Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos - Ode 1 in English

[ProtopsaltisMetroPDX]

Western intervals, heavy vibrato, no chronos, no yphos. I cannot believe that this garbage is being sold as Byzantine Music. This sounds like more the "lady's glee club" than Byzantine music.

[57reg]

Could you tell me please, what tone is this?

[RoyalGrigsby]

@57reg

I think it's Byzantine tone 4.

[sakla123]

Thanks Mother for All please say to my Lord Thanks.

[sakla123]

This Choir is the better choir of the world, Lord i need peace and love.

[computerwiz10]

This is pretty! :)

[sakla123]

Que hermosa interpretacion a la Madre de Dios la Theotokos.

[thatsismful]

It is such a disaster that we have people who reject the church. Reject the teachings of christ. For he was the son of God. For he is God.

[sakla123]

Que hermosa intepretacion a la Madre de Dios.

[503fminable]

SPASI GO PETAR MAJKO BOZJA OSLOBODI GO OD MAKITE I OLESNI MU GO ZIVOTOT.iZBRISI GI NASITE GREVOVI,OPROSTI NI I PODARI NI SVETOL ZIVOT.AMIN.

[katherine3486]

If you type Akathist hymn to Theotokos in address bar and GO it should find what you ask!

O, Most Holy Mother of God, Save us!

[Agathogatos]

stop to say which people are stupid and which aren't then you will be a good christ. Brutha

[dmdesie]

I like it a lot! It is musically byzantine and i love that cause it is really hard to sing in byzantine and english the same time! I would like to have words as well please!! :) Thank you very much for posting this! :)

[GlobalAfricanNet]

I would love to know this hymn can anyone write down the words to what they are chanting

[gcowsar]

@GlobalAfricanNet

I shall open my mouth to chant, and with the Spirit shall I be filled

and words shall I now pour fourth unto the Mother and Queen

and I shall be seen in joyous jubilation

acclaiming exultantly all of her wondrous deeds

Most Holy Theotokos Save Us ...

See lent.goarch.org/prayers/akathi­st.asp on the Greek Orthodox site you will find the words and the complete audio

[ellin40]

English? Language is not unimportant, it is the means of communion to the godhead. Although not to go to the Islamic extreme of considering the language itself Holy, I think Byzantine music can only exist within the scope of, well, Byzantine music. This is a travesty, and heretical at that.

[gorthmaha]

Not sure I follow you. Are you saying that you believe it is heretical to translate hymns to English?

[ellin40]

Well, that'd be something now, wouldn't it?

[VictorLepanto]

What if Cyril & Methodius had taken that attitude when they took the Gospel to the Pagan Russians? Perhaps the Russian would now be Pagans still. More likely, they'd be Moslems. Naturally, this music IS most perfect in the original Greek. This video is meant to reach out to those who know nothing of the Byzantine tradition. It is to foster understanding, perhaps even acceptance of the ancient sources of Christianity. Many people have a real burning love for Jesus but have no idea.

[cfortunato58]

@ellin40 That's just silly. Eikona is wonderful, and so is the Orthodox Church in America.

[gcowsar]

@ellin40

It is not heretical, in fact It is against the canons to have services in languages other than the native language of the people. It's one thing for the first generation of immigrants but they may lose the next generation of children and fail to reach us 'ordinary' Americans. I love to hear Orthodox chant in other languages because the music is beautiful and transcends language, but it still means much more in my native language. Would you have us all learn Greek first?

[soldier9718]

their voices are deeper and more heavenly.

[AdeodatusPax]

I like the mix or male and female, like in this one:

watch?v=sQs0MUuJKKI

[soldier9718]

beautiful but it is nicer wen men chant

[chooseit2]

@soldier9718 yea sounds way much better with men, they have the lower voice and hold the notes a lot longer than these women

[VictorLepanto]

Eastern Church's liturgical traditions are so heart shatteringly beautiful. When I go to my nearby Byzantine church, I sometimes feel as though I can't stand it. It burns into your soul & shatters your heart. The Holy Ghost is truly in this music.

[ComradeAgopian]

@VictorLepanto , Well said brother .

[EverythingZen14]

What is the Tone, or Mode here? I'm trying to learn them.

[rossboss1]

I believe this is 4th tone.

[VivaPink]

Nice to hear it in English. The voices are nice, but this doesn't really sound like "chanting".

[EverythingZen14]

This is chanting done to a specific 'Tone' or 'Mode' after the Byzantine tradition. Modes have a general structure, or musical 'space' which one uses to improvise a musical arrangement over the text as it is being sung. After Orthodox fashion, the notes should get higher when speaking of heavenly things, and lower when speaking of things pretaining to either Hades or Gehenna. So, technically, this actually is chant. the newer Old Baptist Line-Out singing is strikingly similar to this.

[rossboss1]

this is great

[carolking]

This is the nicest recording I have heard by Eikona, however there is still a slight commercial pop quality to their voice which seems to me to be a minor a defect. This was also the quality that Fr Apostolos Hill had. I think that they could use lessons from Iakovos Nafpliotis or Simon Karas...

[byzantinechants]

I agree!

[psteele555]

@carolking Not from Karas, that's for sure.

[LOUPTHERITIS]

HTM? what is that

[byzantinechants]

the Akathist is translated from the Greek by Holy Transfiguration Monastery (Boston, Massachussetts)

[LOUPTHERITIS]

thank you file

[LOUPTHERITIS]

those voices are very nice

the translation is nice too

[maximosirena]

May the Lord bless them! Beautiful voices!

[GloriousTrinity]

beautiful

[ambroseofoptina]

English Akathist! great!