Byzantine music

English Byzantine music is presently under development, and it will take a considerable amount of time before complete books of Byzantine music in English are published and gain acceptance. In the interim, I have begun making available a few of my own Byzantine chant adaptations on this page. Most of the following adaptations have been made from the works of Mitri el-Murr (1880–1969) in Arabic, using the English translations made by Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Brookline, MA. In the case of the Megalynaria, I made minor modifications to the translations in order to more closely preserve the original melodies.

Doxastika

• Doxastikon of the Holy Fathers, plagal of fourth tone: Byzantine notation, Western notation
• Doxastikon of Pascha, plagal of first tone: Byzantine notation, Western notation

Megalynaria at Liturgy

• September 8, Nativity of the Theotokos, plagal of fourth tone
• December 25, Nativity (by Cosmas), first tone
• January 6, Theophany, second tone (transposed from Vou to D in the transcription)
• Palm Sunday, fourth tone
• August 6, Transfiguration, plagal of fourth tone

Nativity music (December 25)

• First Kathisma, fourth tone, “Joseph was amazed”
• Second Kathisma, fourth tone, “Joseph was amazed”
• Third Kathisma, fourth tone, “Joseph was amazed”
• Pentecostaria (troparia after Psalm 50), second tone
• Idiomelon on “Have mercy,” plagal of second tone
• Exaposteilarion, third tone, the original melody
• Theotokion at the Praises, second tone

Miscellaneous

• Alleluia during Holy Week, plagal of fourth tone
• Awed by the Beauty, third tone, the original melody
• Apolytikion of St John of Damascus, third tone, “Thy confession”

Caveat emptor

I do not have a formal education in Byzantine music yet. I adapted these pieces as learning exercises and for limited use in my parish and provide them here under no pretense of authority. I have made an effort to adhere to the formulaic rules of Byzantine music. My older work is available in Western notation only; recently, I have also begun to write my adaptations in both Byzantine and Western notation. If you encounter any flaws in the work below, please contact me and I will issue a correction.

Nota bene

Notes with horizontal accents in my transcriptions should not be executed more forcefully, as the rules of Western music would indicate. Horizontal accents instead signify the Byzantine petaste and psephiston, melodic accents which are executed through the use of a vocal flutter particular to the school of Byzantine chant one employs.