Grec – CERMAA

Release of Eight Video-Analyses of Byzantine Scales performed by Four Lebanese Cantors

These Eight Video-analyses of the scales of Byzantine chant (for the scales of the Eight modes) are proposed on a dedicated main page. The analyses come originally from the book of Amine Beyhom Théories et pratiques de l’échelle dans le chant byzantin arabe : Une approche comparative et analytique proposant une solution inédite pour le système théorique de Chrysanthos le Madyte and were edited for video.

Four Lebanese cantors of Byzantine chant – Fr. Nicolas Malek, Fr. Makarios Haidamous, Joseph Yazbeck and a cantor who preferred to remain anonymous – accepted to record (among other performances) the scales of the eight canonical modes of their liturgical chant for research purposes. Each of them is a renowned soloist and choir director in Lebanon.

Opening Screen of the video for the First Byzantine Mode

The complete results of the analyses of these recordings are proposed in the aforementioned book, while particular results concerning the first mode were presented on various occasions in Greece and in Cyprus, but also in France, Tunisia and in Lebanon.

The analyses in the videos are based on these presentations, which in turn were based on power point animations proposed in the aforementioned book.

Each video comprises a short theoretical introduction contextualizing the scales of the current mode within the general frame of the 19th-Century Second Reform of Byzantine chant.

Example of a slide with explanations on the scale of the First Byzantine Mode according to the teaching of Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas

Moreover, the first video (for the First mode) features a General Introduction which explains shortly:

The solmization of the Byzantine – and equivalences between Byzantine and Western – degrees of the scale

Byzantine chant solmization with transliteration and equivalences with the degrees of the Western Common-Practice scale

The accidentals used in the theory of the Second Reform (and in the Western/Byzantine notation proposed by the author)

Accidentals used in the theory of Byzantine Chant (19th-Century Second Reform) with equivalents in fractions of the tone (including cents)

The scores and literal notations

Western/Byzantine and literal notations of scales

(And) Explanations about the graphic representation of the results

Conventions used for the Graphic notations of scales

The videos on the main page are in High resolution, and also available on the YouTube Channell of CERMAA. An alternate, Low resolution version is proposed for each mode (and the Intro) in a dedicated page.

Volos conference on Psaltiki 2018

Rosy & Amine Beyhom participated in the 3rd International Musicological and Psaltic Conference on Psaltic Art of the Department of Psaltic Art and Musicology of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies.

The Conference took place in the Conference Center of the Holy Metropolis of Demetrias, in Melissiatika, Volos, Greece, between May 30^th (official opening in the evening) and June 2^nd (official closing in the afternoon), 2018.

Amine Beyhom presented a paper entitled “Theory and Practice of Psaltiki: Why do they not coincide?“, and assisted Rosy Beyhom for the recording of four Greek cantors who performed Kyrie Ekekraxa (by Petros Byzantios) and Axion estin (Anonymous).

Above: Five Greek cantors – Volos (Makrinitsa) 2018/05/31 © Rosy Beyhom. Front row, left to right: Ioannis Tomas, Nikolaos Siklafidis and Michalis Stroumpakis; 2nd row: Conference host Konstantin Karagounis and Emmanouil Giannopoulos.

The video-animated analyses of these chants will soon be published on our site as a further contribution to the development of alternative methods for the analysis of melodic music of the Mediterranean and around (maqām music).

Release of CERMAA Videos of Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios performed, in Greek and Arabic, by Joseph Yazbeck in 2011

Two additional Greek and Arabic versions (below) of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa, the well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul) performed in 2012 by Joseph Yazbeck. The audio recording was first published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584).
As with other CERMAA animated analyses, the upper part offers a general view of the analysis (with two dashed lines for the tonic and octave pitches) while the lower part shows the detailed analysis which includes, in this case, an overprint of the Byzantine scale of the 1881 (Second) Reform of Byzantine chant.
Compare with other analyses of the same chant by different performers at http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/analyses/byzantine-chant/kyrie-ekekraxa-by-petros-byzantios.

