Legetos

[tnkhoury]

In David Melling's "Reading Psalmodia," (attached) he mentions in the Tone 4 section that " Legetos, a diatonic
mode based on Vu is used in short Irmic and short Sticheric melodies. (In practise, Greek
and Cypriot Psaltai generally sing Legetos to a distinctly non-diatonic tuning.)"

Can anyone please describe to me what this non-diatonic tuning is that Melling mentions? I have heard Metropolitan Elias Qurban's (Tripoli) version many times, and it sounds a little different than the normal legetos, but I'm wondering if it is just my ear. Can anyone listen to this file and let me know what it is that I may be hearing that sounds different? Ode 1 starts at about the 2:13 mark of the video. It sounds to my ear like the Ga and Di are slightly rasied from their normal position in the scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ZTwSk1G8Q

 

[evangelos]

In David Melling's "Reading Psalmodia," (attached) he mentions in the Tone 4 section that " Legetos, a diatonic
mode based on Vu is used in short Irmic and short Sticheric melodies. (In practise, Greek
and Cypriot Psaltai generally sing Legetos to a distinctly non-diatonic tuning.)"

Can anyone please describe to me what this non-diatonic tuning is that Melling mentions? I have heard Metropolitan Elias Qurban's (Tripoli) version many times, and it sounds a little different than the normal legetos, but I'm wondering if it is just my ear. Can anyone listen to this file and let me know what it is that I may be hearing that sounds different? Ode 1 starts at about the 2:13 mark of the video. It sounds to my ear like the Ga and Di are slightly rasied from their normal position in the scale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-ZTwSk1G8Q

In legetos mode, if you listen to many traditional chanters you will realize that vou is either in the middle of pentachord Ni-Di or it is even lower. It is much more lower than theory books shows! You can contct me in the skype ( evangelos74 ) to explain you better and chant

 

[emakris]

In legetos mode, if you listen to many traditional chanters you will realize that vou is either in the middle of pentachord Ni-Di or it is even lower. It is much more lower than theory books shows!

This is the Arabic tuning, as you can hear in the audio example above. Most Greek cantors use a higher Vou.

 

[evangelos]

This is the Arabic tuning, as you can hear in the audio example above. Most Greek cantors use a higher Vou.

The Greeks sometimes chant vou in the same three, in the middle of pentachord like Thrasivoulos Stanitsas. Οthers follow the Arabic tuning (sic) like Athanasios Panagiotides. I don't characterize the lower or upper vou as an Arabic tunic or something because as I have seen changing the position of vou in legetos is an effect of paralage described also by Ioannis Plousiadinos. This effect helps legetos to be mixed with other modes ( c mode, b mode enen and a mode) according to trochos system and by four system

 

[tnkhoury]

Thank you for this information. I may try to skype you sometime to discuss more. This is very interesting and new to me that vou can be adjusted within the scale according to preference...is this fairly well accepted, and would it be considered ok to chant with the tuning of the lower vou as Met. Elias chants it?

Also, I've noticed in the notation that the Zo is most often not notated to be flat, however it is sometimes chanted as such. So if Zo is not notated flat, should it be chanted in itsnatural diatonic position even when rising to it and descending as well as other descents when the Zo is not emphasized? Or, is it not quite in its natural position and chanted with an attraction to ke but not truly flat?

 

[haris1963]

This is the Arabic tuning, as you can hear in the audio example above. Most Greek cantors use a higher Vou.

I wouldn't say "Arabic tuning", since this scale was in use in Konstantinople, as we can read here and listen in the audio example below.

As observed by (Melpo) Merlie, "good or bad, this tradition prevails today, together with the printed music of the church, and should be studied."
She believed that the discs of Byzantine Music Folklore Archive could be used for courses and lectures, but especially for the examination of differences "between the music printed texts and oral tradition." So already found that the way in which Irinaeos chants the hymns of Palm (No. 1) is not wrong, but is in a traditional system of performance of the scale of "legetos" (branch of fourth sound) that is found in the City .

 

[tnkhoury]

Thank you for this information. I may try to skype you sometime to discuss more. This is very interesting and new to me that vou can be adjusted within the scale according to preference...is this fairly well accepted, and would it be considered ok to chant with the tuning of the lower vou as Met. Elias chants it?

Also, I've noticed in the notation that the Zo is most often not notated to be flat, however it is sometimes chanted as such. So if Zo is not notated flat, should it be chanted in itsnatural diatonic position even when rising to it and descending as well as other descents when the Zo is not emphasized? Or, is it not quite in its natural position and chanted with an attraction to ke but not truly flat?

Does anyone know what the tuning is for this variation of legetos? Also, can anyone help me out with the second part of my question above regarding the flat ting of Zo?