The Creation of the Psaltic Art and the

Syntheseis of the Papadike (Late

Byzantine Period)

Oliver Gerlach

August 2016

Table of Contents
1. The Synthesis of the Monastic Oktoechos Notation
2. Papadikai
2.1. Papadike as an own genre of introductory manual
2.2. The composition of a Papadike
2.3. Further theoretical explanations
2.4. Tone System and Parallage
2.4.1. The Trochos System and its Parallage Diagrammes
2.4.2. The Triphonic Tone System and its Parallage Diagramme
2.4.3. Heptaphonia as Part of the Thesis of the Melos
2.5. The Echemata and the Phthorai
2.5.1. The Echemata
2.5.2. The Phthorai
2.6. The Methods
3. Books of the Papadike and Their Composition
3.1. The Old Sticherarion
3.2. The Akolouthiai
3.3. The Sticherarion kalophonikon
3.4. The Anthology of the Papadike
4. The Maistores and Protopsaltes of the Palaiologan Dynasty
4.1. Michael Aneotos & Nikolaos Kampanes
4.2. Ioannes Glykys
4.3. Nikephoros Ethikos
4.4. Ioannes Koukouzeles
4.5. Xenos Korones
4.6. Ioannes Kladas
4.7. Symeon of Thessalonica
4.8. Gabriel Hieromonachos
4.9. Manuel Chrysaphes
4.10. Gregorios Bounes Alyates
4.11. Ioannes Hiereos Plousiadenos
5. Glossary
6. Recordings with reconstructions of psaltic art
6.1. Italo-Byzantine chant

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 6.2. Polyeleos by Ioannes Koukouzeles
6.3. Byzantine stichera kalophonika
6.4. Heirmoi kalophonikoi
6.5. Byzantine kratemata
6.6. Cherouvikon by Manuel Chrysaphes
6.7. Heirmologic Chant of the Asma
7. Bibliography
7.1. Sources
7.1.1. Akolouthiai
7.1.2. Anthologies of the Papadike
7.1.3. Kratematarion
7.1.4. Revised Heirmologia
7.1.5. Revised Sticheraria of the 14th century
7.1.6. Sticheraria kalophonika (Mathemataria of the Sticherarion)
7.2. Editions
7.2.1. Mathemataria
7.2.2. Papadikai
7.2.3. Chant Treatises
7.2.4. Ceremonials and typika
7.3. Internet pages
7.3.1. Introduction
7.3.2. Encyclopedic articles
7.4. Introduction into Byzantine Notation
7.5. Studies

1. The Synthesis of the Monastic Oktoechos Notation

discussion about notation concerning the innovations in Palaiologan Constantinople (after return
from Nicaean exile in 1261)
Did the maistores invent the Late Byzantine notation?
They did not, their innovations are the end of a long process concerning monastic chant books
(tropologia, oktoechos or parakletike, sticherarion, heirmologion) which collected chants
systematically as an overregional standard repertoire, taken from manifold local traditions, so that
these books do not necessarily reflect local customs (in the sense that the most common chants were
usually not written down, but only those which needed to be memorised regularly, since they were
rarely performed).
The other difficulty is, that there has not even one authentic asmatikon or kontakarion of the
cathedral rite survived, the only exception is a late manuscripts which shows the gestic signs or
cheironomies, belonging to a local system of 16 echoi (kyrioi, plagioi, mesoi, and phthorai) already
translated into Middle Byzantine Round notation.
On the other hand, the oldest Greek asmatika and kontakaria or psaltika have only survived since a
later period after 1204, in books which were written by scribes in peripheral monasteries and
notated with the notation of the sticheraria and heirmologia: the so-called Byzantine Round
notation.
Hence, this notation had to face the difficult challenge to integrate in one notation system the
repertoire stemming from different books and their distinct notation systems. Despite the monastic
reform of 692, local cathedral rites insisted on their own modal system which did not fit to the
sabbatical oktoechos system of monastic reformers and their liturgical concept.

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Only after 1261, when the court and patriarchate returned to Constantinople, the local cathedral rite
had vanished and a new mixed reform rite did continue the synthesis which was once started by
monastic scriptoria: the new mixed rite accepted the oktoechos system and its modal signatures,
also within the official theory, as it had been already written down in a treatise genre called
«Papadike».
Within this notation system an innovative and representative music was created, but the reform rite
was not accepted in those areas, where the former cathedral rite did still persist. Certain musicians
and clerics rejected the innovations of Constantinople at least until the fall of Thessalonica in
1430…

2. Papadikai
Example of a complete papadike with «methodoi»:
Dodecanese Archive, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335, ff. 1r-29r
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/browse/resource.html?page=1&tab=tab02&id=16957

2.1. Papadike as an own genre of introductory manual

The Papadike was once associated with the reform book akolouthiai, but in fact it was used as
introduction for a variety of chant books, the earliest as introduction for the book sticherarion,
within the Palaiologan dynasty Papadikai could introduce as well the taxis ton akolouthion («order
of services»), or just the sticherarion kalophonikon or mathematarion (literally «book of
exercises»), during the Ottoman Empire the Papadike usually introduced an anthology, so that was
also called «Anthology of the Papadike», it did not only contain compositions sung during the
divine liturgies and orthros (morning service), the papadike often preceded a short
anastasimatarion which was often called kekragarion (since each part of the oktoechos was opened
by a setting of the hesperinos psalm 140 «Kyrie ekekraxa»).

2.2. The composition of a Papadike

Formally the papadike opened with a part called protheoria which simply consisted of lists with
notational signs, phonic neumes and their combinations, the great signs, the phthorai, the echemata.
The parallagai (solfège examples) were usually started by a wheel diagramme or kanonion which
demonstrated at the same time the tetraphonic tone system which was often also called trochos
system («tone system of the wheel»). Another appendix usually included various mathemata
(«exercises») which were used to teach the different methods. The most common were (1) a neume
list organised as a long mathema passing through all modes of the oktoechos system «Mega Ison»
which was ascribed to Ioannes Koukouzeles, (2) a short mathema «Avvas avvam» which was
supposed to teach an Athonite method. There were many other methods, even those which
pretended to teach the «method of Ptolemy» or the one «of Ioannes Damaskenos», many were
ascribed to more recent schools like the one of «Bounes Alyates», the first archon protopsaltes who
continued psaltic art during the Ottoman Empire.

2.3. Further theoretical explanations

In some manuscripts the papadikai were followed by additional parts which included more
theoretical explanations like the treatises written by Manuel Chrysaphes, Gabriel Hieromonachos,
Ioannes Ploudiadenos or Kyrillos Marmarinos.
Manuel Chrysaphes already observed by the end of the Byzantine Empire that scribes were no

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longer familiar enough with the various methods to do the thesis of the melos, that they already felt
seduced to use notation in an analytical or (as it became later called) «exegetic» way. But according
to the rules of psaltic art, this use was not correct and regarded as a sign of ignorance.
In order to understand the distinction between a certain «background» and the melos as the concrete
level of performance, which was not written down, but created in the very moment during a
celebration and its ritual needs, we have first to understand the basics of a musical memory which
could deal with such a distinction, which can be also regarded as a certain freedom which was not
supposed to be frozen by a detailed written transmission.
We first have to understand an important difference, which we already observed between the New
Method and the first print editions, and the former individual way, how scribes dealt with notation,
but also with solfa (solfège called «parallage») and tone system («systema»), the understanding of
the melos and tempo with respect to genres of Orthodox chant and their books.

2.4. Tone System and Parallage

I will refer first to two parallage diagrammes which were connected with two different tone
systems: (1) the tetraphonia identified with the trochos or «wheel», and (2) the triphonia identified
as «the wise parallage by Ioannes Plousiadenos», whose phthongoi were bundled as tetrachord
chains, so that the resulting shape was four x, so that a singer could always choose from a
crosspoint between two ascending and two descending ways of parallage.

2.4.1. The Trochos System and its Parallage Diagrammes

The parallage of psaltic art by Ioannes Maistoros Koukouzeles:
Dodecanese Archive, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335, ff. 5
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/storage/files/image/cache/image/0eee5d6d29c26672/4184680.w.1200.j
pg
The more common form was the trochos («wheel») or kanonion (a kind of table with the parallage
in the columns and the transposition in the rows) which was sometimes also organised as a big
wheel with five rings and four peripheral simple wheels. The latter represented the eight diatonic
modes and the vertical axis (between 12 and 6 o'clock) the pentachord between the modal degrees
of the kyrios and the plagios. The kanonion or the big central wheel with five rings represented all
possible transpositions of the tetraphonic tone system.
According to newer findings the earliest form of the big wheel (found in a manuscript of the Great
Lavra on Holy Mount Athos) did not illustrate only tetraphonia within the pentachord between
kyrios and plagios, but within its peripheral wheels also tetraphonic solfège within the distance of
seven steps (heptaphonon) under the kyrios. In case of the kyrios devteros (the peripheral wheel on
the top right), the seventh step (heptaphonon) between kyrios devteros down to the phthongos of
varys means an interval of an augmented octave!
Often there was also just one simple wheel which sometimes was even just represented by four
columns. On the top these columns had defined from left to right as α᾽ (protos), β᾽ (devteros), γ᾽
(tritos), and δ᾽ (tetartos), the ascending parallage step by step where each phthongos is memorised
by an echema of the four diatonic kyrioi echoi:
ἀνανὲς, νεανὲς, νεανέ ἀνὲς, ἅγια
Since each column represented a step in the descending (up-down) or ascending direction (down-
up), the same columns were defined at the bottom πλδ᾽ (plagios tetartos), πλα᾽ (plagios protos), πλβ᾽
(plagios devteros), υαρ (varys, grave mode, the name of plagal Third), from right to the left we can

4
read the descending parallage step by step where each phthongos is memorised by an chema of the
four diatonic plagioi echoi:
ἄνες, νεχέ ἀνὲς, ἀνέ ἀνὲς, νεάγιε
These four columns can be organised as spokes of a wheel, so that it has two hemispheres: a
clockwise one following the phthongoi of kyrioi echemata ascends, and a counter-clockwise one
following the phthongoi of plagioi echemata descends.
First of all, I should explain two Greek terms which were connected with solfège:
• parallage (ἠ παραλλαγή)
the solfège which moves up and down step by step
• metrophonia (ἡ µετροφωνία)
The memorisation of the background of a musical composition, as it was fixed into phonic neumes.
The echemata follow according to the phthongoi indicated by phonic neumes.
As Manuel emphasised the metrophonia did not represent the melos itself, the concrete realisation
was found by the so-called «thesis of the melos» which was based on methods with respect to the
chant genre, but also with respect to local schools and their way of teaching.
one example:
Papadikai had lists of echemata, where each echema was usually followed and illustrated by the
incipit of a certain sticheron idiomelon.
A singer could now decide to sing such a sticheron according to the conventional method of the old
sticherarion (often called palaion according to the old book), but if one singer was skilled enough,
such a singer could also use John Koukouzeles' kalophonic method to follow the sticheron step by
step in a soloistic way, she or he could even stop the whole process and restart the performance of
the sticheron from its beginning, by using a medial intonation «palin» («again»). Thus, a sticheron
kalophonikon based on a method which was identified by one of the most common mathemata, the
«Mega Ison», was created.
If a singer performed a cherouvikon according to the papadic method invented by Manuel
Chrysaphes himself, the singer was as well very flexible with respect to the length of the
cherouvikon. In psaltic art there always existed the flexibility to adapt the length according to the
ritual. In this case such a singer decided against the method to sing the old cherouvikon asmatikon
within the tonality of its original echos.
If we distinguish now different levels to prepare a performance of chant, we should bare in mind
that metrophonia, the recapitulation of a composition by identifying each step by the corresponding
echema, was entirely based on tetraphonia. The advantage of this preparation was, that all
transpositions and their exact place were studied in the first place. The simplest form of
transposition was, when plagios phthongos turned into its kyrios (which caused a change into a
lower register), or vice versa the kyrios into its plagios (which caused a change into a higher
register).
In psaltic art, the disposition of the echoi could be fixed individually for each composition of a
sticherarion or a koinonikon for instance, but it also could be changed within one and the same
composition, depending on the complexity of the given composition, and through how many echoi
it was supposed to pass.
After having specified the particular important role of the tetraphonic tone system, I can continue to
explain a rather sophisticated subject, the role of the other two tone systems which were also used.

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2.4.2. The Triphonic Tone System and its Parallage Diagramme
This diagramme is called «the wise parallage of Ioannes Plousiadenos» (Botonakis 2014):
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/storage/files/image/cache/image/0eee5d6d29c26672/4184679.w.1200.j
pg
The triphonic tone system was usually identified with one of the two Hagiopolitan phthorai: the
phthora nana. In fact, such a change or transition to triphonia and to the phthora nana was not
indicated by a phthora, but by a great sign known as xeron klasma (ξηρὸν κλάσµα).
In practice the melos of phthora nana was defined by the enharmonic genus and by a limited
ambitus of two tetrachords which were connected by a phthongos which was also the final and one
of the base degrees of the mode. Today there are used other two base notes which are the first and
the second degree of the lower tetrachord.
Within the papadic melos it is also possible to change the register, so that the higher tetrachord
becomes the one of the base notes and a the melos goes up to a third tetrachord. For instance, if the
melos starts between C—F—b flat, and might continue between F—b flat—e flat, the octave or
heptaphonon (c, f) will always have a great tone (9:8) to the next lower degree.
Now, the triphonia cannot only be established within the enharmonic genus of phthora nana, there
were other mele which mixed chromatic and diatonic tetrachords which are connected to each other,
so that they share the same ambitus like phthora nana, but with a different genus in each tetrachord.
These combinations had their own parallage diagramme which is ascribed to the hymnographer
Ioannes Plousiadenos (ca. 1429-1500), as a friend of Cardinal Bessarion he favoured after the fall of
Constantinople a union between the Catholic and the Orthodox rite, but also the use of polyphony
within Orthodox chant, an experiment which he realised in Venice.
His solfège diagramme described triphonia not only organised around tritos/varys and
tetartos/plagios tetartos, but also in combination with the chromatic phthora nenano around protos,
devteros, and tetartos, and a triphonic organisation of the diatonic echos legetos (which is rather
odd for a singer today).

2.4.3. Heptaphonia as Part of the Thesis of the Melos

Unlike the New Method heptaphonia (or the Greater Perfect System) is excluded from the level of
parallage (solfège), it only existed within the melos itself, related to a certain echos which is ruling
a composition or after the melos changed to the next echos (µεταβολὴ κατὰ ἤχον).
This means within the diatonic echos devteros, based on b natural (a tune which became classified
as diatonic echos varys according to the New Method), a singer would not sing an augmented
octave, as exemplified within the tetraphonic parallage of the heptaphonon.
Such a progression in parallage from b natural down to B flat could with respect to the method of
doing the thesis of the melos require two changes of the echos like from echos legetos (mesos
tetartos based on a low E) to echos protos (based on D), and from there to echos varys (based on B
flat).