Greek Version by Joseph Yazbeck (below)

Arabic Version by Joseph Yazbeck (below)

Release of CERMAA Videos of Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios performed, in Greek and Arabic, by fr. Nicolas Malek in 2011

Release by CERMAA of two additional Greek and Arabic versions (below) of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa, the well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul) performed in 2011 by fr. Nicolas Malek. The audio recording was first published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584).
As with other CERMAA animated analyses, the upper part offers a general view of the analysis (with two dashed lines for the tonic and octave pitches) while the lower part shows the detailed analysis which includes, in this case, an overprint of the Byzantine scale of the 1881 (Second) Reform of Byzantine chant.
Compare with other analyses of the same chant by different performers at http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/analyses/byzantine-chant/kyrie-ekekraxa-by-petros-byzantios.

Greek Version by fr. Nicolas Malek (below)

Arabic Version by fr. Nicolas Malek (below)

New page by CERMAA dedicated to Video Analyses of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios

A new page, dedicated to different versions of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios has been added to the site of the CERMAA.
Kyrie Ekekraxa is a well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul). The chant is in the 8th mode (on Νη=c) of the Byzantine Church (equivalent to maqām Rāst in Arabian music), with an incursion (a modulation) in the 2nd mode (“Mild chromatic”).

Most of the audio recordings analyzed in the videos on this page were originally published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584), with Power Point animations for four Lebanese cantors, together with Greek versions of this chant (8 versions in all, with detailed analyses of two excerpts each undertaken in the aforementioned book). Two other recordings were undertaken with a fifth Lebanese cantor: it was too late however to analyze them as the book was already under print. The two additional recordings were also published as audio recordings in the accompanying CD-Rom of the book.

All these should be (re)analysed and published on this dedicated page.

Release of CERMAA Videos of Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios performed, in Greek and Arabic, by an Anonymous Cantor in 2011

Release by CERMAA of two additional Greek and Arabic versions (below) of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa, the well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul) performed in 2011 by an Anonymous Cantor. The audio recording was first published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584).
As with other CERMAA animated analyses, the upper part offers a general view of the analysis (with two dashed lines for the tonic and octave pitches) while the lower part shows the detailed analysis which includes, in this case, an overprint of the Byzantine scale of the 1881 (Second) Reform of Byzantine chant.
Compare with other analyses of the same chant by different performers at http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/analyses/byzantine-chant/kyrie-ekekraxa-by-petros-byzantios.

Greek Version by Anonymous (below)

Arabic Version by Anonymous (below)

Release of CERMAA Video of Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios performed in Greek by fr. Makarios Haidamous in 2012

This the Greek version (below) of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa, the well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul) performed in 2012 by fr. Makarios Haidamous. The audio recording was first published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584).
As with other CERMAA animated analyses, the upper part offers a general view of the analysis (with two dashed lines for the tonic and octave pitches) while the lower part shows the detailed analysis which includes, in this case, an overprint of the Byzantine scale of the 1881 (Second) Reform of Byzantine chant.

Compare with the version in Arabic by the same cantor at http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/933.

Release of CERMAA Video of Kyrie Ekekraxa by Petros Byzantios performed by fr Makarios Haidamous 2012

The CERMAA is delighted to publish this video animation (below) of the chant Kyrie Ekekraxa, a well known composition by Petros Byzantios in the 19th-century Constantinople (now Istanbul). This animation relates to a performance in 2012 by fr. Makarios Haidamous, with the text in Arabic language. The audio was published in Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant in 2015 (see http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584), with Power Point animations for four Lebanese cantors (including fr. Makarios Haidamous), together with Greek versions of this chant (8 versions in all). Two other recordings were undertaken with a fifth Lebanese cantor: it was however too late to analyze them as the book was already under print. The two additional recordings were published as audio recordings in the accompanying CD-Rom of the book.
This is the second video animation based on Pitch analysis with the Praat program that the CERMAA publishes on the internet. The first video was the Hurrian Song H6 performed by Lara Jokhadar (http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/926). A series of video animations of different versions of Kyrie Ekekraxa should be made available during the year 2018. The aim of this series is to demonstrate the variety of interpretations of one chant by different cantors.
As with Lara’s animation for H6, the upper part offers a general view of the analysis while the lower part shows the detailed analysis which includes, in this case, an overprint of the Byzantine scale of the 1881 (Second) Reform of Byzantine chant.

