Purpose
Nero, Roman Emperor from AD 54-68, is immortalized largely for his tyrannical rule, persecution of Christians, plus the murder of his own mother and wife. However, to me, Nero’s most infamous legacy stems from his incessant love for the arts - in particular music. As Emperor, Nero would host large contests, Neronia, where music, gymnastics, and riding could be showcased on the grandest Roman stage. In particular, Nero was enamored by musical performance and would participate himself, playing the lyre and singing, primarily. Nero would force his Roman constituents to sit through his 8+ hour long performances without any opportunity to leave, even for the most urgent of reasons. Some members of the crowd would purportedly fake their own deaths, as if they were being directly carried to their burial.
An under-sung part of Nero’s legacy is how these concerts were very popular with the slave and plebeian classes of the Roman people. Seeing their merciless, barbaric leader show how much he appreciated music removed the veil that disconnected Roman elite ruling classes from the common people.
This, at its core, is what I want for Nero Music. I want to write about music because I love it. I want to share how much I love it, in hopes that someone out there can relate, critique, react, cogitate, rethink, or even fake their own death.
