Acta Musicae Byzantinae

Volumul VII

Mai 2004

Centrul de Studii Bizantine Iai

Colectivul de Redacie
Redactor ef: prof. dr. Gabriela Ocneanu
Tehnoredactor ef: Ana Maria Chiribu
Tehnoredactori: Otilia Leonte, Ana Maria Chiribu
Corector: Traian Ocneanu

Coperta 1

tefan cel Mare i Sfnt, domn al rii Moldovei (1457-1504) tablou votiv, fresc
interioar din sec. al XVIlea din naosul mnstirii Vorone

Coperta 4

Manuscrisul 1060, de la Muzeul de Istorie al municipiului Lvov, coala de la Putna,

sec. XVI (?), f. 77v-78r.

Adresa Redaciei
Centrul de Studii Bizantine Iai
Strada Nou 5
RO700377, Iai
email: to@csbi.ro
http://www.csbi.ro
Editura Novum, 2004
ISSN: 14545357

Cuprins
Sandra Martani, Le manuscrit de Iai IV-34 et l'interprtation de la notation ekphontique
Adriana irli, Deux traits de musique arabo-persane de la premire moiti du XVIIIme
sicle: phnomne de mode?
Marco D'Agostino, The Iai Gospels (ms. 160/IV-34): From a Note to the History of the Codex
Elena Chircev, Relaia textdiastematiccheironomie n incipituri i cadene ale kekragariilor
din dou manuscrise aparinnd bibliotecilor clujene
Daniel Suceava, Opera muzical a episcopului Marcu al Corintului reflectat n manuscrisele
psaltice pstrate n coleciile din Romnia (I)
Sebastian Barbu-Bucur, Anul naterii mitropolitului Iosif Naniescu argumente canonice i
muzicale
Nicolae Gheorghi, Some Observations on the Structure of the Nouthesia Pros Mathetas by
Chrysaphes the Younger From the Gr. Ms. No. 840 in the Library of the
Romanian Academy (A.D. 1821)
Drago Alexandrescu, Creaia liturgic a lui Constantin Baciu
Veturia Dimoftache, Intonaii bizantine n muzica lui Marian Negrea
Gabriela Ocneanu, Posibiliti de coordonare grafic a cuvntului cu muzica n cntarea psaltic
melismatic romneasc
Franz Metz, Musica Sacra. Die Byzantinische Musik in den Schriften des Allgemeinen
Ccilienvereins, Regensburg.
Leandra Scappaticci, A Newly Discovered Thirteenth-Century Gradual-Tropary-Sequentiary in
the Seminary Library of Acqui Terme
Neil Moran, Searching for the Soul of the Hagia Sophia
Ozana Alexandrescu, Autori i copiti ai muzicii de tradiie bizantin n secolele XVIIXVIII
Costin Moisil, Observaii privind genul enarmonic la nceputul secolului al XIX-lea
Constantin Secar, Tradiie i nnoire n interpretarea cntrilor psaltice realiti i perspective
Melania Elena Nagy, Elemente arhetipale n construcia Sonatei bizantine pentru viol sau
violoncel solo de Paul Constantinescu
Eustathios Makris, Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the
Rizitika Songs
Ligia Zoica-Toma, Liturghia Sfntului Ioan Gur de Aur de Liviu Comes
Vasile Grjdian, Irmosul nvierii n variante orale actuale ale cntrii bisericeti de stran din
Ardeal (studiu de caz privind cntarea bisericeasc de origine bizantin din
Ardeal)
Constantin Catrina, Cteva lmuriri i adugiri privind viaa i activitatea muzical a
Ieromonahului Macarie
Vasile Vasile, Circulaia cntrilor lui Ghelasie Basarabeanu la Muntele Athos
Zamfira Bucescu-Dnil, Manuscrisele 7030 i 4915-L de la Muzeul Literaturii Romne din Iai
Delia tefania Barbu, Schimonahia Epiharia Moisescu i manuscrisul ei psaltic
Florin Bucescu, Rolul Mitropolitului Veniamin i al Ieromonahului Macarie n afirmarea creaiei
muzicale psaltice n limba romn
tefan Constantin Rzvan, Studiu asupra dogmaticii glas VIII din Vecernia Smbetelor
Octoihului pornind de la analiza variantelor din creaia unor
psali romni ai secolului al XIX-lea
Laura Varga, Elemente de limbaj muzical proprii cntrilor din perioada Triodului

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Summaries

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Cuvnt nainte
Acest numr al revistei Acta Musicae Byzantinae conine comunicrile prezentate la Simpozionul
internaional de muzic bizantin, ediia a zecea, mai 2003. Articolele ce nu fac parte din aceast categorie
snt marcate printr-un asterisc.

Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika

Songs1
Eustathios Makris
The relation between the tropoi (modes) of the Greek demotic songs and the eight echoi (literally:
sounds, i.e. modes) of the traditional, usually called Byzantine, ecclesiastical music, despite its significance
for the comparative study of these two branches of the Greek musical heritage, has not been yet the subject
of serious scientific research. In most cases it simply forms a part of the popular controversy about which
type of musical notation Byzantine (neumatic) or staff notation is more suitable for the transcription and
performance of traditional, non-ecclesiastical melodies. Those who prefer the Byzantine notation, following
an old tradition that can be traced back to manuscripts of the 16th-17th centuries and found in more recent
years fervent supporters in the persons of Konstantinos Psachos (1866-1949) and Simon Karas (1903-1999),
consider tropos and echos as two identical things. This fact is not irrelevant to the character of Byzantine
notation itself, which requires the classification of each melody into one of the eight echoi just from the
beginning, since the transcription is not possible without the use of the appropriate modal signatures
(martyriai).
Choosing the staff notation, on the other side, gives the possibility for a modally "neutral"
transcription of the melody, as a basis for the a posteriori classification of the song into the one or the other
mode. In this case, it is standard practice to characterize the modes according to the tonic and the genos of
the scale (e.g. diatonic tropos of Re2, that is diatonic d-mode). This method, established by Melpo Merlier
(1889-1979) and the group of Mousikon Laographikon Archeion (Musical Folklore Archives)3, refers to the
seven "octave species" of the ancient Greek music theory, even without the use of the related names (dorian,
phrygian etc.), getting thus around the problem of the connection between tropos and echos, inasmuch as the
scale alone is not sufficient to delimit an echos. Without entering into the ideological side of the subject
(which is nevertheless still important in Greece), we will try in the next lines to formulate certain thoughts
that may help in a rational approach to it.
Echos, according to Chrysanthos from Madytos (1770-1843), father of the modern theory of
Byzantine music, is an idea of melody, consisting in the ability to know which tones should be left out and
which ones should be taken in; and from which tone should it start and on which one it should end4.
Chrysanthos borrows here a passage from Aristides Quintilianus5, trying to explain that echos, apart from its
particular technical characteristics, is also connected to specific melodic structures (we underline especially
the phrase an idea of melody meaning actually an abstract pattern of melody , which does not exist in
Quintilianus text). Bearing in mind that Byzantine chant is based on the use of typical melodic formulas,
which sometimes belong to a specific echos, sometimes can be found in more than one, it is logical to
assume that echos, in the strict sense of the term, encompasses the repertoire of the formulas that characterize
it. As to the demotic songs, it is of course impossible to identify all possible melodic figures with the
formulas of the ecclesiastical music, with the exception of some special cases, in which certain ecclesiastical

This article was published originally in Greek under the title .

in: Eustathios Makris (ed.), .
( ,
18), Athens 2003, pp. 199-221.
2
The use of the solmization syllables as pitch names is the rule in Greece.
3
See Melpo O. Merlier, ( ,
12), Athens 1931, pp. -.
4
, , ,
(Chrysanthos from Madytos, , Trieste
1832, repr. [Athens 1995], p. 125, 282).
5
Aristides Quintilianus refers with these words to petteia () as a parameter of the melopoiia (, i.e. composition of a
melody). See R.P. Winnington-Ingram (ed.), Aristidis Quintiliani de musica libri tres, Leipzig 1963, p. 29, lines 18-21.

