So we know that "
erato" is the muse of lyric poetry.... and as far as I know there is no muse that is specifically attached to the piano --- although, there ought to be. Really -- many of the original muses had musical qualities and were attached to various musical instruments of the time -- but since the muses were created in ancient Greece, they can be fairly inappropriate for today's musicians....
So I hereby announce the latest, greatest "muse of the piano" - "
ERATA" --- how did she come to be? Well, let's start at the beginning with her ancestor "ERATO":
Erato
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Greek mythology Erato is one of the Greek muses. The name would mean "lovely" if it were actually derived from Eros, as Apollonius of Rhodes playfully suggested in the invocation to Erato that begins Book III of his Argonautica. Erato was named with the other muses in Hesiod's Theogony. She was invoked at the beginning of a lost poem Rhadine that was referred to and briefly quoted by Strabo,[1]: the love story of Rhadine made her supposed tomb on the island of Samos a pilgrimage site for star-crossed lovers in the time of Pausanias,[2] and Erato was linked again with love in Plato's Phaedrus[3]; nevertheless, even in the third century BCE, when Apollonius wrote, the Muses were not yet as inextricably linked to specific types of poetry as they became[4].
Erato is the Muse of lyric poetry, especially love and erotic poetry. In the Orphic hymn to the Muses, it is Erato who charms the sight. Since the Renaissance she is often shown with a wreath of myrtle and roses, holding a lyre, or a small kithara, a musical instrument that Apollo or she herself invented. In Simon Vouet's representations (illustration); at her feet two turtle-doves are eating seeds. Other representions may show her holding a golden arrow, reminding one of the "eros", the feeling that she inspires in everybody, and at times she is accompanied by the god Eros, holding a torch.
Erato is certainly an appropriate muse for pianists, but there's something seemingly 'masculine' in the name. Much of music terminology of today is based on
latin and Italian text -- words that end in "o" are usually masculine, and words that end in "a" are usually feminine --- wouldn't it make more sense if our modern-day musical muse were called "
Erata"?....
Erata
It's obvious that the muses had already been created by the time the piano was invented (circa 1700 by
Bartolomeo Cristofori). But here is the interesting part -- if you ask most pianists about their experiences with their pianos, they'll begin describing this relationship almost as if the piano were alive -- THE essence of their soul and creativity.
The word "
Erata" seems a much more appropriate name for such a beautiful beast! The piano has a '
feminine' quality - with it's curvaceous design and delicate mechanics - with momentary bursts of fortissimo -- truly wonderful qualities indeed! But the most important part of
Erata is that she truly encapsulates the raw beauty and emotion of creation - a seductress in wooden clothing. For in the end, the pianist is powerless to the emotions of love and passion -- and
ERATA sings her soulful tone!!!!
ERATA, I pledge thee my most profound affection and devotion!.....
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