The Sound of the Greek Chants from Ukrainian and Belarusian Heirmologia of the late 16th–18th centuries in the Light of the Byzantine Music’s Modern Methods Analysis

Abstract

As a result of our comparative study of the Ukrainian-Belarusian and Greek-Byzantine musical manuscripts, the significant number of Greek chants from the Ukrainian and Belarusian staff-notated Heirmologia of the late 16th –18th centuries were authorized. The Heirmologia include the works of the prominent Byzantine composers, such as Ioannes Glykys, Ioannes Kladas and Manuel Chrysaphes. The Greek chants’ authorization produce the question how the borrowed Greek chants sounded, whether or not the Ukrainian and Belarusian singers reproduced the Byzantine modes. The objectives of the article are 1) to reveal the peculiarities of the Greek chants’ designations of modes in the Ukrainian and Belarusian staff-notated Heirmologia, 2) to imagine the Greek chants’ sound based on the musical acoustics approaches, 3) to analyze the thoughts and ideas of the non-Greek musicians who mastered the Byzantine music. Scientific novelty. It is established that the Greek chants’ designations of mode offered in the Ukrainian and Belarusian manuscripts are often “false” in comparison with the original definitions of the chants’ ihos. For the first time the sound of the borrowed Greek chants songs in the light of the Byzantine music’s modern methods analysis is considered.