No doubt I'd sound like an ass to an ancient Greek as well, but I like to think she'd appreciate my effort. Children make fun of each other when they get their stresses wrong. Why do words have accents? Why does one syllable get an emphasis? Computers can use an English dictionary just fine without paying attention to stresses. So can most people. But there would be no poetry or singing without them.
I hope this message finds you well (apologies that it is in a comment! I couldn't figure out how to contact you more directly).
My name is Cole Whetstone. I earned my undergraduate degree in Classics from Harvard University in 2018, and went on to complete an MSt in Ancient Philosophy at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in 2020. Later, I went on to teach spoken Ancient Greek for Jesus and Harris Manchester Colleges, Oxford. Currently, I am a fellow in spoken Ancient Greek and Latin for the Ancient Language Institute.
I think you are absolutely, knock-down, spot-on correct with regards to the centrality of the pitch accent (and the metrical "downbeat") in the interpretation of Ancient Greek poetry, and, although I have some questions about your pronunciation of the long acute, I think you produce on-the-whole excellent musical renditions of Homer's verse. Some of the best on the web, truly. I also enjoyed immensely your book "The Dance of the Muses," it helped realize the immense importance of the caesura in such recitations. So consider me a big fan :)
I would love to read and review your new book "Singing Homer's Spell," and to discuss the possibility of collaborating with you further. While at Oxford, I ran into significant trouble with people who did not think it was necessary to learn to speak the Ancient languages, and while my specialization was in philosophy, I gradually realized that the aversion to spoken Greek presented a huge opportunity for better understanding the classics of Greek poetry and drama as well. Seeing as you have seen opposition as well, I would be grateful to discuss "strategy" with you, especially as I am currently considering Ph.D.'s (in Ancient Philosophy, to be sure, but with a special interest in reconstruction of the sound of the Greek Classics).
Thank you once again very for your work! It's brilliant, even if it's been somewhat neglected by the powers that be :)
I remember, when I learned to speak Swedish, my tutor insisting that I had to emphasise that sing-song intonation which sounds so ridiculous to the foreign ear, much to the delight of comedians the world over from The Two Ronnies to Sesame Street. Surely this will do, I protested refusing to trespass any further beyond the bounds of my dignity as a speaker of the Queen's English - not realising at the time, that to a native speaker of Swedish, it was I who sounded like an ass.
No doubt I'd sound like an ass to an ancient Greek as well, but I like to think she'd appreciate my effort. Children make fun of each other when they get their stresses wrong. Why do words have accents? Why does one syllable get an emphasis? Computers can use an English dictionary just fine without paying attention to stresses. So can most people. But there would be no poetry or singing without them.
Dear Dr. David,
I hope this message finds you well (apologies that it is in a comment! I couldn't figure out how to contact you more directly).
My name is Cole Whetstone. I earned my undergraduate degree in Classics from Harvard University in 2018, and went on to complete an MSt in Ancient Philosophy at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford in 2020. Later, I went on to teach spoken Ancient Greek for Jesus and Harris Manchester Colleges, Oxford. Currently, I am a fellow in spoken Ancient Greek and Latin for the Ancient Language Institute.
I think you are absolutely, knock-down, spot-on correct with regards to the centrality of the pitch accent (and the metrical "downbeat") in the interpretation of Ancient Greek poetry, and, although I have some questions about your pronunciation of the long acute, I think you produce on-the-whole excellent musical renditions of Homer's verse. Some of the best on the web, truly. I also enjoyed immensely your book "The Dance of the Muses," it helped realize the immense importance of the caesura in such recitations. So consider me a big fan :)
I would love to read and review your new book "Singing Homer's Spell," and to discuss the possibility of collaborating with you further. While at Oxford, I ran into significant trouble with people who did not think it was necessary to learn to speak the Ancient languages, and while my specialization was in philosophy, I gradually realized that the aversion to spoken Greek presented a huge opportunity for better understanding the classics of Greek poetry and drama as well. Seeing as you have seen opposition as well, I would be grateful to discuss "strategy" with you, especially as I am currently considering Ph.D.'s (in Ancient Philosophy, to be sure, but with a special interest in reconstruction of the sound of the Greek Classics).
Thank you once again very for your work! It's brilliant, even if it's been somewhat neglected by the powers that be :)
Best,
Cole Whetstone
cole.whetstone@gmail.com
I remember, when I learned to speak Swedish, my tutor insisting that I had to emphasise that sing-song intonation which sounds so ridiculous to the foreign ear, much to the delight of comedians the world over from The Two Ronnies to Sesame Street. Surely this will do, I protested refusing to trespass any further beyond the bounds of my dignity as a speaker of the Queen's English - not realising at the time, that to a native speaker of Swedish, it was I who sounded like an ass.