Citharode

A kitharode (Latinized citharode)^[a][2] (Ancient Greek: κιθαρῳδός [kitʰarɔː'dós] and κιτηαρῳδός;^[3] Latin: citharoedus) or citharist,^[1] was a classical Greek professional performer (singer) of the cithara, as one who used the cithara to accompany their singing. Famous citharodes included Terpander, Sappho, and Arion.

Apollo kitharoidos (Apollo holding a cithara and wearing the customary kitharōdos’ robes) and musagetes (leading the Muses). Marble, Roman artwork, 2nd century CE.

kitharode (citharode)^[a]

Bronze cast figure of a kithara player from Crete.
Occupation
Synonyms	kitharist (citharist)[a]
Occupation type	professional performer
Activity sectors	self-accompanied musical performance
Description
Competencies	singing, strummed string instrument (lyre family),[b] music theory, music notation[c]
Related jobs	Aulete / aulist (aulos player, "piper")

"Citharoedus" or "Citharede" was also an epithet of Apollo (Apollo Citharede), and the term is used to refer to statues which portray Apollo with his lyre.

See also

• Aeneator
• Aoidos
• Apollo
• Arion
• Sappho
• Terpander

Relevant musical instruments

• aulete (aulos player)
• aulos (contemporaneous wind instrument)
• barbiton (bass kithara)
• kithara (professional instrument)
• lyre (folk instrument)
• phorminx (advanced folk inst.)
• rhapsode (professional singer)

Related type of statuary

• Apollo Citharoedus

Footnotes

1. There are an elaborate variety of spellings, each altered to pronounce correctly in different languages, and to incorporate partial translations; since there is no modern form of kithara, that is typically left un-translated. (Strictly speaking, kitharoedos / citharoedus translates to "zitherist", but that seems to never be used.) Variants include:

   • Ancient Greek: κιθαρῳδός [kitʰarɔː'dós]

   • Latin: citharoedus (translit. Greek)
   • citharode (Anglicised translit. Latin)
   • kitharode (Anglicised translit. Greek)

   • citharede (rare)
   • citharoede (rare)

   • citharist (English translation Latin)^[1]
   • kitharist (English translation Greek)

2. A kitharode would automatically be expected to be able to also play a barbiton, lyre, and phorminx, provided it was a version with the same number of strings as the standard kithara.

3. It is unclear how far back Greek musical notation goes. It may have only been a competency of kitharodes during the late classical period; from some point, both kitharodes and auletes would have required to simultaneously read two separate systems of notation: One for instrumental music and the other for sung music.

   Further information: Musical system of ancient Greece

References

1. "citharist". Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Merriam-Webster.
2. "citharode". Oxford Dictionary of the Classical World.
3. Lewis, Charlton T.; et al. (eds.). "citharoedus". An Elementary Latin Dictionary.