Byzantine music (Music) Research Papers

Με αφορμή την αποκωδικοποίηση της σημειογραφίας και του μουσικού ύφους του χειρογράφου αρ. 31 της Ι. Μονής Υπεραγίας Θεοτόκου Πλατυτέρας στην Κέρκυρα, επιχειρείται η σαφής διάκριση μεταξύ της παραδοσιακής εκκλησιαστικής μουσικής των... more

At the conclusion of his well-known book about the Byzantine Notation (published in 1917, 1 and re-published in 1978 2) K. A. Psachos discusses with the "retrospective parallelism of the New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation to... more

At the conclusion of his well-known book about the Byzantine Notation (published in 1917, 1 and re-published in 1978 2) K. A. Psachos discusses with the "retrospective parallelism of the New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation to the Ancient Method of the stenographical Byzantine Notation through the occasional exegeseis" [«ἀναδρομικὸς παραλληλισμὸς τῆς σημερινῆς μουσικῆς γραφῆς πρὸς τὴν ἀρχαίαν στενογραφίαν διὰ μέσου τῶν κατὰ καιροὺς ἐξηγήσεων»], 3 a chapter also documented through numerous relevant papers of his, published until that time. 4 According to his writings, his research on Byzantine Notation, in both its versions the stenographical and the analytical one, especially his effort as far as the so-called exegesis of the same Notation is concerned, is based on musicological pieces of evidence found specifically in the manuscripts of Gregory Protopsaltes, as well as on the relevant musical work of a series of Byzantine Music Masters, like the following ones: Chourmouzios Chartophylax, Chrysanthos of Madytos, George the Cretan, Jacob Protopsaltes, Antony Lampadarios, Peter the Byzantios, Peter the Peloponnesian, John Protopsaltes, Athanasios V the Patriarch of Constantinople, Balases the Priest; 5 at the same time, he criticizes any * The present paper includes the results from the research program "Digitalization, Documentation, and Promotion of the Archive of K. A. Psachos", co-funded by the European Union and Greek National Funds through Operational Program "Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning" (NSRF 2014-2020), under the call "Supporting Researchers with an Emphasis on Young Researchers-Cycle B" (MIS: 5047970). The authors would like to express their gratitude to Photini Downie Robinson, who kindly undertook the English Proofreading of the text of the present paper. 1 K. A. Psachos, Ἡ παρασημαντικὴ τῆς βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς, ἤτοι ἱστορικὴ καὶ τεχνικὴ ἐπισκόπησις τῆς σημειογραφίας τῆς βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων χριστιανικῶν χρόνων μέχρι τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς [The Parasimantiki of the Byzantine Music; a Historical and Technical Review of the Notation of the Byzantine Music from the first Christianity years through the present day], (Athens: P.D. Sakellariou Editions, 1917). 2 K. A. Psachos, Ἡ παρασημαντικὴ τῆς βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς, ἤτοι ἱστορικὴ καὶ τεχνικὴ ἐπισκόπησις τῆς σημειογραφίας τῆς βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς ἀπὸ τῶν πρώτων χριστιανικῶν χρόνων μέχρι τῶν καθ' ἡμῶν, ἔκδοσις δευτέρα ὑπερηυξημένη, μετὰ ἐκτενοῦς βιογραφίας καὶ εἰσαγωγῆς συνταχθείσης ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπιμεληθέντος τὴν ἔκδοσιν Γεωργίου Χατζηθεοδώρου καθηγητοῦ μουσικῆς [The Parasimantiki of the Byzantine Music; a Historical and Technical Review of the Notation of the Byzantine Music from the first Christianity years until nowadays; 2 nd extended edition, with an extensive biography and introduction written by the supervisor of the edition George Hadzitheodorou, music teacher], (Athens: Dionysos Publishing Co, 1978). 3 Psachos (1978), 236-48; cf. ibid., 236-7 "Τhe ones who want to decode the secrets of this Ancient Method of the stenographical Byzantine Notation owe to ask and find all the formal and informal versions of the occasional various analyses and exegeseis of it, through which our religious music has developed, and through the only safe way i.e. the retrospective study, passing through the last exegesis towards the first format of the Ancient Stenography, to accomplish the approximate desirable. The only tools used for that challenging and complex study and research, are the exegeseis written down according to the contemporary New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation, made by the three late teachers Gregory, Chourmouzios and Chrysanthos, who after hard work transformed that from symbols to letters; after these, one has to take into consideration the exegeseis made before the contemporary New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation, the ones developed by George the Cretan, Jacob Byzantios, Peter the Peloponnesian, John from Trαbzon and Balases the Priest, which one may study retrospectively; finally, one has to also take into consideration the various forms of the Ancient Stenography" [«Οἱ θέλοντες νὰ εἰσδύσωσιν εἰς τὰ ἀπόρρητα τοῦ στενογραφικοῦ τούτου συστήματος ὀφείλουσι νὰ ζητήσωσι καὶ ν' ἀνεύρωσιν ὅλους τοὺς ἐπισήμους τε καὶ μὴ σταθμοὺς τῶν κατὰ καιροὺς ἀναλύσεων καὶ ἐξηγήσεων αὐτῆς, δι' ὧν διῆλθον τὰ μέλη τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς ἡμῶν μουσικῆς, καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου ἀσφαλοῦς τρόπου, τῆς ἀναδρομικῆς τουτέστι μελέτης, προχωροῦντες ἀπὸ τῆς τελευταίας ἐξηγήσεως πρὸς τὴν πρώτην μορφὴν τῆς ἀρχαίας στενογραφίας, νὰ ἐπιτύχωσιν ὁπωσοῦν καὶ κατὰ προσέγγισιν τοῦ ποθουμένου. Ἀλλ' ὡς μόνα ἐφόδια διὰ τὴν ἐξόχως δυσχερῆ καὶ πολύπλοκον ταύτην μελέτην καὶ ἔρευναν χρησιμεύουσιν αἱ εἰς τὸ σημερινὸν γραφικὸν σύστημα ἐξηγήσεις τῶν τριῶν ἀειμνήστων διδασκάλων Γρηγορίου, Χουρμουζίου καὶ Χρυσάνθου, οἵτινες κατόπιν πολυμόχθου ἐργασίας μετέτρεψαν τοῦτο ἀπὸ συμβόλων εἰς γράμματα. Μετ' αὐτὰς δέ, αἱ ἐξηγήσεις αἱ πρὸ τοῦ σημερινοῦ συστήματος γενόμεναι ὑπὸ τοῦ Γρηγορίου, τοῦ Κρητός, τοῦ Ἰακώβου, τοῦ Βυζαντίου, τοῦ Πελοποννησίου, τοῦ Τραπεζουντίου καὶ τοῦ Μπαλασίου ἀναδρομικῶς, καὶ τελευταῖαι αἱ διάφοροι μορφαὶ τῆς πρώτης στενογραφίας»]. 