Olympic Music: Inspiration From the Olympic Games, London 2012

Abstract

Television showed it live and with detail to a global audience: while entering the Aquatic Center at the London Olympics each athlete wore earphones, most did so even when they were being introduced to the audience, and some actually left them on as they approached the starting line. Performance enhance- ment through functional music is an ancient method in sports. More than 2500 years ago, high-performance athletes con- trolled and enforced their exercise programs by incorporating music into their daily routine. Live music at that time was offered by flute players typically using the Greek double flute called Aulos. Ancient images drawn on ceramic vases depict such ‘‘ensembles.’’...