A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

11,18 TIMOTHEUS. TIMOTHEUS.
the decisive evidence of the celebrated passage from (I. c.), who has preserved the following epitaph
the comic poet Pherecrates, in which the musicians upon him. (Also in Jacobs, Anth. Pal. App. No.
of the day are violently attacked as corrupters of 295, vol. ii. p. 851.)
the art (Plut. de Mus. 30, p. 1141, f.; Meineke, -Idrpa MtXros T iKTEL Mode-aL iO6EIt'b
Frcg. Con. Graec. vol. ii. pp. 326-335). It is TilA OEv, KLtOpas rlELbV' ioVo e.
evident that this attack was aimed principally
at Timotheus, whom the personification of Music The general character of-the music of Timotheus,
mentions last of all, as having inflicted more and the nature of his innovations, are pretty clearly
numerous and more serious injuries upon her than described in thefragmentofPherecratesabove quoted,
either of his predecessors, Melanippides, Cinesias, and in other passages of the ancient writers. He
or Phrynis. The following are the lines referring delightel in the most artificial and intricate forms
to him:- of musical expression, " windings like the passages
o H TiLkutOeJ/2's, /i' d,l, A tcntra~'opc~pvuev in ant-hills" (Pherecr. 1. c.): he used instrumental
Iae) ca'LRIEKPRLI aeLO'i-TL. A. o1sp01 067VX 0 music, without a vocal accompaniment, to a greater
ical &latttcvalat' aY'oxw'qa. A. r1o0os oSToo
os M. M s ppas-extent than any previous composer (at least if
TmKaKsd MUOe osrapiaeo V- OVS M7ravIS~ MOS A-YL TTlrici is right in his interpretation of the words
icaicci.Ao0 7rapEoaXeY/' orToS arcmTra, o)s NE'yWo
7rapeXAAvO', q'&wv iCrTparreXovs 1Avpuldci7s bvp Ba3o1@ov27 in Pherecrates): and, in direct
4eapylovovr v'rEppohafovs T' ~a3XOiOVS, opposition to the ancient practice, he preferred the
Kc vyhapous, 6p ae s as g7 chromatic to the othergenera of music, and employed
zicel)ry o y e K6sy E-UEp prE.TAS pa.p...oE.. O N. it to such an extent, as to be by some considered its
KaV EVwr1rwd7.e7rov ICaTc-sol7YW0 E3L6or inventor. (Boeth. de Mlus. i. 1, p. 1372, ed. Basil.),t'Y' im'rx.V romi /LIx moue-p oAwvi,,
iaurlrre ficveUose XoplS Es V rEKoa. But perhaps the most important of his innovations,
as the means of introducing all the others, was his
Respecting the details of his life we have very addition to the number of the strings of the cithlara.
little information. He is said to have spent some Respecting the precise nature of that addition the
time at the Macedonian court; and reference will ancient writers are not agreed; but it is most propresently be made to a visit which he paid to bable, from the whole evidence, that the lyre of
Sparta. He appears to have formed his musical Timotheus had eleven strings. The eight-stringed
style chiefly on that of Phrynis, who was also a cithara, formed by the addition of the chord of the
native of Miletus, and over whom he on one occa- octave which was wanting in the heptachord of
sion gained a victory. He was at first unfortunate Terpander, was used in the time of Pindar [TERin his professional efforts. Even the Athenians, PANDER]. The ninth string appears to have been
fond as they were of novelty, and accustomed as added by Phrynis (Plut. Apophtheg. Lacon. p. 220,
they were to the modern style of music introduced c.). There were already ten strings to the cithara
by Melanippides, Phrynlis, and the rest, were in the time of Ion of Chios, the contemporary of
offended at the still bolder innovations of Timo- Sophocles (Ion, Epigr. ap. Euclid. Introd. Harmon.
theus, and hissed off his performance. On this oc- p. 19, ed. Meibom.); and the conjecture appears
casion it is said that Euripides encouraged Timo- therefore probable that the tenth was added by
theus by the prediction that he would soon have Melanippides. There remains, therefore, only the
the theatres at his feet (Plut. An seni sit gerend. eleventh string to be ascribed to Timotheus, for it
Respub. 23, p. 795, c. d.). This prediction appears is most probable that the mention of a twelveto have been accomplished in the vast popularity stringed lyre, in the above passage of Pherecrates,
which Timotheus afterwards enjoyed. Plutarch according to the present text, arises from some
records his exultation at his victory over Phrynis error, and the word e'vEtKa may be substituted for
(De se ipsum laudand. 1, p. 539, b. c.); and even c68&eKa in the last verse, without injuring the
when, on one occasion, he was conquered by Phi- metre. The positive testimonies for ascribing the
lotas, a disciple of Polyidus, he could console him- eleventh string to Timotheus, are that of Suidas
self with the rebuke administered to the boasting (s. v.), who, however, makes him the inventor of
master of his successful competitor by the witty the tenth string also, which the testimony of Ion
Stratonicus, OTi a'Tbs y'V (i. e. Polyldus) 4oiPio- proves to be an error; and the tradition that, when
IaTra iroemE, TmiuiOeos N vd'uovs. (Ath. viii. p. 352, Timotheus visited Sparta, and entered the musical
b.: the point of the saying is in the double mean- contest at the Carneia, one of the Ephors snatched
ilno of doYaous, laws and mnusical strains, and is un- away his lyre, and cut from it the strings, four in
translateable into English.) The Ephesians re- nuntber, by which it exceeded the seven-stringed
warded him, for his dedicatory hymn to Artemis, lyre of Terpander, and, as a memorial of this public
with the sum of a thousand pieces of gold (Alex. vindication of the ancient simplicity of music, and
Aetol. ap. Macrob. Sat. v. 22): the last accom- for a warning to future innovators, the Lacedaeplishlment, by which the education of the Arcadian monians hung up the mutilated lyre of Timotheus
youth was finished, was learning the nomes of in their Scias. (Paus. iii. 12. ~ 8; Plut. Instit.
Timotheus and Philoxenus (Polyb. iv. 20; Ath. Lacon. 17, p. 238, c., Agis, 10; Artemon. ap. Ath.
xiv. p. 626, c.): and there is still extant a decree xiv. p. 636, e.; Cic. de Legg. ii. 15; the number of
of the Cnossians, probably of the second century the additional strings is only stated in the first of
a. c., in which Timotheus and Polyidus are men- these passages, but, besides the agreement of that
tioned with the highest praise, and their names number with the other evidence, it must be rememassociated with those of the ancient Cretan poets bered that Pausanias actually saw the lyre hanging
(see POLYIDUS, p. 467, b.). Timotheus died in in the Scias at Sparta). It is quite a mistake to
Macedonia, according to Stephanus of Byzantium argue, in the spirit of a pseudo-rationalistic criticism, against the truth of this tradition, from the
~ The meaning of this epithet is doubtful. See fact of the very same story being told about the
Schmidt, pp. 97, 98, and Lehrs, Quaest Epic. pp. nine-stringed lyre of Phrynis (Plut. Ayis, 10.
20, 21. Apophth. Lacon. p. 220, c.); for the conduct