My wish for today is that you are all well, without fear and also well informed about what is going on. Please use these days with pleasant things, reconnect yourself with the universe and do celebrate the feasts of your tradition (whatever the religion is) without even thinking of everyday's bullshit and those who do organise it, and definitely without paying any attention of what they could expect from you!
The little Christmas surprise, I have for you this year, is actually not a present of mine, but a present made by Mark Powell and Spyridon Antonopoulos in the context of the group "Cappella Romana" specialised in the reconstruction of Byzantine chant, as they learnt it through a cooperation with Ioannis Arvanitis.
Some days ago, they sent me an email with transcription of a Christmas allelouiarion about the first two stichoi of psalm 18 (according the Greek edition of Septuaginta):
2 Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ [ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα]·
3 ἡμέρα τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐρεύγεται ῥῆμα, καὶ νὺξ νυκτὶ [ἀναγγέλλει γνῶσιν].
Here the English translation offered by this email:
Alleluia. V.1 The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the work of his hands [the firmament proclaims].
V.2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night [reveals knowledge].
Here the version in the kontakarion of Paris:
Beginning of the allelouiaria section with protos allelouiaria
(Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fonds grec ms. 397, f.19v-20r)
The second stichos according to the transcription of Spyridon:
Transcription according I-Fl (Florence, Biblioteca medicea laurenziana) Codex Ashburn 64, f. 200
(Kontakarion of the Grottaferrata Abbey, 13th century)
Realisation by Cappella Romana conducted by Spyridon Antonopoulos:
Realisation by Ansamble Aghiopolitis conducted by Ioannis Arvanitis:
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