Greek Background. It is often said with some justification that music was far less important to the Romans than to the Greeks of the Archaic and Classical periods (circa 750-320 B.C.E.). Although certain Greek musical styles and musicians received adverse criticism by the late fifth century B.C.E., within traditional Greek culture music was generally endowed with divine resonances and profound psychological powers. In Greek culture, music played a central role in poetic and dramatic performances, in religious festivals, and ritual ceremonies, as well as education and even warfare. Indeed, the Greek word mousike, from which the word "music" is frequently derived, conveyed poetry, song, and dance in addition to musical accompaniment. For the Romans, too, music had an important, if less prominent, role in civic and religious activities—public and private—and was also considered worthy of inclusion in...