Terpander (Greek Τέρπανδρος), of Antissa in Lesbos, was a Greek poet and citharode who lived about
the first half of the 7th century BC.
About the time of the Second Messenian War, he settled in Sparta, whither, according to some accounts, he had been summoned by command of the Delphic Oracle, to compose the differences which had arisen between different classes in the state. Here he
gained the prize in the musical contests at the festival of Carnea (676-2 BC; Athenaeus, 635
a.).
He is regarded as the real founder of Greek classical music, and of lyric poetry; but as to his innovations in music our
information is imperfect. According to Strabo (xiii. p. 618) he increased the number of strings
in the lyre from four to seven; others take the fragment of Terpander on which Strabo bases his statement to mean that he
developed the citharoedic nomos (sung to the accompaniment of the cithara or lyre) by making the divisions of the ode seven instead of four. The seven-stringed lyre was probably already in
existence. Terpander is also said to have introduced several new rhythms in addition to the dactylic, and to have been famous as
a composer of drinking-songs.
No poems attributed to Terpander survive complete, and very few lines of his are quoted by later Greek writers; it must be
regarded as doubtful whether he worked in writing.
Terpander is rumored to have died choking on a fig when the fruit was thrown in appreciation of one of his performances
References
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