When you have seen her and her lovely grandchild, and heard your favorite melodies sung by her well-practised choir of slave-girls, I think you will thank me for having brought you hither."-- "Yet," answered the Spartan gravely, "I should not have accompanied you, if I had not hoped to meet Phryxus, the Delphian, here." "You will find him here; and besides, I cannot but hope that the songs will cheer you, and dispel your gloomy thoughts." Aristomachus shook his head in denial, and answered: "To you, sanguine Athenians, the melodies of your country may be cheering: but not so to me; as in many a sleepless night of dreams, my longings will be doubled, not stilled by the songs of Alkman." [Alkman (Attic, Alkmaeon) flourished in Sparta about 650 B.C.

His mother was a Lydian slave in Sardes, and he came into the possession of Agesides, who gave him his freedom.

His beautiful songs soon procured him the rights of a Lacedaemonian citizen.

He was appointed to the head-directorship in the entire department of music in Lacedaemon and succeeded in naturalizing the soft Lydian music.
His language was the Doric-Laconian.

After a life devoted to song, the pleasures of the table and of love, he is said to have died of a fearful disease.