Ancient Roman Musician. A favorite collaborator of the playwright Terence, he provided original scores for all six of his comedies: "Andria" ("The Girl from Andros", 166 BC), "Hecyra" ("The Mother-in-Law", 165 BC), "Heauton Timorumenos" ("The Self-Tormentor", 163 BC), "Phormio" (161 BC), "Eunuchus" (161 BC), and "Adelphoe" ("The Brothers", 160 BC). A flute phrase accompanying a single line from "Hecyra" was long believed to be the only surviving piece of music from Ancient Rome. Flaccus lived in Rome as a liberated slave of the patrician Claudii family, who were among Terence's patrons. His involvement in music and theatre were not unusual, as neither were considered appropriate professions for free Roman citizens. Terence himself was a former slave. The playwright mentioned Flaccus by name in the performing instructions of his comedies and noted that two reed pipes ("tibiae") were used, either a trebel and bass or pairs of each. Both would have been played simultaneously by one onstage musician, probably Flaccus himself. The music was heard throughout the action though it did not specifically enhance the texts; rather it reflected the spirit of the occasions on which the plays were performed, ranging from festivals to funerals. In 159 BC Terence left Italy, never to be heard from again, and Flaccus likewise disappeared from history. During the 900s AD, a lone musical scrap attributed to Flaccus was included in the collection "Codex Victorianus Laurentianus". It was set to line 681 of "Hecyra", which reads, "...that no nicer man than you exists". Italian Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli copied the phrase in the early 1700s, and it was first recorded on LP in 1978. Recent scholarship argues that the piece is not authentic, owing to the unlikelihood that a 10th Century Italian scribe would have had knowledge of long-defunct Roman music notation; however it still leaves open the possibility that the "Codex" fragment was perpetuated from earlier sources. If the new theory is correct, it signifies the total loss of all Ancient Roman music.
Ancient Roman Musician. A favorite collaborator of the playwright Terence, he provided original scores for all six of his comedies: "Andria" ("The Girl from Andros", 166 BC), "Hecyra" ("The Mother-in-Law", 165 BC), "Heauton Timorumenos" ("The Self-Tormentor", 163 BC), "Phormio" (161 BC), "Eunuchus" (161 BC), and "Adelphoe" ("The Brothers", 160 BC). A flute phrase accompanying a single line from "Hecyra" was long believed to be the only surviving piece of music from Ancient Rome. Flaccus lived in Rome as a liberated slave of the patrician Claudii family, who were among Terence's patrons. His involvement in music and theatre were not unusual, as neither were considered appropriate professions for free Roman citizens. Terence himself was a former slave. The playwright mentioned Flaccus by name in the performing instructions of his comedies and noted that two reed pipes ("tibiae") were used, either a trebel and bass or pairs of each. Both would have been played simultaneously by one onstage musician, probably Flaccus himself. The music was heard throughout the action though it did not specifically enhance the texts; rather it reflected the spirit of the occasions on which the plays were performed, ranging from festivals to funerals. In 159 BC Terence left Italy, never to be heard from again, and Flaccus likewise disappeared from history. During the 900s AD, a lone musical scrap attributed to Flaccus was included in the collection "Codex Victorianus Laurentianus". It was set to line 681 of "Hecyra", which reads, "...that no nicer man than you exists". Italian Baroque composer Arcangelo Corelli copied the phrase in the early 1700s, and it was first recorded on LP in 1978. Recent scholarship argues that the piece is not authentic, owing to the unlikelihood that a 10th Century Italian scribe would have had knowledge of long-defunct Roman music notation; however it still leaves open the possibility that the "Codex" fragment was perpetuated from earlier sources. If the new theory is correct, it signifies the total loss of all Ancient Roman music.
Bio by: Bobb Edwards
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