古希腊音乐调式的形成归因于具有高超艺术才能的古希腊民众，以及同时代的伟大哲学家们特有的伦理思想的影响。从柏拉图的《理想国》、亚里士多德的《政治学》等著名篇章，到许多其他古希腊文献，都出现过以国家和部落名字命名的音乐调式，如多利亚、伊奥尼亚、弗里吉亚、利地亚等。据说这些不同调式不仅能够表达特殊的情感，对人性格的形成也能起到重要的作用。如多利亚被认为是坚定的、富于男子气概的，弗里吉亚是激发热情的，利地亚则带有感伤意味。这本《古希腊音乐调式》的作者从其所掌握的各种古代文献着手，系统论述了与古希腊音乐调式相关的各种音乐术语、哲学思想、哲学家、乐器、乐谱、音乐理论体系等内容，是世界范围内古希腊音乐研究极为重要的一本著作。

戴维·门罗（David Monro，1836—1905）出生于爱丁堡，担任过牛津大学奥利尔学院的院长和牛津大学的副校长。他于1854年入牛津大学布雷齐诺斯学院，同年转入贝利奥尔学院学习。1859年被选为奥利尔学院的院士，1882年担任该学院院长直到去世。1901年至1904年期间担任牛津大学副校长。门罗是一位通晓多种语言的博学者，在音乐、绘画和建筑领域的知识极为丰富，是荷马研究领域的权威。

1. Introductory
Musical forms called harmoniai or tropoi
2. Statement of the question
The terms Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, &c.
3. The Authorities
Aristoxenus--Plato--Aristotle--Heraclides Ponticus--the Aristotelian Problems
4. The Early Poets
Pratinas--Telestes--Aristophanes
5. Plato
The harmoniai in the Republic--The Laches
6. Heraclides Ponticus
The three Hellenic harmoniai--the Phrygian and Lydian--
the Hypo-dorian, &c.
7. Aristotle--The Politics
The harmoniai in the Politics
8. The Aristotelian Problems
Hypo-dorian and Hypo-phrygian
9. The Rhetoric
The harmonia of oratory
10. Aristoxenus
The topoi or keys
11. Names of keys (hypo-)
The prefix Hypo- --the term tonos
12. Plutarch's Dialogue on Music
The Platonic modes---Lydian--Mixo-lydian and Syntono-lydian---the Mixo-lydian octave--the keys of Sacadas-- tonos and harmonia
13. Modes employed on different instruments
Modes on wind-instruments----on the water-organ--on the cithara----on the flute
14. Recapitulation--harmonia and tonos
Equivalence of harmonia and tonos
15. The Systems of Greek music
The musical System (systma emmeles)
16. The Standard Octachord System
The scale in Aristotle and Aristoxenus
17. Earlier Heptachord Scales
Seven-stringed scales in the Problems--Nicomachus
18. The Perfect System
The Greater and Lesser Perfect Systems--Aristoxenus---enlargement of the scale--Timotheus--Pronomus--the Proslambanomenos--the Hyperhypate
19. Relation of System andKey
The standard System and the 'modes'-the multiplicity of harmoniai
20. Tonality of the Greek musical scale
The Mesh as a key-note--the close on the Hypate-- arche in the Metaphysics
21. The Species of a Scale
The seven Species (schemata, eide) of the Octave----connexion with the Modes
22. The Scales as treated by Aristoxenus
Advance made by Aristoxenus--diagrams of the Enharmonicgenus--reference in Plato's Republic--Aristides Quintilianus--the Philebus
23. The Seven Species
Aristoxenus--the Introductio Harmonica
24. Relation of the Species to the Keys
Use of the names Dorian, &c.--treatment of musical scales in Aristoxenus--Species in the different genera
25. The Ethos of Music
Regions of the voice--branches of lyrical poetry--kinds of ethos
26. The Ethos of the Genera and Species
Ethos depending on pitch--on the genus
27. The Musical Notation
The instrumental notes--original form and date
28. Traces of the Species in the Notation
Westphal's theory
29. Ptolemy's Scheme of Modes
Reduction of the Modes to seven--nomenclature according to value and according to position
30. Nomenclature by Position
The term thesis in Aristoxenus--in the Aristotelian Problems
31. Scales of the Lyre and Cithara
The scales on the lyre---on the cithara (viz. tritai, tropoi, parypatai, lydia, hypertropa, iastiaioliaia)
32. Remains of Greek Music
The hymns of Dionysius and Mesomedes--instrumental passages in the Anonymus--Mr. Ramsay's inscription--melody and accent--fragment of the Orestes
33. Modes ofAristides Quintilianus
The six Modes of Plato's Republic
34. Credibility of Aristides Quintilianus
Date of Aristides--genuineness of his scales
35. Evidence for Scales of different species
The Hypo-dorian or common species--the Dorian--the Mixo-lydian--the Phrygian and the Hypo-phrygian--Aristotle on Dorian and Phrygian--the dithyramb
36. Conclusion
Early importance of genus and key only----change in Ptolemy's time in the direction of the mediaeval Tones
37. Epilogue--Speech and Song
Musical nature of Greek accent--relation of musical and ordinary utterance--agreement of melody and accent in the Seikelos inscription--rhythm of music and of prose--the stress accent (ictus)--music influenced by language--words and melody--want of harmony--the non-diatonic scales
APPENDIX.
Table I. Scales of the seven oldest Keys, with the species of the same name
Table II. The fifteen Keys
Music of the Orestes of Euripides
Musical part of the Seikelos inscription
The hymns recen