Original article (in Greek)

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ISOKRATEMA TECHNIQUE IN MODERN PERFORMANCE PRACTICE
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by L. A. Angelopoulos (director of the Greek Byzantine Choir)

translated by D. Koubaroulis

The term "isokratema" in Byzantine Music means the continuous horizontal
co-sounding  of the tonic of a mode or -more precisely- the tonic of a
tetrachord or a pentachord with the melodic line.  The word is
composite: "ison" and "kratema". Sometimes we see only the word "ison"
which means exactly the same thing, the "kratema" or "holding" of the
ison. In music, ison is the first and only sign of Byzantine notation
that is characterised as "the beginning, middle and system of all signs
of the Psaltic Art. Without ison, there is no voice ("fwnh" = melody?).
Ison is called "aphonon" (lit. mute) not because there isn't any melody
associated with it.  Ison can be counted ("metreitai") but not voiced
("fwneitai"). And depending on the amount of equal notes, the ison is
chanted". That is found in all the prefaces of the theories of the
old-method Papadike. From there it is, I think, that the etymology and
literal meaning of the term "ison" derives: the continuous vocal
repetition of the appropriate note each time, which note is called
"ison", is the so called "holding of the ison" that is, the
"isokratema". It is well known that the musical system of Byzantine
chant is monophonic, modal, purely vocal, written-down, with well known
composers and compositions that are artistic and complete musical works
even though they are intended almos exclusively for liturgical practice
in Church - which of course is the centre of the Christian's life.
However, there are also compositions that can be chanted outside the
Church like, for instance, "at the table" which nonetheless is a
continuation of liturgical congregation. Written tradition is
interpreted by oral tradition and complemented by it. The microtonal
variety and the effects of the signs are core elements of a complete
interpretation.

The isokratema, witnessed from the Byzantine times in manuscripts either
with the mention of the name of the person that does it ("vastaktes" =
holder/supporter) or with the definition of the job of a "vastaktes".
Having observed the above terminology in some compositions of
manuscripts, I could conclude that not all pieces were changed with
"vastaktes" but only those that explicitly said so. Equivalent to the
"vastaktai" of the East  in Western musical practice are: the four last
members (out of the seven) of Scuola Cantorum, that is the
archparaphonist and the three paraphonists (the first three members are
the primicirius, secondarius and tertius). So much with the evidence of
"vastaktai" (holders) of ison in the Byzantine period because, in my
knowledge, there is no evidence of written isokratema in composition, in
Byzantine as well as in the post-Byzantine period. After the
introduction of the new method of the 3 teachers (beginning of the 19th
cent) the first evidence of written isokratema in books dates around the
beginning of the 20th century. It is quite surprising that the first
notated isokratema in the 19th century is not found in books of the New
Method (of the 3 teachers) but in thos of another method called the
"Lesvios' system" (a system that was justifiably rejected by the
Ecumenical Patriarchate because it destroyed irreversibly the link
between the practiced method and the older methods of the centuries-old
musical system).

A parenthesis: The huge importance of the connecting link between the
older systems and the currently practiced one was pointed out and
demonstrated first by Simon Karas with the identification of the effect
of certain signs with oral (as well as written) tradition. Later
research proves gloriously ("panygerika") the correctness and necessity
of the views of Karas - let me mention the extremely well documented
doctoral thesis of Georgios Konstantinou that was approved last year by
the Ionian University. End of parenthesis.

So the first notated isokratema in the 19th century happens by Georgios
Lesvios in the book "Meliphonos Terpsinoe" a two-volume anthology
published in Athens in 1847. The texts were "converted" as interpreted
by  Georgios Lesvios from the method of the 3 teachers, to his own
method. In the preface of that work, Lesvios notes: "In the most well
known pieces of the second volume, we added the signs of change of the
bases (or the isa) which should co-chant softly ("ta opoia thelousi
ypadein ypechountes (isokratwsi)" the "isokratai" while the piece is
chanted as is observed by those chanting n Constantinople and indeed in
the Great Church. However, they (dk: the isokratai) should also be
musicians otherwise they can make mistakes". The phrase here "as it
happens" creates some doubts as to whether Lesvios heard and wrote the
isokratemata exactly as they were done in the Great church or that he
notated them following in general and "approximately" the standards and
the tradition of the Great Church. Both assiptions are equally possible.
The observation of this first evidence of written down isokratema is due
to philologist M. Xatziyakoumis and took place while cataloguing the
printed music books. I will not go into details regarding this notated
isokratema as I have already given my texts to musicologist Sotirios K.
Despotis, PhD candidate at the University of Vienna, who dealt in detail
with the subject (for more information see his final year dissertation
at the Ionian University titled "The application of the co-sounding
("synechetikou") system of Byzantine Ecclesiastical Music in Byzantine
Ecclesiastical Melos through Theory and Practice of the 20th century",
Corfu, 2002 and in a paper by the same author in the international
conference of Vienna University (3-5 Oct. 2002): "Die Isokratema Praxis
der Byzantinischen Kirchnmusik").