2.5. The Echemata and the Phthorai

The explanation of parallage does not explain the use of all echemata and specific meaning of
phthora as it was defined within the papadike. As mentioned above, each papadike has lists of
phthorai and of echemata.

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2.5.1. The Echemata
The echemata collection is ordered according to the oktoechos (4 kyrioi, 4 plagioi), but there is not
just one echema per echos, it should rather be regarded as a list of mele (τὰ µέλη) which are more
than eight, each one exemplified by the incipit of a sticheron.
These lists make evident, that the papadike originally was supposed to be an introduction of the
sticherarion, but it also means that the oktoechos notation of the sticherarion, since the 13th century
the Middle Byzantine round notation, was supposed to integrate all the mele, not only those which
could be found in the over-regional collection of stichera idiomela present in the sticherarion, but
also all the mele present in the other books, whether they belong to the monastic tradition like the
parakletike or oktoechos and the «book of canons», the heirmologion, or whether they belong to the
cathedral rite or Asma like the asmatikon (choir book) and the psaltikon (book of the monophonaris
or lampadarios) or kontakarion (since the collection of kontakia dominated the latter book).
Just one example taken from the echos tritos collection Syme, Ms. 334, fol. 8:
The echemata of tritos are abbreviated as nana intonation, but the first echema is indeed the
intonation of the diatonic kyrios tritos, or more precisely a mesos form of it, since it does not end on
the phthongos of the kyrios (c), but on the one of mesos (a). The incipt of the sticheron starts on
plagios devteros (E) and the first phrase or kolon makes a cadence on the phthongos of plagios (F).
The second echema is again a diatonic mesos intonation, and a medial signature indicates the
phthongos of protos (a).
The third tritos intonation is complete and finishes at the phthongos of kyrios tritos (c).
The fourth tritos intonation is shorter and uses the great sign of the «thes kai apothes» (c).
Also the four echemata of echos devteros on the same page should be noted the first two echemata
are diatonic standard intonations leading to the kyrios phthongos (b natural).
The third is a mesos intonation which leads to the protos phthongos (a), but it has a phthora nenano
which indicated that chromatism rules the tetrachord between protos and plagios devteros.
The fourth echema is the standard diatonic mesos intonation of echos devteros which ends on the
tetartos phthongos (G).
On the following page the last of four echemata of plagios devteros has an explicit chromatic
intonation of phthora nenano, but there is not such an echema among the plagios tetartos section
which has an explicit enharmonic nana intonation.
Nevertheless, the first standard intonation of the diatonic echos plagios tetartos is followed by an
incipit which is without any doubt an example of a melos composed in phthora nana, which is
clearly indicated by the great sign of xeron klasma on the phthongos of tritos (F). Since it is the first
echema, it is obviously regarded as the most common melos of echos plagios tetartos, the mesos
form as it was favoured by John of Damascus and his stepbrother Kosmas.
The second echema introduces the diatonic mesos form of tetartos (E), the standard form is
followed by an incipit whose melos emphasises a pentachord A—E. It means this diatonic standard
form can be used for all diatonic mele of echos plagios tetartos, wherever their melos might begin.
The third echema of echos plagios tetartos introduces again a melos composed within the triphonia
of phthora nana, but this time in the lower register Γ—C—F instead of C—F—b flat. The echema
is adapted to the lower beginning on the phthongo/s of the lower tetrachord and can hardly be
found often in a /papadike.
The fourth echema is another enharmonic mesos intonation on the phthongos of plagios protos (D),
the enaphonos. The complexity of the examples shows clearly the integrative function of the

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Papadic oktoechos represented by the echemata.

2.5.2. The Phthorai

The definition of the phthora is no longer based on the autonomy of the mele represented by the two
Hagiopolitan phthorai nenano and nana, which was the main concern of the Hagiopolites. The
papadic list of phthorai does not even mention the phthora nana, since it is indicated by a great
sign. Phthora as sign is based on the Greek letter Φ and it is supposed to be used to indicate
transpositions (µεταβολαὶ κατὰ τόνον), since the parallage is based on tetraphonia not all of the
eight diatonic modes need to be represented by a phthora. Their number differs between different
papadikai.
The most common phthorai are those of the four kyrioi, and those representing the plagios protos
and plagios devteros together with phthora nenano which is closely related to the tetartos phthora,
likewise are the phthorai of plagios protos and plagios devteros.
Some later papadikai also mention phthorai for echos varys and plagios tetartos which were not so
common, and two other signs which should indicate the change to another tone system (µεταβολὴ
κατὰ σύστηµα): hemiphonon (ἡµίφωνον) and hemiphthoron (ἡµίφθορον).

2.6. The Methods

After the parallage diagrammes, there are so-called methods (ways of teaching) which are
exemplified by exercises (mathemata). These mathemata could be quite different and they were
ascribed to different maistoroi or archon protopsaltes like Ioannes Glykys, Ioannes Koukouzeles'
«Mega Ison», of the Thessalonicans, Athonite (Hagioreitike) method «Avvas avvam» (with each
kolon passing through nother mode of the oktoechos), method of the nenanismata by Xenos
Korones, or less common ones which were ascribed to «Ptolemy», «Ioannes of Damascus», or
Ottoman Protopsaltes like Georgios Bounes Alyates, Ioannes Xyros etc.

3. Books of the Papadike and Their Composition

The papadike already appears during the 13th century, parts mixed with an older treatise which
could be recognised by its dialogue form, the so-called «Erotapokriseis» which is composed as a
dialogue between a an alumnus and his master. Passages have been also compiled with echemata
and neumes lists, so that there is a fluent border between papadike and other later forms of
explanations which accompanied the list of signs given in the papadike.

3.1. The Old Sticherarion

Sticheraria are known as a new type of a notated chant book which had developed since the turn to
the 11th century as the result of a hymn reform. The original sticherarion consisted of four parts:
• a menaion which was basically a collection of stichera idiomela composed for the fixed
cycle of feast and ordered into twelve months starting with September and ending with
August
• a triodion or Lenten triodion which opened the mobile cycle of feasts beginning with the
Sunday of Pharisee and the Publican ten weeks before Easter and ending with the Holy
Week preceding Easter or with Palm Sunday
• the pentekostarion or Flower triodion beginning with the hesperinos of the Resurrection
feast or Monday of the Holy Week until All Saints' Sunday which follows the Sunday of

8
 Pentecost
• a short form of a book called «oktoechos» which included only the chant sung during the
evening service (hesperinos) of Saturday in preparation of Orthros and Liturgy on Sunday
morning
Most of the repertoire was composed within the 11th century, and the earliest notation used by was
theta notation which was soon replaced with palimpsests in Old Byzantine notation (Coislin types
in Palestine and St Catherine's, Egypt, or Chartres types in Constantinople). After the return of the
Patriarchate and the court in 1261, the sticheraria changed considerably, between the 13th and the
14th centuries the repertoire became smaller (the so-called standard abridged version), and between
the 13th and the 15th centuries more and prosomoia were written out in notation, sometimes
between pentekostarion and oktoechos, sometimes as part of the oktoechos.
The book oktoechos was only ordered within its parts according to the eight modes:
• very few stichera anastasima
• stichera alphabetika and anatolika (in oktoechos order)
• anavathmoi (in oktoechos order)
• stichera heothina (sometimes with kekragaria, ps. 140, and aineite psalm, ps. 148, in
oktoechos order)
See the sticherarion of the Paris collection (F-Pn gr. 260, fol. 240v):
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10722180k/f249.item
• stichera prosomoia (in liturgical order, sometimes combined with the oktoechos order)
• stichera dogmatika and stavrotheotokia (oktoechos order)
Since the sticheraria became more and more unified, often with the notation of variants in red ink,
scholars called them the revised sticheraria (by «Ioannes Koukouzeles»), some of them had a
papadike or at least a protheoria as introduction which was in some manuscripts added later. These
sticheraria are referred until the Ottoman period as «old sticherarion».
See for all the details of composition the sticheraria I-Rvat Ottob. gr. 380, F-Pn gr. 260, and GB-
Ctc B.11.17.

3.2. The Akolouthiai

The akolouthiai is dated back to the the time Ioannes Koukouzeles, and it became the book of the
new mixed rite which had to replace the former cathedral rite of the Hagia Sophia. Thus, the
akolouthiai replaced both books of the cathedral rite the Asmatikon, book of the domestikos to
prepare the choir, and the psaltikon or kontakarion, book of the lampadarios and other singers who
recited from the ambo, but it also included the typikon—the rule (diatyposeis), which prescribed the
«order of the services» and the position of the singers. Its name derived from there, because ἡ τάξις
τῶν ἀκολουθιῶν or short «akolouthiai» became the name of the book.
Ioannes Koukouzeles' reform is today regarded as the end of a long process, which started with the
Western conquest of Constantinople, after crusaders had destroyed the Polis and the local rite was
expelled. During the period, when the court and the local patriarchate went into exile in Nikaia,
many Greek monasteries became active in the production of asmatika and kontakaria, but they did
not notate them in the local notation of Constantinople, but in the notation of the monastic hymn
book sticherarion. Thus, many new signs had to be integrated within the Middle Byzantine Round
notation, so that the synthesis was already done, when the first akolouthiai had been written.

9
Nevertheless, the former cathedral rite did survive elsewhere as in the Hagia Sophia of
Thessalonica. Still during the last decades before the Turkish conquest of the Polis, the local
Metropolit Symeon regarded his Hagia Sophia as the last church where the old cathedral was
continued in an authentic form, and he emphasised many differences between Thessalonica and the
new mixed rite in Constantinople.
In former research the papadike was identified as the introduction of the akolouthiai, since it had
the music of the cathedral rite and it taught the synthesis of different signs which actually developed
within different chant books. Thus, it was regarded as the first evidence, that the Hagiopolitan
oktoechos did really replace the former system of 16 echoi which belonged to the Asma (ἡ
ακολουθία ᾀσµατική, the «sung rite») and which was briefly mentioned in the Hagiopolites.
But there are some earlier sticheraria since the 13th century who already had a protheoria which
taught the same synthesis, but also simple psalmody for eight echoi. On the base of these findings
Christian Troelsgård decided against a distinction between Middle Byzantine and Late Byzantine or
Koukouzelian notation, so that Middle Byzantine notation was used until the reform of Chrysanthos
in 1814.
The composition of akolouthiai could be quite different. A very famous and long version was
written by Manuel Chrysaphes in 1458, and it survived as Ms. 1120 of the collection of the Iveron
Monastery on Mount Athos (GR-AOi). This book has many parts, it collected polyeleoi for the
orthros, a kratematarion as a collection of kalophonic kratemata. The kratemata could be sung
alone as well as part of odes of the heirmologion or small sections taken from the stichera idiomela,
when they were sung by soloists according to the kalophonic method. But there forms were
manifold and they even could be ethnic compositions with transcriptions of local traditions (Slavic
or oriental songs even Persian chant). Some akolouthiai also had additional parts for heirmoi
kalophonikoi and sticherarion kalophonikon.
The last part was usually an anthology for the divine liturgies. Within this part there were still a few
realisations of the cherouvikon, the cherouvikon asmatikon (for the Hagia Sophia) which had grown
considerably under the influence of the new kalophonic art. It had long sections about abstract
syllables which wer usually supposed to be sung by the domestikos. These sections became as long
as the rest sung by choir and the lampadarios on the ambo. A shorter version, still composed in the
echos plagios devteros, was the cherouvikon palatinon which was supposed to be sung by the
Palatine chapel.
The earliest papadic oktoechos cycle for the cherouvikon was in fact composed by Manuel and
written down the first time in 1458 (GR-AOi 1120, ff. 504–522’).
Akolouthiai are rare, they were only written in certain Poleis, no akolouthiai was ever mentioned in
an Italian monastery, where sribes continued to write or update asmatika or kontakaria.
Famous akolouthiai are next to the one of Lavra Iveron, Ms. 2406 (dated 1453), Ms. 2401, and Ms.
2458 (dated 1336 and pribably the earliest known manuscript) of the National Library of Greece in
Athens (GR-An), or the Ms. 457 of the Lavra Koutloumousiou (GR-AOk), whose front depiction
with Ioannes Glykys, Koukouzeles, and Xenos Korones was cut out and stolen.
The first akolouthiai which can today be studied online, is a manuscript of the Theol. gr. collection
in Vienna (Austrian National Library, A-Wn Theol. gr. 185):
http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AL00237897
Ms. 185 was written about 1400 in Thessalonica. The first pages are possibly missing and had a
protheoria, but the manuscript today has the Mega Ison on the first two folios. This akolouthiai have
four other parts: Hesperinos collection (ff. 3r–76v), Orthros collection (ff. 77r–233v), Liturgy of
John Chrysostom (ff. 233v–276v), Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (ff. 276v–281v), and an

10
appendix: chant for the Holy Week (ff. 282r–291r), 2 stichera of the triodion (ff. 291v-292v),
Ioannes Kladas: evlogetarion (ff. 293r–300v), Xenos Korones' oktoechos method of the sticherarion
(ff. 301r-308v), sticherarion (ff. 309r–341v).
For a more detailed description see Christian Hannick's which he published within the catalogue:
http://bilder.manuscripta-mediaevalia.de/hs//katalogseiten/HSK0784_b0370_jpg.htm

