Chant in the Orthodox Tradition

Alexander Lingas
[email protected]
 Orthodox Traditions of Chant:
• Chant traditions of the Oriental Orthodox Churches (and, where they
exist, their counterparts in communion with Rome): Armenian,
Coptic, Ethiopian, Syrian, etc. Diastematic (intervallically exact)
musical notation has played little or no role in their transmission
until modern times.
• Chant traditions of churches – linguistically Albanian, Arab, Greek,
Slavic, Romanian, etc. – employing the Byzantine rite, all of which
trace their origins in some way back to the Eastern Roman
(‘Byzantine’) Empire.
• Chant traditions of the medieval West.
– NB John, Bishop of Kitros (late 12th–early 13th century), who states that
the texts and melodies (αἱ µελῳδίαι) of Greek and Latin psalmody are held
in common and that the latter is not foreign (ἡ ἐπ’αὐτοῖς ψαλµῳδία οὐκ
ἔστιν ἐθνική)
 Byzantine Chant:
• Eastern ‘Sibling’ to Latin Roman Chant
• Like the Byzantine Rite, a ‘mongrel’ tradition with roots in the
urban and monastic Christian worship of the Eastern
Mediterranean
• An historical phenomenon and a living tradition.
• Earliest notated MSS from the 9th/10th c.
• Early Slavonic (Znamenny and Kondakarian) sources based on
the ‘Coislin’ and ‘Chartres’ families of early Byzantine
notation
• Diastematic notation from the 12th c.
 Periods of Byzantine Chant:
• Origins in Late Antiquity (4th to 7th c. AD)
• Medieval (to ca. 1453)
• Post-Byzantine (after 1453 to the present)
• ‘The New Method’ or ‘Chrysanthine Chant’:
after the reforms of the ‘3 Teachers’ during
the first quarter of the 19th c. to the present.
 Notated Sources of Byzantine Chant:
• Lectionary (Ecphonetic Notation)
• Melodic Notations
– Palaeo-Byzantine (Theta, Coislin, Chartres)
– Middle Byzantine (‘Round’)
– ‘The New Method’ from the first quarter of the
19th c. to the present.
MS Sinai gr. 213 (‘967’)
List of Ecphonetic Signs with
Transcription into
Palaeobyzantine Melodic
Neumes

MS Sinai 8 (Prophetologion of
10th/11th c.), f. 303r
From the Greek edition of K. Floros,
Einführung in die Neumenkunde
 Late Antiquity

The Formation of Christian Liturgical

Rites and the 4th-Century AD
‘Psalmodic Movement’
The Rite of the Great Church
 From the Russian
Primary Chronicle
Then we went on to Greece, and the Greeks led us to the
edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not
whether we were in heaven or on earth. For on earth there
is no such splendour of beauty, and we are at a loss how to
describe it. We know only that God dwells there among
men, and their service is fairer than the ceremonies of other
nations. For we cannot forget that beauty.
Medieval Russia's Epics, Chronicles, and Tales,
Serge A. Zenkovsky, ed., 2nd ed. (New York: E.P. Dutton, 1974), 67–68
 And immediately the Choir Leader the refrain of
Kai; eujqu;" oJ Domevstiko" to; kekragavrion Psalm 140.

Eijsavkousovn mou. Th;n swthvriovn sou Hear me. We glorify your saving resurrection,
e[gersin doxavzomen, filavnqrwpe. Lover of humankind.
The Choirs alternately.
OiJ coroi; ejnallavx. Lord I have called to you, hear me. Give heed to
Kuvrie ejkevkraxa pro;" sev, eijsavkousovn the voice of my supplication when I call upon
mou: provsce" th'/ fwnh'/ th'" dehvsewv" mou you.
ejn tw'/ kekragevnai me pro;" sev. We glorify your saving resurrection, Lover of
Th;n swthvriovn sou e[gersin doxavzomen, humankind.
filavnqrwpe.
Kateuqunqhvtw hJ proseuchv mou wJ" Let my prayer be directed towards you like
qumivama ejnwpiovn sou: e[parsi" tw'n ceirw'n incense; the lifting up of my hands like an
mou qusiva eJsperinhv. evening sacrifice.
Th;n swthvriovn sou e[gersin doxavzomen, We glorify your saving resurrection, Lover of
filavnqrwpe. humankind.
Qou', Kuvrie, fulakh;n tw'/ stovmativ mou, kai; Set a guard, O Lord, on my mouth: and a strong
quvran perioch'" peri; ta; ceivlh mou. door about my lips.
Th;n swthvriovn sou e[gersin doxavzomen,
We glorify your saving resurrection, Lover of
filavnqrwpe.
humankind.
Mh; ejkklinh/" th;n kardivan mou eij" lovgou"
ponhriva", tou' profasivzesqai profavsei" ejn Do not incline my heart to evil words: to make
aJmartivai". excuses for my sins.
Th;n swthvriovn sou e[gersin doxavzomen, We glorify your saving resurrection, Lover of
filavnqrwpe. humankind.
…
 1st Antiphon
of the Divine Liturgy for
Theophany

