So what did Greek music sound like?

Some of the surviving melodies are immediately attractive to a modern ear. One complete piece, inscribed on a marble column and dating from around 200 AD, is a haunting short song of four lines composed by Seikilos. The words of the song may be translated:

While you‘re alive, shine:

never let your mood decline.

We‘ve a brief span of life to spend:

Time necessitates an end.