A Guide to Pronunciation and Performance

In listening to these recordings, the student may encounter a system of pronunciation and a style of performance that differs from that which they may have learned in school. Accordingly, we have seen fit to provide a brief guide thereto.

• I. Pronunciation:

Naturally, the way in which Greek was spoken varied according to time and place. In these recordings, we have sought to approximate how we believe the language would have sounded in antiquity. It is beyond the scope of this work to detail the methods by which this system of pronunciation was arrived at. Suffice it to say, it is based upon data gathered from inscriptions, variant spellings and ancient commentaries.

Consonants: Most consonants are pronounced in the same way as their English counterparts. There are, however, a few notable exceptions.

ζ	Pronounced zd, originally a digraph representing σδ
θ	Like t, but with a puff of air behind it
ξ	Always like English x, as in box
ρ	Trilled like in Spanish; initial rho is always aspirated
σ	Always voiced /z/ before voiced consonants
χ	Like English k, but with a puff of air behind it
φ	Like English p, but with a puff of air behind it

Vowels: The Greek vowels generally differ from their English counterparts in pronunciation. Two vowels have long and short variants, ε/η and ο/ω.1

α	Rather like the o in top
ε	Like the short e in bed
η	Rather like the a in cat
ι	Like the double e in see
ο	There is no English equivalent. Like the o in French longue
υ	There is no English equivalent. Like French lûne or German über
ω	There is no true English equivalent, but the long o in stole gets close

NB: All vowel descriptions follow the standard American pronunciation, if such a thing can be said to exist.

Diphthongs: Greek has seven regularly occurring diphthongs, or vowel pairs which combine to form a single sound.

αυ	Like in English now
ευ	There is no English equivalent. Begin by making a short e sound and then closing the lips into an o shape without moving the tongue
ηυ	Like ευ, but with a longer eta sound to begin
οι	Like in English toy
ου	Like the double o in English soon
υι	Properly opening with an upsilon sound, the English word we is a fair approximation
ωι	Like οι, but with a longer, more open omega sound to begin

• II. Recitation:

Accents: Greek does not employ a stress accent as does, for example, Latin.

Rather, it makes use of three distinct pitch accents. The first is the acute (´), which represents a rising sound or elevated pitch. The second is the grave (`), which represents a falling sound or lowered pitch. For the purposes of this recording, grave accents are not pronounced. Finally there is the circumflex ( ͂), which represents a rising and then falling sound, or an elevation and subsequent lowering of the pitch.

Performance: This section is meant as an introduction and is by no means comprehensive. As such, there are a great many nuances which must go unaddressed. Nevertheless, we feel this will serve the beginning student well as they embark on their own odyssey of recitation.

Given the strictures of the meter and the placement of pitch accents, one could be forgiven for thinking that any recitation of Greek epic is preordained and that there is a perfect ideal to strive for. Yet this is hardly the case. Much in the same that two actors can give wonderful and varied readings of the same Shakespearean monologue all while adhering to the Bard’s iambic pentameter, so too can two aoidoi give rich and unique recitations of dactylic hexameter with no sacrifices made of the ‘rules.’

We offer three examples. First, the reader may vary their pace throughout the line, slowing down or speeding up as the case may be, to draw emphasis to certain words, phrases or emotions. Second, the reader may increase or decrease their volume as a way to bring out the story being told. Finally, while the pitch accents themselves must be honored, they need not be assigned the same pitch value. In other words, the reader may choose to raise the pitch a bit higher on the word they consider to be of utmost important in a given line, or to barely raise the pitch at all on a word of comparatively little narrative worth.

We should also like to offer a word on enjambment, the phenomenon whereby a thought carries over from the end of one line and into the next. In the recitation of English poetry, we are not surprised when a performer pays little attention to line endings, choosing instead to make their pauses where the sentence structure indicates. This is not the case in Greek epic, where the line is a complete unit and should be heard as such. In an age when these poems were listened to more than read, the line structure served as a guide to the listener no less than it served as a compositional tool for the bard. Therefore, one should always pause at the end of a line. Having said that, the pause can be of varying length and the reciter is free to choose what they feel is appropriate. In the case of enjambment, one might choose to make that pause very short indeed (cf. F&M 22-3 for an example of ‘close’ enjambment). Yet no matter how short it may be, it must be present.

For the student who wishes to belearn themselves of this method and try their hand (or tongue, as it were) at reciting a bit of hexameter, we offer the following advice. It is best to proceed in a step-by-step basis. When one wishes to build a house, one lays the foundation first and builds up from there. So it should be when learning to recite Greek hexameter. This can be done in four steps. As a guide, we have provided recordings of the first two lines of the Frogs & Mice which will demonstrate these steps. The Greek text is given below.

Step 1: Chant the line in a monotone, as if it were a Gregorian chant. At this stage, one should ignore the pitch accents. The point is remove any sense of stress on the arsis of a given foot. As stated above, Greek does not employ a stress accent. This can be difficult for English speakers in the beginning, but it is important to rid oneself of the impulse as soon as possible.

Step 2: Continue chanting the line, but now adding in the pitch accents. At this stage, the goal is to get comfortable with the pitches themselves. Therefore, each pitch should have the same value. Be careful not to stress the pitched syllables. They should have the same force and volume as the surrounding syllables. It is a question of pitch only.

Step 3: You can stop chanting now. You are free to read the text as spoken words. By now, you should have removed all stress from your reading, and the pitch accents should come naturally. At this stage, it will still sound somewhat mechanical. It’s not about artistic expression here, but accuracy.

Step 4: Finally you are free to make the text your own. Now that you’ve mastered the first three steps, you are free to vary your pace, volume and degree of pitch. Here is where you become an aoidos!

Ἀρχόμενος πρώτης σελίδος χορὸν ἐξ Ἑλικῶνος
ἐλθεῖν εἰς ἐμὸν ἦτορ ἐπεύχομαι εἵεκ ̓ ἀοιδῆς