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

115

melodies are imitated6. Therefore we need to shift the subject to a second level, to a more abstractive
definition of echos.
Chrysanthos is once again our starting point, since he was the first in the history of Byzantine music
to codify the melodic attributes of the modes, by defining their components (systatik): the apechema
(intonation formula), the scale, the dominant tones and the ending tones (medial and final)7. The apechemata
of the eight echoi, with their characteristic syllabic formulas, cannot find direct application to the traditional
music, although certain analogous phenomena can be observed here and there8. The scale, taking its shape
according to the genos (diatonic, chromatic or enharmonic), the systema (tetrachordal, pentachordal or
octachordal) and the basis or ison (tonic) that is in use for each echos, is the most evident characteristic, on
the basis of which an identification with tropos and echos is often attempted. Given, however, on the one
hand that certain scales are used by more than one echoi, on the other hand that many demotic songs show a
very limited melodic ambitus, not allowing for the formation of a complete scale, we have to search mainly
in the remaining two components, which are closely connected with each other. The dominant tones
(despozontes phthongoi) function as fixed points, around which the melody moves, being in some measure
similar to the Western tenores; the melodic cadences (katalexeis) from the other side, medial or final, lead in
most cases to dominant tones, and this fact can help in determining the dominant tones when analyzing a
melody, for the ending tones can be easier located.
It is usual, however, to overlook the fact that these components, especially the last two, are not
independent of the historical development of the ecclesiastical chant. Comparing the repertoire of the
Byzantine period with the one currently used in the Greek orthodox churches, one realizes the existence of
significant changes in the dominant tones, in the cadences, but also in the ambitus of the melody, a very
important characteristic, which is practically ignored by Chrysanthos9. (It is impossible to make comparisons
regarding the scales and their intervals, since we have no concrete evidence from the time before
Chrysanthos). The continuous evolution of the melodic material from the 16th century onwards, which led to
the crystallization of a totally new repertoire in the last quarter of the 18th century, brought also changes to
the modes, as they appear in each one of the three chant species (heirmological, sticherarical and papadical,
deriving from the books Heirmologion, Sticherarion and Papadik respectively). It should be noted that the
differentiation of each mode according to the chant species and the formation of corresponding branches of
the modes (e.g. 1st echos, heirmological), as is the case in later repertoires, cannot be traced back to the
theory and practice of the Byzantine period.
It is necessary to take all these facts into consideration, especially when studying a traditional
repertoire with a long history, like the Rizitika songs. Originating from the villages of Riza, i.e. the
northern foot of the White Mountains in western Crete, these songs were handed down to us as a separate
species of Cretan music, almost closed to external influences. They correspond to a corpus of forty melodic
types (tunes) at most, to which many more texts are adapted, something like the prosomoia technique in the
ecclesiastical music. Samuel Baud-Bovy established important structural affinities between the Rizitika
and the songs recorded in Athonitic musical manuscripts from the 17th century10. Apart from this, the
Rizitika songs bear a noteworthy exterior resemblance to ecclesiastical music: they are sung only by men,
they are characterized by rhythmical freedom, not being connected to dancing forms, and they are mainly
vocal, since the inhabitants of the Riza did not use to play instruments (nevertheless, they used to invite
musicians from other places to their feasts)11.
6

nd

th

th

See Konstantinos A. Psachos, , , 2 period, 4 (6 ) year,

no. 19-20 (15-31/1/1909) 4-7, esp. 5; Georgios S. Amargianakis,
, 20-21 (1967/68) 185-222, esp. 210-211
and 215-216.
7
Chrysanthos, , pp. 132-134, 301-304.
8
Cf. the first musical phrase of St. Basils kalanda from Rhodes, contained in: Georgios K. Spyridakis - Spyridon D. Peristeris,
, vol. 3: ( ,
10), Athens 1968, repr. 1999, p. 161.
9
th
The only treatise making some reference to the ambitus of the modes is the one by Gabriel Hieromonachos (15 c.). See Christian
Hannick - Gerda Wolfram (eds.), Gabriel Hieromonachos: Abhandlung ber den Kirchengesang (Monumenta Musicae
Byzantinae, Corpus Scriptorum de Re Musica 1), Vienna 1985, p. 82, lines 508-515.
10
See Baud-Bovys preface in: Despoina V. Mazarakis, ,
nd
Athens 1967, pp. 9-17 (Greek) and 19-27 (French). A part of this preface is also included in the 2 edition of the same work
( , Athens 1992), pp. 16-19.
11
A quite informative introduction to the rizitika songs can be found in the following collection: Idomeneus I. Papagrigorakis,
, vol. 1: , Chania 1956-1957, pp. 11-22. See also Samuel Baud-Bovy,
Chansons populaires de Crte occidentale, Geneva 1972, pp. 7-8.

