Melanippides of Melos (Μελανιππίδης ὁ Μήλιος) was a Greek lyric poet of the 5th century BCE, renowned as a major composer of dithyrambs. He was active in the latter half of the century, spending time at the court of Perdiccas II of Macedon [1]. The Suda identifies him as the son of Criton, a student of Diagoras of Melos, and records that he died in Macedonia [2]. His career places him within the innovative "New Music" movement in late Classical poetry and music [1][3].

His primary surviving work is the fragmentary dithyramb Marsyas (Μαρσύας). Other attested dithyrambs include The Danaids (Δαναΐδες) and Persephone (Περσεφόνη), and he is also credited with a Hymn to Dionysus [1][2]. All exist only as fragments and testimonia.

Melanippides is a significant figure for his role in the evolution of the dithyramb. Conservative critics like Aristophanes and Plato cited him as an exemplar of the shift from austere styles toward greater complexity and emotionalism [1][3]. His famous Marsyas provided a mythic etiology for the aulos, reflecting contemporary musical debates, and his innovations helped shape late Classical choral poetry.

Sources 1. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Classics: https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-4047 2. Suda On Line (via Perseus Digital Library): https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/mu/467 3. Encyclopædia Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/art/dithyramb