4 Idid., 247-8 (note 81). 5 Idid., 240-6 "Through the help of these valuable manuscripts and after long study we managed to write a dissertation on the complex issue of the stenographical Byzantine Notation; through the present book of ours we offer a minimum contribution to the EPISTẼMẼS METRON LOGOS Issue No. 6 | 2021 | 2 | researcher who is not paying particular attention to those pieces of evidence, as "they wronged not only the Art but themselves as well" [«οὐ μόνον τὴν τέχνην ἠδίκησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἑαυτούς»]. 6 Several testimonies about the same issue, unknown and unpublished for the time being, are additionally found in K. A. Psachos's Archive; there, the researcher can focus on a few relevant roughly handwritten texts; for example:  the text of an interview of a great Byzantine Music Theory tutor of Constantinople, the Protopsaltes Nileus Kamarados [see the full text, written in Greek, published and commented in Appendix No. 1.2], 7 at the suggestion of K. A. Psachos recorded by Plato N. Kesisoglus in 1907, 8 an interview never published until now; 9  another unpublished text, consisted of twenty-five (25) questions of K. A. Psachos addressed to a well-known Byzantine Music scholar, the hiero-monk of Grottaferrata monastery Lorenzo Tardo [see the full text, written in Greek, published and commented in Appendix No. 2], 10 questions that K. A. Psachos was planning to use at a public discussion with L. Tardo during the fifth Byzantine Studies International Congress (Rome 1936). 11 history and art of it; especially, through the reference of the examples in indexes 28-31, we offer-short but adequate-samples of the way according to which one can compare the New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation to the Ancient Method of the stenographical Byzantine Notation through the occasional exegeseis; through such a parallelism one can assume that the Notation remains identical, even though several analyses of it are occasionally given. Taking into account, on the one hand, the exegesis made by the Three Teachers that have formed the New Method of the analytical Byzantine Notation, on the other hand, the Ancient Method of the stenographical Byzantine Notation, we can find exactly the same musical content in any formula given in the writing of Gregory (and his contemporaries), and then in the writings of Peter Byzantios, Peter the Peloponnesian and their predecessors, who have occasionally used some analysis of the Notation, until we reach the Ancient Stenography" [«Τῇ βοηθείᾳ τούτων τῶν πολυτίμων χειρογράφων κυρίως κατορθώσαντες, κατόπιν πολυετοῦς μελέτης, νὰ παρασκευάσωμεν ἐργασίαν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκοτεινοῦ καὶ λίαν ἀκανθώδους ζητήματος τῆς παρασημαντικῆς τῆς Βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς, παρέχομεν διὰ τῆς περιληπτικῆς ταύτης μελέτης ἡμῶν ἐλαχίστην συμβολὴν εἰς τὴν ἱστορίαν καὶ τέχνην αὐτῆς. Ἰδίᾳ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐν τοῖς Πίναξι ΚΗ΄, ΚΘ΄, Λ΄ καὶ ΛΑ΄ παρατιθεμένων παραδειγμάτων, παρέχομεν δείγματα μικρά, πλὴν ἀσφαλῆ, τοῦ τρόπου, καθ' ὅν, ἀπὸ τῆς σημερινῆς γραφῆς, διὰ μέσου τῶν κατὰ καιροὺς γενομένων ἐξηγήσεων ἀνατρέχοντες πρὸς τὴν πρώτην στενογραφίαν, εὑρίσκομεν τὴν αὐτὴν γραμμὴν διήκουσαν διὰ μέσου τῶν διαφόρων ἀναλύσεων τῆς γραφῆς. Λαμβάνοντες ἄλλαις λέξεσιν ὡς ἀντίποδας, ἔνθεν μὲν τὴν ἐξήγησιν τῶν τριῶν εἰς τὸ σημερινὸν γραφικὸν σύστημα, ἔνθεν δὲ τὴν πρώτην στενογραφίαν, ἀνευρίσκομεν μίαν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν μουσικὴν γραμμὴν ἐν τῇ πρὸ τῆς σημερινῆς ἐξηγήσεως γραφῇ τοῦ Γρηγορίου καὶ τῶν συγχρόνων αὐτῷ, εἶτα ἐν τῇ γραφῇ τοῦ Βυζαντίου, τοῦ Πελοποννησίου καὶ τῶν πρὸ αὐτῶν ἕν τινι μέτρῳ μεταχειρισθέντων ποιάν τινα ἀνάλυσιν, ἕως οὗ φθάνομεν εἰς τὴν πρώτην στενογραφίαν»]. 6 Idid., 246-7; cf. idid., 239: "It is impossible for foreign researchers (or even for Greek ones) to take even one step further (they are mostly going backward) in order to decode the Ancient Stenography if they can't find and study in detail all the received relevant manuscript tradition, which represent more than a three-century period, a tradition that is impossible to find at the ancient codices of Byzantine Music found in various libraries spread throughout different regions" [«ποσῶς δὲν εἶναι δυνατόν, ἀδύνατον εἶναι, οἱ εἰς τὴν δῆθεν ἑρμηνείαν τῆς ἀρχαίας στενογραφίας ἐνασχολούμενοι ξένοι, εἴτε ἡμέτεροι καὶ κατὰ βῆμα ἓν νὰ προχωρήσωσι πρὸς τὰ πρόσω, ἀλλὰ κυρίως πρὸς τὰ ὄπισθεν, ἂν μὴ ἀνεύρωσι καὶ ἐπισταμένως μελετήσωσιν ὁλόκληρον τὴν σειρὰν τῆς διαληφθείσης ἐργασίας ἥν, ἐκπροσωποῦσαν τρεῖς καὶ πλέον αἰῶνας, ἀδύνατον νὰ εὕρωσιν ἐν τοῖς τῆς πρώτης στενογραφίας χειρογράφοις, ἅτινα καὶ μόνον ἀπαντῶσιν ἐν ταῖς ἑκασταχοῦ Βιβλιοθήκαις»].

