Choral poetry

Choral poetry is a type of lyric poetry that was created by the ancient Greeks and performed by choruses (see Greek chorus). Originally, it was accompanied by a lyre, a string instrument like a small U-shaped harp commonly used during Greek classical antiquity and later periods. Other accompanying instruments in later years included other string instruments such as the kithara, barbiton, and phorminx, as well as wind instruments such as the aulos, a double-reeded instrument similar to an oboe.

During public religious festivals and important family functions, performances of archaic choral lyric poetry were often presented by choruses of both men and women. The archaic choral lyric poetry spanned about three hundred years, starting with the poet, Alcman, in the 7th century BCE and evolving to the works of Timotheos (or Timotheus of Miletus) in the 4th century BCE.

In the beginning, choral poetry was mainly religious and the personal elements disappeared completely in later choral poems. It also detached itself from local ties and assumed Hellenic character.^[1]

These are commonly known subgenres for choral lyric poetry:

• The marriage song (Epithalamium or Hymenaios)
• The dancing song
• The lament or dirge (Threnos^[2])
• The paean of praise to a god
• The maiden song (Partheneion or Parthenion)
• The processional (Prosodion)
• The hymn
• The dithyramb
• The hyporchema^[3]

And in later years:

• Praise for people (Enkomion)
• Song at a party or symposium (Skolion)^[4]
• Song about victory in an athletic contest (Epinikion^[5])