New Holy Week texts and music by Fr Seraphim Dedes

[basil]

Fr Seraphim Dedes has posted more than 400 pages of new Holy Week texts and music:

These texts are presented for the first time and only available here. I revised my previous translations and added the rest of Holy Week. I tried to make them easier to sing and understand.

Many hymns contain references to Scripture, so I made it a point to use the SAAS for the OT, and the RSV for the NT.

The music is also new. These new compositions are smoother and conform to the standard formulas. They are currently only available in Western Notation.

More files will be added, as I complete them, so check back from time to time. The plan is to have it all done in time for Holy Week, 2011.

Pressed for time, I may initially post scores in their "raw" form, without much beautification. If time permits, I will dress them up some.

Let me know what you think, on my Facebook page: eMatins+

Fr. Seraphim Dedes
March 21, 2011

I examined these new compositions carefully and was impressed by their beauty, their rhythmic elegance, and their high level of overall adherence to the formulaic rules of Byzantine music. As a whole, this comprehensive collection of Holy Week music is of the highest quality that I have seen in English to date.

 

[Nikolaos Giannoukakis]

Fr. Serapheim has done an excellent job.

Our problem (in the GOA) is that the "official" translation for Holy Week is that horrible and terrible "black" Papadeas book. As much as we would like to use Fr. Serapheim's and Fr. Ephraim's groundbreaking works to satisfy a significant number of parishioners, we are confronted by the "black book".

Our solution (at least in our parish) is to stick with the Greek throughout Holy Week- especially since the Greek-English translations are side-by-side.

I pray that one day the works of Fr. Serapheim and Fr. Ephraim become the official translations in the GOA. They are indeed simple to follow, as faithful as possible to the original melodies and, as with every work of art, a work in progress that will get better and better with each iteration.

Have a blessed remainder of Lent and a blessed Holy Week.

NG

 

[basil]

Fr Seraphim Dedes has now posted more than 250 pages of new Holy Week music in Byzantine notation:

I spent the last 6 weeks transcribing the new Holy Week (2011) music into Byzantine notation. With God's help I will finish today [this past Thursday]. I need some knowledgable people to proofread the scores. Who is interested?

Here you go!

Thanks for all the interest and volunteers to proofread the new Byz. Notation of the Holy Week music.

Things to keep in mind:

1. I used Fr. Ephraim's formulas as best I could.

2. The task at hand is to verify correct notation and spelling, and not so much translation.

3. Please submit all your corrections only once, after you are done doing as much as you are going to do.

4. There is one pdf file. It contains separate services, each starting with page 1. So, refer to the Service name and the page number. For the individual hymns at the end, just refer to the title.

5. This is not the final format, so some of the general and repeated hymns are missing.

6. Missing as well are the canon for Wed. evening and Hours on Friday morning.

7. Send corrections and messages to my email address: [redacted]@gmail.com

8. The pdf file is about 2.7 MB.