From the book
Stobaeus, Volume I
John Stobaeus · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordPhthongos is a sound, particularly a musical note in this context.
- In StobaeusThe art-and-nature comparison says that music combines high and low, long and short notes into harmony.
- In this edition“Note” suits music; “sound” is broader where no musical arrangement is intended.
- A place to beginContrasting notes combine to make one harmony.
- English renderings
- note; musical sound
Meaning
Phthongos is a sound, particularly a musical note in this context. It denotes a sounding event rather than a written note symbol.
Use in the book
The art-and-nature comparison says that music combines high and low, long and short notes into harmony. Their differences concern both pitch and duration. A note’s contribution is understood through its relation to other sounds in an ordered whole.
Places to read
- I.40.1.58Contrasting notes combine to make one harmony.
Translation in this edition
“Note” suits music; “sound” is broader where no musical arrangement is intended.
Source note
Wachsmuth, volume I, printed pp. 270. The passage distinguishes pitch from duration; the adjectives should not all be rendered as degrees of loudness.