This group (like any other one I opened) is dedicated to the comparative research between liturgical traditions. Concerning the subject of the Byzantine heritage of Orthodox chant, methodologies in this field were always forced to be comparative, because the nature of all the different neumes used by notators of Eastern Chant (Armenian, Georgian, ekphonetics, Byzantine notations developed between Antioch, Jerusalem, Sinai and Constantinople, the Slavic notation and its own tonal system etc.) was always to make a difference from the background and the foreground of realisation which was called the "thesis of the melos" in Greek terminology.
I wish not to discuss, if the Coptic tradition was based or influenced by the Hagiopolite oktoechos or not, I just would like to emphasise that this group is open to treat the subject of Coptic and Ethiopian chant as well, as any other Christian tradition of the Mediterranean, including its various exchanges with close Sephardic, Kurdish, Sufi and berber traditions. It does not exclude any tradition without any regard whether it developed dependently or independently of the Byzantine and the Ottoman empire.
Any language is welcome (including Slavonic languages and Greek or any other language), in my experience English is very important to discuss the meaning of Greek terms, and how they were translated and transferred into various languages. It includes all living traditions (also those of Old Believers) and all questions concerning their past back to the earliest tropologia (Iadgari, Šaraknoc', Tropligin), papyrus fragments and lectionaries.
Resources
Small wheel (τροχός) of the παπαδική (solfège diagramme) with five decorative wheels
- Blog of this Group
- Myriobiblos
- Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents
- Recordings of the Archon cantors of the Great Church at Constantinople
- Printed chant and prayer books, chant manuals and typika in Greek
- Printed chant books and manuals in Bulgarian
- Printed chant books and manuals in Romanian
- Oktoechos
- Papadikai
- Manuscripts
Comments
Fri, May 1, 2026 1:30 pm thru Sat, May 2, 2026 6:00 pm EST
In person and online
Join master practitioners from the ancient Syriac and Armenian traditions this May at St. Vladimir’s and St. Nersess seminaries, as we explore commonalities and differences in Eastern and Oriental Orthodox approaches to sung worship.
Workshops and discussions will take place Friday, May 1, at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in Yonkers, NY, and Saturday, May 2, at St. Nersess Armenian Seminary in Armonk, NY.
Dr. Gabriel Aydin and Dr. Haig Utidjian will present, respectively, on “Syriac Liturgical Chant: History, Theology, and Tonal Tradition” and “Armenian Liturgical Chant: History and Theology.” A full schedule is included below.
The sessions are free and open to the public. Join in person or online.
REGISTER TO ATTEND
https://www.svots.edu/events/exploring-the-orient
This event is made possible through a generous grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship (CICW), Grand Rapids, MI, with funds provided by Lilly Endowment Inc. Dr. Alexander Lingas, Professor of Music and Associate Director of the Institute, is overseeing the workshops and discussions.
Event Schedule
Friday, May 1 | St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary
1:30 PM — Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:40 PM — Dr. Gabriel Aydin, Session 1: “The Structure, Theology, and Liturgical Function of Syriac Chant”
3:00 PM — Break
3:20–4:50 PM — Dr. Gabriel Aydin, Session 2
5:00 PM — Dinner Break
7:00–8:00 PM — Lecture-Recital: Drs. Gabriel Aydin & Haig Utidjian
Dr. Aydin will present selected hymns from the Syriac liturgical tradition drawn from the chant repertory of the Nativity, Holy Week, and Resurrection. The performance of hymns from various liturgical occasions will demonstrate the richness of Syriac modal structures (Qinotho/Qole), the interplay between text and melody, and the predominantly syllabic character of Syriac chant, one of its essential musical features.
Dr. Haig Utidjian will sing excerpts of some of the most poignant hymns drawn from the Offices for Good Friday, demonstrating the considerable modal variety and degree of melismatic elaboration that characterizes some particularly well-loved hymns.
Saturday, May 2 | St. Nersess Armenian Seminary
1:30 PM—Welcome and Opening Remarks
1:35 PM—Dr. Haig Utidjian, Session 3: “Armenian Liturgical Chant: History and Theology”
3:00 PM—Break
3:20–4:50—Dr. Haig Utidjian, Session 4
5:30 PM—Vespers
Please sign the petition “Save the Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae”
https://www.change.org/p/rektor-adm-ku-dk-save-the-monumenta-musica...
See also the Blog entry about the campaign:
https://gregorian-chant.ning.com/profiles/blogs/please-sign-the-peti...
L’ensemble international Axion Estin Foundation Chanters célèbrera le Noël arménien en interprétant lors de courts concerts des chants typiques de cette période de l’année, issus des traditions orthodoxe orientale et arménienne (4 janvier, 14h, 16h, 18h). Compris dans le prix du billet d’entrée au musée. https://www.metmuseum.org/press/exhibitions/2018/armenia-francais