1st & 2nd Stases of Typica - First Mode

Anthony

Νέο μέλος
The first stasis is abbreviated for typical Slavic usage, since this is intended for use in an OCA church. If you get a chance to look at it, please let me know of any errors, and suggestions for improvement.
 

Attachments

  • TypicaA(abbr.)-1.pdf
    70.4 KB · Views: 67
  • TypicaB-1.pdf
    87.3 KB · Views: 39

Anthony

Νέο μέλος
I personally love the Typica on St. Anthony's in Plagal 1st, Plagal 4th, and Grave modes, but I was trying to make something for use in my church, which does not normally do Byzantine music, so just giving the choir a simpler, easier option. Also, combined with the First Mode Beatitudes, all three stases are seamlessly united in mode and register, while the Plagal First set on St. Anthony's changes from Pa to Ke-based melody. Mostly though the former reason of choir capability and preference.
 

Π. Δαβίδ

Γενικός συντονιστής
In Greece the Typika are rarely used in parishes; however, if they are used, they are chanted in mode 8. The typika in other modes sound rather bizarre to most Greek chanters.
 

saltypsalti

Παλαιό Μέλος
The first stasis is abbreviated for typical Slavic usage, since this is intended for use in an OCA church. If you get a chance to look at it, please let me know of any errors, and suggestions for improvement.

hmmm .... I would be extremely cautious with mixing praxis. It may be kitsch and novel to someone in the OCA, but is over all somewhat ideosyncratic. I recall attending a PSALM seminar some number of years ago, where a choir director from a northern CA OCA parish was showing off some of her Byzantinoid arrangements -one of which was a setting of Psalm 103 for Vespers, but it was set to Petros Pelopponesus Douli Kyrion -quaint, sounded reasonably good to the untrained ear, but very obvious to a psaltis what it was lifted from.

Call me stuffy, but there is a tradition of Byzantine music repertoire, and I am of the opinion that it should be respected. There is room for new composition, but existing precedents should be taken into account.

JPP
 

GabrielCremeens

Music Director at St. George, Albuquerque, NM
Can I ask what the inspiration for the piece was, or if you were trying to base it on anything in particular?

I would recommend reading the orthography rules from St. Anthony's Monastery (I can provide a link if you need it). There are some issues with the score as it is now.

In Christ,
Gabriel
 

Anthony

Νέο μέλος
Thank you very much for your feedback! As for the choice of mode, there have been First Mode Typica before, such as the Ormylia one posted here, also the Romeiko Ensemble one (albeit an unusual First Mode), and also one I found on the "100 Byzantine Music Books" DVD in Poimenikos Aulos, Vol. 2 by Cosmas Madytinos (only 1st Stasis, also an unusual First Mode, at least to my limited experience). But I admit that I did not base mine on any of these, nor on anything else except the general patterns of Heirmologic First Mode. With doxastica and other more melismatic melodies I can see why this is desirable and important, but with plain heirmologic melodies it seems both more difficult and less important to closely base it on a prototype. Especially heirmologic first mode where there's not a very wide or colorful palette of formulae to choose from. But let me know if and why I'm wrong about that.

I also admit that I do not know the Orthography rules very well, and I carelessly presumed that strictly sticking to Fr. Ephrem's formulae would make the orthography naturally fall in place, but I can see after a quick review that there are some really obvious mistakes at the "seams" between formulae. I apologize that I posted this without at least taking the time to learn well and apply the orthography rules.

A critique of the actual melody would still be much appreciated if anyone has the time (and doesn't see the piece as totally outside of the tradition, because of the mode, the lack of prototype, or the abbreviation of the 1st stasis). I intended to do the rest of the 1st stasis eventually, but this bit was all that was practically needed at the moment, so I wanted to get feedback before actually using it in worship.

Thank you for your time; sorry if I'm wasting it...
 
Top