Romanos the Melode with the kontakion roll is one of the earliest and most ambiguous personalities of Byzantine music history. It was probably one of the reasons, why no other genre of Orthodox chant can be compared with the complicated... more

Ιωάννης Φούλιας, Πέτρος Βούβαρης, Κώστας Καρδάμης και Κώστας Χάρδας (επιμ.), 7ο Διατμηματικό Μουσικολογικό Συνέδριο: «Μουσική, λόγος και τέχνες» (Πρακτικά διατμηματικού συνεδρίου υπό την αιγίδα της Ελληνικής Μουσικολογικής Εταιρείας,... more

The purpose of this paper is to present some historico-musicological aspects of the archive of K. A. Psachos. It brings to light some of the obscure or lesser-known aspects of his biography, his oeuvre, and his general activities... more

The story of a composition (the story of any composition) constitutes -undoubtedly- a completely interesting “adventure”: as soon as its composer conceives it, it is noted down (by its composer or by his students), it is copied (unedited... more

The antiphony technique, according to which sacral music is interpreted in Orthodox churches all over the world, is well known: two chanters (or two choirs of chanters) facing each other sing alternately the musical parts of an... more

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- by Achilleas Chaldæakes
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  Early Music, Musicology, Baroque Music, Byzantine Music

Εισήγηση στο Επιστημονικό συμπόσιο

Οι ήχοι της μουσικής
συνομιλούν με τους ήχους της Φυσικής

“All master composers of Greek ecclesiastic music” is a particularly well-known catalogue, composed by Kyrillos Marmarinos, bishop of Tenos, during the period 1734/6-1770. It constitutes one of the oldest (and most accurate) collections... more

There are, undoubtedly, questions raised about the way psaltic art was taught at different given historical times in the mind of any person who studies Byzantine music. Unfortunately, these are questions, which do not have an easy answer... more