3.3. The Sticherarion kalophonikon

According to Manuel Chrysaphes, it was Ioannes Koukouzeles who invented the kalophonic
method to perform stichera idiomela and by doing so, he always followed the old sticherarion step
by step. His method was the very same which he taught with the mathema «Mega Ison».
But there are earlier realisations by Nikolaos Kampanes, Michael Aneotes, and Ioannes Glykys, and
others by contemporaries like Nikephoros Ethikos, Xenos Korones, and Ioannes Kladas, and later
composers like Germanos Hieromonachos and Manuel Chrysaphes. These sticheraria also
distinguished a more deliberate form called «anagrammatismos» which was usually done over the
final section of sticheron. Parts of the text were not just repeated, but also enriched with new verses.
Since compositions by Kampanes were embellished by Ioannes Koukouzeles and Xenos Korones
(which usually meant teretismata at the end of the section) it is assumed that they both revised early
sticheraria kalophonika. The question is, whether the kalophonic method originally were composed
by the use of notation or whether it was specific way of performance which was written down later
or by lower ranks among the singers of the Patriarchate.
The sticherarion kalophonikon usually contained a collection of these transcriptions in the
traditional order of the sticherarion. Sometimes it had just the menaion or both cycles (menaion,
pentekostarion, triodion) and it could become very voluminous. Although this genre was the
essence of psaltic art only very few ralisations were published in print transcribed into the New
Method, and also quite late. The problem is that stichera kalophonika and anagrammatismoi are
usually regarded as too long for a liturgical performance during orthros or hesperinos.
Chourmouzios transcribed the whole repertoire of the mathematarion of the sticherarion in eight
volumes. For this very reason the sticherarion kalophonikon was often called mathematarion
(«book of exercises»).
It must be an open question, if very complete and voluminous sticheraria kalophonika do really
mean that all compositions ascribed to Ioannes Koukouzeles are personal realisations that the
composer did himself. Another possible interpretation is that the exercise was indeed a matter of the
scribe himself who applied the method of «Mega Ison» to a given model given by the old
sticherarion.
But today the discussion is not only reduced to the sticherarion kalophonikon, also realisations of
the old sticherarion (by New Chrysaphes and Germanos of New Patras) in the school of Georgios
Raidestinos had been explained that the growing thesis of the sticheraric melos was under influence
of the kalophonic idiom.
A very late sticherarion kalophonikon, written with Middle Byzantine notation during the 1770s in
Yeniköy, has survived in the collection of the music department of the State Library of Berlin.
Although Mus. ms. 25059 has only the fixed cycle (menaion), it has about 1900 pages.
See the analysis of one sticheron kalophonikon by Kampanes with teretismata by Koukouzeles in
my doctoral thesis:
http://ensembleison.de/publications/oktoichos/III/3/

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3.4. The Anthology of the Papadike
Later during the Ottoman period, the akolouthiai was replaced by a less sophisticated type which
was called the «Anthology of the Papadike».
In fact, most of the papadikai known today preceded these anthologies, but despite their name and
their dedication to psaltic art, they did not only contain papadic chant, but also a collection of chant
which was written down not before the 15th century.
The papadike or protheoria was usually followed by the kekragarion of Panagiotes the New
Chrysaphes which became even more popular than later the doxastarion syntomon by Petros
Peloponnesios. If we look at the oktoechos part of later sticheraria (F-Pn gr. 260, ff. 240r-245v), we
find that each of the first eight stichera heothina is introduced by two settings of shorter psalm
verses (the hesperinos psalm and the one of the Sunday koinonikon). The setting of the hesperinos
psalm became a very popular avtomelon in each echos, since they were frequently used for the
recitation of prosomoia. Out of these cycles developed soon a new form of oktoechos book which
was called «anastasimatarion» or «voskresnik», since they also included the daily hymns of the
apolytikion anastasimon and the concluding theotokion.
The contents of these anthologies could differ considerably, sometimes the anthology for the
liturgies was so voluminous that it even had own cherouvikarion with a numerous collection of
papadic cherouvika cycles. Sometimes it also included a mathematarion and a heirmologion
kalophonikon.

4. The Maistores and Protopsaltes of the Palaiologan Dynasty

Byzantine studies always suffered from a lack of sources, often (in the worst case) they were more
or less entirely based on chronicles, but only recently these chronicles are studied with more
skepticism. The study of notated sources and hymnography, on the other hand, rely too much on
hagiograhic sources. The very sophisticated music palæography could analyse the integrative power
of the Hagiopolitan oktoechos and its music notation, but there is an even more complex history of
the sources which concerns the reception of Byzantine hymnography well beyond the area of the
Mediterranean. I will mention these traditions and their branches in the last unit.
The thematic focus of this unit is Constantinople and its mixed rite, concerning biographical
informations of the composers and maistoroi there are very few informations about them. The main
sources are the akolouthiai, the new chant book of the mixed rite, and the new habit of scribes to
mention the composers explicitely, as well in the revised monastic chant books (heirmologion,
sticherarion, parakletike or great oktoechos) as in the akolouthiai, and a few treatises or
explanations of authors who experienced the last period of the Byzantine period like Manuel
Chrysaphes, Gabriel Hieromonachos, and Ioannes Plousiadinos. The musicians at the Patriarchate
became wealthy celebrities organised as «Angelic Clerus», but very few is known about them
except their works notated in the manuscripts, and their contribution according to the judgement of
the last musicians associated to them.
Although these musicians are more present in the musicological encyclopædia than their followers
at the Patriarchate during the Ottoman Empire, these biographic articles offer very few information
with respect to sources about contemporary composers in Western Europe.

4.1. Michael Aneotos & Nikolaos Kampanes

Both composers are not identified and we know nearly nothing about them, but it is assumed that
they preceded Ioannes Koukouzeles. Despite Manuel Chrysaphes who regarded Koukouzeles as the
inventor of the genre sticheron kalophonikon, there are many embellished settings ascribed to

12
Nikolaos Kampanes, but beautified by Koukouzeles (meaning that the inserted kalopismos or
teretismos, a section over abstract syllables, was composed by Ioannes). Some papadikai have a
«method of the metrophonia» ascribed to «Kampanes» (Dodecanese Archive, Archeio
Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335, f. 14).
Michael Aneotos was mentioned by Manuel among the earliest composers who embellished the
Akathistos Hymn. A particular kalophonic arrangement of the cherouvikon asmatikon which does
not leave all kalopismoi to the domestikos, but rather preferred a kalophonic dialogue between
domestikos and lampadarios, can be found in the akolouthiai of 1453 (GR-An 2406, ff. 236vff). It is
ascribed to the «Domestikos Michael Aneotos».

4.2. Ioannes Glykys

Ioannes Glykys was mentioned by Manuel Chrysaphes as one of the first composers after Michael
Aneotes who did compose kalophonic settings for the Akathistos Hymn. Chourmouzios also
transcribed his realisation of the cherouvikon asmatikon, the trisagion and the Sanctus, but also
proper mass chant like the Easter koinonikon.
In the akolouthiai of the Athonite Lavra Koutloumousiou, Ms. 457, Ioannes throned over Ioannes
Koukouzeles and Xenos Korones, see a depiction which was stolen by Pyotr D. Ouspensky:
http://www.psalticnotes.com/articles/anagogy/anagogy_1.html
This illumination presented him as a giant or teacher of the teachers, indicating with both hands
cheironomies to two smaller figures at his feet. Those are called Ioannes Maistoros Koukouzeles on
the left and Xenos Korones on the right, both indicating another gesture by one hand, while holding
a book with the other one.
With respect to Ioannes Koukouzeles and Xenos Korones who had been regarded as well as the
teachers of the teachers, also because there survived many methods ascribed to them, the
compositions especially outside the kalophonic method are simpler and they use a smaller ambitus
than those of his followers.

4.3. Nikephoros Ethikos

Nothing is known about him, except that he had an office as domestikos, but neither the cathedral
nor the town are known, but he must have served some decades around 1300 since the 1280s.
In comparison with Ioannes Koukouzeles and Xenos Koronos, Nikephoros style was simpler
(shorter and within a smaller ambitus) and more conservative like the one of Ioannes Glykys.
About 40 compositions of the akolouthiai are ascribed to him. There are simple compositions like
doxologiai, allelouiaria and selected psalm verses (amomos 117, polyeleoi 44, 134-134), in which
Nikephoros represented the Thessalonican tradition, for the morning service (orthros), and some
antiphons composed for Christmas and Transfiguration (6 August) and settings of various
Byzantine hymns. Among his kalophonic compositions the 15th-century akolouthiai GR-An 2406
just preserved one kratema ascribed to «Ethikos» (there are more in later kratemataria), one
prologos preceding another missing kratema, and a kalophonic composition about the whole psalm
2 for the evening service (Hesperinos). Several stichera kalophonika are also ascribed to him.

4.4. Ioannes Koukouzeles

Ioannes Koukouzeles is the most mystic and legendary protagonist of Byzantine Music history,
although his vita was composed decades after his death and also reflects the history of Orthodox
theology and dogmatism. His exact life time is controversial, but with respect to other singers he

13
must have been younger than Nikephoros and his career must have begun about 1300.
He was born at the seaport Durrës of the current state Albania, and his clerical name already point
at his particular Greek language which was mixed with Slavonic, since he got his nickname by his
fellow students, because his usual answer was, when they asked him to join them for a meal, that he
prefered to eat beans (Gr. koukia) and cabbage (Sl. zeliya). Some scholars believe that his father
was a Greek priest, because in a few manuscripts he is also called Papadopoulos, and his mother
Slavonic.
The vita always emphasised his exceptional capabilities and his musical talent (often with excessive
ascriptions which are somehow characteristic for oriental music traditions which tend to imagine
certain protagonists as the cradle of the own tradition), on the one hand, and his modest and
reserved character, on the other hand, which convinced him to leave his noble and representative
environment whose psaltic art became more and more sophisticated under his very influence.
It is also interesting that one of the earliest ethnic compositions of the kratematarion, a book with a
separate collection of intersections which were also called «teretismata» or «nenanismata» which
were the abstract syllables used in kratemata, was called «ἡ βουλγάρα» (female form of «the
Bulgarian»). The vita says that Ioannes made this composition about a lament of his mother, while
she was missing him (in Albania there are still genres of laments exclusively addressed to the
personal longing for absent family members or lovers). In fact, the kratema like most kratemata
seems rather cheerful. It is not exactly what one might expect of a lament.
The tetraphonic parallage named after the Koukouzelian trochos («wheel») obviously existed
centuries earlier (even the kanonion and the possibility of transposition can be dated back to 10th
century), but the organisation of the kanonion into a wheel with five rings (not four) was probably
his invention and also represented an important choice among different possibilities: the conversion
of the same phthongos from plagios into kyrios and vice versa was less regarded as an equivalent
which existed within tetraphonia, but as a change to another ambitus and to another register up or
down. Since this diagramme goes beyond the cognitive horizon, it was probably used to experiment
or improvise with temporary transpositions (µεταβολαὶ κατὰ τόνον), since it could have helped
soloists to find their way back to the untransposed beginning.
Ioannes Koukouzeles is further regarded as the creator of the new books akolouthiai, as the revisor
of the old sticherarion and the heirmologion, and as the real inventor of kalophonia, although one
or two generations had obviously already developed the kalophonic method.
Manuel Chrysaphes' regarded Koukouzeles as the inventor of the anagrammatismos, a sticheron
kalophonikon about the final section of an old sticheron which also added new text to the given
verses, but Manuel emphasised that Ioannes always followed the given model of the sticheron step
by step. He wrote in fact the mathema «Mega Ison» and some musicologist believe that it was a
revision of a mathema by Ioannes Glykys. In fact, the classical style to create stichera kalophonika
and anagrammatismoi was that very method taught by this mathema. It might have caused that
large parts of sticherarion kalophonikon are ascribed to Ioannes, at least the kratemata of the
stichera kalophonika or anagrammatismoi.
Concerning the old sticherarion and the old heirmologion, it was a longterm process of
hymnography which developed in two or three monastic centers: the Stoudios Monastery of
Constantinople, the Mar Saba, and the Lavra of Saint Catherine at the foot of Mount Sinai. With
respect to the heirmoi, the revised heirmologion tried to integrate the compositions of Sinai and
Jerusalem within the Constantinopolitan repertoire (Martiani 2013).
But Koukouzeles' vita also reflects the history decades after Ioannes' death. Since the Athonite
mysticism of hesychasm was officially accepted during a later synod, Koukouzeles' search for a
refuge within the Great Lavra was connected with an initiation into hesychasm, a mystic movement

14
which became also popular on Mount Athos since the 13th century.
Ioannes Koukouzeles as Maistoros is admired as an exceptional teacher of psaltic art as it was part
of the official cathedral rite and of the courtly ceremonies, but it was in fact a mixed rite which was
created after 1261. The new mixed rite which had to replace the local tradition, since it was no
longer present, was in fact a fusion of the local cathedral and the monastic rite. This synthesis was
already done by those scribes who did transcribe the music of the cathedral rite into kontakaria and
asmatika by using the notation of the sticherarion, although its books were based on the
«Hagiopolitan Oktoechos».
As an official saint the historical figure Ioannes Koukouzeles stands for the difficult marriage of the
monastic with a new secular rite, which was not accepted outside Constantinople in Poleis where
the former cathedral rite was still a living tradition.

4.5. Xenos Korones

Xenos Korones' reputation as «teacher of the teachers» next to Koukouzeles is confirmed by six
methods ascribed to him. Among them two longer ones became very famous: the «method of
nenanismata and teretismata» in echos protos, and the «method of the sticherarion» beginning with
the first sticheron (SAV 1) which passes through all the echoi (but not to a systematic plan like in
Mega Ison) with melodic formulas from the entire repertoire of the old sticherarion (see
Dodecanese Archive, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335, ff. 10v-13r; ff. 24r-29r).
The 14th-century akolouthiai GR-An 2458 called Xenos Korones «lampadarios at Hagia Sophia»,
later sources also do mention that he later promoted to the position of the protopsaltes. We do not
know the exact dates of the nominations, but his activities must have been around 1350, since he
also set a religious poem composed by Patriarch Isidoros I (1347-49) into music.
Among the ascriptions in the akolouthiai the name Xenos Korones is more frequently mentioned
next to «Ioannes (Maistoros) Koukouzelis» and «Manuel Chrysaphes». Similar to ascriptions to
Koukouzeles concerning the mathematarion or sticherarion kalophonikon it is justified to
understand those ascriptions to Xenos Korones within kratemataria that these compositions had
been made according to Xenos' «method of teretismata».

4.6. Ioannes Kladas

Ioannes Kladas was Lampadarios at the Hagia Sophia, where he belonged to the «charitable
imperial clergy» (Λαµπαδάριος τοῦ εὐαγοὺς βασιλικοῦ κλήρου), and his oikematarion within the
akolouthiai was the main reference for later composers of the hyphos period who wished to study
the kalophonic method of the kontakion. He was one of the very few who did not only compose
kalophonic settings of Akathistos Hymn, but also of other kontakia. The akolouthiai (GR-An 2406)
which mentioned the office of Ioannes, also mentioned that one of the kalophonic settings of one
koinonikon was actually a composition by Ioannes' daughter.
Ioannes revised Korones' «method of the teretismata» (Dodecanese Archive, Archeio
Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335, ff. 20v-24r).