Ps. 113: 1–5 with Refrain

Psaltikon MS Patmos 221,
dated between 1162 and
1179 A.D.
Refrain and Solo Verses of Saturday Prokeimenon from Psaltikon MS Patmos 221
Alleluiarion from the
Psaltikon
Ashburnhamensis 64
(1289)
 Today the Virgin gives birth
to him who is above all
being,
And the earth offers the
Cave to him whom no one
can approach; Angels with
Shepherds give glory,
And Magi journey with a
star;
For us there has been
born
A little Child: God
before the ages.

St Romanos the Melodist (6 th c.):

Kontakion Prologue for Christmas
(Notated in MS St Pb 674, 13th c.)
The Urban Rite
of Jerusalem
 The Eight Modes (Octoechos)
• Initially codified as a liturgical system
probably near Jerusalem, perhaps as early as
the late 5th c.
• Later exported to Constantinople and the
Carolingian West
• Used to organise hymnody and psalmody
• The Octoechos takes a number of forms in the
received traditions of Byzantine chanting
 Cycle of
Modal
Intonation
s

A na nes Ne a nes Na na A gi a A- nes Neche anes A neanes Neagie Ananes

The Studite
Synthesis
Kasia (9th c.), Sticheron for Holy Wednesday (ed. I. Arvanitis)
Slide 30

AL1 Alexander Lingas, Friday 19/09/14

The Neo Sabaïtic Synthesis
John Glykes teaching St John
Koukouzeles and Xenos Korones
(MS Koutl. 457, 14th c.)
1a Εὐλόγει ἡ ψυχή µου, τὸν Κύριον 1a Bless the Lord, my soul!
1b Κύριε ὁ Θεός µου ἐµεγαλύνθης σφόδρα. 1b O Lord my God, you have been greatly magnified.
1c Ἐξοµολόγησιν καὶ µεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐνεδύσω. 1c You have clothed yourself with thanksgiving and majesty.
2a—Ἀναβαλλόµενος φῶς ὡς ἱµάτιον. 2a Wrapping yourself in light as in a cloak.

Τὰ ἀνοιξαντάρια The Anoixantaria

28b Ἀνοίξαντός σου τὴν χεῖρα, τὰ σύµπαντα 28b When you open your hand all things will be filled with
πλησθήσονται χρηστότητος. ∆όξα σοι ὁ Θεός. goodness. Glory to you, O God.
29b Ἀντανελεὶς τὸ πνεῦµα αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐκλείψουσι. ∆όξα 29b You will take away their spirit, and they will perish. Glory
σοι Πάτερ, δόξα σοι Υἱε, δόξα σοι τὸ Πνεῦµα τό ἅγιον, to you, O Father, glory to you, O Son, glory to you, O Holy
δόξα σοι. Spirit. Glory to you!
30a Ἐξαποστελεῖς τὸ πνεῦµά σου, καὶ κτισθήσονται. 30a You will send forth your spirit, and they will be created.
∆όξα σοι ὁ Θεός, δόξα σοι. Glory to you, Lord, glory to you!
31a Ἤτω ἡ δόξα Κυρίου εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. ∆όξα σοι ἅγιε· 31a May the glory of the Lord endure to the ages. Glory to you,
δόξα σοι Κύριε· δόξα σοι, βασιλεῦ οὐράνιε. ∆όξα σοι, Lord, glory to you, heavenly King, glory to you, glory to you, O
δόξα σοι ὁ Θεός. God!
35a Ἐκλείποιεν ἁµαρτωλοὶ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς. ∆όξα σοι Τριὰς 35a O that sinners might perish from the earth. Glory to you,
ἄναρχε· δόξα σοι ὁ Θεός. Trinity without beginning, glory to you [O] God!
35c Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή µου, τὸν Κύριον. ∆όξα σοι, δόξα σοι 35c Bless the Lord, my soul! Glory to you, glory to you, [O]
ὁ Θεός. God!

24b and Doxology 24b and Doxology

Πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας. With wisdom you have made them all!
∆όξα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῷ Πνεύµατι. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Καὶ νῦν, καὶ ἀεί, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀµήν. Both now and for ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia.
Ἀλληλούϊα. Alleluia. Glory to you, O God. Alleluia.
Ἀλληλούϊα. ∆όξα σοὶ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλληλούϊα. Alleluia. Glory to you, O God. Alleluia.
Ἀλληλούϊα. ∆όξα σοὶ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλληλούϊα. Alleluia. Glory to you, O God. Glory to you, O God. O God.
Ἀλληλούϊα. ∆όξα σοὶ ὁ Θεός, δόξα σοὶ ὁ Θεός, ὁ Θεός.
—Psalm 103 (104) with Triadika
 Hymn for the Blessing of Water
by Sophronios of Jerusalem (7th c.)

