Κοινωνικόν / Koinonikon
Μιά παράδοση που χάνεται; / A tradition getting lost?
A long 15 minute Koinonikon by the Archon Lambadarios of the Great Church Ioannis Xariatidis (Theophany 2003)
[mp3]

And a sample of current Patriarchal practice regarding what is chanted during communion. They chant/recite "Tou Deipnou Sou" until communion is finished.
[mp3]



A long melismatic Koinonikon recorded live from the radio on 27 Jan 05. The chanters are the choir Hagiopolites led by I. Arvanitis. The recording is live from a vigil (agrypnia) in Petraki Monastery in Athens. The mode is Plagal First. The composer is Manuel Chrysaphes "o palaios" ("the old one"), Lambadarios of Hagia Sophia at the time of the fall of Constantinople (1453 AD). It is one of the longest Koinonika I've heard in a city parish agrypnia. (21 minutes long!) - this also is an answer to people who wonder where such long pieces can be chanted.
[mp3]

And one more from another Agrypnia (22 Dec 04) at the same monastery
[mp3]


Question:

Do any Greek churches sing "The body of Christ" (Swma Christou) repeatedly during the communion of the people? Or is this uniquely Slavic? I don't know, having said "Slavic", what the normal practice would be in a Serbian, a Ukrainain, a Bulgarian or, non-Slavically, a Rumanian church.

I. Arvanitis:

I have heard once this Koinonikon sung repeatedly before and during the communion of the faithful by the sister of the famous Father Porphyrios and the nuns of Daou Pentelis (a monastery near Athens) on the Apodosis of Pascha. The sister of Father Porphyrios is (or was?) was leading the choir as they sung it in the form ''Soma Christou metalavete, pigis athanatou geusasthe; pigis athanatou geusasthe, soma Christou metalavete'' (and then in the reverse order) on the music of the 3rd mode Exaposteilaria. I have not heard it sung in this way anywhere else. I can say that some singers simply recite it repeatedly, after they have finished a melismatic one. Unfortunately, the practice of singing something well organised (a melismatic Koinonikon or something else appropriate to this moment) in this place of the Divine Liturgy suffers a deterioration, so you cannot have a result by investigating the present praxis. Singers sing everything they want (Polyeleoi, Agni Parthene or some new and frequently 'romantic' compositions) irrespective of the liturgical or musical tradition. There are some ancient verses for a repeated singing of 'Soma Christou' published by Antonios Alygizakis. You could maybe use them. I can try to find them but I cannot maybe translate them in a good way.