Journal of the International Society for Orthodox Music
The Journal features papers dealing with aspects of Orthodox or Eastern church music, both monophonic and polyphonic, including history, theory, performance practice, source studies, and cultural and theological aspects.
The International Society for Orthodox Church Music
Copyright (c) 2025 Andrew Mellas, Alexander Lingas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Danica Petrović (2 December 1945 – 20 August 2024)
Copyright (c) 2025 Nataša Marjanović https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Dimitrios K. Balageorgos (6 November 1966 – 2 June 2023)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dimitrios Laskos https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2024 Maria Takala-Roszczenko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Melitina Makarovskaya (8 July 1970–6 April 2024)
Copyright (c) 2024 Nora Potemkina https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Jopi Harri (6 December 1967–12 January 2022)
In Memoriam Bozhidar Karastoyanov (10 June 1940–29 October 2023)
Copyright (c) 2024 Maria Pischlöger https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Protopresbyter Ivan Moody (11 June 1964–18 January 2024)
Copyright (c) 2024 Alexander Lingas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Orthodox Elements in "Prayer" by Maka Virsaladze
This article proposes the analysis of the representation of two elements of Orthodox Christianity which are referenced in the piece Prayer (for solo piano) by Maka Virsaladze, with the intention of assisting in the preparation of this work for performance. The methodology chosen for this analysis stems from topic theory (based on the concept of “topics”, introduced by Leonard Ratner in 1980) which has been used to recognise and examine external references (poetic, musical, literary, etc.) in a musical work. This article intends to contribute to this field by proposing a topical analysis of this particular piece, which has not been previously studied academically.
Copyright (c) 2025 Taíssa Marchese, Ana Telles https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Stichera, Scents, Stitches, and Self-Emptying
On 14 October, O.S., coinciding with several feasts, the Church celebrates the Life-Giving Pillar and the Lord's Robe in Georgia. The hymnography for this feast (Svet'itskhovloba) includes rich descriptions of Christ nourishing and cherishing His Bride the Church, and of the universal Church sustaining her children, by various spiritual and material means. While references to sacraments occur, the texts emphasise experience and perception in other contexts, such as that of the chanters as they sing the stichera, of monastics at prayer, and of all as they celebrate the myrrh-streaming Pillar. Supported by other Georgian devotional practices and patristic discussions of chant and prayer, an exploration of the Life-Giving Pillar and its feast shows how Christ cares for His flock in concrete ways, how members of the Church likewise help to nourish each other, and how Christ is fed by the salvation of all. After a brief explanation of the Feast, its texts, and related literature, this paper will interpret key passages from several stichera, with commentary from monastic writings. Folk traditions and musical characteristics will feature at relevant points. We will see how, through such means as participation in chant, sharing in commemoration, and offering foods and textiles, Christ and the Church are perceived and treated as one Body, breathing and spreading the same aroma; how Christ empties Himself to fill, clothe, and shelter us; how we do the same for Christ and each other; and how such occurs, in the whole Church and in each of its members, engaging, sweetening, unifying, and transcending all faculties and senses.
Copyright (c) 2025 Abbess Sidonia (Freedman) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Physical and Spiritual Nourishment in the Catechetical Homilies of John Chrysostom
This article explores the previously underexamined dimension of physical and spiritual nourishment in John Chrysostom’s catechetical homilies, addressing two central inquiries: 1) Chrysostom’s expectations for new church members’ approach to eating and drinking, and 2) the connection between nourishment and their life as members of the liturgical community. Through a systematic analysis, the study reveals a threefold approach to Question 1. Firstly, Chrysostom cautions against the abuse of sustenance, emphasizing its corruptive impact on both body and soul. Secondly, the author expounds upon the functions of nutritional moderation, using the concept of fasting as an image of salutary abstinence from sin. Thirdly, Chrysostom discusses spiritual nourishment, distributed through homiletical discourse and the Eucharist. Addressing Question 2, the study finds connections between hymnody and nutritional moderation, promoting an “angelic” lifestyle that prepares individuals for deeper spiritual nourishment. The article concludes by highlighting the universal applicability of Chrysostom’s teachings on nourishment, intended for all members of the Church, regardless of their level of spiritual maturity, guiding them from moderate consumption of physical sustenance to participation in spiritual nourishment and the pursuit of eternal life.
Copyright (c) 2024 Harri Huovinen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
A series of seven interconnected meditations reflects on what eating, drinking, and tasting could mean for Christian theologizing. What might be the ecological implications of a theology that takes eating and digestion more seriously? The reflections are carried out in company with Romanos the Melodist and the broader Romanos tradition.
