Byzantine Chant - Tutorial 3

This tutorial goes through most of the basic jumps (both up and down), and a lengthy introduction of basic rhythmic symbols for shortening notes as used in Byzantine Chant when written with Byzantine Notation. (Given by Nicholas Jones, webmaster of www.ByzantineChant.org).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Byzantine Chant
• Notation
• Tutorial
• christianity
• instructional video

[psteele555]

@TheosAthanatos by "whole note" i mean "whole step," sorry.

[psteele555]

@TheosAthanatos In addition to more subtle/advanced differences, you just cannot represent the basic soft chromatic scale (used in tone 2 and tone plagal 2) accurately using the Western notation. The tetrachord is 8-14-8, which is 2/3 whole note, 7/6 whole note, and 2/3 whole note... the voice can perform such intervals, but the piano, which is what Western notation is bound to, cannot.

[metamanks]

@TheosAthanatos To touch on a few things, Western notation is really inadequate and doesn't provide you with the information you need. Byzantine notation is very learnable...just different. It's perfect for the many words of our long services. Western notation hides many things (especially symbol patterns, the scales, and proper chanting style), and is often overwhelmed by extra rhythm and sharp/flat symbols. And, sadly, most people are not fast enough at sight-reading western notation.

[metamanks]

@TheosAthanato Howdy! You are correct that many of these hymns are being reproduced in western notation currently. Having come from a western theory background, there are many things that can be stated. For a more in depth discussion, look St. Anthony's Monastery's comparison of Western and Byzantine Notations (unfortunately, I can't post links here) and my introductory remarks from the 2009 Byzantine Workshop at BYZANTINECHANTdotOrg.