116

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

Using certain examples of Rizitika songs, we will show now how a diachronic approach to the
eight-modes-system (oktoechia) can resolve some problems of classification. The songs were transcribed
into staff notation by the Swiss musicologist Samuel Baud-Bovy (1906-1986) in his Chansons populaires de
Crte occidentale (Geneva 1972), on the basis of sound recordings made in the field from 1930 and 1954.
These transcriptions are then compared, regarding the modality, with the existing publications of each song
in Byzantine notation. The differences in the melodic line, which can be observed from edition to edition, are
not of interest here, provided that the skeleton of the melody remains the same.
Our first example (Ex. 1)12 belongs to the songs of tavla (table)13 and has its place at the
beginning of Cretan banquets14. Baud-Bovy notes that the almost ritual character of the song explains the
remarkable homogeneity of its melodic tradition15. In the specific recording, which dates from 1954, each
stanza is performed by a singer and repeated by a group of two other singers. The melody belongs to the
diatonic genos and moves within a 6th (G-e). It can be divided into four phrases [e.g. in the first stanza: i)
, ii) , , iii) ; , iv) -
-, ]; the first three of them end on G, the last one on a. Except these two
tones, c and d can also be considered as dominant ones. In the last phrase, where the tone a tends to establish
itself as tonal centre, we see the typical attraction (elxis) of the second degree to the tonic, which is
characteristic for the d- and a-modes16 and effects the flattening of b. In the repetition of the stanza the final
cadence is coloured by sharpening c, so that the chromatic tetrachord a-b flat-c sharp-d is formed. This
alteration is not very clear in the other two stanzas recorded by Baud-Bovy, but is quite evident in the
transcriptions by K. Psachos and S. Karas (see below).
Baud-Bovy indicates the final tone a as the tonic of the scale. Psachos classifies the song into the 1st
plagal echos of the Heirmologion, that is also from a (Ke in the Chrysanthine system), making medial
cadences on G (Ex. 2)17. The problem is that the particular branch of the 1st plagal echos, although having
a and c as dominant tones, is in no case characterized by medial cadences on G. Karas, on the contrary,
considers G (Dhi) as tonic, perhaps because of the repeated cadences on this tone, notating the song in the 4th
echos of the Papadik, the so called Agia (Ex. 3)18. Nevertheless, neither the final cadence on a19, nor the
dominant tone c appertains normally to this echos. The solution of the problem lies probably back in the past,
since the modal attributes we are looking for can be found in melodies of the 1st plagal echos from the
Byzantine period.
The example we use for comparison is the Heirmos of the 1st Ode of a Kanon by Sykeotes for the
feast of St. Anastasius, from a Heirmologion of the 12th c. (Cod. 470 of the Iviron monastery on Mount
Athos), as it was published in the series Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae (Ex. 4)20. [Apart from any
objections that one can have regarding the treatment of rhythm, the use of signs of expression or other
matters, the transcriptions in the Monumenta are a particularly useful tool for the study of the older modal
attributes]. The melody is transcribed from D, that is the natural basis of the 1st plagal echos, and it moves
mainly within a 6th (C-a, corresponding to G-e of the song), ending medially on C and D, finally on D. To be
more precise, the first three musical phrases ( -
- ) end on C, the fourth phrase ( )
on D. [This scheme is coincidentally the same with the scheme G-G-G-a of the song]. The remaining two
phrases ( - ) end on D. Except C and D, the tones F
and G can also be considered as dominant ones.

12

Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 14.

Meaning that people sing them during the banquets, without dancing them.
14
Georgios I. Chatzidakis, , Athens [1958], p. 114.
15
Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 10.
16
Ibid., p. 295.
17
50 . ( ,
9), Athens 1930, p. 64. This edition, known as the collection of the Athens
Conservatoire, was based on sound recordings made in the Peloponnese and Crete. K. Psachos, who was responsible for the
transcriptions, used the Byzantine notation as basis for his work, providing also transcriptions into the staff notation.
18
Simon I. Karas, . , , ( ), Athens 1985, p. 346.
19
In order to give this irregular cadence a theoretical covering, Karas describes the mode as follows (see Ex. 3): ,
th
nd
meaning actually 4 mode, ending one step (a 2 ) above its basis.
20
Aglaa Ayoutanti - Maria Sthr - Carsten Heg (eds.), The Hymns of the Hirmologium, part I (Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae,
Transcripta 6), Copenhagen 1952, p. 215.
13