Copyright (c) 2024 Thomas Arentzen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Embodied Liturgical Experience as an Extension of the Eucharist
Historically, Christianity has always emphasized the embodiment of liturgical experience. Liturgy is not merely a metaphysical phenomenon, but one that is lived out and is, in turn, formative of the human being. To this end, the liturgy encompasses the totality of human experience to completely immerse the human being within itself. This includes the senses of smell, hearing, vision, touch, and, ultimately, taste. This uniting thread that runs throughout the human senses is teleologically directed toward the Eucharist. The Eucharist, being the climax of liturgy, is not a disembodied magical occurrence, but is, most fundamentally, formative of the human being. As the perpetuation of the incarnation throughout human history, the Eucharist calls people to be, most authentically, human beings, re-forming them into the likeness of God—the likeness of he who is known in the Eucharist. This paper will attempt to answer the question: How can the physical stimuli presented throughout the liturgy be understood as ‘Eucharistic’? Through a Coptic Orthodox theological hermeneutic, but drawing from a wider range of patristic and modern authors, this paper will attempt to answer this question by looking at how created things are ‘Eucharistic’ insofar as they reveal God. The paper will look at the possibility of primary knowledge—that is knowledge through experience—and the necessity of this form of knowledge within the scope of the liturgy. Finally, it will be shown how the liturgy offers a way to embody a narrative, thus immersing the human being into a way through which they are formed and experience the liturgy as Eucharist.
Copyright (c) 2025 Karim Guirguis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bringing Christmas Cheer: Carols to Nurture and Witness the Faith
Western European cultures may vary in their adherence to any form of Christianity, but the feast of Christmas has a special place in society in keeping an open ear, mind and heart. Concerts and carolling are common to Orthodox and non-Orthodox cultures alike, providing an annual opportunity to engage audiences in the Mystery of the Incarnation in a paraliturgical context. This paper will explore the benefits to singers and audiences, and the way that both may be nurtured through Christmas music. The Mosaic Choir, in London, UK, provides a central case study, a choir of Orthodox singers from many different backgrounds. Audiences, clergy and choir members, past and present, provide additional insights into one of the most rewarding musical times of year.
Copyright (c) 2024 Margaret Haig https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Slaviq is an Orthodox Native Alaskan celebration beginning on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, marked by indigenous people throughout Alaska. It is especially celebrated among the Yup’ik people in mainland southwestern Alaska in the Kuskokwim River delta region. Slaviq or “starring” lasts from three to ten days involving processions by the congregation, and especially the choir, from the church to homes of villagers wishing to host the celebration. At each host’s home a short prayer service is sung accompanied by the spinning of the Christmas star affixed to a pole held generally by young men. This is followed by a short sermon delivered by the priest or even a reader, and then by the singing of Orthodox liturgical hymns in praise of the Nativity of Christ, Ukrainian koliady and folk songs from the Carpathian Mountains describing the feast day, and American Christmas carols. This paraliturgical celebration is followed by the distribution of candy and gifts by the hosts to all the guests, and a festive meal for more senior members of the community who are present. Traditionally, this meal consists of dried fish, often salmon, fermented foods, and moose and reindeer soup followed by akutaq, a dessert containing berries mixed with animal fat. This study analyzes the historical and contemporary practice of celebrating Slaviq, viewing it as a cultural adaptation and expression of the indigenous Yup’ik ethical code enacted within an innovative Orthodox practice.
Copyright (c) 2024 Nina Shultz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Orthodoxy has always been a theology of beauty. Human creativity is a response to the divine beauty manifested above all in the Creation, which God declared “good”, inspires us with awe and invites a eucharistic response. Creating beauty is part of our imitation of Christ. In liturgical services, the conjunction of music and text form an indissoluble and equal partnership serving the unfolding Logos. The kind of beauty that leads to prayer and transcendence is brought about by (among other things) silence (understood as hesychia or inner tranquility), correct breathing and frisson, understood as a physical reaction triggered by a sense of wonder similar to that experienced by the crowds who heard Christ’s teaching.
