Joseph Fagnani (1819–1873), an Italian-born immigrant to America, painted this scene of the ancient Greek goddess, Calliope. She was the leading member of the Muses—patron goddesses of arts, sciences and creativity in the ancient Greco-Roman world. Hesiod (c. 8th century BCE) is thought to have been the first to list the canonical names of the Muses, and he positioned Calliope as the leader, or most prestigious member, of the group. He wrote, “the Muses sang, who dwell in Olympus, the nine daughters born of great Zeus, Clio and Euterpe and Thaleia and Melpomene, Terpsichore and Erato and Polyhymnia and Urania, and Calliope, who is chief among them all” (Hesiod, Theogony, approximately lines 76-79). Although Hesiod provided the names, it took longer for each Muse to gain a specific area of expertise. This evolution was described by the scholar, Diodorus Siculus (c. 1st century BCE), who wrote, “To each of the Muses men assign her special aptitude for one of the branches of the liberal arts, such as poetry, song, pantomimic dancing, the round dance with music, the study of the stars, and the other liberal arts…Calliope, because of her beautiful (kale) voice (ops) that is, by reason of the exceeding beauty of her language she wins the approbation of her auditors” (Diodorus Siculus, Library of History, 4.7). As shown in Diodorus’ quote, Calliope’s name loosely translates to “Beautiful-Voiced,” referring to both her singing voice and the eloquence of her words. The double meaning reflects the close relationship between music and poetry, which was as prevalent in ancient times as it still is today. Just like modern singers empower their poetic lyrics with music in the current era, so too did ancient poets, like Homer (flourished c. 700 BCE), pair their epic poetry with accompanying music. A later Roman poet, Ovid (43 BCE-17 CE), imagined Calliope in that way, and wrote of her strumming a lyre while reciting her poetry. Ovid stated:
“Calliope. She, with her flowing hair in ivy wreath,
rose up and strummed a few plangent chords to test her lyre strings,
then firmly plucked them to launch at once on the following lay.”
(Ovid, Metamorphoses, 5.335-340).
Such is the goddess that Joseph Fagnani brought to life with his painting. Calliope’s harmony between words and music are represented in the artwork. In one hand, she holds her written text, while in the other, she keeps her musical instrument at the ready.
Written by C. Keith Hansley
Sources:
- Theogony and Works and Days by Hesiod, translated by M. L. West. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988, 1999, 2008.
- The Library of History, by Diodorus Siculus, edited by Giles Laurén (Sophron Editor, 2014).
- Metamorphoses by Ovid. Translated by David Raeburn. Penguin Classics; Revised Edition, 2004.
- The Oxford Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion, edited by Simon Price and Emily Kearns. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
- https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/10859
