A fast-food restaurant in Wrexham will play classical music during the evenings in a bid to stop antisocial behaviour. While some ancient Greeks denied that music per se provided anything for you apart from an unimportant kind of pleasure (though the words of a song might make a difference), others thought that music could have powerful mood-altering effects, for good or ill.

For example, we are told that Pythagoras developed a form of musical therapy, consisting of songs and pieces for the lyre designed to help students get up and active in the morning and sleep well at night.

Once, when he was out stargazing, he came across a young man who, under the influence of drink, jealousy, passion and the sound of Phrygian pipe-music, was trying to set fire to his lover’s firmly shut door. He ordered the piper to play a less provocative melody, which calmed him down.

Some thought music could deal with medical problems, for example, sciatica. A painter even said that listening to the cithara helped him to achieve better likenesses.

Philosophers, never keen on the emotions, keenly debated the subject. Plato and Aristotle were influenced by the musical theorist Damon, who argued that musical modes and rhythms could result in changes in a man’s ethical responses, and since ‘a musical revolution [i.e. new music] always means a social revolution’, it would be a good idea if the state took steps to frustrate the development.

Aristotle argued that musical sounds contained ‘likenesses’ of qualities and states (such as anger, self-control, manliness and so on), to which our souls responded when it heard them: ‘From this it is clear that music is capable of conferring a particular quality on the soul’s character’, and therefore on human behaviour.

So, if it gets it right, the fast-food restaurant might turn out humans not only replete but also ethically better-adjusted too – something of a first. By the same token, King Charles should take care that the planned ‘new music’ for his coronation does not leave the audience in the Abbey less well adjusted, and ready for revolution.