Byzantine Chant Classes

 

The mission of this ministry is to inspire Christians of all ages to engage their faith more deeply through the rich musical and liturgical tradition of the Church. By exploring the psaltic art, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of our worship services, the prayers that we sing in private and communal prayer, and the role of chanters as worship leaders. For more information, contact our Pastoral Assistant, John Anton, at janton@ascensiongoc.com

Spring 2023 Course

 

Enrollment Info


Classes are free and open to all, ages 13+. Beginners welcome. All students must register by the March 9 deadline. Since each Byzantine Music class builds on the one prior to it, no new registrants will be accepted after the deadline passes in order to preserve the students' progression in this ministry. Classes will be offered again in Fall 2023 with opportunities for new registration. 

WHERE: Ascension’s Conference Room

WHEN: 3:45 - 4:45 pm: Classes A & B*
4:50 - 6:00 pm: 9th Hour & Vespers

*Class assignment will be determined by enrollment, age, and experience level.

Why should we attend Vespers? This service, along with Sunday Orthros and Divine Liturgy, completes the weekly set of services which celebrate our Lord's Resurrection by turning our thoughts toward prayer from the Saturday evening beforehand. According to ecclesiastical time, we begin each day the evening before at the setting of the sun; thus, Sunday truly begins on Saturday night! For the purposes of these classes, Vespers is also a great opportunity to develop basic musical skills, gain confidence at the analogion (chant stand), and put the lessons learned in our classes to practice. 

Curriculum

This course will balance a theoretical and practical approach to learning Byzantine Music. In other words, while the focus will be on learning musical theory, we will also learn major hymns through listening and memorization. We will be exploring (mostly in English, but also in Greek):

1.  The Eight Modes
2.  Byzantine Neume Notation
3.  Major Hymns of the Church
4.  History of Byzantine Music

Scores and exercises will be provided from numerous sources, including but not limited to:

  • GOA Digital Chant Stand

  • The Divine Music Project of St. Anthony's Monastery

  • Byzantine Music:  Theory and Practice Guide by Fr. Aristidis Garinis, Dr. Demetrios Kehagias, and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

  • Theoritikon Vyzantinis Ekklesiastikis Mousikis by Ioannis Margaziotis

  • The Anastasimatarion

Schedule

(subject to change):

March 11
March 18
March 25 
Apr 1
Apr 8
Apr 15: NO CLASS (Holy Saturday)
Apr 22
Apr 29: NO CLASS (Metropolis Oratorical Festival hosted by Ascension)
May 6
May 13
May 20
May 27: NO CLASS (Metropolis Jr Olympics)
Jun 3
Jun 10

REGISTER HERE