4.7. Symeon of Thessalonica

Archbishop of Thessalonica Symeon regarded the Hagia Sophia of his town as the last cathedral
where the asmatic rite was still alive. On this ground he refused all innovations of the Palaiologan
Constantinople as corruptions of the own local tradition.
Some of his writings, known as Περὶ τῆς ἱερὰς λειτουργίας, Περὶ τῆς θείας προσεύξης, Περὶ τοῦ

15
ἁγίου ναοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦτου καθίερωσεως and Ἀπόκρισεις πρὸς τίνας ἐρωτήσεις ἀρχιερέως (PG
155), are very precious documents because of their detailed descriptions of this rite about 1400. For
instance, Symeon describes that three antiphons are sung at the beginning of the divine liturgy as
well as at the beginning of Hesperinos, three psalms (Hesperinos: 114-116; Liturgy: 91, 92 & 94)
are sung with three troparia, the third troparion was in fact the trisagion, while the preceding
troparia addressed first the Theotokos and second Christ the Saviour (PG 155, col. 633). This means
that the practice to sing the trishagion thrice without psalm after the procession with the gospelbook
is not the traditional way of the cathedral rite as Symeon defended it.
The integer tradition was continued until the Turkish conquest of the Polis in 1430, 6 months after
Symeon's death.

4.8. Gabriel Hieromonachos

Gabriel was Hieromonk at the Xanthopoulos Monastery of Constantinople during the first half of
the 15th century. He is mainly known for his treatise about psaltic art Περὶ τῶν ἐν τῇ ψαλτικῇ
σηµαδίων καὶ τῆς τούτων ἐτυµολογίας («About the signs used within psaltic art and their
etymology»). He emphasised that somebody well skilled in psaltic art, knows to read and to write
notation by making a difference between a foreground (the melos) and a background which should
be fixed by notation. During the performance the well-skilled psaltes will create the melos
spontaneously out of an experience of how it has to be done in a beautiful way. There are also
kratemata in the kratematarion of Syme (GR-Sa 336) which are ascribed to «Gabriel of
Xanthopoulos».

4.9. Manuel Chrysaphes

By the end of the empire Manuel Chrysaphes was Lampadarios, not at the Patriarchate but at the
Court. The most we know about psaltic art relies on what he had written in his treatise which
followed the Papadike in the manuscript of Mone Iveron (GR-AOi 1120), a whole akolouthiai
written by Manuel himself in 1458. It has also one of the earliest papadic oktoechos cycles of
cherouvika which should replace the older custom to sing just the cherouvikon asmatikon.

4.10. Gregorios Bounes Alyates

Gregorios was first archon protopsaltes at the Patriarchate during the fall of Constantinople, he was
also sometimes called Georgios, because he called himself since his tonsure Georgios
Hieromonachos, later he started his career at the Patriarchate. It is said that he and Gerasimos, one
of the domestikoi, were called by Sultan Mehmet, because the latter had heard about the custom of
the second domestikos to write down, what the other chanters sing. He asked a Persian singer to
perform a Persian song and asked both chanters to notate it. Later he asked both to repeat the song
and the anecdote pretended that the Sultan were very pleased that it was better sung by them
according to their transcription. This anecdote is very similar to the one about Petros Peloponnesios
which said that Petros convinced the Sultan, that the Persian singer had stolen the song from him.
Nevertheless, it makes evident that there was a kind of competition between Greek and Persian
musicians, and this is confirmed by kratemata which were called «persikon» or «atzemikon».

4.11. Ioannes Hiereos Plousiadenos

Ioannes Plousiadenos was born around 1423 at Heraklion on the island of Crete. Already in 1204
the island had come under Venetian rule, Venice and Italy was very in Ioannes Plousiadenos' life.
Closely related to Cardinal Bessarion, Ioannes Plousiadenos' clerical career (priest and protopsaltes,

16
protothytes since since 1455, archon and latter protopapas since 1469, hegoumenos since 1482, and
since 1492 as Bishop Joseph of Methoni on the Peloponnesian peninsula, where he died during a
Turkish invasion in 1500) was related to his engagement for a union between the Orthodox and
Catholic churches within the province between Venice and Crete, but he was also not just a
Renaissance scholar, but also a hymnographer, protopsaltes, composer, and music theorist.
As a protopsaltes Ioannes contributed with many compositions to psaltic art, also two-part
realisations transcribed into Byzantine round notation. The library of St Catherine's Lavra at Mount
Sinai has three manuscripts written Ioannes Plousiadenos himself, one kratematarion (MS 1252),
one mathematarion (MS 1253), one anthology of the papadike (MS 1293).
He also wrote a treatise called «method of music» (Ἡ µέθοδος τῆς µουσικῆς) which included an
own parallage diagramme for triphonia, he explained it within the section Ἐρµηνεῖα τῆς
παραλλαγῆς (GR-AOd 570, ff. 119r-123v).

5. Glossary
The terms had been already introduced within the first unit, but it seems useful to rediscuss their
meaning according the earlier definition of the Papadikai and their explanations.
The akolouthiai (αἱ ἀκολουθίαι) is a short form of taxis ton akolothion (ἡ τάξις τῶν ἀκολουθιῶν)
which means literally the «order of services». It was the reformed edition of the books of the
cathedral rite (see asmatikon, psaltikon, and kontakarion) and usually introduced by a Papadike.
Hence, it combined the book of the monophonaris or lampadarios with the one of the domestikos
and the typikon (by its rubrics).
The allelouiarion (τὸ ἀλληλουϊάριον) corresponds to the Latin genre of alleluia verse which
depends on a limited number of refrains according to the sixteen echoi of the cathedral rite. Some
psaltika had these melodies in an appendix, while only the psalm verse was notated alone and
referred to one of these models.
Ambo (ὁ ἄµβων) did and do exist in several rites of the Mediterranean. In Orthodox services they
are used for the recitation of kontakia, but also for the soloistic part of the cherouvikon asmatikon
sung by the monophonaris. Ambos had been also used for political propaganda like in the cathedral
of Bitonto (Apulia) which has an ambo dedicated to «Magister Nicolaus» who supported politics by
Frederick II, they also had a particular function within the service of the candles during the Holy
Week, when the deacon read a richly illustratet Exultet roll before a huge candle.
The anagrammatismos (ὁ ἀναγραµµατισµός) was a particular deliberate form of sticheron
kalophonikon. Since their kalophonic melos was so elabrated that it often used just a section
(usually a third) of a given sticheron idiomelon, the anagrammatismos was conventionally a
composition about the final section, which returned to the main echos of the sticheron. It did not
just repeat words of the text as it was already expected within a sticheron kalophonikon, but it also
did change and insert new text with respect to the final verses which were used as the subject of the
poem. Despite the poetic freedom, Manuel Chrysaphes emphasised, that the anagrammatismos was
introduced by Ioannes Koukouzeles. Nevertheless, its musical form was not supposed to be a new
composition, since Ioannes always followed the final section of the sticheron «step by step».
The monastic chant book anastasimatarion (τὸ ἀναστασιµατάριον) followed the oktoechos book,
since it also contained the avtomela of the oral tradition like apolytikion anastasimon and the
theotokion. It was ordered according to the oktoechos order (four kyrioi echoi and four plagioi
echoi), each section opened with a setting of the first verses of the hesperinos psalm 140 (kyrie
ekekraxa). After this psalm the whole book was also called kekragarion during the 17th and 18th
centuries.

17
The anthology of the papadike (ἡ ἀνθολογία τῆς παπαδικῆς) was the common chant book which
followed the older book akolouthiai. It usually had its focus on Byzantine composers, but also
contained newer ones. Often it was opened by a papadike, followed by the kekragarion of
Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes an anthology of the orthros and another one for the divine liturgies,
but some traditionalist anthologies were organised very close to the akolouthiai.
The antiphon (τὸ ἀντίφωνον) should not be confused with the Latin term which simply meant the
genre troparion. The Greek term was more specific and meant a complex form of psalmody in three
periods, when the recited psalm was interrupted by the troparion. The cathedral or asmatic rite of
Hagia Sophia used a series of three antiphona at the beginning of the divine liturgy (their first two
psalms 91 and 92 were also called typika), but also in the middle of the hesperinos (Ps. 114-116).
The troparia which separated as refrain the psalmody were always the same: (first antiphon) Ταῖς
πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου, Σῶτερ, σῶσον ἡµᾶς. the third time was concluded by the small
doxology, (second antiphon) Ταῖς πρεσβείαις τῶν Ἁγίων Σου, σῶσον ἡµᾶς, κύριε. the third time
was concluded by the small doxology and the Athanasian symbol Ὁ µονογενὴς υἱὸς καὶ λόγος τοῦ
θεοῦ, (third antiphon) originally the used troparion was the trisagion. Today the antiphons are
rarely sung with the psalms during the divine liturgies, just the refrains, while the trisagion became
a genre of its own preceding the first lesson, the third antiphon was either the invitatorium (Ps. 94)
or the makarismoi (Jesus' prayer on Mount Sinai), its refrain replaced the trisagion with verses of
the following Small Entrance Σῶσον ἡµᾶς, υἱὲ θεοῦ, ὁ ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ψάλλοντάς σοι·
Ἀλληλούϊα.
The apolytikion anastasimon (τὸ ἀπολιτικίον ἀναστασιµὸν) is the Sunday resurrection hymn or
troparion sung according to the echos of the week. For this reason it is one of the best known
avtomela, and the current book of oktoechos has been called after it (see anastasimatarion and
voskresnik).
The archon protopsaltes (ὁ ἄρχων πρωτοψάλτης) was the highest rank among chanters at the
Patriarchate which followed the one of lampadarios.
The secular, cathedral, or asmatic rite, also choir or sung rite (ἡ ἀκολουθία ᾀσµατική), as it was
celebrated in the main chathedrals like the Hagia Sophia of Constantinople and Thessalonica. There
were other ceremonies at the Court and at the Hippodrome which had been collected and described
in a ceremonial written during Makedonian Renaissance of the Empire (10th century).
The asmatikon (τὸ ᾀσµατικὸν, «choir book») raditional notated chant book of the cathedral rite for
the domestikos to prepare the choir(s). We only gave asmatika transcribed into the oktoechos
notation of the sticherarion.
Troparia or stichera avtomela (τὸ στιχηρὸν αὐτόµελον sg.) which serve as a melodic model for
other hymns, the so-called prosomoia.
The cherouvikon (τὸ χερουβικὸν) or cherubim chant is regarded as the prototype for the Roman
offertorium chant or the Ambrosian chant called «offerenda», although a preliminary preparation
called «proskomide» was unknown in most of the Western rites. It was a troparion composed by the
end of the 6th century (often ascribed to Justin II), after the prothesis and the pastophorion were
separated from the sanctuary. This change in sacred architecture made an additional procession
necessary to carry the eucharist gifts from outside to the vema, the altar behind a marble screen
which corresponded to the later iconostasis and is still in use in some Constantinopolitan and
Thessalonican cathedrals.
The oldest notated sources of the cherouvikon are Latin: in transliterated Greek in a Missal written
near Aachen (Düsseldorf, Ms. D-2), and a Latin translation in some liturgical manuscripts of the
Royal Abbey Saint Denis near Paris, where it has been sung during Mass on Pentecost and during
the «Missa greca» for the Patron whose vita became associated with the Greek churchfather

18
Pseudo-Dionysios Areopagites under Louis the Pious. The oldest notated Greek sources which have
survived, are asmatika with the choir parts. According to the older tradition the cherouvikon
asmatikon (τὸ χερουβικὸν ᾀσµατικὸν) was composed in echos plagios devteros, the beginning and
the conclusion was sung by the choir and the domestikos (these parts were notated in the
asmatikon), but the main part of the troparion was sung by the monophonaris from the ambo (these
parts were noated in the psaltikon or kontakarion).
A shorter version called cherouvikon palatinon (τὸ χερουβικὸν παλατινὸν) was composed in the
same echos for the celebration within the Palatine chapel. The earliest composition is ascribed to
Ioannes Glykys, there is another famous version by Ioannes Koukouzeles.
Manuel Chrysaphes, lampadarios at the Court, was the first known composer who created a whole
cycle of papadic cherouvika (τὰ χερουβικὰ κατ᾽ ἤχων) for each mode of the oktoechos. This
nearly post-Byzantine tradition is followed throughout the Ottoman Empire until today. Because of
the use of kalophonic melos, its melos is classified now as papadic.
The oldest Greek formulas of the divine liturgy (ἡ Θεῖα Λειτουργία) within the Orthodox tradition,
it had first part with scriptural lessons open to the katechoumenoi (visitors who asked for baptism)
and a second part for the baptised (pistoi) which was opened by the procession of the cherouvikon.
Well-known formulas are the one ascribed to St Basil, its abridgement ascribed to St John
Chrysostom, and the one of Jerusalem ascribed to St James (Iakovos). The Latin form is sometimes
called after St Peter. In the current practice which is based on the mixed rite of Palaiologan
Constantinople, the most common liturgy is the one of St John Chrysostom, for special ceremonies
(especially during Lenten period) also the one of St Basil and the one of presanctified gifts.
The domestikos (ὁ δοµεστικός) was the lowest rank of the Patriarchate were the leaders of the right
choir (like lampadarios it was originally defined as a militaric office). Until the present day a
chanter career starts with the office of the second domestikos who was also in charge to transcribe
the performances of the archon protopsaltes, the lampadarios, and the first domestikos. The usual
promotion was the opposite order of the other mentioned offices.
The doxastikon or doxastichon (τὸ δοξαστικὸν) was the common way to open a sticheron
idiomelon by the small doxology Δόξα πατρί… It corresponds to the responsory in Western chant
since it followed the epistle, sometimes two were sung, one over Δόξα, the second over καὶ νῦν καὶ
ἀεῖ. Within the liturgical context of Orthodox celebrations, a doxastikon was sung during the
hesperinos, but also during orthros. Since the sticherarion is mainly a collection of notated
idiomela, the sticherarion was also called doxastarion since the Ottoman period and the school of
Georgios Raidestinos, whereas sticherarion rather meant the revised edition of 14th-century
sticheraria which were also called the «old sticherarion».
The echemata (τὰ ἠχήµατα, ἀπηχήµατα, ἐνηχήµατα pl.) is the name of modal intonations used for
the diatonic eight modes of the oktoechos (α᾽: ἀνανεανὲς, β᾽: νεανὲς, γ᾽: ἀνεανὲς, δ᾽: ἅγια, πλα᾽:
ἀνεανὲς, πλβ᾽: νεχεανὲς, υαρ: ἄνες, πλδ᾽: νεάγιε) and two phthorai known by the echema νενανῶ
and νανὰ. They were also used to memorise each step of the parallage, the kyrioi intonations in
ascending direction, and the plagioi echemata in descending direction.
Echos (ὁ ἦχος, Sl. гласъ «sound, voice») is the Byzantine term for modes related to the oktoechos.
There were once two tonal systems based on it, the system of 16 echoi of the cathedral rite (4 kyrioi,
4 plagioi, 4 mesoi, 4 phthorai), and the system of 10 echoi for the monastic or Hagiopolitan
oktoechos (4 kyrioi, 4 plagioi, and 2 phthorai). Their melodic models were more numerous and
called mele. The oktoechos order organised monastic hymns according to eight-week-cycles or
according to eight-day-cycles.
Еrotapokriseis or the «dialogue treatise» (οἱ ἐρωταποκρίσεις), a term which actually referred to
Socrates' philosophical method, within the context of Byzantine music history means a corpus of

