Hellenic College-Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology · Courses
MUSB
32 courses with the subject MUSB, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
MUSB 1101Byzantine Music I1.5
This course is a systematic introduction to the basic theory and notation of the Psaltic Art. It will provide a solid foundation for a further study of the liturgical repertoire of the Greek Orthodox Church. Topics to be covered include the history and function of the notation, a thorough examination of key musical concepts (e.g., note, interval, scale, tempo, rhythm, genus, mode, tetrachord, etc.), and a study of the role of music in Greek Orthodox worship. By the end of the semester, students will be able to sight‐read and perform simple hymns written in the New Method of Analytical Notation in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody)
The St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir is a vocal ensemble that performs faithful and spiritually uplifting renditions of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine sacred musical works in the traditional style created and preserved at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. The choir regularly performs in liturgical services as well as at concerts, conferences, lectures, fundraising events, state and national holiday celebrations, and school ceremonies both in Boston and throughout the United States. In addition to Byzantine chant, it performs Greek folk music, popular and arts songs, as well as modern English adaptations and original settings of sacred texts. The choir meets weekly to study and rehearse the repertoire for upcoming performances. 72
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the first and plagal fourth modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. We will study the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody). Additionally, we will examine the characteristics of the diatonic genus and the heirmologic and sticheraric styles of chant.
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the Third, Fourth, and Plagal First Modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody).
MUSB 2350History of Byzantine Music and Hymnography1.5
This course provides an overview of the history and development of the Psaltic Art of Greek Orthodox worship. Among the topics covered are: the beginnings of Christian hymnography and musical composition; the main hymnographic genres; the history of nueme notation; the major landmarks in the development of the various genres of psaltic composition; the life and works of the great composers; and the current state of affairs in Greek Orthodox liturgical music in Istanbul (Constantinople), Greece, the United States and elsewhere. 73
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the Second, Plagal Second, and Varys Modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody).
This course is a systematic study of the model melodies (prologoi‐ prosomoia) commonly used in musical settings of Byzantine hymns, and the hymns chanted in sacraments and other services of the Greek Orthodox Church (baptism, wedding, funeral, sanctification of water, etc.). By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the majority of hymns found in the liturgical books without relying on a musical score.
This course is a study of service rubrics, in accordance with the Typikon of the Great Church of Christ. Students will familiarize themselves with the liturgical books and study the services of the Orthodox Church with an emphasis on weekday Vespers and Orthros for Sundays. We will also study how the yearly cycles of moveable and immovable feasts work in parallel with the weekly cyclical system of the Octoechos and how their co‐existence affects the structure and individual components of liturgical services.
This course is a systematic study of the hymns chanted during Great and Holy Week and the Feast of Pascha in the Orthodox Church. The repertoire includes hymns in all eight modes and in all three melodic styles (heirmologic, sticheraric and papadic). Additionally, we will study the structure and rubrics of Holy Week and Pascha services. 74
This course is a systematic study of Byzantine hymns chanted during major feast days of the ecclesiastical year of the Greek Orthodox Church within the context of the Doxastarion. A great emphasis will be placed on studying the idiomela and doxastika for the feasts of Christmas, Theophany, Annunciation, Dormition of the Virgin Mary, as well as the idiomela and doxastika for the periods of the Triodion and Pentecostarion.
This course is a systematic study of the papadic genus of the Psaltic Art in all eight modes with a great emphasis on hymns for the Divine Liturgy (trisagion, cherubic hymn, communion hymn, etc.).We will also briefly study slow doxologies, Triodion hymns and kalophonic heirmoi.
The material taught in this course is equivalent to the material taught in the fourth year of Greek conservatories and provides comprehensive preparation for the final examination required for a Holy Cross Certificate in Byzantine Music. Students are expected to become competent in performing more technically demanding repertoire, including Gregory Protopsaltis’ cherubic hymns, Petros the Peloponnesian’s communion hymns, Petros the Peloponnesian’s Kyrie i en pollais amartiais, Ioannis Koukouzelis’ Anothen oi profitai, the ancient hymn Ton despotin kai archierea, and the anaphora hymns for the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil.
The material taught in this course is equivalent to the material taught in the fifth year of Greek conservatories and provides comprehensive preparation for the final examination required for a Holy Cross Certificate in Byzantine Music. Students are expected to become competent performing more technically demanding repertoire, including Petros Bereketis’ eight‐mode composition Theotoke Parthene, the Athenian funeral Trisagion, kalophonic heirmoi and kratimata in all eight modes, and a selection of verses from Koukouzelis’ Anoixantaria.
Byzantine Music I, Byzantine Music II, and Ecclesiastical Chant I in
MUSB 5101Byzantine Music I1.5
This course is a systematic introduction to the basic theory and notation of the Psaltic Art. It will provide a solid foundation for a further study of the liturgical repertoire of the Greek Orthodox Church. Topics to be covered include the history and function of the notation, a thorough examination of key musical concepts (e.g., note, interval, scale, tempo, rhythm, genus, mode, tetrachord, etc.), and a study of the role of music in Greek Orthodox worship. By the end of the semester students will be able to sight‐read and perform simple hymns written in the New Method of Analytical Notation in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody).
