Lyric poetry of Archaic and Classical age, with particular
reference to Alcman, Stesichorus, Melanippides, Timotheus of
Miletus. Greek metrics and rhythmics and history of the ancient
metrical theories. Ancient Greek music: kinds of performance of the
melic poems; documents with musical scores; philosophical
discussion about music (Damon, Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes of
Babylonia, Philodemus).Ancient exegesis on Aeschyus, with a focus
on the scholia to his tragedies.
The archaic and classical Greek melic is one of the main
fields of investigation cultivated , with particular reference to
Stesichorus: I have recently published an edition of the ancient
testimonia on the poet, provided with a commentary that
seeks to weigh the value of each historical information and to
identify historical moments in which some biographical traditions
grew up. Attention has been paid to some fragments of the poet, in
particular PMGF 271 and PMGF S21 (Geryoneis). Other melic poets
examined are Alcman (Louvre Partheneion) and Timotheus of
Miletus (Persae), with a focus on metrical aspects. I am
currently preparing an edition with commentary of the
dithyrambographer Melanippides from Melus.
A second field of research is strongly linked with the previous
one: that of Greek meter, addressed as much as possible with
attention to the musical nature of Greek melic poetry and to Greek
theories of musical rhythm (see the item “Ancient Metrics -
Μέτρον” of the Greek metrical and rhythmical theories recently
appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ancient Greek Language and
Linguistics).
The study of ancient Greek music is approached according in
two ways: the investigation of forms of musical performance is
related to the music for kithara (kitharodic tradition) and
to that for aulos (synaulia; aulodic nomoi),
the examination of documents with music score. A third area of
interest is related to reflection on the ancient music (Damone ,
Plato, Aristotle , Diogenes of Babylon, Philodemus).
Ancient exegesis of Aeschylus is currently a privileged
theme of research, within the project “FIRB 2012. Homer, Hesiod,
Pindar, Aeschylus: ancient forms and transmission of ancient
exegesis”. The survey focuses on the scholia transmitted by
medieval MSS, on their tradition and on the ancient scraps of
scholarship they convey.
