Life In Dithyrambic Chorus
Upon the setting sun I, Hecubus, fondly recall
the days of pride and honor I
felt in my tribe, as a member of a dramatic,
dithyrambic chorus. Acting was not
simply my occupation, but a lifestyle
highly revered and respected by my fellow
Athenian citizens. We
entertained, taught moral lessons of the past, illustrated
human flaw, but
most importantly, we gave the audience a release. During the
time I preformed
with my chorus, drama was closely tied to the polis, joining
the people, the
government, and the Gods through public festivals. I felt
immense pride to
have played and active role in the community bond that was
created. The most
important of these festivals was, and remains, the City
Dionysia. The
exhausting four-day competition was held every spring, in honor of
the god
Dionysos (Amos and Lang 129). The festival opened with a formal and
elaborate
processional, where I and my chorus of fifty men would perform
ceremonial
dances at numerous alters, and ended with sacrifices of wine and
sweet meat
at the sacred precinct of Dionysus. This was a most glorious event
surrounded
in the beauty and rebirth of the land! A statue of Dionysos, guided
by the
intense glow of torchlight, was then carried into the theatre and
a
reenactment of Dionysos' initial entry into Athens was preformed. This
statue
was a constant presence in the theatre. City Dionysia was highly
attended and
drew visitors and men of political power from all of Greece. The
crowd was not
afraid to get into the performances...many times they would
cheer and boo, and
occasionally throw things at us. Three of the four days
were reserved for
tragedies, and the fourth day was for satyr and comedies
(Cameron and Gillespie
74). Between the great plays, the dithyrambic
contests would be held, where the
choruses, including my dynamic troupe,
would battle each other for the prize.
Wine was abundant, and the all day
plays and hard stone benches seemed to effect
men's attitudes. Many times I
found myself trying to sing passages over the
liveliness of the audience, but
it was because of this festival that I became
commonly known in Athens. The
origin of theatre dates back to religious choral
dances that were preformed
in simple grain threshing circles. One member of the
chorus recited his verse
or monologue with the other chorus members (Amos and
Lang 130). These
primitive religious choruses resembled the organization of the
tragic chorus
found in the festival. The tragic chorus served as a main part of
the
tragedies, but were not central. Through lyrical chant they served to
move
plot along, or recount the action in the performance. These thirteen men
shared
the orchestra with the three actors. The tragic chorus's main form of
expression
was dance and song, accompanied by a flute-player (Amos and Lang
130). The
dithyrambic choruses, which I was a member of, worked as a dramatic
team and was
the only action on stage
(http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/OM/BA/PT/BA/JO-CD.html).
Unlike the
organization of the tragic choruses, we were not limited by any genre
of
theatre and could participate in the dark tragedies, as well as comedies
if
needed. But primarily, always arranged in a circle, our impressive
dance
entertained between contests at the festivals (Cameron and Gillespie
85). We
were fifty men strong and competed specifically for the dithyrambic
chorus. Five
Greek tribes consisted of choruses of men; the other five
were primarily made up
of boys. Not only did we have to be tribal members,
but also citizens by birth.
During the time that we trained or preformed,
all dithyrambic chorus members
were exempt from military service. A typical
training session ould last about
eleven months, consisting of vocal,
strength, and gesture training (Cameron and
Gillespie 73). The vocal
training was the most intense exercise, and would leave
my voice harsh, and
rough. The intent was to articulate and pronounce everything
perfectly, be it
in song or slow verse. Voice and diction were the most
important aspects to
the choral odes, and our training consisted of many hours
in full costume to
perfect the art. Many days I thought that the military
service would have
been easier! Gestures were expected to be very rigid and
distinct, but most
importantly they had to be large. During performance we were
required to be
in top physical shape due to the stamina required to beat the
intense heat
and dry air. For all performers, not just chorus members, costume
limited our
tools of expression to voice and gesture. No women were allowed to
perform,
so men had to play women's roles. All performers, except the flute
player,
wore bulky masks that covered the entire head, carried hairstyles
and
decorations, and allowed very little opening for sight lines and air. It
was not
uncommon, yet still humiliating, to pass out from the heat (Cameron
and Gillesie
86). In the Dithyrambic contests at the City Dionysia we
would be provided with
magnificent costumes in honor of the God, complete
with shining crowns,
elaborate masks and hairstyles, and lively embroidered
robes (http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/OM/BA/PT/BA/JO-CD.html).
This
attire was a great change from my everyday simple tunic, and sandals.
As
Athenian citizens, we are expected to contribute to the public good,
and this is
where the support and funding for the City Dionysia came from.
The supervisor of
all dramatic festivals and contests was the responsibility
of the archon
eponymos, a high civic official (Cameron and Gillespie 73). It
was his duty to
appoint the financial supporters, or the choregoi. These were
wealthy citizens,
who served the polis with their money and not a specific
trade. The financial
burden on these men was high, for they supplied the
means for our training,
costumes, and or pay. As a member of the dithyrambic
chorus, I charged between
thirty-five and fifty minae, dependant upon the
festival. In contrast, a member
of a tragic chorus charged only twenty to
thirty minae (Cameron and Gillespie
73). This is why my ancestry dates to
the chorus! The role that the choregoi
served was very important and I felt a
deep respect towards them, for without
their participation there would be no
festivals or greatness of City Dionysos.
Tradition is very important, and
as I am too old to perform with my chorus, I
intend to pass my knowledge and
experience down to my young son. My father was a
great participant in the
religious choral odes, and began my vocal training at a
very young age. It is
so the gods look upon us; we must honor their
significance. I have grown upon
knowing the importance of sacrifice, and have
seen the theatre develop
throughout the years. My son, Parlius, also has learned
the importance of our
interaction with the Gods. One day he will participate in
either my
Dithyrambic robes, or become a great actor, performing the plays
of
Sophocles and Aeschylus. He will grow up with the respect that his
father had,
and learn the lessons of what it takes to be an esteemed Athenian
citizen.
Bibliography
Amos, H.D., and A.G.P. Lang. These Were the
Greeks. Pennsylvania: Dufour
Editions, Inc, 1979. Cameron, Kenneth, and
Patti Gillespie. Western Theatre:
Revolution and Revival. New York:
Macmillan Publishing Company, 1984.
"Dionysian Meditations: The City Dionysia
(Dionysia ta en
Astei)"
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~mclennan/OM/BA/PT/BA/JO-CD.html)