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.
(For an excellent, more comprehensive essay,
navigate here)