A couple of turn-of-the-century citations from the Naval Chronicle reflecting a greater awareness of the classics and Western culture than one generally finds today:

“The ?e?e?st?? or hortator remigium, is by some considered as the Boatswain; his duty was to repeat the orders to the rowers , and to distribute their allowance to the Ship's Company…. The last Officer whom we shall notice, though several other professional names occur in antient writers, was the >?<, or Musician, who endeavoured both by his voice and skill on whatever instrument he performed, to cheer the spirits of the Rowers:
        Acclivis malo mediis intersonat Orpheus
        Remigiis, tantos que jubet neocire labores.
                                        Statius, Theb. V. v. 343
        Against the mast the tuneful Orpheus stands,
        Plays to the weary'd rowers, and commands
        The thought of toil away.”
[Memoirs of Navigation and Commerce from the Earliest Period, The Naval Chronicle, Vol.II, 1799, pp.186-187]

“The modern Boatfwain is discovered in those duties which the Keleustes of the Greeks performed; he passed the word of command throughout the vessel, and also assisted in distributing the ship's allowance of provisions…. and the sprightly notes of the drum and fife, by which the labour of the capstan-bars is at present so much abated, was a delightful task assigned to the Grecian Trieraules, who stood before the mast, and cheered his weary shipmates with the exhilarating music of the Canaanites.

        Against the mast the tuneful Orpheus stands,
        Plays to the wearied rowers, and commands
        The thought of toil away:
                        Statius, Theb. V. v. 343”
[The Naval Chronicle, Vol.X, 1803, p.407]

Note: The scanned PDFs are a little fuzzy, mind the Latin and Greek transciptions.