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the First and Plagal Fourth Modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. We will study the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody). Additionally, we will examine the characteristics of the diatonic genus and the heirmologic and sticheraric styles of chant. 75
MUSB 5261History of Byzantine Music and Hymnography1.5
This course provides an overview of the history and development of the Psaltic Art of Greek Orthodox worship. Among the topics covered are: the beginnings of Christian hymnography and musical composition; the main hymnographic genres; the history of nueme notation; the major landmarks in the development of the various genres of psaltic composition; the life and works of the great composers; and the current state of affairs in Greek Orthodox liturgical music in Istanbul (Constantinople), Greece, the United States and elsewhere.
The St. Romanos the Melodist Byzantine Choir is a vocal ensemble that performs faithful and spiritually uplifting renditions of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine sacred musical works in the traditional style created and preserved at the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Constantinople. The choir regularly performs in liturgical services as well as at concerts, conferences, lectures, fundraising events, state and national holiday celebrations, and school ceremonies both in Boston and throughout the United States. In addition to Byzantine chant, it performs Greek folk music, popular and arts songs, as well as modern English adaptations and original settings of sacred texts. The choir meets weekly to study and rehearse the repertoire for upcoming performances.
The Hellenic College and Holy Cross Chorale and Choir will be made up of students who have auditioned and have been accepted into the group. They will rehearse twice a week and present programs throughout the year. Each of the participants in turn will receive a scholarship.
This course is a study of the standard hymns (Lord I have Cried, daily Prokeimena, God is the Lord, Great Doxology, Antiphons, Trisagion, etc.) of vespers, orthros, divine liturgy, and the sacraments for practical use. All of the hymns will be studied in English in all of the eight modes with the aid of various musical settings. 76
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the Third, Fourth, and Plagal First Modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody).
This course is a systematic study of the theoretical and practical aspects of the Second, Plagal Second, and Varys Modes of the Psaltic Art within the context of the Anastasimatarion. By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the resurrectional hymns of the liturgical book of Octoechos or Parakletike of the aforementioned modes in both parallage (solmization) and melos (melody).
This course is a systematic study of the model melodies (prologoi‐ prosomoia) commonly used in musical settings of Byzantine hymns, and the hymns chanted in sacraments and other services of the Greek Orthodox Church (baptism, wedding, funeral, sanctification of water, etc.). By the end of the semester students will be able to perform the majority of hymns found in the liturgical books without relying on a musical score.
This course is a study of service rubrics, in accordance with the Typikon of the Great Church of Christ. Students will familiarize themselves with the liturgical books and study the services of the Orthodox Church with an emphasis on weekday Vespers and Orthros for Sundays. We will also 77
This course is a systematic study of the hymns chanted during Great and Holy Week and the Feast of Pascha in the Orthodox Church. The repertoire includes hymns in all eight modes and in all three melodic styles (heirmologic, sticheraric and papadic). Additionally, we will study the structure and rubrics of Holy Week and Pascha services.
This course is a systematic study of Byzantine hymns chanted during major feast days of the ecclesiastical year of the Greek Orthodox Church within the context of the Doxastarion. A great emphasis will be placed on studying the idiomela and doxastika for the feasts of Christmas, Theophany, Annunciation, Dormition of the Virgin Mary, as well as the idiomela and doxastika for the periods of the Triodion and Pentecostarion.
This course is a systematic study of the papadic genus of the Psaltic Art in all eight modes with a great emphasis on hymns for the Divine Liturgy (trisagion, cherubic hymn, communion hymn, etc.).We will also briefly study slow doxologies, Triodion hymns and kalophonic heirmoi.
The material taught in this course is equivalent to the material taught in the fourth year of Greek conservatories and provides comprehensive preparation for the final examination required for a Holy Cross Certificate in Byzantine Music. Students are expected to become competent in performing more technically demanding repertoire, 78
The material taught in this course is equivalent to the material taught in the fifth year of Greek conservatories and provides comprehensive preparation for the final examination required for a Holy Cross Certificate in Byzantine Music. Students are expected to become competent performing more technically demanding repertoire, including Petros Bereketis’ eight‐mode composition Theotoke Parthene, the Athenian funeral Trisagion, kalophonic heirmoi and kratimata in all eight modes, and a selection of verses from Koukouzelis’ Anoixantaria.
This course is a systematic study of the post‐Byzantine para‐liturgical genre of kalophonic heirmos, intended for soloistic performance after the end of the Divine Liturgy, at banquets, visits of eminent secular or religious figures, and other festive occasions. We will study the history, development, and musical morphology of the genre, as well as its manuscript and print tradition and the lives and works of its composers
This course is a study of technically demanding psaltic works from the 13th to the 21st centuries. The repertoire includes historic compositions, such as Pseudo‐Damascus’ cherubic hymn and Manuel Chrysaphes’ Lament for the Fall of Constantinople, as well as mathimata, kratimata, doxologies, kalophonic heirmoi, 20th‐century adaptations of kratimata in triple meter, and methods of learning the “deinai theseis” [complicated melodic formulae] in the melismatic genres of the Psaltic Art.
