Abstract: In The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche, starting from the Satyr chorus and the original phenomenon of drama with a connection to his own aesthetic experience, offered a provocative aesthetic explanation of the origin and the development of tragedy. Tragedy, according to Nietzsche, originated from the Dithyramb and evolved in the form of “Dionysian chorus heading towards Apollo.” The chorus, in which the tragic effect of “metaphysical comfort” was embodied, enabled tragedy to engage in the existence of Greek as a kind of primitive aesthetic experience. As the musical spirit of the chorus diminished, tragedy gradually declined. Nietzsche attempted to revive the tragic spirit via chorus and music, and to complete a “grafting” of the Greek tradition in modern Germany. By tracing and reinterpreting the Satyr chorus, Nietzsche completed the outline of the development of tragedy and revaluation of the classical philology, and placed art on a superior position to truth from the standpoint of life.

Key words: The Birth of Tragedy, Nietzsche, chorus, musical spirit