Hymn to Hestia (Ancient Greek Goddess of the Hearth)

Aiming to ’carry on where the ancients left off’, here is another new composition - for recreated ancient Greek lyre! Hestia was the ancient Greek goddess of the hearth, one of the original Twelve Olympians. Cronus’ and Rhea’s first-born child, she was pure and peaceful. When the gods Apollo and Poseidon became suitors for her hand she swore to remain a maiden forever, whereupon Zeus bestowed upon her the honour of presiding over all sacrifices. Hestia watched over domesticity and the family and was traditionally honoured with the first offering at any sacrifice made in the home. I attempt to evoke the warmth of the hearth, through the use of the distinctively warm and contented characteristics of the ancient Greek Hypophrygian Mode (the equivalent intervals as G-G on the white notes of the piano, this was misnamed the ’Mixolydian’ mode by scholars in the Middle Ages). This distinctive quality of the Hypophrygian Mode is further enhance, by the use of t