While we're on the subject, I thought I'd summarize the English Byzantine music textbooks of which I'm aware:
Byzantine Chant: The Received Tradition, Theory and Practice by John Michael Boyer
The introduction states: "This text is modeled closely on the 1997 book
Theory and Practice of Ecclesiastical Music by Georgios Konstantinou. Some changes have been made for readers foreign to Greek singing, for reasons of format and also due to theoretical discrepancies between the contents of Konstantinou's book and the positions of other theorists vis-à-vis performance practice." The book includes an explanation of the basics of Byzantine notation as well as several examples of analysis (development). One advantage of this book is that it covers the old notation symbols which Simon Karas recommended reintroducing. Two disadvantages of this book are that it is incomplete and not readily available. The author may provide a draft copy via private email.
Byzantine Music in Theory and Practice by Savas I. Savas (Holy Cross Press, 1965)
This book contains a generally satisfying discussion of the basics of Byzantine notation along with information about the various scales and modes (as well as a chapter on the relationship of Byzantine music to Western music, with transcriptions). This book is significantly more thorough than most of the others in this list (over 100 pages). This book and the one above by JMB are probably my favorite English Byzantine music textbooks. Unfortunately, this book is out of print.
Byzantine Music Simplified by Fr Nicholas Kastanas
This is the introductory textbook used in Fr Nicholas Kastanas' introductory Byzantine music classes at Holy Cross Seminary. It was also the first textbook I used back in 2006. Unfortunately, I lent my only copy to someone who never returned it, so I can't provide a thorough review. As I recall, the explanations were clear and concise. But as the title suggests, the book is intended to be merely a cursory introduction to the basics of Byzantine notation. Only the most basic notational and theoretical concepts are covered. A copy can probably be obtained from any student who took his class, or by directly contacting the author.
A Guide to the Music of the Eastern Orthodox Church by N. Lungu, G. Costea, and I. Croitoru (Holy Cross Press, 1984)
This is a translation of the Romanian
Gramatica Muzicii Psaltice. One advantage of this book is that it provides many examples in both Byzantine and Western notation. Nevertheless, it is marred by several drawbacks, including some questionable opinions and interpretations of Byzantine music theory. Papa Ephraim of St Anthony's Monastery
described some of these drawbacks earlier this year.
Reading Psalmodia by David Melling (2000)
The introduction states: "This book offers a basic introduction to the notation in which the traditional chant of the Byzantine churches is written." Although this book contains much historical background, this is often provided at the expense of a clear and concise explanation. The beginning reader will be overburdened with complex concepts which are introduced unnecessarily at every stage. Few examples are provided to break up the heavy discussion.
A Guide to the Transcription of Post-Byzantine Chant by Frank Desby, Alexander Lingas, Jessica Suchy-Pilalis, and Dimitri Conomos (National Forum, 2000)
Rather than a discussion of Byzantine music theory "from the ground up," this book provides examples of how one could transcribe Byzantine music into Western notation. This book presents a rather curious approach to the transcription of Byzantine music into Western notation which attempts to capture every minute detail of the original score in the transcription. Despite my firm belief that such an approach is both confusing and impractical, I still occasionally find this book useful as a concise reference or "cheat sheet," especially when producing compositions or transcriptions of my own. Nevertheless, I employ a much different transcription style.
Papa Ephraim wrote in April: "it is very unfortunate that there is no complete textbook in English yet that presents the theory and practice of Byzantine music thoroughly and accurately." One thing to keep in mind is that contemporary Byzantine music performance practice cannot be learned from a theory book alone. An important component of chanting is oral tradition. Oral tradition cannot be fully described in a book; it is best learned through the traditional process of mimicry (imitation of a master chanter).
It is necessary to study both theory and practice. There is a danger inherent in reading the theory books mentioned above without the aid of a good teacher. The danger is that one might get the impression that Byzantine music is performed exactly in accordance with what is described in the theory books. This impression is incorrect (this is certainly something I struggled with). The books above contain many varied opinions and interpretations of Byzantine music theory (some more solid than others). A good teacher is necessary not only to clarify these theoretical discussions but to solidify them with concrete examples of oral tradition.
Simon Karas attempted to systematize many components of oral tradition, reflected in his works and those of his "disciples," including Georgios Konstantinou (and JMB). In the USA, where the oral tradition is not strong, his approach has gained popularity. Karas' systemization is very useful (and of great significance from a musicological point of view), but in my personal opinion it cannot completely replace the traditional process of mimicry when it comes to authentic performance practice.
I realize that it is not always easy to find a good Byzantine music teacher in the USA. I certainly spent many years looking. There are some resources that can help. For example, I have been able to utilize several computer programs to help me learn the correct intervals of Byzantine music. And I have been able to study the Western notation transcriptions from St Anthony's Monastery to learn some common vocalizations. I have also been able to improve my chronos by listening to recordings of Patriarchal chanters which have been posted to analogion.com and other Web sites. But in the end, being able to talk to a good teacher has been very important.
For these reasons, my advice to a beginner would be to learn the basics of Byzantine notation from Margaziotis (or the book by Kastanas) and then to find a teacher as soon as possible in order to work on the more subtle components of chronos, intervals, and vocalizations. There are additional resources that can help with these things (such as Scala, Western notation transcriptions, recordings, etc.), but they are best utilized in combination with the traditional process of mimicry. In order to avoid confusion and study efficiently, keep in mind the individual drawbacks of the theory books mentioned above as well as the use of any theory book without the complement of a good teacher.
