POLYMNASTUS -
Lire

Strabo Geography [on Colophon]: According to
Pindar, Polymnastus was one of the famous musicians ;
for he says: ‘Thou knowest the world-wide saying
of Polymnastus the man of Colophon.’ 1

Plutarch On Muste: What was done in the lyric
sphere by Terpander was done in that of the flute by
Clonas, the first composer of flute-sung nomes and of
processional songs: he used elegiac and epic verse.
His successor Polymnastus of Colophon followed
his example. The nomes of these flute-poets, my
excellent Onesicrates, were sung to the flute, and
are called the Apothetus or Special, the Elegy or
Lament, the Comarchius or Rout-Leader’s, the
Schoenion or Rope-Song, the Cepion or Garden-
Song, the Dirge, and the Three- -part. To these
were added etter eards the Polymnastian Songs, as
they are called.

The Same: The successor of Terpander and Clonas
is given as Archilochus. But some historians make
out that Ardalus of Troezen composed music for
flute and voice before the time of Clonas, and
that the poet Polymnastus son of Meles of Colophon
flourished before his day and composed the Poly-
mmnastian nome. The claim of Clonas to be the author
of the Special nome and the Rope-Song is borne out
by the compilers of the registers, and Polymmastus

Ὁ Pind), fr. 186