Hello,
I've attached 3 Doxastika for the feast of St. Matthew (my parish church's patron) this Saturday November 16. The first is sung at "Lord I Cry" and is in the Fourth mode; the second is technically sung at the Aposticha of the Praises during Matins (though we're using it as a Litia hymn during Vespers since none are normally appointed for this day) and is in Plagal Fourth mode; while the third is sung at the Vespers Aposticha and is in the Plagal Second mode. I've used Mousike Kypsele as a model for the melodies, and the translation is from HTM in Brookline. Please critique these if you have the time.
A note on the Vespers Aposticha one, in Plagal 2: Mousike Kypsele has that characteristic long melismatic phrase that's towards the end of many Doxastika in Plagal 2 (is there a name for this?). Unfortunately, in English the text at this phrase ("wherein do thou guide us") does not really fit any of the versions in the formula book from St. Anthony's, unless I treat "guide" as an unstressed syllable, when in reality it seems to me to be the only 100% stressed syllable in the phrase. So I included 3 versions: the first one treats "guide" as unstressed ("wherein do THOU guide US"), and it doesn't sound too bad I suppose. The second one ("1st Alternate") takes a slow sticheraric phrase that has the exact same 7 or so neumes at the end, but allows for an extra unstressed syllable ("us") to fall on the last 2 neumes. This works pretty well, but it doesn't feel proper to just take any slow sticheraric phrase and replace that one so characteristic of Plagal 2, even if it ends the same. However, since the end is the same yet it fits in an extra syllable, it occurred to me that what would work perfectly is if I took a X001 version of the characteristic phrase and added an extra syllable right where the slow sticheraric one does, making it X0010. Hence the 3rd version ("2nd alternate").
I also thought of moving that characteristic phrase back to "divine commands", but in addition to being too early in the hymn it throws off everything else: there has to be a Pa cadence at a bad place or else no Pa cadence at all and then it's just too long without one.
Anyway, that's my thought process. Let me know if you have another idea, or if not, then which of the 3 versions you think is the best compromise. All assuming you have the time, patience and desire...
Anthony
I've attached 3 Doxastika for the feast of St. Matthew (my parish church's patron) this Saturday November 16. The first is sung at "Lord I Cry" and is in the Fourth mode; the second is technically sung at the Aposticha of the Praises during Matins (though we're using it as a Litia hymn during Vespers since none are normally appointed for this day) and is in Plagal Fourth mode; while the third is sung at the Vespers Aposticha and is in the Plagal Second mode. I've used Mousike Kypsele as a model for the melodies, and the translation is from HTM in Brookline. Please critique these if you have the time.
A note on the Vespers Aposticha one, in Plagal 2: Mousike Kypsele has that characteristic long melismatic phrase that's towards the end of many Doxastika in Plagal 2 (is there a name for this?). Unfortunately, in English the text at this phrase ("wherein do thou guide us") does not really fit any of the versions in the formula book from St. Anthony's, unless I treat "guide" as an unstressed syllable, when in reality it seems to me to be the only 100% stressed syllable in the phrase. So I included 3 versions: the first one treats "guide" as unstressed ("wherein do THOU guide US"), and it doesn't sound too bad I suppose. The second one ("1st Alternate") takes a slow sticheraric phrase that has the exact same 7 or so neumes at the end, but allows for an extra unstressed syllable ("us") to fall on the last 2 neumes. This works pretty well, but it doesn't feel proper to just take any slow sticheraric phrase and replace that one so characteristic of Plagal 2, even if it ends the same. However, since the end is the same yet it fits in an extra syllable, it occurred to me that what would work perfectly is if I took a X001 version of the characteristic phrase and added an extra syllable right where the slow sticheraric one does, making it X0010. Hence the 3rd version ("2nd alternate").
I also thought of moving that characteristic phrase back to "divine commands", but in addition to being too early in the hymn it throws off everything else: there has to be a Pa cadence at a bad place or else no Pa cadence at all and then it's just too long without one.
Anyway, that's my thought process. Let me know if you have another idea, or if not, then which of the 3 versions you think is the best compromise. All assuming you have the time, patience and desire...
Anthony