There are, undoubtedly, questions raised about the way psaltic art was taught at different given historical times in the mind of any person who studies Byzantine music. Unfortunately, these are questions, which do not have an easy answer for; since psaltic art is based, primarily, on oral tradition, the exact methodology of its instruction is lost in the depth of centuries; the information that has survived on existing written sources is poor and rather fragmentary. Certain testimonies are well known and widely used in research, such as the one by Ioannis Kameniatis (10th Century) dealing with the systematic teaching of psaltic art; he recalls that in each church of Thessaloniki there were orders of priests and systems of readers through whom the chanting of poems was studied and through the movements of hands phonemes were communicated. Nikolaos Mesaritis (end of 12th Century) offers his witness when he describes the two categories of music schools that existed in the School of Holy Apostles in Constantinople: one was for young novices (where "you should see the psalmists along with almost stuttering infants who, while they had just finished nursing, were opening their mouths to speak wisdom and compose hymns", and the other one, advanced and more scientific, for older and advanced students (where "small children and young adolescents, who had just grown old enough not to be children, produced rhythmic tunes and harmonious melodies with the use of their pharynx, mouth, tongue, lips, teeth" and who, additionally, "through the teaching of rules and the movements of hands were taught not to deviate from the harmony, not to lose the rhythm, how to not stray from the melody and how to not make errors on the tune." On the other hand, music texts that date back to the 14th Century and onward give the impression that the instruction of psaltic art was rather a more private business that presupposed a close relationship and a long studying period of the student in the company of his experienced teacher. Teaching was done orally (not only the practical aspect of it, which is self-understood, but also the theoretical aspect of the study); therefore, relevant written sources that exist are deficient in information for, "the ancient poet (as is characteristically indicated on one manuscript on theory of the 17th Century) thought that the teacher should teach everything from the beginning, to deserve the title of master; therefore, the teacher teaches everything in brief. It is impossible to learn the art without a living voice and only through words". Indeed, in survived miniatures of music manuscripts one can see exactly this picture; in the foreground there is the teacher who seems to be the authority of teaching wisdom, moving his hands according to the thesis of the psaltic piece composition; on his feet, zealously stooped over their open music books, one sees two (at the most) music students who emulate the movements of their teacher. This was the matter of importance, the only concern of every student,namely, how "to learn to sing the thesis the way his teacher does" and "this is what matters (the same 17th Century theoretician advises a student) and ask your teacher to confirm it; and if he (the teacher) knows it he, then, is a good master and you should stay with him; if he does not, abandon him quickly and do not waste your time". The emphasis placed here on the element of time in connection with the right selection of a good teacher is critical since (as it is recorded in a known text of a psaltic art instruction method) "the one who wants to learn music and be good at it, / needs much patience, many days, / needs good discipline and fear of God, / ought to honor his teacher and pay him, / then the student learns to even reach perfection". In the present study the issue of Psaltic Art instruction will be examined (as is it made clear by the phrasing of the subtitle) in three periods: The period between the 14th and 19th Centuries (PAST) when the decisive important facts of the imposition of the new method of analytical notation, the publication of the theoretical works of Chrysanthos and, finally, the organization of Psaltic Art instruction through known patriarchal music schools, come as succession to scarce information above mentioned offered by relevant sources. The period between the 19th and mainly the 20th Century (PRESENT), when psaltic art instruction is taught systematically in conservatories and various music schools based on an homogenized educational model which is not always in accord with the facts of the past; in certain occasions it is even influenced by foreign music models. The current period (FUTURE), during which one should hope for a new era in regards to Psaltic Art instruction (considering the rapid progress of the science of Byzantine Musicology in the last years or through the instruction of psaltic art in highest educational institutions). It should be stated from the beginning that among the similar facts regarding the above mentioned three periods there is almost no correlation. For instance, there is abundant information available on the instruction of psaltic art during the 2nd period, whereas there is almost none for the 1st. This is the reason why my interest here will focus on the 1st period; I will dare to undertake a task, which - from what I know - has not been undertaken yet; I will try to re-structure the undercurrent old methodology of Psaltic Art instruction, so that we can suspect how the art was taught until the 19th Century. This will aid in proving that minimal (almost insignificant) elements of this period have been incorporated to the following period. However, scientific research thus far as well as the respective practical experience safely indicate that the deeper we know the facts of the past about psaltic art instruction the better a present we will secure to contemporary music studies, bequeathing, at the same time, a more hopeful, enriched and palpably improved psaltic art instruction method to future generations.

