Byzantine chant - Τη Υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ

Medieval Byzantine Chant, 7th century AD.
Title: "Τη Υπερμάχω Στρατηγώ" (Unto the Defender General)
Service: Akathist Hymn
Performers: Greek Byzantine Choir
Album: "The Akathist Hymn"

This famous kontakion comes from the 7th century Akathist to the Theotokos, is attributed to St. Romanos the Melodist and it is a hymn addressing Mary as the savior of Constantinople in the 626 AD siege. There are many versions of the chant, with varying duration, though the most frequently used is the shortest, which is about 1'50" long. This version is a lengthier one, with a duration of about 10 minutes. Lengthier still versions exist, even up to 20+ minutes.

The Akathist Hymn is chanted traditionally in its entirety on the 5th Saturday of Lent, but it's also divided into 4 parts and each part is chanted each Saturday of Lent from the first Saturday to the fourth and then the whole Service on the fifth. Each of these services occur on Friday evenings, as according to byzantine calendar, the beginning of one day is immediately after the sunset of the previous one (hence Saturday begins with the sunset of Friday).

~
Greek:

Τῇ ὑπερμάχῳ στρατηγῷ τὰ νικητήρια,
Ὡς λυτρωθεῖσα τῶν δεινῶν εὐχαριστήρια,
Ἀναγράφω σοι ἡ Πόλις σου Θεοτόκε.
Ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἔχουσα τὸ κράτος ἀπροσμάχητον,
Ἐκ παντοίων με κινδύνων ἐλευθέρωσον,
Ἵνα κράζω σοι· Χαῖρε, Νύμφη ἀνύμφευτε.

~
English:

Unto the Defender General the dues of victory,
and for the deliverance from woes, the thanksgiving
I, Thy city, ascribe Thee, O Theotokos.
And having your might unassailable,
deliver me from all danger
so that I may cry unto Thee:
Rejoice, O Bride unwedded.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Music
• Medieval
• Byzantine
• Chant
• Greek
• Choir
• Religious
• Salutations
• Acathist
• Akathist
• Hymn
• Chairetismoi
• Virgin
• Mary
• Theotokos
• Orthodox
• Lycourgos
• Angelopoulos
• Christian
• Eastern

[Greek487]

Callixtinus, any idea what year this recording was made? i have their 2 CD set of the Akathist with the same piece, but this is a newer recording.

[Callixtinus]

@Greek487: Not sure about the date but it's not the old recording, I know which on you mean. This one I think is from 2006.

[ninjahobo3]

such a shame that Constantinople fell to the Ottomans. 

[LoneMonk1]

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's Love? One day God's Holy Church, Holy City, and Holy People will be free.

[TAGMATAGMATON]

@sdcheung Αre you claiming that there is no such thing as a million years byzantine empire? And unfortunately an ottoman heritor? You must be out of this world!

[sdcheung]

@ninjahobo3

Not ottomans, Turks, Muslim Mongol Turks from Dzungaria. No Such thing as an ottoman, like there is no such thing as a Byzantine, Byzantine = Eastern Roman, or Greek, and ottoman = Turks, or Mongol Turks from Dzungaria.

[xgreciandelightx]

@Zanator1 Wat? We desire neither an empire nor a pope. Would it be nice to have the city back in our hands, sure. However, we are still going on just fine without it.

[Chateaubriandiste]

Tout simplement magnifique...

United in prayer, cheers from a french catholic.

[Zanator1]

@LoneMonk1 Can? Can! Satan has wielded his weapons cleverly, and now people are confused, and religions who serve the same God have turned on eachother, and now weaken eachother in preparation for the arival of the antichrist... Illuminati, conspiracy, government, religion, templars, inquisition, teutons, hospitaliers, ottomans, aliens, holy grail, the covent, the shrowd, he has spinned all these toghether in a very confusing way, so that none find out his plans...

[Zanator1]

@LoneMonk1 Can? Can! Satan has wielded his weapons cleverly, and now people are confused, and religions who serve the same God have turned on eachother, and now weaken eachother in preparation for the arival of the antichrist... Illuminati, conspiracy, government, religion, templars, inquisition, teutons, hospitaliers, ottomans, aliens, holy grail, the covent, the shrowd, he has spinned all these toghether in a very confusing way, so that none find out his plans...

[Zanator1]

@ninjahobo3 The orthodox shold rise to arms and bring it back to its glory, eliminate islam culture and architecture from the holy eastern city! But not hurt any islamist in the process, and ensure all their artifacts and wealth be preserved and given back to them... It shold becomse the equivalent of Vatican, under the old name of the Byzantine Empire (not true, it will still be only one city, but to keep the name) and all orthodoxy be ruled by one patriarch from there! May the orthodox unite!

[Gunnarr123abc]

@sUperMaN01380

Lord, I hope not...