Public presentation of Amine Beyhom’s book on Byzantine chant – Orient Institut Beirut – 16th February 2016

Amine Beyhom will present his new book on Byzantine chant (and animating a seminar On priests and modes. Or how the author finally got to understand Byzantine chant theory and praxis) in the Orient Institut Beirut on the 16^th of February 2016 (from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. – please see details on http://www.orient-institut.org/index.php?id=12 – pick “16th February”; contact, address and map available at http://www.orient-institut.org/index.php?id=58).

Mīkhāʾīl Mashāqa (1800-1888) was the first known modern theoretician of music to explain in written form the 24-quartertones system that was to become a standard in most Arabian countries. The lecture will reflect briefly how the personal development of this historian was closely bound with the history of the Middle East in the 19th century before shedding light on his musicological writings which, unlike other theories of Arabian music, compare the latter with the theories of Byzantine chant, namely the system of Chrysanthos of Madytos (1770-1846), who was the leader of the first “modern” reform of the Byzantine orthodox chant. This characteristic of Mashāqa’s treatise on music led the speaker to a thorough research on the two Patriarchal reforms of the 19th century.

It will be therefore shown how the theory of Chrysanthos is related to other Eastern theories like the Indian śruti system or the maqāmāt of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Ḥijāzī. At the same time, this reading will be contrasted to Western musicological theorieson Eastern chant and their focus on Hellenistic rereading of Ancient Greek theories which, apart from trying to reduce Byzantine chant to a by-product of Western music, became the main tool of Orientalist studies on the music of the Middle East.

The presentation includes audio excerpts/analyses and liveʿūd examples.

This seminar / presentation, based on Amine Beyhom’s new book on Théories byzantines de l᾽échelle et pratiques du chant byzantin arabe, published 2015 (see: http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584) and co-organized with the Centre de Recherches sur les Musiques Arabes et Apparentées, is placed under the Auspices of the Ministry of Culture in Lebanon.

New book launch from Amine Beyhom / Publication du livre d’Amine Beyhom sur le chant byzantin

New book launch from Amine Beyhom

Publication du livre d’Amine Beyhom

THÉORIES BYZANTINES DE L’ÉCHELLE ET PRATIQUE DU CHANT BYZANTIN ARABE

(Byzantine Scales Theory and Arabian Byzantine Chant Praxis)

ISBN: 978-9953-0-3048-7

To buy the book, please follow this link / Pour acheter le livre, clicker sur ce lien.

English

Amine Beyhom’s new book on Byzantine chant offers a novel solution about Chrysanthos Madytos’ Theoretical system as well as an indepth tonometrical study of today’s praxis of the Byzantine chant in Lebanon.

About the author

Amine Beyhom is a musicologist specializing in scale theories and their praxis.
He has published the reference work ‘Théories de l’échelle et pratiques mélodiques chez les Arabes – Une approche systématique et diachronique’. The first tome was published by Geuthner, Paris, 2010.
He has written numerous ‘in-depth’ articles on modality, and founded two musicological reviews including the most recent NEMO-Online (http://nemo-online.org/) and is the director of CERMAA (Centre de Recherches sur les musiques Arabes et Apparentées – http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/) in Lebanon. He is a musician and a composer and has produced many CDs, concerts and various
arts festivals within his company ‘Experimental Art Concept’.
He holds a Ph.D. since 2003, followed by his Habilitation in 2010 at the Université Paris-Sorbonne.
Since 2005, Amine Beyhom has mainly devoted his time to the teaching of musicology and the writing of his works.