Copyright (c) 2024 James Chater https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Nonsense Syllables in Byzantine Chant Tradition
This article examines the historical phenomenon of nonsense syllables in the chant of the Byzantine church. This practice of non-lexical singing upon the extended use of vocables, appears already in ancient Greek music and has gone by many terms, including kratēmata or teretismata. Three different hypotheses as to the historical roots and development of this singing practice are predominant, namely those of Gregorios Stathis (1979, 2014), Diane Touliatos (1989), and Gregorios Anastasiou (2005). The foundations, results and consequences of these theories are reassessed in the light of critical examination of the fourteenth century treatise Ἁρμονικά (Harmonika) of Manuel Bryennios (Magdalen College MS Gr 13), the tenth century Book of Ceremonies (in Latin cited as De cerimoniis aulae Byzantinae and in Greek cited as Ἔκθεσις τῆς βασιλείου τάξεως) of the Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos, and different versions of the liturgy of the so-called “Service of the Furnace” (Athens, National Library, EBE 2047; Athens, National Library, EBE 2406; Iviron Monastery, MS 1120; S-Sinai, Mt. Sinai, MS 1527; and Lavra Monastery, MS 165). The critical examination and synthesis of previous theories of the origin and development of Byzantine nonsense-syllable singing offers a number of conclusions, where I argue for new, qualified hypotheses that may be laid as foundations for further research. It is concluded that the nonsense syllables seem to have served a number of semiotic functions and purposes: as incantations (sometimes with pagan and ritual associations), as mimesis of nature (birds and cicada), for the intonation of texted chant, as well as for singing practice and solmization purposes. It is also argued that the non-semantic vocalization that this singing constitutes, amounts to a type of early programmatic music, with layers of mimetic singing and a rare sense of heightened expression in a context which otherwise focuses strongly on a religious text and its context. Finally, the term “mental representations” is proposed for describing the semantic function of nonsense syllables.
Copyright (c) 2024 Vassileios Varelas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Copyright (c) 2023 Ivan Moody, Maria Takala-Roszczenko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
The Localization of Orthodox Spiritual Songs
Paper presented at the ISOCM Conference in Joensuu in 2021.
Copyright (c) 2023 Jenni-Tuuli Hakkarainen https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Bessarion and music. Concepts, theoretical sources and styles. Proceedings of the international meeting Venice, 10-11 November 2018
Copyright (c) 2023 Ivan Moody https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Tntesean and the Music of the Armenian Hymnal
Copyright (c) 2022 Ivan Moody, Maria Takala-Roszczenko https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Existing Hypotheses about the Emergence of Nonsense Syllables in the Chant Tradition of Teretismata and Kratēmata in Byzantine Music
In the present essay, I review and evaluate the three main hypotheses about the historical background and emergence of the nonsense syllables in the chant tradition of teretismata and kratēmata in Byzantine music. The different historical hypotheses as to the historical roots and development of this singing practice are examined and analyzed thoroughly, namely those of Gregorios Stathis (1979, 2014), Diane Touliatos (1989), and Grigorios Anastasiou (2005). The aim of the analysis is to summarise and discuss the contribution of the up-to-date historical hypotheses to the theoretical approaches of the topic, including the identification of potential flaws, lacunae and inadequacies of their explanatory power. Touliatos takes antiquity as a starting point for her hypothesis and posits the roots of nonsense syllables in the music of Ancient Greece. After a historical gap of several centuries, those syllables reappear in the Byzantine music during the 14th c. Stathis and Anastasiou examine the phenomenon exclusively within the boundaries of Byzantine music. Before reviewing the three hypotheses concerning the historical development of nonsense syllables in Byzantine music, we must consider the sources on which the theories are postulated.
Copyright (c) 2023 Vassileios Varelas https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Sacred Music in a Sacred Space: Performance as Communal Event
During the Easter Week of 1999, the composer John Tavener (1944-2013) visited the Holy Trinity Archdiocesan Greek Orthodox Cathedral in New York City, to attend a unique concert, that occured under the auspicies of His Eminence Archbishop Spyridon, featuring Tavener's sacred para- liturgical music, conducted by the late maestro Dino Anagnost (1944-2011). Using this event as a base, regarding its reception and meaning, this paper ventures to compose a theoretical context, in which the performance of sacred works can function in a sacred performance space, while focusing on the composer's understanding of the notion of sacred in composition and in music making in general. Througout the course this research paper, the reader will explore ways in which the systematic application of musicological and theological tools on the complete musical material of the performed works, leads to a provocative analogy of sacred music being performed in a sacred space with a communal event within the church community. Ultimately, this paper suggests that such an occassion is closer to the idea of ecclesial event; an original concept created by the greek philosopher and theologian Christos Yannaras (1936-).
Copyright (c) 2023 Pavlos Kordis https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Valaam as an Oasis of Spirituality and Church Music of Russia Abroad
Тhe topic of the transmission of tradition is understudied in musicology. This article contributes to the field by concentrating on the formation of the singing tradition of the parish of St Sergius in Paris. It studies the genesis of its musical tradition at the hands of Vladyka Benjamin (Fedchenkov) and M. M. Osorgin. Both loved Valaam greatly and found inspiration in Valaam and the Holy Trinity St Sergius Lavra to create a monastic liturgical style in the Parisian church. After comparing several chants, it looks at the musical books used by the choir of St Sergius, the Valaam Obikhod and the Psalmist’s Companion, and the different musical traditions they embody. After a review of the history of music at Valaam and a comparison of primary sources and contemporary analyses, the authors propose a picture of the singing tradition of the Karelian monastery prior to the Revolution. It then looks into historical figures such as A. Swan and M. M. Osorgin who studied and attempted to preserve ancient Russian practices in the diaspora, and how these two figures’ correspondence during the 1930s offers a unique window into their attempts at achieving this goal. The article concludes by reviewing the contemporary practices of the Parisian church, offering the reader a reflection on the survival of the great Russian melodic heritage in the Russia Abroad.
