Greek Lyric
Polyidus
Testimonia Vitae Atque Artis
1 Marm. Par. Ep. 68 (p. 18 Jacoby)
ἀφ᾿ οὗ Πύιδος Σηλυμβριανὸς διθυράμβωι ἐνίκησεν Ἀθήνησιν, ἔτη Η[
2 [Plut.] Mus. 21. 1138ab (p. 120 Lasserre, vi 3. 17 Ziegler)
καθόλου δ᾿ εἴ τις τῷ μὴ χρῆσθαι τεκμαιρόμενος καταγνώσεται τῶν μὴ χρωμένων ἄγνοιαν, πολλῶν ἄν τι φθάνοι καὶ τῶν νῦν καταγιγνώσκων, οἷον . . . τῶν δὲ κιθαρῳδῶν τοῦ Τιμοθείου τρόπου (sc. καταφρονούντων)· σχεδὸν γὰρ ἀποπεφοιτήκασιν εἴς τε τὰ καττύματα (κατατύμματα Lasserre) καὶ εἰς τὰ Πολυείδου ποιήματα.
Polyidus
Polyidus
Life and Work1
1 Parian Marble
From the time when Polyidus of Selymbria was victorious in Athens with a dithyramb, [ ] years.2
2 ‘Plutarch’, On Music
In general, if anyone argues that those who do not follow a certain practice are acting out of ignorance, he will be making a hasty judgement against many of our contemporaries1; for example, . . . against the cithara-singers who scorn the style of Timotheus, which they have pretty well abandoned in favour of the ‘patchwork’ music2 and the compositions of Polyidus.3
- 1See also Timotheus test. 14.
- 2The year falls between 399/398 and 380/379. Diodorus put his floruit in 398, describing him as painter and musician as well as dithyrambic poet: see Timotheus test. 3.
- 1I.e. late 4th c. contemporaries of Aristoxenus, source of the present passage.
- 2Literally, leather patches stitched to the soles of shoes; perhaps ‘medleys’ (Barker). E. K. Borthwick, Hermes 96 (1968) 61 f., suggested καταρτύματα ‘confections’, or καταχύ(σ)ματα, ‘sweetmeats’.
- 3‘Censorinus’ said Timotheus and Polyidus used the free rhythms of Pindar (Gramm. Lat. vi 608 Keil).