Aristoxenus

Aristoxenus of Tarentum, born around 375 BC in Tarentum (modern Apulia, southern Italy), was a prominent Greek Peripatetic philosopher and music theorist. He was the son of Spintharus, a learned musician, and received his early musical education from him. Later, he studied under Lamprus of Erythrae and Xenophilus the Pythagorean before becoming a pupil of Aristotle. According to some accounts, Aristoxenus harbored ambitions to succeed Aristotle as the head of the Peripatetic school, leading to alleged animosity after Aristotle chose Theophrastus. However, this is contradicted by other sources. His writings, said to number over 450 books, encompassed philosophy, ethics, and music. Despite his association with the Peripatetic school, Aristoxenus was significantly influenced by Pythagoreanism, particularly due to his upbringing in Tarentum, a center of Pythagorean thought. His most significant surviving work is the 'Elements of Harmony' (Ἁρμονικὰ στοιχεῖα), an incomplete musical treatise that provides crucial insights into ancient Greek music theory, including its genera, species, and definitions of musical terms. Aristoxenus diverged from earlier Pythagorean views by asserting that the ear, rather than mathematical ratios, should be the ultimate judge of musical intervals. He also wrote on rhythm and meter, with fragments of these works surviving. His influence extended to later theorists, and his methodological debates between rationalism and empiricism were noted by contemporaries.