In: „Byzanzrezeption in Europa: Spurensuche über das Mittelalter und die Aufklärung bis in die Gegenwart“ (ed. F. Kolovou). Berlin 2012, 41–74: Die Teile der Missa graeca sind seit über hundert Jahren Gegenstand der wissenschaft-lichen... more

It is known –from Chrysanthos’ Great Theory of Music– that “ethe in melopoeia were three, the diastaltic, the systaltic and the hesychastic. They were called ethe, because by them the state of the soul was observed and corrected.... more

It is known –from Chrysanthos’ Great Theory of Music– that “ethe in melopoeia were three, the diastaltic, the systaltic and the hesychastic. They were called ethe, because by them the state of the soul was observed and corrected. Diastaltic ethos is the one by which majesty and virile disposition of the soul, heroic deeds and related passions are expressed. Tragedy uses this ethos most and among the others, the ones that preserve this character. This ethos is idiosyncratic of our first and third echos. Systaltic is the ethos by which the soul is driven to humility and to cowardly disposition. This state of soul fits to erotic passions, laments, compassions and the like. This ethos is idiosyncratic of our second echos and all the plagals except the barys. Hesychastic is the one which is followed by serenity of the soul and a state of freedom and peacefulness. It suits to hymns, paeans, songs of praise and the like. This ethos is idiosyncratic of our echos barys and our first echos”.
According to the above observations it is obvious that an internal (and strong) connection between any specific “Ethos” of Byzantine Melopoeia and some of Byzantine Music Modes exists. So, in the present paper we would like to explore the functionality of Byzantine Music Modes through a spectral analysis in the PRAAT environment (open source), connecting the visual and sound aspects of those modes which represent different moods (“ethe”). The analysis will be focused on the common energy of each mode as well as on the composing structure of any individual melodies, while taking into account the particular intervallic variety and expressive analysis, obtained when performing and decoding the Byzantine notation. We believe that visualizing Byzantine Music Modes through Acoustic Analysis, having as a main source the performer’s voice, we would create an excellent media, helping any potential student to understand better the functionality of Byzantine Music Modes and their aesthetical relationship with the sense of the so-called “Ethos” of the Byzantine Melopoeia.

It is taken for granted that Music plays a primary part in every kind of Entertainment. Speaking more specifically of the geographical area of the East (and much more during the late Medieval period, when we have a plethora of relevant... more

The idea of illustrating melodies it’s a given in Byzantine Music Theory; it’s mainly related to the technique of the so-called Cheironomia [gesticulation]; it’s really admirable, for instance, what Kyrillos Marmarinos, former bishop of... more

The idea of illustrating melodies it’s a given in Byzantine Music Theory; it’s mainly related to the technique of the so-called Cheironomia [gesticulation]; it’s really admirable, for instance, what Kyrillos Marmarinos, former bishop of Tenos, relevantly writes in his theoretical treatise: “cheironomia is the movement of the hands which designs the melody”. Going through analogous Byzantine and post-Byzantine theoretical treatises one can easily find some kind of “Iconographical Instructions” regarding basic elements of Byzantine Music Theory and Practice, such as (for example) musical signs; in the well known anonymous treatise of Questions and Answers on the Interval Signs there are such instructions about Ison sign: “…about how <Ison> is the beginning and foundation of all the signs, that is because neither a master-builder, nor a painter, nor a copyist can accomplish anything without a point. For when […] a painter is drawing a face, or a hand, or a foot, it is impossible for him not in the beginning to make a point; and when he makes a circle, a point is always being made in the middle of the circle; and how? since the compasses have two parts, he places one part on his piece of paper or on the wall and turns the other and the point is being made […] Thus also the beginning of the Ison is a point, and from the point there is a horizontal stroke going neither up nor down, and for thet reason it is called Ison”. In addition, Ison sign is similarly described in Chrysanthos’ Great Theory of Music [: “The Ison was thus called because it keeps the sound unbending; its cheironomia was done the way we do the sign of the cross, three fingers forming the symbol of the Holy Trinity”], since he is mostly influenced by (and frequently quotes from) a very interesting theoretical text of the 13th century, the Interpretation of the Signs by Michael Blemmydes, where the same sign is known under the following Question-and-Answer form: “What sign is the ison cheironomized by? By the sign of the Holy Trinity; just as the Holy Trinity is trinal – [for] in holiness the Father, nor the Son, nor the Holy Spirit exceeds [each other]; so is the ison chanted, when the fingers are put together”. This paper will be an attempt to further investigate that phenomenon; an attempt to combine usual theoretical instructions (based on the description of Byzantine Music signs, for instance) with a drawing (designed through some iconographical representations, taken from specific scenes from the life of Christ, well known to Byzantine Iconography), an image that can be considered as a visual example of possible illustrated version of any melody.