19
chant manuals which preceded (like the papadikai) as an introduction the book sticherarion. Its
dialogue form was continued until the 18th century (in paraphrases by Kyrillos Marmarinos).
The genus (τὸ γένος sg., τὰ γένη pl.) was a common theoretic term taken from the ancient
harmonics, the eight modes of the oktoechos were defined as diatonic, the change into another
genus (ἡ µεταβολὴ κατὰ γένος) was basically realised by the phthorai: nenano into the chromatic
genus and nana into the enharmonic genus. The difference was basically defined by the smallest
interval which divided the tetrachord.
The great signs (τὰ µεγάλα σῃµάδια pl., τὸ µεγαλὸν σῃµάδι sg.) or hypostaseis (αἱ ὑποστάσεις pl.,
ἡ ὑπόσταση sg.) were neumes which were sometimes classified as «aphona» (τὰ ἄφωνα) or,
according to the early Middle Byzantine classification, as «mele» (τὰ µέλη), since they were not a
phonic combination («emphona», τὰ ἔµφωνα) which usually consisted of a sign classified as
«body» (τὸ σῶµα) and another one classified as «spirit» (τὸ πνεύµα). The papadic theory of great
signs derived from the practice of gestic signs (cheironomiai), and they usually meant a melodic
phrase and its rhythm. The proper understanding of the great signs was essential to perform the
thesis of the melos.
The heirmologion (τὸ εἱρµολόγιον) was a notated chant book invented by the Studites reform. It
followed the tropologion, but it had only the heirmoi (οἱ εἵρµοι), the melodic models which were
used to compose the hymns in the complex meter of the nine odes of the canon (αἱ ᾠδαὶ τῶν
κανόνων). There were two different principles to order the canons (kanones) according to the eight
echoi of the oktoechos (first the kyrioi then the plagioi), or within each section according to the
odes (all first odes, all second odes etc. within each echos). The second ode was celebrated
according to various local customs to handle the canon: all canons were celebrated completely until
the 9th century; the book for the Lenten period was also called «triodion» (sticherarion), because
the canon during orthros was reduced to the odes 2, 8 and 9 on Tuesday morning, unless there are
special canons with 2, 3 or 4 odes which intervene according Hagiopolitan custom; today, the
second ode is only sung during Lenten fast and the Great canon of Saint Andrew of Crete has all 9
odes.
Certain odes had become subject of kalophonic composition during the last period of the Byzantine
Empire. Nevertheless, the heirmos kalophonikos (ὁ εἵρµος καλοφωνικὸς) flourished later as a
para-liturgical genre by the turn to the 18th century with composition by Balasios the Priest, Petros
Bereketes, but also Daniel the Protopsaltes and others. Only the latter had been published within a
print edition of the heirmologion kalophonikon.
Hesperinos (ὁ ἑσπερινὸς) is the name of the evening service which opened a new liturgical day.
Within the cathedral rite it was followed by the orthros and the divine liturgy the following
morning. During the Palaiologan period there were two hesperinos forms, the festal hesperinos of
the asmatic rite as it can be found in the akolouthiai (Lingas 2013, 324-325): First antiphon (Ps.
185), Final antiphon, Ps. 140 with kekragarion and entrance, prokeimenon, three little antiphons
with the same troparia like the opening of the divine liturgy (Ps. 114-116), prophetic lessons,
concluding hymns (apolytikia). There was another festal hesperinos which was celebrated
according to Palestinian rite (the Constantinopolitan reception of the Hagiopolitan rite by the
Studites reformers during the 13th century, but later according to a recent reform of the Mar Saba
also called Neo-Sabbaite form, its changes are indicated in parentheses, see Lingas 2013, 346-348):
Invitatorium (Ps. 94), Ps. 103 (employed until the anoixantaria), stasis 1 with the first kathisma of
the psalter: Ps. 1-3 (through-composed neumatic settings of selected verses, each concluded by an
allelouia refrain), opening 2 with selected verses of Lamplighting psalms 140, 141, 129 & 116,
stichologia of these psalms, up to 10 stichera either simple prosomoia or elaborated idiomela, introit
Φῶς ἱλαρὸν, prokeimenon (melismatic with optional kalophonic codas), prophetic lessons, stichera
of the Lite (optional kalophonic settings), aposticha are syllabic prosomoia or neumatic idiomela,

20
except the first proceeded by psalmodic recitation of scriptural verses (with optional kalophonic
substitutes), concludings hymns apolytikia.
Idiomela (τὰ ἰδιόµελα pl.) are called stichera wich have their proper own melody, exclusively
composed for one text. It is mainly a characteristic name for a more complex musical composition,
as they were created since the school by Andrew of Crete and his followers John of Damascus and
Cosmas of Maiouma at Mar Saba (near Jerusalem). Nevertheless, Theodore Stoudites and his
brother Joseph alsο used idiomela as melodic models for new hymns they composed for the
triodion (stichera sung during the Lenten period), which means they used them like avtomela.
The ison (τὸ ἴσον) was not only the neume of a phonic neume which meant to stay with the same
pitch, it also meant that one phthongos included in itself a whole echos and its melos. Each melos
had a base note, in some cases also two or three base notes which were sung by the isokrates («ison
singers»). This practice to perform the base notes was called «isokratema», there is no concrete
notation for this practice, but it is part of the melopœia, the basic knowledge about the mele.
The kalophonia (ἡ καλοφωνία «beautiful sound») was related to a modern composition technique
of psaltic art which was less bound to the traditional method to stick to just one genre, but to a more
deliberate soloistic way to perform the melos of a sticheron, heirmos, kontakion, cherouvikon, or
polyeleos. Depending on different local schools, there were various methods of how to perform the
kalophonic melos.
Kalopismos (ὁ καλοπισµὸς) means a «beautification» of a given chant. Usually kalopismoi or
kratemata did not use the syllables of the hymn text, they were composed over abstract syllables
like «te-ri-rem» or «na-ne-na». Hence, they are also sometimes called «teretismata» (τὰ
τερετίσµατα), teretismoi (οἱ τερετισµοὶ) or nenanismata (τὰ νενανίσµατα).
The kanonion (τὸ κανόνιον) is the earliest table which was used for an orientation between
different transpositions (metavolai kata tonon). It preceded the big wheel also known as the
«parallage by Maistoros Ioannes Koukouzeles» (see trochos), since it could be already found in a
manuscript of Mone Megistes Lavras dating back to the 10th century (GR-AOml γ 67).
The name «kekragarion» (τὸ κεκραγάριον) was not only used for the anastasimatarion part of the
anthology of the papadike which was in most cases the redaction by Panagiotes the New
Chrysaphes, it appeared already in an akolouthiai manuscripts of 1336 (GR-An 2458), when the
psalm was written down in notation for the first time (see also the palimpsests around the first eight
stichera heothina in the sticherarion of Paris, F-Pn gr. 260, ff. 240v-244r). The name kekragarion
derived from the oktoechos order of the book, since each of the eight parts opened with a setting of
the hesperinos psalm 140 κύριε ἐκέκραξα. Already John Chrysostom testified the practice to open
the daily hesperinos with the first verses of psalm 140 and that it was known by heart by the
congregation, regardless of age and sex (Kujumdžieva 1995).
The kontakion (τὸ κοντάκιον) was a homiletic hymn genre of Constantinople which flourished
during the time of Romanos the Melodist (6th century). It consisted of a short introduction (τὸ
προοίµιον, sometimes also τὸ κουκούλιον) and between 18 and 24 stances called oikoi (οἱ οἶκοι pl.,
ὁ οἶκος sg. «house»). The genre included liturgical customs, victory and court celebrations, even
political propaganda after the massacre during the Nika riots during the in auguration of the rebuilt
Hagia Sophia.
Although we do not know the original melodies, Ioannes Kladas was the only composer during the
Palaiologan dynasty who applied kalophony to a limited number of kontakia. His compositions
were studied by composers of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Because the kontakion was recited from the ambo, the kontakion can only be found in the notated
book psaltikon, and since its repertoire was larger than the one of prokeimena and of the

21
allelouiaria, the psaltikon was usually called «the book of kontakaria» (τὸ κοντακάριον).
The original kontakion melodies are supposed to be simpler, but with respect to its Greek and
Slavonic sources there must be a distinction between a redaction within the cathedral rite in the
book kontakarion or the Old Church Slavonic book kondakar, and, since the 13th century, a
monastic reception of certain kontakia which alternated with other troparia of a particular day of
the cycle of immobile feasts (today written in a text book called «menaion»).
The koinonikon (τὸ κοινωνικὸν) corresponds to the Latin genre of communio. But unlike the
communio the communion chant once abandoned the practice of of simple psalmody in favour of a
melismatic treatment of the simple refrain (troparion) with a simple psalm verse which is
sometimes compilied, during the 11th and 13th centuries. The koinonika had a week cycle and year
cycle for immobile and mobile feasts and they had been collected in the book asmatikon, it was
sung by the choir and the medial intonations written in red ink by its leader. Later within the
collection of koinonika was written in anthologies for the liturgies in the books akolouthiai and
anthology of the papadike.
The kratemata (τὰ κρατήµατα) are compositions over abstract syllables (see also kalopismos),
which became part of the kalophonic melos during the Palaiologan dynasty following the school of
Ioannes Glykys and Ioannes Koukouzeles. Since the book akolouthiai these inserted compositions
have been collected in a separate book called kratematarion (τὸ κρατηµατάριον). The way they
were composed are manifold. Sometimes they changed into a certain phthora related to the echos of
a traditional composition. Since these phthorai had been understood as echos kratema, they could
be very innovative or integrate so-called ethnic compositions inspired by an Arab maqām or a
Persian dastgah. On the other hand kratemata which had been inserted near the end of a sticheron
kalophonikon or an anagrammatismos, usually recapitulated the medial signatures given by the old
sticherarion. Since the printed editions and the current custom have no use for the expansive
mathematarion or sticherarion kalophonikon, a printed version of the kratematarion (also with
compositions for the sticherarion) has only be published within the printed edition of the
heirmologion kalophonikon.
The more common name of the authentic mode of an echos which is usually called «kyrios echos»
(ὁ κύριος ἦχος). Within the Hagiopolitan oktoechos of the papadike, the kyrioi echoi were diatonic
and their base tone and final was supposed to be on the top of the pentachord which related the
kyrios with the plagios (for instance, protos: D— a, devteros: E— b natural, tritos: B flat— F,
tetartos: C— G). Hence, it was always in the middle of the octave which was related with a certain
echos. The living tradition of the oktoechos does no longer follow this papadic rule.
The lampadarios (ὁ λαµπαδάριος) was originally a military office and included the duty to hold the
lamp during certain court ceremonies. Later it became a higher rank among the chanters of the
patriarchate, and the first domestikos in charge to lead the (right) choir could promote to the office
of lampadarios which was connected with more duties to sing as a soloist (monophonaris) who
sometimes replaced the left choir, but he also was supposed to lead the left choir. Certain chanters
like Ioannes Kladas, Manuel Chrysaphes or Petros Peloponnesios or mainly recorded as
lampadarioi. Petros died during a plague in 1778 before he could promote to the office of archon
protopsaltes, Manuel Chrysaphes experienced the end of the Empire and its Court where he once
had the office as lampadarios, while we do not know for sure, if Ioannes Kladas ever continued as
archon protopsaltes.
The mathema (τὸ µάθηµα) simply means exercise and is first of all a reference to the the methods
of teaching, like Koukouzeles' exercise «Mega Ison» or Xenos Korones' «exercise of the teretismata
and nenanismata». Since the main focus of psaltic art was the artistic kalophonic way to innovate
the tradition.

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Nevertheless, the «book of exercises» or kratematarion (τὸ κρατηµατάριον) was not a collection of
methods like the appendix of a papadike, the mathematarion meant a more concrete realisation of
these methods concerning the stichera (τὸ µαθηµατάριον τοῦ στιχηραρίου «exercise book of the
sticherarion» or sticherarion kalophonikon), the heirmoi (τὸ µαθηµατάριον τοῦ εἱρµολογίου
«exercise book of the heirmologion» or heirmologion kalophonikon), or the theotokia (τὸ
µαθηµατάριον τῶν θεοτοκίων «exercise book for the hymns dedicated to the Theotokos»).
The melos (τὸ µέλος sg., τὰ µέλη pl.) and its creation (ἡ µελοποιία) was related to the term the
«thesis of the melos» (ἡ θέσις τοῦ µέλους) which meant the performance of the melos. Concerning
the transcription into phonic neumes, there was a distinction of a background from a foreground, the
mele was more or less a term for the foreground. In order to understand neume notation, a basic
knowledge about the melodic formulas was requested, and this knowledge was called melopœia. It
was nothing artistic, but the competence to read the traditional books like the sticherarion, the
heirmologion, the asmatikon, or the kontakarion. It was concerned about the melodic models like
the simple psalmody and its troparia, the heirmoi and the avtomela which allowed a singer to recite
many texts. Other more complex chant genres like the stichera and the kontakia, or papadic genres
like cherouvikon and koinonikon requested a communication based on final cadence formulas, by
which the change into another echos (metavole kata echon) and to another ison was realised in
exchange with the isokrates. The problem with chant books of the Palaiologan period is that readers
today are no longer familiar with the basic knowledge of melopœia belonging as an oral tradition to
these books. We might call them a (lost) key to understand Byzantine notation.
The mesos (τὸ µέσος) was like phthora an additional melos with its own base note which belonged
to one echos like the kyrios and the plagios which were defined according to the papadike by two
base notes which constituted a pentachord within the octave species. The mesos usually had another
base note within the same pentachord between the base note of kyrios and plagios. If the kyrios and
plagios of devteros were bases on a pentachord b natural—E, the mesos devteros was usually
expected on a melos based on G, the echos legetos (ὁ λέγετος ἦχος) could be regarded as a tetartos
melos based on a slightly lower intoned E within the tetartos tetrachord G—C, but also phthora
nana based on F was sometimes called «mesos tetartos».
The term method (ἡ µέθοδος) was related to another term «thesis of the melos» and to local schools
which did teach various methods of how to perform the melos. These methods (αἱ µέθοδοι) usually
followed the papadikai, for instance:
• ἡ µέθοδος τῆς µετροφωνίας πρὸς ἡµῶν ἰωάννου τοῦ δαµασκηνοῦ
method of the metrophonia for them by Ioannes Damaskenou
• ἡ µέθοδος στιχηραρίου ὀκτάηχος παλαία
method for the oktoechos of the old sticherarion
• ἡ µέθοδος τῆς µετροφωνίας τοῦ καµπάνη
method of metrophonia by Kampanes
• ἡ µέθοδος προπαίδια ποίηµα κατ᾽ ἰωάννου τοῦ κουκουζέλη
propaideutic method by Ioannes Koukouzeles
• ἡ µέθοδος ὡφεληµωτάτη τῶν νενανισµάτων καὶ τερεντησµάτων τοῦ κορώνη
useful method of nenanismata and teretismata by Korones
• ἡ µέθοδος κύρου Γρηγορίου µπούνη τοῦ ἀλυάτου
method by Mr. Gregorios Bounes Alyates (the first Ottoman archon protopsaltes)

