Alcman
Poet who worked in Sparta in the first half of the 7th
century BC. He wrote hymns and lyrics for choirs in the Doric dialect, and
was said to have conducted the choirs himself, both vocally and the dance
steps the choir took.
Not much has survived by Alcman, but the oldest hymn in the western world is
attributed to him. It is sung by a choir of ten girls, divided in two. The
choir tells the story of various criminals and their punishments in the
myths, and they race and joke with the rival choir.
The ancient Greeks credited Alcman as the inventor of love poetry.