In 1902, the Protopsaltis of Smyrna, Misael Misaelidis publishes his
"Neon Theoretikon" consisting of 3 parts: 1) About our Ecclesiastical
music 2) About Ancient Greek Music and 3) Various Ecclesiastical Hymns
etc. In the third part and from page 63 onwards, where the per-mode
Cherouvika start, a capital I is written on the notes that the isokrates
should change the ison. Much later, in 1924, Stylianos Hourmouzios of
Cyprus will use  the same method (capital I) with the same meaning in
his book "Ecclesiastical Salpingx", vol. 3, Liturgy.

In the years of activity of the Patriarchal Committee of 1881-1883 we
can identify a trend to seek a more systematic manner of co-sounding of
the melodic line and the isokratema. Central figure in that attempt is
the Fanariot (Constantinopolitan) Archimandirte Germanos Afthonidis,
president of the Commitee. A very interesting piece of information that
involves Germanos was kindly offered by Protopsaltis and researcher
Konstantinos Markos. In a text by well known French musician L.
Bourgault-Ducoudray, the translation of which will be published by K.
Markos soon, it is mentioned that Ducoudray had repeatedly met and
discussed with Afthonidis on the possibility of some kind of co-sounding
support for the melodic line. Ducoudray suggested some solutions but
without success because Germanos would not accept them. In the end, the
French musician suggested to Germanos two co-sounding lines (deux
harmonisations) which Germanos accepted and they named them due to their
primitive simplicity (vu leur simplicite primitive) as "diplo ison"
("double ison"). I do not have any more information on the fate of that
work but quite possibly that could have been the inspiration of the
double supporting or co-sounding line promoted by K. Psaxos when he came
to Athens from Constantinople, as the first teacher of the newly founded
School of Byzantine Ecclesiastical Music of the Athens Conservatory
(1904) . On Psaxos' double co-sounding line we observe the following:

1.  He doubles parts of the melody in unison or an octave apart which
results in the ison to lie in the middle and the melody to move higher
or lower than the ison. When the second voice moves, the third is
holding the ison and vice-versa, when the third voice moves, the ison is
done by the second voice.

2. In this case the two voices chant together (in unison) while the
third holds the ison

3. All three voices chant in unison, without isokratema.

The above cases are observed in both syllabic and melismatic pieces. In
particular, the melismatic pieces differ in the melodic lines that are
suitable for solo ("kalofwnia"). In such a case, the ison is held by the
second or third voice in unison or as double ison (dk: two different
notes). The in-depth study of the system of the 8 modes as well as the
effects of the notation signs, led Simon Karas to build a teaching that
gives clear, complete and justified answers to the issue at hand. In
general, I could say that in the first half of the 20th century, the
trend for some kind of enrichment of the isokratema, in order to counter
the increasing popularity of Western polyphony, is quite strong.  And
Simon Karas himself goes a long way in a short period of time, from the
first recording of 1930 (by Melpo Merlie) until the formation of his
teaching on isokratema, on the basis of the system of the modes and the
effects of the signs of the notation. The opration of "double
isokratema", as he names it, is different from the co-sounding line
("synhxhtikh grammh") of Psaxos. Double isokratema of Simon Karas exists
when there are common notes when moving from one mode to another inside
a piece, with adjacent ("synhmmena") tetrachord (e.g. in cases of moving
from low First Mode or Plagal Second Mode to Papadic Fourth Mode Agia).
Whichever change of the isokratema has to follow the musical phrase from
the beginning, something which often is not so clearly visible and easy.
Especially in cases where a musical phrase can belong to more than one
mode, depending on how it is chanted, applying the characteristic
elements of this or the other mode. The structure of the pieces plays an
important role as to the placement of the isokratema. In his
"Theoretikon", S. Karas has a detailed teaching on the isokratemata of
all modes for someone who wants to read more on this subject.

Modern psaltic practice appears contraddicting with respect to
isokratema. On one hand there is a will for study, research and to
follow all the rules of our musical system. On the other hand, one can
see a carelessness ("proxeirothta") and adapting to the existing
dead-end practices of education and knowledge. The worst is the view of
isokratema using the logic of Western music and of vertical harmony
which has absolutely no relation to our musical system. And even worse,
the influence of such logic at the practical level, in cases where there
is no knowledge of Western music but a modern aesthetic understanding
which gets infuenced by Western and/or Eastern sources and remains
captive to manufactured sounds  ("typopoihmena akousmata") that do not
take into account neither the modal system nor the effects of the
notation signs. The in-depth study, complete knowledge of the structure
and operation of the system of the Octoechos (8 modes) as well as the
effects of the notation signs is required for a justified documentation
of isokratema.

L. A. Angelopoulos
Archon Protopsaltis of the Holy Archdiocese of Constantinople
Teacher of Byzantine Music at the Filippos Nakas Conservatory, Athens