Copyright (c) 2022 Svetlana Zvereva, George Lapshynov https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
In Memoriam Archpriest Michael Fortounatto (1931–2022)
Copyright (c) 2022 Ivan Moody https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Manuscripts of Psaltic Art. Chios. Part 1: Analytical Descriptive Catalogue of the Manuscripts of Psaltic Art in the "Koraes" Chios Central Public Library
Copyright (c) 2022 Nina-Maria Wanek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Geography in Psalms: Hagiosophitikon Settings of Psalms 1, 2 and 3
The term hagiosophitikon is quite well-known in Byzantine chant, where it occurs in manuscripts from the 14th century onwards: Most often one encounters the designation hagiosophitikon in rubrics of settings of Psalm 1 (Μακάριος ἀνήρ) and Psalm 3 (Κύριε, τί ἐπληθύνθησαν οἱ θλίβοντές με). Nevertheless, neither the exact meaning of hagiosophitikon has ever been clearly determined, nor have the settings themselves been melodically analysed yet. Thus, hagiosophitikon is sometimes explained to denote chants associated with services in the church of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople and in Thessaloniki respectively, and/or to represent hymns rather conservative in outline or to have been composed in a very local style. The present article will aim at both clarifying the term’s meaning itself as well as presenting a detailed analysis of the compositional style by comparing the hagiosophitikon settings of Psalms 1 and 3 among themselves and with melodies named palaion (old) in manuscripts of the 14th and 15th centuries: What kind of compositional style do the hagiosophitikon settings display, do they use formulas and if yes which ones, might their syllabic parts show traces of the old, so-called “simple” psalmody and how are the melismatic parts treated? – These are just some of the questions which will be discussed in the article in order to get closer to resolving the unanswered questions surrounding the term hagiosophitikon.
Copyright (c) 2023 Nina-Maria Wanek https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
Eternal Victory: Byzantine Territorial Expansion and Constantinopolitan Liturgical Splendour at Hosios Loukas (Steiris, Greece)
Starting in the ninth century but gaining momentum the late tenth century Byzantium reclaimed its territories in the East: capturing Crete, Antioch, and northern Palestine. These victories were celebrated with triumphal processions in Constantinople. New chants were written specifically to be performed in the Great Church and the palatine chapels. Some of the poetry and music was composed by the emperor himself. Analyzing the melodic contour of some of these songs shows how they strategically used the acoustics of the dome to offer a glittering vision of power. And the same time, the figural mosaics in Hagia Sophia and in the palatine chapels gave an anthropomorphic concreteness to the experience of the divine in the reverberant sound. None of these figural programs survives. Yet, a monastery near Thebes (Greece), Hosios Loukas, preserves one of the most extensive Byzantine mosaic cycles. As this analysis will reveal, it channels the Constantinopolitan liturgy and enables us to explore how chant and figural images operated together to shape a vision of the resurgent empire.
Copyright (c) 2022 Bissera Pentcheva https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
"The midst of the earth”: Ps. 73:12b (LXX) in Patristic and Liturgical Understanding
The verse “You have wrought salvation in the midst of the earth” (Ps. 74/73:12) occurs in numerous liturgical texts. This article examines how this verse has been understood by patristic authors from circa third to fifth centuries. The Hebrew original and its Jewish interpretations focus on God’s salvific acts in the world, in the eyes of all peoples, while the Septuagint allows a more punctual understanding “in the centre of the world”. The latter option was utilised immediately after the construction of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, as Golgotha became the solemn centre of Christian pilgrimage and was widely recognised as the centre of the earth in theological and cosmological terms. Therefore, the verse became much used in liturgical celebrations related to the cross, as witnessed already in the Typikon of Mar Saba. Moreover, the idea of Golgotha as axis mundi was soon applied in colourful ways regarding traditions related to the creation and burial of Adam, sacrifice of Isaac, and even eschatological visions. Excitingly, these interpretations have evident predecessors in Judaism and in the early Jewish Christian beliefs and practices. All this guarantees that the verse is one of the richest dictums in liturgical life in terms of theological, mythic, and historical connotations.
Copyright (c) 2022 Serafim Seppälä https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0