23
 • ἡ µέθοδος πρὸς τοὺς µαθητὰς τοῦ πλουσιαδινοῦ
method for the students of (Ioannes) Plousiadinos
The metavolai (αἱ µεταβολαὶ «changes») are distinguished by four categories:
• change of the echos (ἡ µεταβολὴ κατὰ ἤχον)
e.g. change from the echos protos into the melos of echos tetartos
• change of the genus (ἡ µεταβολὴ κατὰ γένος)
e.g. change from the diatonic genus of echos protos into the chromatic genus of phthora nenano
• change of the tone system (ἡ µεταβολὴ κατὰ σύστηµα)
e.g. change from the heptaphonic system of the diatonic echos tritos into the triphonic system of the
phthora nana
• the transposition (ἡ µεταβολὴ κατὰ τόνον)
e.g. the phthongos (δ᾽) of echos tetartos turns into the one of echos tritos (γ᾽)
The metrophonia (ἡ µετροφωνία) is the recapitulation of the background notated in phonic neumes
by the echemata of parallage. It is the preparation which precedes the «thesis of the melos».
The monophonaris (ὁ µονοφωνάρις) is the soloist which is often specified by the rubric ὁ
µονοφωνάρις ἐπὶ τὸν ἄµβωνος («the soloist from the ambo»), which means that a foresinger
(probably the lampadarios) has to sing from the ambo.
The oktoechos is the most common tonal system identified with eight church tones. For a complete
understanding, it has to be understood from a modal musicological aspect and a liturgical aspect to
organise the week into eight-day cycles and the year into eight-week cycles, and the hymnals which
are organised according to the oktoechos with respect to the echos of the week.
The tonal system oktoechos (ὁ ὀκτώηχος) basically refers to eight diatonic modes identified with
the seven tropes (transposition octaves) of ancient harmonics. The Latin eight mode system refers to
seven octave species, but the octave D—d is specified by two different order D—a—d as Dorian
species based on D, and D—G—d as Hypomixolydian species based on G. The Carolingian
oktoechos was originally a transfer of the Hagiopolitan oktoechos which consisted of eight diatonic
modes called echoi and two additional phthorai, but while every echos had its own base note, it just
used four octave species which were not identical with those of the Carolingian oktoechos. On the
other hand, the author of the «Hagiopolites» also mentions another oktoechos of the Asma which
added 4 mesoi and 4 phthorai. The Old Church Slavonic kondakars were organised according to a
triphonic tone system with 12 modes called glasiy (гласы), also here the transfer had a creative
aspect which changed the tonal system considerably.
The book oktoechos (ἡ [βίβλιος] ὀκτώηχος) existed in two versions, the one for Saturday
hesperinos and Sunday orthros cycle which was part of the sticherarion (it included uusually just 3
anastasima, stichera anatolika, stichera alphavetika with anavathmoi, the 11 heothina anastasima,
exaposteilaria anastasima, stichera dogmatika and stavrotheotokia dedicated to the Mother of
God), and a more complete version which also included all the hymns (mainly troparia) sung
during weekdays: the parakletike also called «great oktoechos». In later sticheraria the oktoechos
also included notated versions of the prosomoia with the melodies taken from the stichera idiomela
(not avtomela) for the tessarakostes period (Paschal period within Pentecost). The more common
prosomoia made over avtomela belonged to an oral tradition which was written down much later.
The orthros (ὁ ὄρθρος) is the name of the morning service which preceded the divine liturgy within
the cathedral rite. The length of the service is usually twice as long as the divine liturgy. Within the

24
orthros the biblical odes or cantica were recited with psalmody, or replaced by kontakia concerning
the cathedral rite, or by the canon of the heirmologion and its troparia (the so-called exaposteilaria)
within the monastic rite (which is the common practice nowadays). The orthros has an own gospel
lesson which was introduced by a prokeimenon, and an Hoi ainoi (lauds) psalm (ps. 148-150)
whose final doxology was sung with the sticheron heothinon (a cycle of eleven stichera) each
Sunday. Other hymns of the book oktoechos or parakletike sung during orthros were the polyeleos
or amomos psalm (which followed the hexapsalm), the anavathmoi, three or four troparia for each
echos which were originally used for the recitation of psalm 119-130 and 132.
The papadike (ἡ παπαδική) was a short treatise which consisted mainly of lists of neume signs, its
phthorai and echemata. Later sections usually taught the parallage and metrophonia, and after that
the methods of various masters. This treatise had no long explanations (like those by Manuel
Chrysaphes, Gabriel Hieromonachos, or Ioannes Plousiadinos), but it was very focussed on notation
and on the practice of psaltic art.
The parallage (ἡ παραλλαγή sg., αἱ παραλλαγαὶ pl.) was the solfa, which simply meant to
memorise the tetraphonic tone system ascending step by step with the echemata of the kyrioi echoi,
and descending step by step with the echemata of the plagioi echoi. The solfa of hymns notated by
phonic neumes was not called «parallage», but «metrophonia». For both techniques parallage as
well as metrophonia existed methods to teach them.
The parakletike (ἡ παρακλητική «book of consolation» from koine παρακαλεῖν «to pray, implore,
comfort, encourage») or great oktoechos is a longer version of the simple book oktoechos, basically
eight complete proper services for the Offices of Saturday night and Sunday morning (hesperinos
and orthros), each one composed in just one echos. It also includes the common hours services for
each weekday. To these common of time hymns must be added those proper hymns of the menaion
(immobile feasts) and of the triodion and pentekostarion (see sticherarion).
The plagios echos (ὁ ἦχος πλάγιος τοῦ πρώτου, δευτέρου, τρίτου, τετάρτου) simply meant four
plagal tones within the oktoechos system. With respect to the kyrioi the base notes of the plagioi
echoi were the base of the pentachord as well as of the octave species.
Since neume notation indicates steps in relation to a modal signature, the phthongos (ὁ φθόγγος)
means a place within a tone system which can be converted into another one by a termporal
transposition (metavoli kata tonon).
The phthora (ἡ φθορά «loss, damage», but also «seduction» and «gradation of colours») was a
particular sign which was derived from the first Greek letter Φ. It had manifold meanings between
the 10th and 19th centuries. The psaltic art was mainly dominated by two definitions, an older one
of the «Hagiopolites» treatise which mainly referred to nana and nenano as mele of the
Hagiopolitan oktoechos, and a later one of the papadike which used phthora as a sign for all kinds
of metavolai, mainly for transpositions.
The papadikai used between five and nine phthorai for transpositions (metavolai kata tonon),
since there were essentialy four signs for the diatonic kyrioi echoi and the plagios devteros, but also
one for phthora nenano and all changes into the chromatic genus (metavole kata genos). Changes
into phthora nana and its triphonic tone system were not indicated by a phthora but by a great sign
called «xeron klasma».
The author of the «Hagiopolites» was mainly concerned to integrate the two phthorai nana and
nenano within the mele of the eight diatonic modes of the oktoechos. Both were defined as «echoi
of their own» with their independent melos and genus, subordinated to the eight diatonic echoi, so
that the Hagiopolitan oktoechos was in fact a ten mode system, while the word «loss» was evidently
concerned about the diatonic genus. This integrative aspect of phthora persisted within the papadic
psaltic art.

25
The polyeleos (ὁ πολυέλεος «many times mercy») psalm (ps. 44, 134-135) ended each stichos with
an allelouia refrain, and was performed during Sunday orthros after the Theos kyrios (ps. 117:27a).
The chant is found in many versions, sometimes called Constantinopolitan, Thessalonican or
Latrinos (in the tradition of the monastic state of Mount Latros in Asia Minor), there are many
compositions ascribed to Nikephoros Ethikos, Ioannes Koukouzeles, Kladas, or Xenos Korones,
their final doxology (triadika) was composed with additional verses and long teretismoi. It became a
popular genre for own kalophonic realisations until the end of the Ottoman period. On Sundays
during Lenten period, the polyeleos psalm was replaced by the so-called amomos psalm (ps.118),
which usually followed Theos Kyrios during orthros on Saturdays.
The prokeimenon (τὸ προκείµενον) corresponds roughly to the Western responsorium graduale,
since it was performed during the divine liturgy on Sundays, but also during orthros preceding the
morning gospel, and during each hesperinos between the kekragarion (ps. 140) and the three
syllabic antiphons preceding the prophetic lesson (Lingas 2013, 325). As such the prokeimenon
belonged to a proper cycle of the kontakarion combined with an allelouiarion and a kontakion for
an orthros ceremony of the cathedral rite. Its text contained usually 4 stichoi of the psalm (with
exception of the prokeimenon for Marianic feast and the one of the Holy Fathers of Nikaia which
were based on four stichoi of the cantica 9 and 7) and an initial refrain which was written and
notated in the psaltikon, because it was sung by a soloist (monophonaris) from the ambo. For some
prokeimena, known as «great prokeimena», there was a final choral refrain called «doche» (ἡ δοχὴ
sg., αἱ δοχαὶ pl.) which was written in the asmatikon.
The psalmody (ἡ ψαλµωδία) were melodic models with their beginnings and endings and their
accentuation patterns applied during the recitation from the psalter (the psalms, but also the biblical
odes according to their local combinations, as they were in use at the Hagia Sophia of
Constantinople). This was the earliest practice during orthros which preceded the recitation of
psalms, but also the recitation of kontakia, and the homiletic odes of the canon which usually still
referred to the biblical odes or cantica. Despite the early age of psalmody, its practice had not been
written down before the 13th century, when some erotapokriseis in sticheraria or introductions of
the akolouthiai exemplified the psalmody with the small doxology. Oliver Strunk argued that this
practice was much older by the presence of psalmodic formulas within the settings of the
anavathmoi.
The protheoria (ἡ προθεωρία) was the first part of the papadike which taught a generative
grammar of the notational signs, including combinations of phonic neumes. Since this was already
the purpose of the erotapokriseis, it can be regarded as the oldest part of papadike which preceded
the treatise type.
The term psaltic art (ἡ ψαλτικὴ τέχνη «the art of chant») was related to innovations by the school
of Ioannes Glykys and its kalophonic methods, but already during the 12th and 13th centuries the
earliest surviving books of the asmatic rite called asmatikon and kontakarion testify a current
tendency to the melismatic style among the chanters of the Patriarchate and the Palatine chapel.
The psaltikon (τὸ ψαλκτικὸν) was an alternative way to call the book kontakarion which only
contained the chant of those singers who sang from the ambo, not necessarily always the kontakia.
The term prosomoia (τὰ στιχηρά προσόµοια pl., τὸ στιχηρὸν προσόµοιον sg.) refers to those
hymns which use the melodies of the avtomela. Since the 14th century some of them had been
written down with notation in the sticheraria, the earlier practice was to write down the texts in the
unotated menaion or menologion and to indicate the incipit of the avtomelon whose melody was
used for recitation.
The sticherarion (τὸ στιχηράριον) was the new notated chant book by the reformers of the
Stoudios monastery in Constantinople, which together with the heirmologion was supposed to

26
replace the tropologion. Its name referred to the genre sticheron (τὸ στιχηρὸν) which was an
elaborated form of troparion, but still connected to the meter of hexameter used in psalmody. Since
the sticherarion was basically a huge collection of idiomela which had been composed within
different schools located at various monasteries, it became considerably unified during the 14th
century, so that a standard repertoire has been registered with SAV (standard abridged version)
numbers. The book sticherarion could be divided into four parts which were sometimes also
seperate books: (1) the menaion which contained all stichera idiomela (about 1400) of the
immobile cycle of feast starting with September and ending with August, (2) the triodion or Lenten
triod had the mobile cycle beginning with four Sundays before Lent, dedicated to Publican and
Pharisee, and concluding with the stichera of the Holy Week, (3) the pentekostarion or flowery
triod continued the mobile cycle with Easter Sunday until the Sunday after Pentecost, which was
dedicated to All Saints. Until the present day, Orthodox services have a different date to start the
mobile cycle than the Western church. The last part of the sticherarion (4) was the book oktoechos.
The stichera prosomoia were later inserted before the oktoechos, sometimes within the book in
oktoechos order, sometimes within the triodion.
The theotokion (τὸ θεοτοκίον) was a hymn dedicated to the Mother of God (Theotokos). Within the
book oktoechos, there were also stichera dogmatika dedicated to the dogmatic concept of
immaculation, and stavrotheotokia which focussed on the Mother of God suffering for her son. The
latter were only sung after the final troparia of the aposticha during hesperinos on Tuesday and
Thursday evening, and after the second stichos of the doxology (καὶ νῦν) of the lucernarion service.
The tone system referred to the term of Ancient Greek harmonics (τὸ σύστηµα). Unlike Western
chant which was entirely based on the systema teleion (τὸ σύστηµα τέλειον), Byzantine chant
changed between at least three tone systems:
• The most common one was definitely the tetraphonic tone system (τὸ σύστηµα κατὰ
τετραφωνίαν) which simply resulted from the practice of parallage and metrophonia. It
allowed a deliberate disposition of the eight echoi, because there was always a pentachord
between the base note of kyrios and plagios, whether in ascending or in descending
direction. Since the trochos was the Koukouzelian diagramme of parallage, it was also
called «trochos system».
• Concerning phthora nana its melos which rules the tritos and papadic plagios tetartos of the
current tradition of oktoechos, used the triphonic tone system (τὸ σύστηµα κατὰ
τριφωνίαν) as it was represented by the parallage digramme by Ioannes Plousiadenos.
• Within the melos of a certain echos, there was as well a heptaphonic tone system (τὸ
σύστηµα κατὰ ἑπταφωνίαν).
The trochos (ὁ τροχὸς) or the «Koukouzelian wheel» was most common parallage diagramme
which organised the metrophonia according to the tetraphonic system.
The troparion (τὸ τροπάριον) was the basic hymn form of monasticism, originally it was simply a
refrain used during psalmodic recitation of a psalm, canticum, or antiphon, but there are longer and
more complex forms of troparia like the sticheron, the cherouvikon, the koinonikon or the trisagion.
The latter was originally sung with the entrance psalm of the divine liturgy, then later it was
performed without any psalm and therefore repeated thrice before the small doxology. Also the
canon of odes given by the model of the heirmos belonged originally to the genre troparion. They
all could be found in the boook tropologion.
The oldest tropologion (τὸ τροπολόγιον) or troparologion (Syriac tropligin, Georgian iadgari,
Armenian šaraknoc') have survived as papyrus fragments dating back to the 6th century. They were
hymn books with modal signatures and preceded the books of the Stoudites reform like the
sticherarion and the heirmologion, but tropologia had been continued as unnotated hymn books

27
until the 12th century. They contained all monastic chant genres like stichera, troparia, but also the
odes of the canon. The Old Church Slavonic oktoich was closer to the organisation of the
tropologion, they were usually divided in two volumes (one for the kyrioi or Glas 1-4, and another
one with the plagioi or Glas 5-8), but each oktoechos part was ordered according to the year cycle
and included the hymns of the paraklitike.
The typikon (τὸ τυπικὸν) could be the rule dedicated by the founding abbot to a certain monastery,
but there was as well a typikon which prescribed ritual acts of the cathedral rite like the Western
ordo.
Voskresnik (Воскресникъ) is the Slavonic name of anastasimatarion and followed the book
oktoechos (Октѡихъ, Осмѡгласникъ).

