www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Question About Serbian Orthodox Chant

If anyone here is familiar with Liturgical music in the Serbian Orthodox Church, I would like to know if they use a drone/ison. Does it sound anything like Bulgarian Orthodox Liturgical chant?Thanks

Dear DE,
I have an book of Serbian chant for the eight tones. The music is unique to the Serbian Church and there is no eison. I have never heard Serbian chant sung with eison, although some might do this.

Yours in Christ,
Fr Serafim

Thank you for the information Fr. Serafim.

Older Serbian chant is monophonic but can be sung with an eison, like Znamenny in the Kyivan tradition. Isaiah the Serb composed many melodies with a monophonic melody line but a second bass/lower voice that is simple harmony but is eison-like holding a single note for a time and then changing the note. The older monophonic music from Decani and Ohrid I have heard sung both with and without an eison.

Later Serbian chant is polyphonic.

Here is a library of Serbian Orthodox chant:

http://www.serbianorthodoxchurch.net/music/
http://www.sv-luka.org/chants/indexmedch.html
http://www.sv-luka.org/chants/index.html

For settings by Issaiah the Serb and others of that era go to the ...indexmedch.html page.
Enjoy!

djs

Slava Jesu Kristo,

While we're at it, does anyone know where I can find the appropriate use of the Eison in the Ruthenian tradition? I have been trying to use it in my own canting but can't quite get it right. Any suggestions?

Dmitri

Dmitri brings up an interesting point. Although it is not often done, I have heard some Ruthenian chant sung with a sustaining tone or "eison" and it has a unique ability to create a very Byzantine flavor for the music.

Obviously, the use of the eison does not refer generally to the popular or "ordinary" parts of the liturgy, that have been passed down, based somewhat on the folk music of the region, but more so to the compilation of the eight tones, some in particular more than others, that are based on Byzantine music and sound very similar to some corresponding chants among the Greeks and Arabs.

Besides the "Bulhar" tones used at the "litija" of Great Vespers, which are clearly Byzantine in origin, there is the vast collection of irmosy and samohlasen tones which, when applied with an eison, take on a definite eastern or Byzantine sound. It can be very moving and definitely beautiful. Just a few examples of where this can be created are: the "Angelic Choirs" or "Anhelskyj Sobor" from Matins; tones 1, 3, 5 and 8 of the troparia and samohlasny; the melodies used in the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great; Presanctified melodies and so many more. One general rule is that the less-used chants, specific for certain times of the year or particular services have retained much of the original Byzantine character. It is a clear indication of the ancient origin of the Ruthenian chant, as has been observed by many scholars and musicologists.

The fact that many of our singers are understandably, not familiar with the "Byzantine chant" (meaning what is today used in the Greek and Arabic churches) and the corresponding use of the sustaining tone or eison, is one reason that we do not hear the chant rendered this way very often. To our cantors and their co-singers, I suggest that you try this manner of harmonization when singing some of the appropriate chants. The effect will be surprising and for many, very inspirational.

Fr. Joe

Otche Blagoslovi,

Well, there are usually two of us canting with the congregation following. This gives me the opportunity to try it as I am more baratone and he is tenor. I have been attempting it with the Tropars and Kondaks with some success. Is there any corresponding eison sheet music out there?

Dmitri

ACROD has some pieces set in this way -
"One is Holy", "Taste the Heavenly Bread", and the Exapostalarion of the Paschal Matins - at:
http://www.acrod.org/listen.html

It is interesting to note that they chant the latter with Byzantine accidentals; This modality, (together with a lot of flat 7th's here and there) had apparently disappeared from our practice by the time of Bokshaj. I am wondering how everyone out there hears this piece in their own parishes.

Fr. Joe: When you refer to singing (resurrectional?) troparia with drone (tones 1,3,5,8) are your refering to Galacian or Carpatho-Russian tones?

djs

I don't know if you refer to the "bourdon" (the plain note which is sung while the other part of the choir or a soloist sing the text).

Chants of all traditions before the 1600's (and sometimes before the 1700's in the East) follow similar patterns because they come from the Greek Chant. In the 1700's many composers from Russia and Bulgaria adopted an italian style in their poliphonic music and the hellenic character of the medioeval music was not preserved.

In Romania, traditional chant is still very Greek, although many composers like Anton Panan decided to create music based on Latin (Gregorian)melodies.

Isaiah the Serb represents this unique style of an hellenic-slavonic chant. The Cherubic Hymn he composed is sung in Greek and then in Slavonic and reflects a wonderful environment of spiritual peace.

About the Bulgarian chant, I specially like Dobri Hristov's music.

Dear Father Joe, I think what you are referring to is more of a simple harmony than a real eison. Prostopinje and Galician chant, both Samohlasni and resurrectional tones are both of recent enough development and intended for harmonization that they do not work real well with a true eison. Part of it also has to do with the chordal structure of the melodies which are intended for harmonization rather than a single root/dominant note eison.

The older Znamenny chant style which one can still hear in the Irmosi for feast days, certain chants from Matins such as the Sidalni, the dohmati/dogmatika from Vespers, can be sung with an eison as they are monophonic and often modal. We sing "Plottyu" or the Exapostilarion (Svitlyny) from Paschal Matins in Znamenny melody with an eison, it always sounds great that way.

The eison is generally a dominant root note, often the beginning/ending note of the text being sung. As in Greek music, the eison can shift in more complicated texts. An eison could be used in some cases with the Bulgarian tones, I suppose, but I can't say that I have heard it done with an eison but rather harmonized.