Is there the beginning of a Byzantine Music (re-)discovery era in the US?
- Thread starter Dimitri
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herron.samuel
Ieropsaltis
On this I would say yes, although some of the forms it takes I don't agree with. The best example I can give is the approach of the Boston Byzantine Choir and Fr. Apostolos Hill. My question would be is whether or not this westernized approach should appropriately be called Byzantine Music. There is a certain feeling among large groups that Byzantine music can and should be "Americanized" and I fell the only "Americanization" it needs is to be given is to be performed in English with possibly original melodies to fit English. I think the trills, scales, and general performance style should remain the same. I do feel that in spreading this that aspects of the Karas method would be very helpful for spreading Byzantine Music in America. Mainly the learning of ornamentation and performance in pieces. As there are, up to this point, no masters in the art of Byzantine Music in English to imitate, that trying to learn proper ornamentation from listening to Greek masters then applying it to English, while maybe the most ideal way, isn't the most practical way, and aspects of Karas' method could help fill in the gaps in terms of training a psaltis more quickly. I am no expert on his method though, so I would pick and choose the aspects from his method I liked that I was exposed to in Greece. Others who have been exposed and know his full method would have more to say on this idea (the importation of his method to English) than I do.
The other "method" of adaptation could be the usage of analytically notated texts where the ornaments are more or less "written out" for the people. This of course has advantages and disadvantages. Have there been any such attempts? Fr Ephraim I think has transcribed some pieces from Karamanis et al., is that right Father?
herron.samuel
Ieropsaltis
On a personal level I don't like this idea because in Greek or English I do not like Analytical texts. I think analytical texts make it much harder for parish choirs to chant together, such as the one I am in here in Nashville. I also like the formulaic nature of classical pieces and I think it produces a more natural, instead of mechanical, feel to the chanting. I believe it is noticable even in great masters. Generally, one can listen to a piece and even if never having seen it notated one can call out if it is analytical or not. Anyways, I think in English a good base of non-anaytical compositions should be formed before more analytical pieces begin to be developed, in my personal opinion.