The practice of strongly melismatic interpretation of older Byzantine chants is mostly known from the “exegeses” (ἐξηγήσεις) in late Byzantine notation by composers of the 17th and (mainly) the 18th century, followed by the transcriptions... more

In the ritual of the Matins (and especially in the psalms that constitute the fixed repertoire of this service), the tactic of the imposition of (non-psalmic) poetic texts in the compositions of the Polyeleoi is quite interesting.... more

In the ritual of the Matins (and especially in the psalms that constitute the fixed repertoire of this service), the tactic of the imposition of (non-psalmic) poetic texts in the compositions of the Polyeleoi is quite interesting. Obviously, it is about the process of the addition or the interpolation of one poem (whose content is always related with a particular theme from the church calendar) into the usual psalmic verses of a given composition. This technique is indeed related (primarily and par excellence) with the Polyeleoi compositions (specifically with the first stasis of the so-called Latrinos Polyeleos, with which it undoubtedly has to be connected), but it also appears occasionally in the Antiphons (in the so-called Antiphons for the Theotokos, but mainly in the Antiphons for the Synaxis of Asomatoi), while it appears until today, in the known Ekloge Logon Agathon, thanks to the brilliant inspiration of the famous composer Petros Bereketes. The role of these imposed texts is clearly double and my attempt (in the present paper) will be to appoint and comment on this exactly double dimension: • From the viewpoint of the liturgy and ritual, it is obvious that, by adding any poem to a psalmic verse, a “conceptually neutral” poetic text is “transformed” into an appropriate composition for the celebration of a specific feast. For instance, in a relevant order (from a ritual of the second half of the 16th century), which refers to the feast of the Synaxis of Asomatoi, it is being noted: “the Polyeleos and after the Polyeleos Antiphon of the Ekloge [...] we chant, at the Ekloge, triadic encomia, which are hymns [appropriate for] Antiphons of Asomatoi” (: “Είτα ο πολυέλεος, μετά δε τον πολυέλεον αντίφωνον της εκλογής […] ψάλλομεν δε εις την εκλογήν και τα εγκώμια τα τριαδικά, άπερ εισί ταύτα ύμνοι εις αντίφωνα Ασωμάτων”). • From the viewpoint of musicology, it is also explicit that with the addition of any poem to a psalmic verse, what follows is a melic and morphological differentiation between the verses where this specific poem is being added to and the rest (usual) verses of the same composition. That is the reason why in the relevant manuscript tradition the verses that carry non-psalmic texts are characterized as (asmatic or festal) Allagmata.

This is a preliminary paper of my forthcoming study about the life and work of Daniel, the Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Constantinople (+ 1789). The present “prodromic announcement” focus at the main points of the mentioned... more

Μιὰ ἐνδιαφέρουσα «διαλεκτικὴ» μεταξὺ τῶν φυσιογνωμιῶν τοῦ ψάλτη καὶ τοῦ μελοποιοῦ παρουσιάζεται στὸ παρὸν κείμενο. Πρόκειται γιὰ δύο διαφορετικὰ πρόσωπα ἢ –οὐσιαστικά– γιὰ μία φυσιογνωμία, αὐτὴ ποὺ περιγράφεται σὲ παλαιότερα θεωρητικὰ ὡς... more

It is known that Byzantine Music develops, spreads and evolves in a clearly traditional and therefore conservative field; in the field of the Orthodox Church. Even in this specific traditional atmosphere, creation of new musical... more

It is known that Byzantine Music develops, spreads and evolves in a clearly traditional and therefore conservative field; in the field of the Orthodox Church. Even in this specific traditional atmosphere, creation of new musical compositions is inevitable at times, not mainly for the cover of new functional necessities, but mostly for the renewal of the current musical tradition. It is essentially legitimate and expected for every new composer (even if they act in such a conservative field) to aim to a musical differentiation, trying to bring something new in the Art and therefore perpetuate their reputation in History . It is easily recognizable that almost the oevre of the majority of the (older or contemporary) Byzantine Music’s composers is characterized by this exact dual (and primary perhaps contradictory) attempt: to adduce a personal composing stigma remaining inside the limits of the formed tradition . Therefore, a more specific musicological examination of occasionally new compositions always creates reasonable questions; the most important of them (keeping in mind that “parthenogenesis” does not actually exist in the Art) is related to the originality of every new melody. A more systematic study and detailed analysis of such new –contemporary in the present case – church melodies validates the above remarks and reveals further technical details as far as process and methodology of construction are concerned. In the present paper I’ll try to examine this specific phenomenon. As an indicative field of the relevant research I’m going to use two very well-known musical compositions; two contemporary musical books, especially widespread and popular at both the Greek and the international “psaltic reality”: the Holy Week composed by Konstantinos Priggos (+ 1964) and the Triodion composed by Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas (+ 1987) , masterpieces of two leading chanters and composers of the 20th century who coexisted at the lecterns of the Constantinople Ecumenical Patriarchate for twenty years (1939-1959). In the first the adhesion to the previous tradition is more than obvious, while in the second one it appears to be absolutely disguised, although implicitly recognized. In any case, I would observe that the well-known hagiographical saying adapts here conversely: old wine (the melodies of the tradition) fills new bottles (new compositions, which – under the cloak of a more analytical way of using the notation or even hidden by any newly composing technique – recycle and refresh the older and traditional ones).

