Timeline of European Art and Music - The First Century

Timestamps

0:00 - Circa 1st Century - Unknown (Greek) - Seikilos epitaph - The oldest surviving complete musical composition, including musical notation, from anywhere in the world.

"While you live, shine
have no grief at all
life exists only for a short while
and Time demands his due"

4:33 - Cornu - A large circular horn, players by a cornicen, a junior officer in the Roman army. The cornicen's job was to signal salutes to officers and sound orders to the legions.

5:58 - Lyra - One of the most popular instruments during Greek and Roman times. Considered to be an ancestor of most European bowed instruments.

7:30 - Kithara - Whereas the basic lyra was widely used as a teaching instrument in boys’ schools, the cithara was a virtuoso's instrument, generally known as requiring a great deal of skill.

10:08 - Kithara - The kithara is said to have been the invention of Apollo, the god of music. Apollo is often depicted playing a cithara instead of a lyre, often dressed in a kitharode’s formal robes. Kitharoidos, or Citharoedus is an epithet given to Apollo, which means "lyre-singer" or "one who sings to the lyre".