Polychronion in Diatonic Grave Mode

[basil]

Someone recently asked me to compose an English setting of the Polychronion for Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America in Diatonic Grave Mode for an upcoming concert. I have attached my composition to this post. As always, I would be grateful for any suggestions as to how to improve my composition.

 

[greek487]

Someone recently asked me to compose an English setting of the Polychronion for Metropolitan Philip of the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America in Diatonic Grave Mode for an upcoming concert. I have attached my composition to this post. As always, I would be grateful for any suggestions as to how to improve my composition.

An extremely ambitious and amazingly successful composition Basil. Thank you.

I once told Mr. Arvanitis that his English compositions make it seem as though byzantine music was used on the English language for centuries and was completely natural to it. And here I see the same thing.

One question, however. How did you choose to compose this Polychronio in Diatonic Grave Mode? Simply because it was requested of you?

I've seen these types of longer Polychronia in Plagal Fourth and Plagal First (and the shorter Polychronio in Second Mode), but I don't recall any in Diatonic Grave Mode. I'm sure they probably exist, but are there any unwritten rules prescribing which mode a longer Polychronio should be written in?

I think it's wonderful as it is. And it shows a deep understanding of this most difficult of modes.

Did papa-Ephraim's formulas help you here at all?


. . .

 

[basil]

How did you choose to compose this Polychronio in Diatonic Grave Mode? ... I've seen these types of longer Polychronia in Plagal Fourth and Plagal First (and the shorter Polychronio in Second Mode), but I don't recall any in Diatonic Grave Mode. I'm sure they probably exist, but are there any unwritten rules prescribing which mode a longer Polychronio should be written in?

I am not aware of any such rules. If anyone has any further information about the mode of a Polychronion, I would be interested in hearing it. My understanding is that, strictly speaking, Polychronia are reserved for Patriarchs and are not chanted in the Church for Bishops, Archbishops, and Metropolitans. I composed this setting for a special occasion: a concert commemorating this Metropolitan's 45th anniversary in the episcopacy. In this paraliturgical context, there is more leeway for innovation than there would be in a strictly liturgical context (in fact, many Polychronia I examined went so far as to break the usual formulaic rules, although I chose to adhere to them). For example, Hieromonk Hierotheos of Philotheou Monastery composed a Polychronion for an Abbot in Enharmonic Grave Mode in his Αθωνική Μουσική Ανθοδέσμη (Mount Athos, 1987). Given the context and precedent, my composition in Diatonic Grave Mode does not seem inappropriate.

 

[Nikolaos Giannoukakis]

Dear Basil,

There are no set rules. Polychronia were historically reserved for emperors and kings (many polychronia have been composed for the former kings of Greece and were often chanted before the epistle reading up until the abolition of the monarchy in Greece). The polychronion for the patriarch of Constantinopole is an innovation of the late 1800s.

There is no reason NOT to honor a hierarch with a polychronion on very special occasions at the end of a service. If one uses the existing polychronia as a guide, the critical feature that can be ascertained is that they belong to the slow eirmologic type of composition. So long as that is followed, I believe that any Tone can be appropriate.

NG

 

[basil]

Polychronia were historically reserved for emperors and kings (many polychronia have been composed for the former kings of Greece and were often chanted before the epistle reading up until the abolition of the monarchy in Greece). The polychronion for the patriarch of Constantinople is an innovation of the late 1800s.

Have any nineteenth-century Polychronia survived in the New Method? If so, I would be curious to see them.

 

[Nikolaos Giannoukakis]

If you are referring to polychronia for hierarchs (Patriarch esp.), the Greek side of psaltologion has quite a plethora:

http://analogion.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=718

here: http://analogion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=39755&d=1295044014 (somewhere in the end)

here: http://analogion.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=24838&d=1266953429 (somewhere in the end, again)

Now, if you are referring to polychronia to the monarchy, yes there are sources-

In Antonios Syrkas' liturgy book:

http://www.analogion.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7996
http://analogion.com/forum/showpost.php?p=56770&postcount=3

Also, if I remember correctly, Konstantinos Panas' Liturgy as well as that of Dimitris Koutsardakis also have polychronia to the monarchy. I'll check tonight and scan......unless those books exist on the Greek side of Psaltologion.

NG

 

[Nikolaos Giannoukakis]

Update:

Syrkas Liturgy: p.144-146

Η Πατριαρχική Φόρμιγξ, vol. A, Liturgy, Konstantinos Priggos (1973 edition); pp. 109-121 (most are compositions of Karamanis which were included in the book by Andreas Papandreou)

Αι Δύο Νέαι Μέλισσαι, Agathaggelos Kyriazides (p.51-52)

I could not find any in Panas' or Koutsardakis'.....

I hope you have enough to guide you.

NG

 

[greek487]

If one uses the existing polychronia as a guide, the critical feature that can be ascertained is that they belong to the slow eirmologic type of composition. So long as that is followed, I believe that any Tone can be appropriate.

NG

Perhaps in the abstract any tone may be appropriate, but would you include Plagios tou Defterou? I would probably not.

For the short Polychronio I would go with the classic in defteros. And for the longer Polychronia, I would gravitate towards plagal fourth or plagal first. Only because they're so festive and because these Polychronia are typically composed in those two modes. (The sound of Grave mode enharmonic relates nicely to plagal fourth eptafonos.)

I still admire Basil's composition.


. . .

 

[greek487]

I composed this setting for a special occasion: a concert commemorating this Metropolitan's 45th anniversary in the episcopacy.

How did it go? How did mode play out? Did you feel it gave the appropriate sentiment of wishing the Metropolitan many years?

I'm simply curious because I've never heard a longer Polychronion in Grave Mode Diatonic in a large gathering.


. . .

 

[Nikolaos Giannoukakis]

Dear Mr. Nassis,

You write:

"Perhaps in the abstract any tone may be appropriate, but would you include Plagios tou Defterou? I would probably not."

With some creativity, any tone can be festive.

Consider this:

How many Doxastika of joyous feasts are in plagal second? Those of Christmas Orthros, Epiphany Orthros, Transfiguration Vespers.......and many more.

With some creativity, everything is possible. However, it is prudent to keep things according to tradition. The "Polychronion" as performed for decades for the Ecumenical Patriarch in plagal first and in grave enharmonic (upper Zw) is the standard.

NG