Plato and the Lyre

After reading Plato, I wanted to choose the type of song described in the text. The text explains on pages 88 and 89 the types of modes and instruments that should be allowed in the republic. For modes they settle on the Dorian and Phrygian mode. For instruments they settle on the lyre and cithara. This song I found is by Michael Levy. It is a lyre in the dorian mode.

I tried to close my eyes and listen without thinking about the text for the first few times. Eventually I wondered whether the music summoned any of the virtues described in the paragraph on the top of page 89. For me I found a sense of calm from the song but also a sense of purpose and even a hint of story. The song relaxed me but its mood is bigger than my own relaxation. This could represent the "peaceful voluntary freely chosen activity." For Levy, it may very well fit in to prayer, a category mentioned in the text, since the title is "Hymn to Zeus". I can identify with Plato, but I would need to be convinced to think that these two modes are the only ones worth having.