n
some hymns, the English translation has a meter that is identical or
similar to that of the original Greek version. In such instances, both
texts are written in the same score of music. When slight modifications
of the melody are made to accommodate the English version in the same
score, notes that apply to only one language are written in red and
enclosed in parentheses, as in the following measure:
The melody would be chanted
as follows in Greek:
whereas
in English, it would be:
In most subsections,
there are several alternative melodies provided for each hymn. For example,
on pages 220-221 there
are five different melodies for "Glory to Thee, O Lord" following the
gospel. In such instances, the first melody provided is always the simplest.
This format is used throughout the book so that one may begin with something
simple, and then perhaps later learn a more elaborate melody. The only
exceptions to this rule are the doxologies and the communion hymns;
the first melody provided for a given communion hymn is the long, elaborate
version, whereas the following melodies are briefer and simpler. When
a given hymn (e.g., the cherubic hymn) is set in several modes, one
would typically choose a version that is either in the mode of the week
or in a mode that matches another hymn chanted that day. For example,
on the Annunciation when the katavasia of the ninth ode is chanted in
the Divine Liturgy in fourth mode, usually the cherubic hymn and the
anaphora would also be chanted in the same mode.
In some very long and melismatic
pieces (primarily the cherubic hymns and some communion hymns), entire
sections of the melody are enclosed within large brackets. (For example,
see
page 228.) These sections may be omitted for brevity.
From around the
fourteenth century, composers of Byzantine music have inserted meaningless
consonants (such as
[n],
[n], and χ
[h])
into long, melismatic melodies. As Dr. Conomos explains: "Two
problems were solved with the introduction of these foreign sounds into
the text. First, a practical one: they had the effect of abbreviating
an extended melodic phrase into groups of a few notes, thereby making
it easier for the soloist or the choir to sing. Secondly, it solved
an aesthetic problem; the consonants erased the unpleasantness of
a sustained vowel and offered an incentive to the chanter to add emphasis
at certain points where the composer, scribe or psalte [i.e., chanter]
thought fit."[2]
In
transcribing the music for this book, melodies containing such consonants
have been preserved unchanged. These consonants are written in parentheses
in the Greek text so that it is clear that they are not a part of the
words. An attempt has not been made to insert similar consonants into
the English line.
Since there are no bar lines
to signal measure breaks, each staff is treated as a separate measure.
For this reason, an accidental placed somewhere in a staff will apply
for the remainder of that staff but not for the following staff. Courtesy
accidentals are placed in parentheses wherever clarification is deemed
necessary.
The Byzantine music symbols
that apply stress to a note (the "psefiston" and the "vareia") are usually
transcribed by placing an accent ( > ) above
the note affected. However, these stresses in Byzantine music are usually
not chanted with a significant increase in volume. Therefore, when encountering
notes with accents in this book, one must be careful not to emphasize
them unduly.
The "intonations"
(ἀπηχήματα)
that may be chanted before a hymn have been listed in
Appendix III by number. The appropriate number for the intonation
is provided only at the beginning of those hymns that Athonite chanters
would typically precede with an intonation.
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