performance with the kithara. Repertoires could include poems written for the occasion or pieces attributed to the performer. The kithara’s bright, powerful sound made it a favored instrument for professional musicians in Greek city-states and continued to influence musical practice in Hellenistic and Roman periods.

Historical context and notable figures: The kitharode tradition is associated with renowned musicians such as Timotheus of Miletus, who is cited for distinctive melodic and rhythmic innovations. This category of performer was distinct from rhapsodes, who recited epic poetry with little or no instrumental accompaniment, and from aoidoi, the broader term for singers of lyric and epic verse.

Legacy: The kitharode and the kithara contributed to the development of Greek melodic theory and performance practice. While the practice declined with changes in musical taste and notation, the term remains in scholarly discussions of ancient Greek music and literature as a marker of professional vocal-instrumental performance.