Classes meet every Thursday at Aliquippa, PA, at the Dormition of the Theotokos Church
Beginner's Session: 6:20 PM
Advanced Session:
7:30 PM
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About Byzantine Music
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The Byzantine Choir of the Metropolis
Byzantine Chant Links
A BRIEF NOTE ON BYZANTINE MUSIC
The legacy of the Byzantine empire is vast and encompasses all aspects
of human life, much of which preserved the Hellenic and Roman
influences and carried them into Western thought, culture and
civilisation.
Among the living treasures of Byzantium, in addition to the
architecture and art, is music and poetry. Preserved mainly in the
ecclesiastical realm, music and poetry of the Byzantines conferred a
unique and distinct character to Byzantine culture and society.
Transmitting the features of ancient Hellenic music along with the
practices of early Christianity, Byzantine music soon served as one of
the pivotal foundations of Western music.
In parallel with the music, the poetry of the Byzantines, again mainly
preserved in ecclesiastical texts, underwent pivotal evolution and
transformation, able to convey the thinking, philosophy and culture of
a millenial-old empire.
Largely unexplored by the West, Byzantine and post-Byzantine poetry,
through hymnology, offers a unique opportunity to understand cultural,
religious, political and scientific formation of Western thought.
Today, Byzantine music is a living art and can be heard in almost all churches in mainland Greece, the few remaining active churches in Constantinople (Istanbul), Turkey and in a limited number of churches of the Greek Orthodox tradition in the USA, Canada and Europe. It has been adapted from the original Greek to other languages to serve congregations across all continents and Orthodox Christians of the world including Arabic, Spanish, French, English, Korean, Russian, Serbian and Swahili among others.
