Τη Υπερμάχω (“O Champion General”)

Τη Υπερμάχω (“O Champion General”)
Mode Plagal 4th; 5th century CE (Romanos the Melodist)

From Early Christian Melodic Recitation to Melismatic Masterpieces:
A Musical Voyage Through 1200 Years of Byzantine Chant; Lecture-Concert, January 21, 2018, St. Paul Catholic Cathedral, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

A spiritual meander through the Orthodox Christian musical and hymnologic treasures that span 1200 years. From the simple prayers of the early Christian communities, through the impressive evolution of sacred chant throughout the Byzantine Empire, to very recent translated hymnology in modern English. On Sunday January 21st, 2018, the Byzantine Choir of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Pittsburgh, presented examples of these traditions faithfully to their origins in this unique and inspiring musical journey. The Choir and its soloist members presented the representative hymns in the original Greek, Arabic, and more recent English translations faithfully-metered on the original Greek. The hymns in the Greek and Arabic language are original and true to their compositions by monastics of the Holy Land, bishops and ascetics in Asia Minor, and talented chantors of the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople and the Patriarchal Church in Damascus, Syria. The hymns in English are translations metered on the original Greek music by Fr. Ephraim of the St. Anthony Monastery in Arizona, Fr. Serapheim Dedes, and Fr. Nicholas Palis (Bethlehem, PA) who remain active in this endeavor to bring to life these ancient hymns in the language common to American Orthodoxy.