Metropolitan Cantor Institute – Teaching the chant of the Byzantine Catholic Church

Chant Works: Tone 4 Troparion

Five weeks into the cycle of Eight Tones! In this installment of Chant Words, we will look at the melody used for singing troparia and kontakia in Tone 5 in the prostopinije tradition and, just perhaps, engage in a little creative simplification.

Chant Works: Tone 4 Prokeimenon

I mentioned early that prokeimenon melodies generally have three musical phrases or “parts”, since they are based on how we sing the triple Alleluia.

Tone 4 is the exception, and in this installment of Chant Works we’ll look at why that makes a difference.

Chant Works: Tone 4 Kontakion

In the prostopinije tradition, just as Tone 3 has its own kontakion melody (based on the melody of the Christmas kontakion), Tone 4 has one based on the kontakion of Theophany.

(Our study here will be based on the concepts and terminology developed in the article on the Tone 4 troparion melody. Please read that article first if you haven’t already!)

Chant Works: Tone 4 Troparion

Welcome back to Chant Works, where are delve into the nuts and bolts of the Carpathian plain chant (prostopinije) tradition. This week, we will take a look at the melodies in Tone 4, beginning with the troparion melody.

Along the way, we’ll start to look at some “cantorisms” (local variations), especially ones that come from harmonizing the chant.

Chant Works: Tone 3 Prokeimenon

The Tone 3 prostopinije melody for prokeimena and Alleluia is one of the easiest, so this week we will take a quick look at it, and also discover why mi mi mi can give cantors heartburn.

Chant Works: Tone 3 Kontakion

Welcome to Chant Works, a series on the inner workings of the prostopinije or Carpathian chant tradition. This week, we’re looking at the basic melodies in Tone 3 that are used at the Divine Liturgy.

For Tones 1 and 2, I mentioned that the troparion melody is also used for singing the short hymns called kontakia. With Tone 3, the plot thickens.

Chant Works: Tone 3 Troparion

Welcome back to Chant Works, a series taking on the nuts and bolts of the Carpathian plain chant (prostopinije) tradition. This week, we will take a look at the melodies in Tone 3, beginning with the troparion melody.

Chant Works: Tone 2 Prokeimenon

Tomorrow, the third Sunday after Pentecost, we begin the second week of the cycle of eight tones. Today we’re going to take a quick look at the Tone 2 prokeimenon and Alleluia melody.

Chant Works: Tone 2 Troparion

Welcome back to the Chant Works series, in which we take a deep dive into the prostopinije (Carpathian plain chant) used in the Byzantine Catholic Church. Next week, the third after Pentecost, we will be in Tone 2, so let’s see what we can discover about the Tone 2 troparion melody.

Chant Works: Tone 1 Prokeimenon

Welcome back to the Chant Works series, in which we take a deep dive into the prostopinije (Carpathian plain chant) used in the Byzantine Catholic Church. To inaugurate the series, we are going through the melodies of the Eight Tones for the Divine Liturgy, one at a time. In our last installment we looked at the Tone 1 troparion melody; this time we will explore the Tone 1 prokeimenon melody.