Chanting could be written without time markings—as in most Byzantine notation—but that does not mean it has no rhythm or, furthermore, that within a singular chant tradition some things may be done in a freer rhythm than others (i.e. verses—stichoi—can begin in a free, logathes, rhythm only to end up with the rhythm of the sticheron they precede, also take the Doxa and Kai nyn of the first stasis of the anabathmoi for mode IV as used in festal Orthros services).
There is a great confusion as to rhythm in Byzantine chant and the interpretation of the great hypostaseis signs as interpreted by some western musicologists. Even with the New Method, there are good number of very good chanters who would not necessarily be able to correctly divide the pieces they chant into correct measures. As a by the way, there is an 1815 ms in the New Method of Petros Peloponesse's Anastasematarion in the Nat. Lib. of Greece (Metochion Panagiou Taphou 716) that has red 'measure' lines incorrectly dividing the music into four-beat measures. Anyway, rhythm is closely connected with each thesis as it relates to the particular genre it is being used with.
There are a large number of transcriptions of Byzantine Music into the western staff notation that use no time signatures or measures. These are usually done by people who do not know that there is rhythm in Byzantine chant or do not choose to believe so.
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About Me
- FRCJT
- I was born in East St Louis, Illinois in 1961 and grew up in South St Louis, Missouri. I abandoned the music program at Southern Illinois University after deciding to study theology. To this end I enrolled at Hellenic College, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology and received the BA and MDiv degrees from these schools. From there I received scholarships to complete a doctoral dissertation in Byzantine Musicology at the School of Theology of the National and Capodistrian University of Athens, Greece, from which I received the ThD in the year 2000; my dissertation was published in the Meletai series of the Institute of Byzantine Musicology. Most dear to my heart is the family I have been blessed with: my wife Diann, my daughter, Maria, and one unborn child God decided to keep for Himself. Presently, I live on the island of Aegina with my family and where I presently sit and write my psaltic musings.