Definition: Terpander of Antissa, in Lesbos, was a famous musician and poet of the first half of the 7th century B.C. While in Antissa, Terpander served as head of the guild of cithara poet-performers known as citharodes. Terpander is more famous for his time in Sparta when he instituted a competition for the citharodes at the late summer Carnea in honor of Apollo Carneius. He also won 4 successive competitions at the Pythian games. At Sparta Terpander's poetic or musical gifts are credited with preventing a civil war.
Terpander is credited with inventing the 7-string cithara or lyre and the canon of the 7 citharodic nomes ("'a style of song with a prescribed harmonia [tuning] and a definite rhythm' [Suidas]").
Source: Cecil Maurice Bowra, Eveline Krummen "Terpander" The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Simon Hornblower and Anthony Spawforth. © Oxford University Press 1949, 1970, 1996, 2005.