6. Recordings with reconstructions of psaltic art

6.1. Italo-Byzantine chant

Ensemble Hagiopolites, dir. Ioannis Arvanitis
Sticheron Δεῦτε τῆς οὑρανίου (Apr 25, St Mark, πλδ᾽) according Cod. mess. gr. 127:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V57au3GoXLk
Ἀλληλουϊάριον echos protos (according Florence, Biblioteca Mediceo-Laurenziana, Cod. Ashb.
64):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_splnlUsAvA

6.2. Polyeleos by Ioannes Koukouzeles

Latrinos Polyeleos, echos protos (Greek-Byzantine Choir, Lykourgos Angelopoulos):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4uZnP8SL9g
Teretismos of the Polyeleos na Bulgarkata (Chamber Ensemble Ioan Kukuzel Angeloglasinyat):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x7wrZWDiaU

6.3. Byzantine stichera kalophonika

Cappella romana, Alexander Lingas
Programme for St Catherine's at Sinai
1. Sticheron (echos devteros)
2. First Canticle, Ode 7, The Song of the Three Holy Children, with Refrains
3. Sticheron «The Angel of the Lord came down» (echos plagios tetartos)
4. Conclusion of the First Canticle
5. Second Canticle, Ode 8
6. Kalophonic Sticheron «When the tyrant saw» (echos plagios tetartos)
7. Conclusion of the Second Canticle
The Vespers of St. Catherine:
1. Invitatorium (echos plagios tetartos)

28
 2. Proemium (echos plagios tetartos)
3. Anoixantaria by St. John Koukouzelis (echos plagios tetartos)
4. From the Lamplighting Psalms, the Kekragarion (echos protos)- Psalm 140:1
5. From the Lamplighting Psalms, the Kekragarion (echos protos) – Psalm 140:2
6. From the Lamplighting Psalms, the Kekragarion (echos protos) – Psalm 140:3-5
7. Three Stichera Prosomoia for St. Catherine (echos protos)
http://www.concertzender.nl/programma/bonum-est-661/
See Lingas (2010).
Greek-Byzantine Choir, L. Angelopoulos
Koukouzeles' sticheron kalophonikon Φρούρηζον πανένδοξε (Chourmouzios' transcription):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wws068J_yIY
See Angelopoulos' partition (Alexandru 2011).

6.4. Heirmoi kalophonikoi

Achillevs Chaldaiakis with singers of the Romanian choir «Potirul» (December 2015).
Heirmos kalophonikos Ἄστρον ἤδη ἀνατέταλκεν with kratema by Balasios the Priest (echos
protos):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l5kJ7H1-To

6.5. Byzantine kratemata

Romeiko Ensemble in historical costumes
Ioannes Koukouzeles' kratema echos devteros according GR-An 883 (Chourmouzios' transcription)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimltsqLL2k

6.6. Cherouvikon by Manuel Chrysaphes

Cappella Romana, dir. Alexander Lingas
Manuel Chrysaphes' Cherubic Hymn echos protos according MS Mt. Athos, Iviron 1120 (1458)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKLkJJ3ftIw

6.7. Heirmologic Chant of the Asma

Spyros Antonopoulos, Vasilis Lioutas, Elias Pittos (recording December 2011, Cambridge)
Christmas Kanon Μυστήριον ξένον by Manuel Chrysaphes (transcription by Chourmouzios):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUfrCSLgqzU

29
7. Bibliography

7.1. Sources

7.1.1. Akolouthiai
A-Wn Theol. gr. 185: Koukouzeles, Ioannes; Korones, Xenos; Kladas, Ioannes (1400). Vienna,
Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. theol. gr. 185. Βιβλίον σὺν Θεῷ ἁγίῳ περιέχον τὴν
ἄπασαν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς τάξεως συνταχθὲν παρὰ τοῦ µαΐστορος κυροῦ Ἰωάννου
τοῦ Κουκουζέλη. Thessaloniki.
http://data.onb.ac.at/rec/AL00237897
Terzopoulos, Konstantinos (2009). Patriarchal Chant Rubrics from Konstantinos Byzantios'
Notebook for the Typikon: 1806-1828. 2nd International Conference of the American Society of
Byzantine Music and Hymnography (ASBMH-2009).
Video of the presentation:
http://www.asbmh.pitt.edu/page9/page13/page17/page17.html
Presentation with facsimilia of akolouthiai of Athens (National Library of Greece):
http://psalticnotes.com/articles/theoria/asbmh09_pages/asbmh09_blue/index.html

7.1.2. Anthologies of the Papadike

GB-Lbl Harley 5544: Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes. London, British Library, Harley Ms. 5544.
Papadike and the Anastasimatarion of Chrysaphes the New, and an incomplete Anthology for the
Divine Liturgies (17th century).
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?index=0&ref=Harley_MS_5544
GR-Sa 334: Archives of Dodecanese, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 334. Complete
Anthology of the Papadike with Papadike, Anthology of Hesperinos, Anthology of Orthros,
Anthology for the Liturgies, Mathematarion with kalophonic compositions dedicated to the
Theotokos and of the sticherarion with menaion, and Kratematarion with echemata (after 1743).
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/browse/resource.html?tab=tab02&id=16956
GR-Sa 335: Archives of Dodecanese, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 335. Complete
Anthology of the Papadike with Papadike, Anthology of Hesperinos, Anthology of Orthros,
Anthology for the Liturgies, Mathematarion kat'echon dedicated to the Theotokos, and
Kratematarion with Kratemata kat'echon and appendix with kratemata and mathemata (after 1743).
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/browse/resource.html?page1&tab=tab02&id=16957
BG-SOn gr. 76: Sofia, SS. Cyril and Methodius National Library. Ms. Gr. 76. Anthology of the
Papadike with Makarismoi, Kekragarion, Anthology for Orthros, and Anthology for the Liturgies
(1772).
http://digital.nationallibrary.bg/DWWebClient/Integration.aspx?
i=General&lc=VXNlcj1mcmVlXG5Qd2Q9ZnJlZQ&p=SRLV&sed=318a29df-62bf-494f-b8cf-
41798d5b0c54&culture=en
RO-Bst 49m: Bucharest, Stavropoleos Monastery, Ms. 49m. Anthology of the Papadike with
Protheoria, Kekragarion of New Chrysaphes, Anthology for the Liturgies, Anthology of Orthros,
Menaion of the Sticherarion, Mathematarion (before 1779). http://www.stavropoleos.ro/biblioteca-

30
digitala/psaltichie/manuscrise/fondul-stavropoleos/
RO-Bst 52m: Bucharest, Stavropoleos Monastery, Ms. 52m. Anthology of the Papadike with
Protheoria with echemata, Kekragarion of New Chrysaphes, Anthology of Orthros, Anthology for
the Liturgies, Mathematarion of the Sticherarion and of the Heirmologion, Panagiotes the New
Chrysaphes' Koinonikon Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε (before 1779). http://www.stavropoleos.ro/biblioteca-
digitala/psaltichie/manuscrise/fondul-stavropoleos/
GR-Aipa Πεζάρου 15: Ioannes Koukouzeles; Germanos of New Patras; Panagiotes the New
Chrysaphes; Balasios Iereos; Petros Bereketes; Anastasios Skete; Petros Peloponnesios; Petros
Byzantios. Athens, Ιστορικό και Παλαιογραφικό Αρχείο (ΙΠΑ), MIET, Ms. Pezarou 15. Anthologiai
of Psaltic Art (late 18th century). Athens: Μορφωτικό Ίδρυµα Εθνικής Τράπεζας.
http://www.ipamiet.gr/miet/material/xml/gallery.zhtml?oid=598

7.1.3. Kratematarion
GR-Sa 336: Archives of Dodecanese, Archeio Demogerontias Symes, Ms. 336. Kratematarion in
oktoechos order (each section is concluded by an «echema») with compositions mainly by old
(Ioannes Glykys, Ioannes Koukouzeles, Xenos Korones, Nikephoros Ethikos, Ioannes Kladas,
Gabriel of Xanthopoulos Monastery, Manuel Chrysaphes, Gregorios Bounes Alyates) and a few by
new composers (Demetrios Dokianos, Markos Hieromonachos, Ioannes Lampadarios who is often
just called «Lampadarios»?, Kontopetras, Argyros) (ca. 1734).
http://arxeiomnimon.gak.gr/browse/resource.html?tab=tab02&id=16958

7.1.4. Revised Heirmologia

GR-Ll 262: Lesvos, Library of the Leimonos Monastery, Ms. Lesbiacus Leimonos 262.
Heirmologion of the Leimonos Monastery (14th century). Lesvos: Leimonos Monastery.
http://84.205.233.134/library/view_more_en.php?id=266&status=1&type=manuscript
I-GR Ε.γ. ΙΙ: Hirmologium Cryptense – Réproduction integrale du Codex Cryptensis E.γ. II, ed. by
Lorenzo Tardo, Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae, vol. 3; Rom: Libreria dello Stato 1950.

7.1.5. Revised Sticheraria of the 14th century

I-Rvat Ottob. gr. 380: Rome, Biblioteca apostolica vaticana, Cod. Ottob. gr. 380. Complete
Sticherarion with Menaion, Triodion, Pentekostarion, and Oktoechos with prosomoia (late 14th
century).
http://digi.vatlib.it/view/MSS_Ott.gr.380
F-Pn gr. 260: Paris, Bibliothèque nationale, fonds grec, Ms. 260. Complete Sticherarion (Menaion
ff. 1r-146r; Triodion ff. 147r-186v; Ἀκολουθία τῶν ἁγίων παθῶν ff. 186v-200r; Pentekostarion
incomplete ff. 200r-221r; Oktoechos ff. 221r-253r with stichera anastasima, stichera alphabetika (f.
221v), stichera anatolika (f. 222r), anavathmoi (f. 237r), kekragaria with stichera heothina (f. 240v),
and prosomoia and stichera stavrotheotokia; protheoria f. 253v).
http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/btv1b10722180k
GB-Ctc B.11.17: Cambridge, Trinity College, Ms. B.11.17. Complete Sticherarion with Menaion,
Triodion, Pentekostarion and Oktoechos with Prosomoia of the Athonite Pantokrator Monastery (ca.
1400).
http://sites.trin.cam.ac.uk/james/viewpage.php?index=84

31
7.1.6. Sticheraria kalophonika (Mathemataria of the Sticherarion)
GB-Lbl Add. 38821: Sticherarion kalophonikon (Menaion, Triodion, Pentekostarion) for the use at
the Patriarchate of Jerusalem (recycled portions of an old sticherarion 15th c.; 17th-18th c.).
Detailed description.
http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/FullDisplay.aspx?ref=Add_MS_28821
ET-MSsc Sin. gr. 1462: Akolouthiai with Papadike, fragment of a Hesperinos Anthology,
Mathematarion (mainly about the Sticherarion), and a short Anthology for the Liturgies (15th c.)
https://www.loc.gov/item/00279382870-ms/

7.2. Editions

7.2.1. Mathemataria
Ioannis Lampadarios & Stephanos Domestikos, 1851. Πανδέκτη της Ιεράς Εκκλησιαστικής
Υµνωδίας του όλου ενιαυτού. Εκδοθείσα υπό Ιωάννου Λαµπαδαρίου και Στεφάνου Α’, δοµεστίκου
της του Χριστού Μεγάλης Εκκλησίας, 4 vols [vol. 2 (Ἀνθολογία τοῦ Ὄρθρου), 3 (Περιέχων τὰ
µέγιστα µαθήµατα) & 4 (Ἀνθολογία τῆς Ἱερὰς Λειτουργίας µετὰ καλλοφωνικῶν Εἵρµων)].
Constantinople: Publisher of the Patriarchate. http://anemi.lib.uoc.gr/metadata/b/8/4/metadata-06-
0000088.tkl
Kyriazides, A., 1896. Ἐν ἄνθος τῆς καθ’ ἡµάς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς µουσικῆς περιέχον τὴν ἀκολουθίαν
τοῦ Ἑσπερίνου, του Ὅρθρου καὶ τῆς Λειτουργίας µετὰ καλλοφωνικῶν Εἵρµων µελοποιηθέν παρὰ
διάφορων ἀρχαιῶν καὶ νεωτερῶν Μουσικόδιδασκαλων, Constaninople: Alexandros Nomismatides.
Sarafov, P.V., 1912. Рѫководство за практическото и теоретическо изучване на восточната
църковна музика [includes an Anthology dedicated to Ioan Kukuzel with Menaion, a Voskresnik,
and an Anthology for Utrenna and the Divine Liturgies], Sofia: Peter Gluškov.
http://analogion.com/site/pdf/slavonic/Sarafov%20-%20Rukovodstvo%20%28Sofia,
%201912%29.pdf

7.2.2. Papadikai
Alexandru, M., 1996. Koukouzeles’ Mega Ison — Ansätze einer kritischen Edition. Cahiers de
l’Institut du Moyen-Âge grec et latin, 66, pp.3–23.
http://cimagl.saxo.ku.dk/download/66/66Alexandru3-23.pdf.
Alexandrescu, O., 2011. Tipuri de gramatici în manuscrise muzicale de tradiţie bizantină. Studii şi
cercetări de istoria artei. Teatru, muzică, cinematografie, 49-50, pp.21–55. http://www.scia.istoria-
artei.ro/2011-2012.php.
Fleischer, O., 1904. Die spätgriechische Tonschrift, Berlin: Reimer.
https://archive.org/stream/neumenstudienab00fleigoog#page/n101/mode/2up
Tardo, Lorenzo (1938), L'antica melurgia bizantina, Grottaferrata: Scuola Tipografica Italo
Orientale «S. Nilo», pp. 151–163.

