Eastern chant questions

[LotusCarsLtd]

As a Latin Catholic I’m used to polyphony and Gregorian chant but I’ve long been enchanted by the song structure of Eastern chant.

I’m curious how it works. Based on what I’ve heard it seems that either the choir intones the root of the chord on which the song is based, or they intone the entire chord itself when singing.

Can anyone clarify?

 

[avgjoe]

If you have trouble getting an answer, you might have better luck at byzcath.org.

 

[Mgthesixth]

As a Latin Catholic I’m used to polyphony and Gregorian chant but I’ve long been enchanted by the song structure of Eastern chant.

I’m curious how it works. Based on what I’ve heard it seems that either the choir intones the root of the chord on which the song is based, or they intone the entire chord itself when singing.

Can anyone clarify?

This should help with tons of sheet music and audio metropolitancantorinstitute.org/prostopinije/Prostopinije.html

 

[elizaveta01]

As a Latin Catholic I’m used to polyphony and Gregorian chant but I’ve long been enchanted by the song structure of Eastern chant.

I’m curious how it works. Based on what I’ve heard it seems that either the choir intones the root of the chord on which the song is based, or they intone the entire chord itself when singing.

Can anyone clarify?

Traditionally Eastern (Byzantine) chant has a single melody voice and one, or more, additional voices that sing the bass (ison) notes. The melody is actually rather improvisational, and singers train for a long time before they become chanters.

But that form of chant is usually found only in the Greek Churches. And even there it is often sung in a simplified unison form by a choir.

The Russians use their own forms of chant that are based on the Byzantine, but are much more polyphonic.

If you want to learn the basics of Byzantine chant there is an excellent site on Ancient Faith Radio: ancientfaith.com/podcasts/glorytothee

 

[Elizium23]

As a Latin Catholic I’m used to polyphony and Gregorian chant but I’ve long been enchanted by the song structure of Eastern chant.

You’re in an extreme minority. 99% of Latin Catholics would not recognize sacred polyphony or Gregorian chant if it bit them on the nose, because 99.99% of Masses and parishes do not use any of it.

 

[Aramis]

As a Latin Catholic I’m used to polyphony and Gregorian chant but I’ve long been enchanted by the song structure of Eastern chant.

I’m curious how it works. Based on what I’ve heard it seems that either the choir intones the root of the chord on which the song is based, or they intone the entire chord itself when singing.

Can anyone clarify?

Both, and neither.

Russian Polyphonic chant is often 4-8 part formal harmonies, often written and memorized, sung by the choir.

Carpetho-Rusyn Prostopinie is supposed to be monophonic, but often has an improvised bodune of the tonic, and sometimes tonic and third. Note that the scale is neither the western Major nor Minor mode, tho’ it’s close. Some American parishes improvise more “traditional” western harmonies. Some Ruthenian parishes apparently use other improvisations.

There are other systems of chant as well, each with their own traditions ad rules… and variant melodies.

 

[Mgthesixth]

You’re in an extreme minority. 99% of Latin Catholics would not recognize sacred polyphony or Gregorian chant if it bit them on the nose, because 99.99% of Masses and parishes do not use any of it.

I think they are pretty much enharmonic scales that one would learn in school. I might be wrong it just sounds that way to me

 

[malphono]

And then we have the Oriental Churches, each (group) of which has it’s own unique style of chant. Coptic chant, for example, is said to derive from the ancient Egyptian style. Ethiopian chant, also of the Alexandrene tradition, is very different from its Coptic counterpart. Then there is Syriac chant, which has two basic forms, one Eastern and the other Western, although there is a relationship between the two. The Indian branches of both each have their own style, incorporating some from the mother Churches and adding aspects of their own. Armenian Chant is somewhat of a hybrid between Syriac and Byzantine, but it’s quite unique to the Armenian Church.

Our forum brother dzheremi (whom I haven’t seen around here for a month or so) would be able to supply examples of each. Actually he has done in the past, so I suppose a little searching might bring those posts up.

 

[Aramis]

I think they are pretty much enharmonic scales that one would learn in school. I might be wrong it just sounds that way to me

Assuming Do is the tonic of the indicated major scale
Some is Sol centered with both natural and raised 7th degree, and raised 4th degree
some is La Centered with both raised and unraised seventh degree. (Were it one or the other, it would be minor - natural if not raised, harmonic if raised)
Some is Ti centered with both natural and raised 2nd

Many Cantors in the US mis-sing it into harmonic or melodic minors… I’ve been guilty of that myself.