Figure Hors Texte 8 of the book: scales for the 3^rd mode of Byzantine liturgical chant

Short description

The book has four chapters with a synthesis of about 50 pages and an appendix devoted to the origins of Byzantine chant, discussing among others the “Byzantine organ”.
The first chapter discusses Mīkhāʾīl Mashāqa’s works and analyses various theories.
The second chapter discusses the Arabian perception of Byzantine chant theories and the differences between the two major 20^th-century theories.
The third chapter is about the Greek sources of the 19^th-20^th centuries Byzantine theories.
The fourth chapter is about Byzantine chant as it is practiced in the Lebanon in both Catholic and Orthodox churches.

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French

Le nouveau livre d’Amine Beyhom sur le chant byzantin propose une approche comparative et analytique comportant une solution inédite pour le système théorique de Chrysanthos de Madytos.

Quelques repères biographiques

Amine Beyhom est musicologue, spécialisé dans les théories de l’échelle et leurs applications pratiques en musique.
Il est l’auteur du livre de référence « Théories de l’échelle et pratiques mélodiques chez les Arabes – Une approche systématique et diachronique » dont le Tome I (sur quatre tomes) a été publié par Geuthner en Novembre 2010.
Auteur de plusieurs articles de fond sur les musiques modales, fondateur de deux revues musicologiques (dont la plus récente est NEMO-Online – http://nemo-online.org/) et directeur du CERMAA (Centre de Recherches sur les musiques Arabes et Apparentées – http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/) au Liban, il est également musicien et compositeur, et a produit plusieurs disques, concerts et festivals d’arts du spectacle via sa société de production Experimental Art Concept.
Titulaire en 2003 d’un doctorat, puis en 2010 d’une Habilitation à diriger les recherches de l’université de la Sorbonne – Paris IV, Amine Beyhom se consacre exclusivement depuis 2005 à l’enseignement de la musicologie et à la rédaction de ses ouvrages sur la musique.

Pourquoi un livre sur le chant byzantin arabe ?

Les relations entre la musique modale orientale et le chant byzantin ont été très peu explorées à ce jour, probablement pour des raisons de compartimentage des spécialisations artistiques au sein des communautés religieuses au Proche et Moyen-Orient(s), mais également à cause de la nature liturgique, exclusive, du chant byzantin.

Il est néanmoins certain que des interactions nombreuses ont existé (et continuent de l’être) entre musiques de cette région et ce, depuis probablement la plus haute Antiquité. Il n’en est que plus étonnant qu’aucune recherche sérieuse sur le sujet ne soit disponible actuellement, à part des articles épars constituant de maigres contributions, parfois contradictoires et souvent partisanes, à l’étude de ce domaine.

Le connaisseur sera encore plus étonné en relevant que le fondateur (vers 1820-1830) de la musicologie arabe moderne, le docteur Mīkhāʾīl Mashāqa avait basé sa description des théories de l’échelle arabe sur une comparaison entre celle-ci et l’échelle byzantine de l’époque, en considérant d’ailleurs que la dernière était plus à même de reproduire la musique pratiquée par les Arabes que celle, qu’il dénomme « arabe » et qu’il a été le premier à introduire dans un écrit moderne, en quarts de ton égaux.

Cette comparaison, généralement occultée dans les écrits postérieurs s’inspirant du traité de Mashāqa, est restée orpheline dans la littérature traitant de la musique des pays arabes, bien qu’une copieuse littérature comparative existe, plus particulièrement depuis le début du xix^e siècle, entre chant byzantin et musique ottomane ou turque.

C’est à partir de ce constat qu’Amine Beyhom décide d’entreprendre une comparaison approfondie entre les théories et les pratiques de ces deux musiques, avec des résultats qui sont exposés dans le livre proposé à l’attention du lecteur et que le présent document se propose de décrire succinctement.