7.2.3. Chant Treatises

Wolfram, G. & Hannick, C. eds., 1997. Die Erotapokriseis des Pseudo-Johannes Damaskenos zum
Kirchengesang, Monumenta musicae Byzantinae - Corpus scriptorum de Re Musica, 5. Vienna:
Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.

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Hannick, C. & Wolfram, G. eds., 1985. Gabriel Hieromonachos:  Abhandlung über den
Kirchengesang, Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae – Corpus Scriptorum de Re Musica, 1. Vienna:
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften, ISBN 978-3-7001-0729-3.
Conomos, Dimitri, ed. (1985), The Treatise of Manuel Chrysaphes, the Lampadarios: [Περὶ τῶν
ἐνθεωρουµένων τῇ ψαλτικῇ τέχνῃ καὶ ὧν φρουνοῦσι κακῶς τινες περὶ αὐτῶν] On the Theory of
the Art of Chanting and on Certain Erroneous Views that some hold about it (Mount Athos, Iviron
Monastery MS 1120, July 1458), Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae - Corpus Scriptorum de Re
Musica, 2, Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, ISBN 978-3-7001-
0732-3.
Botonakis, A., 2014. Η Σοφωτάτη και Αρίστη Παραλλαγή Ιωάννου Ιερέως του Πλουσιαδηνού
[Ioannes Plousiadenos: Biography and explanation on his theoretical treatise Ερµηνεία της
Παραλλαγής]. Επιστηµονική Επετηρίδα, 3, pp.337–373. https://www.academia.edu/12731771/

7.2.4. Ceremonials and typika

Konstaninos Porphyrogennetos, 1829. Constantini Porphyrogeniti Imperatoris De Ceremoniis
Aulae Byzantinae libri duo graece et latini e recensione Io. Iac. Reiskii cum eiusdem commentariis
integris Leipzig (1751-54). J. J. Reiske & J. H. Leich, eds., Bonn: Weber.
http://archive.org/details/corpusscriptorum07niebuoft
Thomas, J. & Constantinides Hero, A. eds., 2000. Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents: A
Complete Translation of the Surviving Founder’s Typika and Testaments. Washington, D.C.:
Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection.
http://www.doaks.org/resources/publications/doaks-online-publications/byzantine-studies/typikapdf
Terzopoulos, K., 2008. The Protheoria of the Typikon of the Great Church of Christ, edited by the
Protopsaltes Georgios Biolakes. ISSN: 1941-7616.
http://www.psalticnotes.com/articles/protheoria/protheoria.html
Terzopoulos, K., 2004. Some Notes on the Slavic Translation of Konstantinos Byzantios' «Typikon
Ekklesiastikon». Theologia, 75, pp.497–527. https://www.academia.edu/2249633/

7.3. Internet pages

7.3.1. Introduction
Reconstructed map of medieval Constantinople:
http://www.byzantium1200.com/tiles.html
Reconstruction of historical buildings:
http://www.byzantium1200.com/contents.html
Terzopoulos, K., 2008. Singing with the Angelic Choir: Anagogy, the Prototype of Orthodox
Worship and the Psaltic Art. psalticnotes journal, 1.
http://www.psalticnotes.com/articles/anagogy/anagogy_1.html

7.3.2. Encyclopedic articles

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherubikon
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papadic_Octoechos

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7.4. Introduction into Byzantine Notation
Troelsgård, C., 2011. Byzantine Neumes:  A New Introduction to the Middle Byzantine Musical
Notation. In Monumenta musicae byzantinae, Subsidia, 9. Copenhagen: Museum Tusculanum
Press.
Tillyard, H.J.W., 1935. Handbook of the Middle Byzantine Musical Notation, In Monumenta
musicae byzantinae, Subsidia, 1. Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard.

7.5. Studies
Alexandru, M., 2011. Byzantine Kalophonia, illustrated by St. John Koukouzeles’ piece Φρούρηζον
πανένδοξε in Honour of St. Demetrios from Thessaloniki. Issues of Notation and Analysis. Studii şi
cercetări de istoria artei. Teatru, muzică, cinematografie, 49-50, pp.57–105.
http://www.scia.istoria-artei.ro/2011-2012.php
--------–—, 2007. «Χρυσέοις έπεστι», ένα στιχηρό του Αγίου Ιωάννου του Χρυσοστόµου στη
διαχρονική του εξέλιξη: Παλαιογραφικές και αναλυτικές αναζητήσεις. In Proceedings of the 1st
International Conference of the ASBMH in 2007. pp. 337–485.
http://www.asbmh.pitt.edu/page12/Alexandru.pdf
--------–—, 2000. Studie über die ‘großen Zeichen’ der byzantinischen musikalischen Notation unter
besonderer Berücksichtigung der Periode vom Ende des 12. bis Anfang des 19. Jahrhunderts. 3 vol.
PhD Thesis. University of Copenhagen.
--------–—, 1998. Zur Analyse byzantinischer Musik. Eine historische Sichtung des Formelbegriffs.
Studia Musicologica, 39, pp.155–185. http://www.jstor.org/stable/902531
Alexandru, M. & Troelsgård, C., 2013. The Development of a Didactic Tradition – The Elements of
the Papadike. In G. Wolfram & C. Troelsgård, eds. Tradition and innovation in late- and
postbyzantine liturgical chant II : proceedings of the congress held at Hernen Castle, the
Netherlands, 30 October - 3 November 2008. Eastern Christian Studies. Leuven, Paris, Walpole:
Bredius Foundation, Peeters. pp. 1–57.
Antonopoulos, S., 2013. Manuel Chrysaphes and his Treatise: Reception History, a Work in
Progress. In E. (ed. . Nikita-Sampson et al., eds. Crossroads | Greece as an Intercultural Pole of
Musical Thought and Creativity. Proceedings of the International Musicological Conference
(Thessaloniki, June 6-10 2011). Thessaloniki: School of Music Studies, Aristotle University, pp.
153–171. https://www.academia.edu/2953955/
Arvanitis, I., 1997. A Way to the Transcription of Old Byzantine Chant by means of Written and
Oral Tradition. In C. Troelsgård, ed. Byzantine Chant — Tradition and Reform: Acts of a Meeting
held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 1993. Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens. Athens:
Danish Institute at Athens, pp. 123–141. http://analogion.com/site/zip/Arvanitis.zip
--------–—, 2003. The Rhythmical and Metrical Structure of the Byzantine Heirmoi and Stichera as
a Means to and as a Result of a New Rhythmical Interpretation of the Byzantine Chant. In Le chant
byzantin: état des recherches – Actes du colloque tenu du 12 au 15 décembre 1996 à l’Abbaye
Royaumont. Acta Musicae Byzantinae. http://analogion.com/site/pdf/Arvanitis-Paleobyzantine.pdf
--------–—, 2011. Ο ρυθµός των εκκλησιαστικών µελών µέσα από τη παλαιογραφική έρευνα και
την εξήγηση της παλαιάς σηµειογραφίας. PhD thesis. Korfu: Ionian University.
http://phdtheses.ekt.gr/eadd/handle/10442/21885
Chaldaiakis, A.G., 2013. The Story of a Composition: Or ’Adventures’ of Written Melodies during
the Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Era. In G. Wolfram & C. Troelsgård, eds. Tradition and

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innovation in late- and postbyzantine liturgical chant II  : proceedings of the congress held at
Hernen Castle, the Netherlands, 30 October - 3 November 2008. Eastern Christian Studies. Leuven,
Paris, Walpole: Peeters, pp. 261–289. http://www.academia.edu/3308858/
--------–—, 2011. From the Ritual of the Matins Service: The insertion of poetic texts in the chant of
the Polyeleos. Muzikologija, 11, pp.75–101. http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/MUZ1111075C
Conomos, D., 2012. What is a Troparion? Musicology Today, 12, pp.1–14.
http://www.musicologytoday.ro/BackIssues/Nr.12/studies1.php
-------–—, 1980. Communion Chants in Magna Graecia and Byzantium. Journal of the American
Musicological Society, 33, pp.241–263. http://www.jstor.org/stable/831112
Kujumdžieva, S., 1995. The Kekragaria in the Sources from the 14th to the Beginning of the 19th
Century. In Cantus planus: Papers read at the 6th meeting, Eger, Hungary, 1993. Budapest:
Hungarian Academy of Sciences, pp. 449–463. http://www.uni-
regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_I/Musikwissenschaft/cantus/CPvolumes/1995.pdf
Lingas, A., 2013. From Earth to Heaven: The Changing Musical Soundscape of Byzantine Liturgy.
In C. Nesbitt & M. Jackson, eds. Experiencing Byzantium: Papers from the 44th Spring Symposium
of Byzantine Studies, Newcastle and Durham, April 2011. Farnham: Ashgate, pp. 311–358.
https://www.academia.edu/4118102/
-------–—, 2010. Late Byzantine Cathedral Liturgy and the Service of the Furnace. In S. E. J.
Gerstel & R. Nelson, eds. Approaching the Holy mountain: art and liturgy at St. Catherines
Monastery in the Sinai. Cursor mundi. Turnhout: Brepols, pp. 179–230.
https://www.academia.edu/3643026/
-------–—, 1996. Sunday Matins in the Byzantine Cathedral Rite: Music and Liturgy. Electronic
Thesis or Dissertation (PhD). Vancouver: University of British Columbia.
https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/6156
Martani, S., 2013. Koukouzeles’ Heirmologia: The Manuscripts St Petersburg 121 and Sinai gr.
1256. In G. Wolfram & C. Troelsgård, eds. Tradition and Innovation in Late Byzantine and
Postbyzantine Liturgical Chant II: Proceedings of the Congress held at Hernen Castle, the
Netherlands, 30 October - 3 November 2008. Eastern Christian Studies. Leuven, Paris, Walpole:
Peeters, pp. 135–150.
Moran, N., 2015. Nochmals zum Großen Einzug in die Hagia Sophia. Eine Erwiderung an Robert
Taft. Oriens Christianus, 98, pp.174–183. https://www.academia.edu/21414917/
-------–—, 2006. Music and Liturgy in the Hagia Sophia, Constantinople. In M. Altripp & C.
Nauerth, eds. Architektur und Liturgie. Akten des Kolloquiums vom 25. bis 27. Juli 2003 in
Greifswald. Spätantike - Frühes Christentum - Byzanz. Kunst im ersten Jahrtausend. Reihe B:
Studien und Perspektiven, 21. Wiesbaden: Reichert, pp. 265–270.
https://www.academia.edu/8890151/
-------–—, 2005. The Choir of the Hagia Sophia. Oriens Christianus, 89, pp.1–7.
https://www.academia.edu/6984005/
-------–—, 2002. Byzantine castrati. Plainsong and Medieval Music, 11(02), pp.99–112.
https://www.academia.edu/6983627/
-------–—, 1986. Singers in late Byzantine and Slavonic painting, Leiden: Brill.
http://books.google.com/books?id=5-wigEUmmCgC
-------–—, 1975. The Ordinary chants of the Byzantine Mass, Hamburg: Verlag der
Musikalienhandlung K. D. Wagner.

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Penčeva, B. V., 2010. The Sensual Icon. Hong Kong: Penn State Press, 2010.
https://books.google.com/books?
id=qD6sBZCXnloC&lpg=PA45&hl=en&pg=PA45#v=onepage&q&f=true
Raasted, J., 1995. Koukouzeles’ revision of the sticherarion and Sinai gr. 1230. In J. Szendrei & D.
Hiley, eds. Laborare Fratres in Unum: Festschrift László Dóbszay zum 60. Geburtstag. Spolia
Berolinensia. Hildesheim: Weidmann, pp. 261–277.
-------–—, 1966. Intonation formulas and modal signatures in Byzantine musical manuscripts.
Monumenta musicae byzantinae, Subsidia, 7. Copenhagen: E. Munksgaard.
Strunk, W.O., 1960. The Antiphons of the Oktoechos. A Musicological Offering to Otto Kinkeldey
upon the Occasion of His 80th Anniversary — Journal of the American Musicological Society, 13,
pp.50–67. http://www.jstor.org/stable/830246
-------–—, 1956. The Byzantine Office at Hagia Sophia. Dumbarton Oaks Papers, 9/10, pp.175–
202. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1291096
Trapp, E., 1987. Critical Notes on the Biography of John Koukouzeles. Byzantine and Modern
Greek Studies, 11, pp.223–229. http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/030701387790203136
Troelsgård, C., 2003. A handlist of the ‘Standard Abridged Version’ (SAV) of the Sticherarion
according to Oliver Strunk. Cahiers de l’Institut du Moyen-Âge grec et latin, 74, pp.3–20. Updated
version: http://www.igl.ku.dk/MMB/standard.html
-------–—, 1997. The Development of a Didactic Poem: some Remarks on the ‘Ison, oligon oxeia’
by Ioannes Glykys. In C. Troelsgård, ed. Byzantine Chant: Tradition and Reform — Acts of a
meeting held at the Danish Institute at Athens, 1993. Monographs of the Danish Institute at Athens.
Aarhus: Aarhus UP, pp. 69–85.
Wanek, N.-M., 2013. Sticheraria in spät- und postbyzantinischer Zeit: Untersuchungen anhand der
Stichera für August, Vienna: Praesens.
Wolfram, G., 1993. Erneuernde Tendenzen in der byzantinischen Kirchenmusik des 13.-14.
Jahrhunderts. Actas del XV Congreso de la Sociedad Internacional de Musicología: Culturas
musicales del Mediterráneo y sus ramificaciones, Madrid/3-10/IV/1992, 2, pp.763–768.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/20795935
------–—, 2001. Fragen der Kontinuität zwischen antiker und byzantinischer Musiktheorie. In
Cantus Planus: Papers read at the ninth meeting. Budapest: Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia, pp.
575–584. http://www.uni-
regensburg.de/Fakultaeten/phil_Fak_I/Musikwissenschaft/cantus/CPvolumes/1998.pdf
Wolfram, G. & Troelsgård, C. eds., 2008. Tradition and Innovation in Late Byzantine and
Postbyzantine Liturgical Chant: Acta of the Congress held at Hernen Castle, the Netherlands, in
April 2005. In Eastern Christian Studies. Leuven, Paris, Walpole: Peeters.
http://books.google.com/books?id=xkcUAQAAIAAJ

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