Ὁ Γεώργιος-Εὐτύχιος Οὐγουρλοῦς εἶναι μὲν (ἥκιστα) γνωστὸς ὡς μουσικός (ψάλτης καὶ δάσκαλος καὶ κωδικογράφος καὶ μελοποιός), ἡ συμβολή του ὅμως στὴν ἐξήγηση τῆς σημειογραφίας παρέμενε μᾶλλον παραγνωρισμένη. Στὴν παροῦσα ἀνακοίνωση, πέρα... more

Τὸ παρὸν κείμενο ἀναφέρεται, γενικά, στὸ ρόλο τῶν γυναικῶν στὴν ψαλτικὴ τέχνη, δηλαδὴ στὴν ἑλληνικὴ ὀρθόδοξη ἐκκλησιαστικὴ μουσική. Στὴ σχετικὴ βιβλιογραφία ὑπάρχουν (γύρω ἀπὸ αὐτὸ –ἀκριβῶς– τὸ θέμα) ὁρισμένες μελέτες, γραμμένες ἀπὸ... more

Τὸ παρὸν κείμενο ἀναφέρεται, γενικά, στὸ ρόλο τῶν γυναικῶν στὴν ψαλτικὴ τέχνη, δηλαδὴ στὴν ἑλληνικὴ ὀρθόδοξη ἐκκλησιαστικὴ μουσική. Στὴ σχετικὴ βιβλιογραφία ὑπάρχουν (γύρω ἀπὸ αὐτὸ –ἀκριβῶς– τὸ θέμα) ὁρισμένες μελέτες, γραμμένες ἀπὸ Ἕλληνες ἢ ξένους ἐρευνητές, ἀλλὰ –δυστυχῶς– οἱ ὑπάρχουσες πληροφορίες εἶναι πραγματικὰ ἐλάχιστες. Μέχρι τώρα, γνωρίζουμε μόνον λίγα (ὄχι περισσότερα ἀπὸ δύο ἢ τρία) ὀνόματα γυναικῶν ὑμνογράφων, κωδικογράφων ἢ ψαλτριῶν, ἀλλὰ στὸ ἐπίπεδό της μελοποιίας ὑπάρχει ἕνα μόνον μουσικὸ ποίημα, ποὺ ἀποδίδεται (μὲ κάποια ἐπιφύλαξη) στὴν κόρη τοῦ περίφημου βυζαντινοῦ μελουργοῦ (τῶν ἀρχῶν τοῦ 15ου αἰώνα) Ἰωάννη Κλαδᾶ. Πρόκειται γιὰ ἕνα Κοινωνικὸ (Εἰς μνημόσυνον αἰώνιον) μελοποιημένο στὸν τέταρτο ἦχο τῆς βυζαντινῆς ὀκτωηχίας. Κατὰ τὴ διάρκεια μιᾶς παλαιότερης ἔρευνάς μου (γιὰ τὴν ἑτοιμασία τῆς διδακτορικῆς διατριβῆς μου πάνω στὸν Πολυέλεο στὴ βυζαντινὴ καὶ μεταβυζαντινὴ μελοποιία), ἀνακάλυψα μία ἀκόμη ἐνδιαφέρουσα σύνθεση κάποιας ἄλλης γυναίκας συνθέτριας. Πρόκειται γιὰ μέρος (γιὰ τὴν ἀκρίβεια: γιὰ τὸν στίχο Εὐλογήσατε τὸν Κύριον, μελοποιημένο στὸν πρῶτο ἦχο) ἑνὸς πολὺ γνωστοῦ βυζαντινοῦ πολυελέου (γνωστοῦ μὲ τὴν ὀνομασία πολυέλεος τοῦ Κουκουμᾶ), ποὺ ἀποδίδεται σὲ κάποια Καλογραῖα (δηλαδὴ μία γυναῖκα μοναχή). Σ’ αὐτὸ τὸ κείμενό μου τὸ ἐνδιαφέρον μου ἐπικεντρώνεται ἀκριβῶς σὲ αὐτὲς τὶς δύο συνθέσεις, δύο μουσικὲς δημιουργίες γυναικῶν συνθετριών, ποὺ μελοποιοῦν κατὰ τὴν περίοδο τῶν βυζαντινῶν χρόνων στὴν περιοχὴ τῆς Μεσογείου. Ἡ ἔρευνά μου προσεγγίζει σημεῖα ὅπως τὴν περιγραφὴ ἢ τὴ μουσικὴ καὶ μορφολογικὴ ἀνάλυση αὐτῶν τῶν συνθέσεων. Ἐπιπλέον, προσπαθῶ νὰ τὶς συγκρίνω μὲ ἀντίστοιχες συνθέσεις ἄλλων (ἀνδρῶν) μελοποιῶν, προκειμένου νὰ διαμορφωθεῖ μία πρώτη ἰδέα γιὰ τὸν «γυναικεῖο τρόπο» συνθέσεως τῆς βυζαντινῆς μουσικῆς.