Court descriptif du contenu du livre et des résultats qui y sont exposés

Le livre comporte 4 chapitres ainsi qu’une synthèse d’une cinquantaine de page, un appendice (50 pages) consacré aux origines du chant byzantin (dont la fameuse question de l’« orgue des églises byzantines ») et, enfin, une série d’annexes consacrées à des problématiques particulières de ce chant.

Amine Beyhom se cantonne au début du livre à l’attitude du néophyte (qu’il a été au début de ses recherches [1]) et prend comme point de départ la comparaison effectuée par Mīkhāʾīl Mashāqa dans la première moitié du xix^e siècle et ses échos dans la littérature contemporaine ; il expose dans un premier (court) chapitre les théories de ce musicologue tout en relevant certaines incohérences, concernant plus particulièrement le chant byzantin, dans le discours de musicologues du cru qui se sont intéressés à son traité.

Dans un deuxième chapitre Beyhom s’attaque aux représentations, par des spécialistes arabes de ce chant, des théories de l’échelle byzantine et met en exergue les différences entre deux théories principales, bien que toutes deux basées sur des principes qui semblent être équivalents ; une étude parallèle de la littérature disponible sur le sujet en langues occidentales courantes (française, anglaise, allemande) lui permet d’identifier la théorie byzantine proposée par Mashāqa comme étant celle de Chrysanthos de Madytos [2] tandis que les théories orthodoxes courantes de nos jours se basent sur une version modifiée qui est issue des travaux de la Commission de Musique du Patriarcat œcuménique [3] formée en 1881.

À partir de ce constat, l’auteur entreprend (Chapitre III) une vaste recherche sur les principes à la base de ces théories en s’appuyant sur les sources originales grecques ou en traduction, tout en développant dans l’Appendice une argumentation détaillée réfutant les arguments confinant le chant byzantin originel à une structure semi-tonale. Ce faisant, Beyhom applique une méthodologie qui lui permet de proposer une explication alternative de l’échelle byzantine proposée par Chrysanthos et relève une évolution fondamentale, plus politique que musicale, de la théorie du chant byzantin entre Chrysanthos de Madytos (1818) et la « Commission de musique » (1881).

La théorie du chant byzantin étant ainsi remise en perspective, il restait à la confronter à la pratique de ce chant notamment, et pour rester dans le cadre d’un seul ouvrage, au chant byzantin au Liban, dans les deux liturgies orthodoxe et catholique [4] : en appliquant une méthodologie originale basée sur les recommandations précédentes de l’auteur dans plusieurs articles, et au bout de quelques années d’analyses de hauteurs et de comparaison des résultats, les conclusions apportées par Beyhom lui permettent de réaffirmer la primauté de la pratique musicale sur la théorie et de proposer de cantonner cette dernière au rôle, purement qualitatif, de guide non contraignant de la première.

Une vaste synthèse finale permet à l’auteur, au terme de ce quatrième chapitre, de resituer les théories et la pratique du chant byzantin dans le vaste courant de la musique de l’Orient Proche (de l’Occident) et de retracer leur évolution aux derniers deux siècles, en interaction avec les bouleversements géopolitiques qui ont rythmé la vie politique, sociale et culturelle de ces régions.

[1] C’est-à-dire vers 2005-2006.

[2] Qui devint après la rédaction de son traité sur le chant byzantin le métropolite (orthodoxe) de la ville de Durazzo (actuellement en Albanie).

[3] De Constantinople.

[4] Dans le rite catholique en Orient la liturgie est pratiquement identique à celle du rite orthodoxe qui en est l’origine.

(shortlink: http://foredofico.org/CERMAA/archives/584)

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Reminder / Rappel

To buy the book, please follow this link / Pour acheter le livre, clicker sur ce lien

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Documents promotionnels / Further links and downloads:

Detailed contents / Table des matières.
Book cover / Couverture du livre.
DVD cover / Couverture du DVD.
Presentation text / Texte de presentation : English / Français.
Animation / Power Point / animation (Demo).
Photo Gallery / Galerie de photos.