At the voice of the one crying in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’, you
came, Lord, having taken the form of a servant, asking for Baptism, though you
did not know sin. The waters saw you and were afraid. The Forerunner trembled
and cried out, saying, ‘How will the lamp enlighten the Light? The servant place
his hand on the Master? Saviour, who take away the sin of the world, make me
and the waters holy’.

Anagrammatismos for Theophany

by St John Koukouzeles (late 13th/early 14th c.)
You Lord, who take away the sin of the world, came in the form of a servant
asking for baptism, though you did not know sin. The waters saw you and were
afraid; again: the waters saw you, Lord, and were afraid, were afraid. The
Forerunner trembled and cried out, saying, ‘How will the lamp enlighten the
Light? The servant place his hand on the Master? Make me and the waters holy,
and the waters, O Saviour; titi…; make me holy, O Saviour, and the waters'.
Post-Byzantine Chant

Transmission, Renewal
and Recodification
 After Byzantium:
The Fragmentation of Byzantine Chant
• Western dialects of Byzantine chant in
Southern Italy and Eastern Mediterranean
lands ruled by Venice (Cyprus, Crete and the
Ionian Islands)
• The Ottoman Empire and its vassal states
• Border traditions to the North and West of the
Ottoman sphere of influence
 Psalm 140: 1 in Western Dialects of
Post-Byzantine chanting

• Corfu (Mode 1)

• Southern Italy (Mode 2)

Arad Cathedral, Banat Church of the Dormition,
Sadu, Transylvania
 For Comparison: Psalm 140: 1

• Constantinople/Đstanbul
(Mode 1)
• Znamenny Chant (Mode 1
Plagal), Choir of the
Moscow Representation of
the Trinity-St. Sergius
Monastery, dir V. Gorbik
‘Psaltic’ and Regional Dialects of
Byzantine Chanting in Romania
 The Emergence of the
‘Central Tradition’
in the Ottoman Sphere of Influence
• During the later 16th and early 17th centuries
literate traditions of Byzantine chant recover
artistic momentum within the Ottoman sphere of
influence
• Notation and oral performance practices are
gradually brought into closer alignment during
the 18th century, culminating in the
recodifications of the central repertory by Petros
Peloponnesios the Lampadarios (d. 1778) and his
students.
 The New Method

Notational Reform, Transcription

and Creativity
 The New Method of Byzantine
Notation
• The first major revision of Byzantine musical
notation since the introduction of Middle
Byzantine notation in the twelfth century.
• Devised by the ‘Three Teachers’ (Chrysanthos
of Madytos, Gregorios the Protopsaltes and
Chourmouzios the Archivist) in Constantinople
The first publications relating to the ‘New Method’ of Byzantine notation: the Short Doxastarion
of Petros Lampadarios (Bucharest: 1820); and Chrysanthos of Madytos, Introduction to the
Theory and Practice of Ecclesiastical Music (Paris: 1821).
 The Opening of the Lamplighting Psalms of Vespers in Mode 1:
The melody of Petros Peloponnesios in
Middle Byzantine Notation (L) and as published in the New Method (R)
 Late Byzantine
composers
listed among
their successors
in the 1851
Mathematarion
Lamplighting Psalms, Mode 1
MS Sinai 1255 (15th c), f 164r
Constantinople 1868 Edition of the Late Byzantine Anastasimatarion in
Long Exegesis
A Post-Byzantine Exegesis of a Passage from the Didactic
Song of St John Koukouzeles (after Psachos)
 Oral and Written Tradition in the New
Method of Byzantine Notation
• Now Specified in Notation:
– Rhythmic Subdivision
– Tunings of the Modes
– Chromaticism
• Still Left to Oral Tradition:
– Ornamentation
– Subtle rhythmic and chromatic inflections
Coda: Byzantine Chant and
the Reconstruction
of Liturgical Pasts
Twenty Canons
from the Trinity
Hirmologium,
MMB Transcripta
4 (1952)
The Constantinopolitan cathedral offices of Tritekte and Pannychis
edited by Ioannis Phountoulis
Performing edition and recording of
Pannychis with newly composed
chants by Gregorios Stathis.
 Scenes from the Byzantine
Cathedral Rite Vespers celebrated at
St Peter’s College, Oxford on 26
May, 2001
 Sunday Prokeimenon for Divine Liturgy, Mode 1
Psaltikon Patmos MS 221, dated between 1162 and 1179 A.D (ed. Arvanitis)
Icons of Sound Project: http://iconsofsound.stanford.edu