As the major proportion of written and oral tradition of Byzantine Music is delivered (uninterrupted from the 10th century until now) listed or expressed in Greek, it seems perhaps obvious that Greek language has to be recognised as... more

Ἡ μελέτη εἶναι πρωτότυπη καὶ ἐξαιρετικὰ ἐνδιαφέρουσα, καθὼς γιὰ πρώτη φορὰ ἀποσαφηνίζεται πλήρως ἡ ταυτότητα δύο ὁμωνύμων Ἁγιορειτῶν μουσικῶν (Δαμασκηνὸς μοναχὸς ὁ Ἰβηρίτης καὶ Θεσσαλός, Δαμασκηνὸς ἱερομόναχος ὁ Παντοκρατορηνὸς [ἐνῶ... more

John Laskaris’s short Treatise on Byzantine Music Theory is of particular musicological interest; it’s titled as follows: This is another modulation of the musical art, more wisely devised and more exact in every detail, worked out and... more

The melodic repertoire of the Heirmologion is by nature closer connected to the oral tradition than the other chant-species and appears therefore less uniform in the musical sources, especially in the Postbyzantine period. Balasios “the... more

The Patriarch of Constantinople Athanasios the 5th is an exceptionally important church figure, widely renowned to the relevant historical research. He was descended from Crete; through historians, he is described as “a wise man, whose... more

From the beginning of 18th century the “fever” of interpretation (that was a new “interpretative way” of writing down and composing music) was “burning” the world of ecclesiastic chant in Constantinople. One may reasonably assume that the... more

From the beginning of 18th century the “fever” of interpretation (that was a new “interpretative way” of writing down and composing music) was “burning” the world of ecclesiastic chant in Constantinople. One may reasonably assume that the backstage of the ecclesiastic musical scene of the Patriarchate was that time the theater of important upheavals. A series of musicians worked (as chanters, chant-makers and teachers) following that new direction; the course of this transition from the synoptic to the interpretative way of writing down (and composing) music is vividly sketched by Chrysanthos. So, we’ve already known lot of people working there, as for example the following:
• Panagiotes Haladzoglou, who decisively contributed to the elaboration of the famous “style of the Great Church of Christ”: relying on the very Athonite tradition of sacred chant, which had been taught to him, “he abridged some of the melodies of the theseis or, in other cases, he even transformed them, aiming, it is said, at pleasure and embellishment”.
• John the Protopsaltes, who “transubstantiated” (with the encouragement of the Patriarchate) the preceding “abridgements and transformations” of his teacher. John used “a way of writing which was different from the old one and closer to the interpretative way”, publicly claiming that “the difficulty of the teaching and the transmission of psalmody, due to all the time it takes, ought to be removed from their creations and that a simpler, more methodical and elementary system of neumes ought to be established, which would make it possible to write and transmit unaltered every kind of melody.”
• Daniel the Protopsaltes, who used naturally and effortlessly “that interpretative way” in order to write down his new musical creations. This new way was, of course, different from the traditional one, provoking at first serious reactions: “His chants have newly introduced theseis, such that have never been used by the psalmodists before or after him. Because of them, some people dared to accuse him of ignorance.” Also different (as it can be inferred from the testimony of Chrysanthos quoted above) was the content of all these new compositions; in fact, they already constituted a new musical proposal, introduced hesitatingly by Haladzoglou and then supported wholeheartedly by John - the latter “became, obviously, an imitator of his teacher Panagiotes, as it seems that the characters of teachers are transmitted usually to their students.”
This was the “new style of the Great Church of Christ”, a style that would later be shaped more clearly (both in the writing method and in the content of musical compositions) in the works of the other members of the aforementioned “series”, such as Peter from Peloponnese, Jacob the Protopsaltes, Peter Byzantios and Manuel Protopsaltes. All of them tried an attempt of renewal the existing repertoire, but their contemporaries considered it as an unprecedented innovation, attributing it to their “communication” with non ecclesiastic musical figures. This phenomenon cannot be easily assessed in a unilateral way; besides music itself, it also presents historical, socio-political and even anthropological dimensions that have to be taken into consideration. What must be underlined here (from a strictly musicological point of view) is the unparalleled ability of all of them to “cover” their innovations under an unmatched musical imagination: The intelligent bridging of such apparent contradictions or, in other words, the harmonious continuation of ecclesiastical chanting tradition by all licit (and even illicit) means, is a fundamental characteristic of chant-making production of that period and at the same time a musical quality of crucial importance.

The work of Petros Bereketes –all-encompassing, as his name suggests- presents a wondrous balance between the developed old and the emerging new musical traditions, surely, something not uncustomary for the period during which the... more

While everybody knows what either “Polyphony” or “Monophony” means, the question about the existing of any "purely polyphonic" or "purely monophonic" cultures in the world remains still open. Byzantine Music has obviously such a "purely... more

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- by Oliver Gerlach
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  Music, Music History, Musicology, Medieval History

Byzantine music (Music)

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