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

117

It is obvious that the ambitus, the dominant and ending tones of this chant are almost identical with
those of our song, if they are transposed a 5th higher. Melodies with such characteristics make their
appearance quite often in the old repertoire of the 1st plagal echos. There are, of course, also cases, where the
melody shows a wider ambitus or/and the dominant tones F and G have a stronger presence. But this may
not keep us from considering the classification of the specific song into the 1st plagal mode as the most
satisfactory one. It seems that K. Psachos came quite close to the truth, although D would be a more adequate
basis for his transcription, since a refers the reader to a younger branch of the mode.
Our next example (Ex. 5)21 belongs to the Rizitika songs of strata (road, way), that is walking
songs, connected mainly to nuptial customs and based on one and only melodic type, with several variations.
In this particular recording from 1930 the song is performed by a singer with lyra (played by himself) and
sandouri accompaniment22. Like in the previous song, the melody moves diatonically within a 6th (G-e),
while the musical phrases are once again four [in the first stanza: i) -, -, ii) -
, , , iii) -, , , , iv) - -,
]. The first phrase ends on a, yet the singer does not pause at this point, but a little later, at the beginning
of the second phrase, making something like a half-cadence on d. The next two phrases end also on a, the
last one on G. Dominant tones: a, d, perhaps c.
Baud-Bovy marks both ending tones (a, G) as tonal centres and talks about modal ambiguity
(ambigut modale), also because of the following fact: In other versions of the same tune, recorded by the
Swiss musicologist in his book, the singers tend to make a slight glissando towards G, whenever a phrase
ends on a23. The tonal stability in the medial cadences, which is shown by the singer in our example, is
probably due to the harmonic accompaniment of the sandouri, which insists on the a minor chord. A similar
case of modality was also observed by George Amargianakis in other wedding songs from Crete24. K.
Psachos regards a as tonic, transcribes however the melody a 5th lower, from D or Pa (1st echos), perhaps
because the strong presence of a dominant tone a 4th above the basis (Baud-Bovy: d, Psachos: G) reminds of
the 1st echos of the Heirmologion (Ex. 6)25. The choice of a (or D) as tonic is justified also by the appearance
of the already mentioned attraction of the second degree (b) in Baud-Bovys recording. Still, we may
notice that the final cadence leads to the sub-tonic (Baud-Bovy: G, Psachos: C). Antonios Sigalas, whose
transcription is the oldest available for this specific tune (but with another text), presents a quite
differentiated melodic variant, especially in the first two phrases (Ex. 7)26. The first phrase ends on G, giving
the scheme G-a-a-G, instead of a-a-a-G. The melody is transcribed practically from a (Ke), yet the
theoretical basis of the echos is D (Pa). It is a clever trick of the transcriptor, since the medial cadences on G
and a, as well as the final cadence on G are indeed classical attributes of the 1st plagal echos of the
Sticherarion, into which he obviously classifies the song27. The problem is that the tonic is nowhere in the
melody to be found, which is really very unusual.
The solution lies probably once again in the old repertoire, specifically in the 4th plagal echos, which
had G as basis and a, c, d as further dominant and ending tones. The medial cadences on a, like those in the
song we examine, are very common in this mode. In the younger repertoire, the dominant and ending tones
have changed their position, so that in place of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th degree we find the 1st, 3rd and 5th (given
that in the Chrysanthine system the 4th plagal echos is positioned on C, the respective tones are C, E, G). It
was therefore impossible for our transcriptors to think about classifying the song into this mode.
To support this view, we use the Dogmatic Theotokion (Ex. 8),
published in the series Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae from a 13th c. Sticherarion (Cod. Peribleptus, in
the Library of the University College in Cardiff)28. It should firstly be stressed that the persistent flattening of
21

Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 224.

We have chosen this version among the others cited by Baud-Bovy, because the melodic line is quite simple, without many
embellishments, which makes it easier for the reader to recognize the structure of the melody. Nevertheless, the instrumental
accompaniment does not belong to the purely traditional way of performing the Rizitika songs.
23
Ibid., pp. 222-223.
24
Georgios S. Amargianakis, ( ), Herakleion
(Crete) 1967, p. 26.
25
50 , p. 72, with a different text and in a more melismatic manner.
26
Antonios N. Sigalas, , Athens 1880, pp. 296-297.
27
There is also a similar transcription by Paulos Vlastos in: , ,
. , ( ), [Athens, s.d.], pp.
14-15.
28
H.J.W. Tillyard (ed.), The Hymns of the Octoechus, part II (Monumenta Musicae Byzantinae, Transcripta 5),Copenhagen 1949, p.
160.
22

118

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

b, even in the upwards direction of the melody, is not due to some relative indication in the manuscript, but
to the judgement of the transcriptor, based on his musical intuition. The ambitus of the melody is similar to
that of the song, yet expanded at certain points up to a 3rd downwards. Each one of the numbered lines
corresponds to a musical phrase, except the last two (8 and 9), which form together one phrase. The medial
cadences end on G, a, and d, the final one on G. The same tones can be considered as dominant, perhaps c as
well. The second phrase (line 2) is quite similar to the first phrase of the song, while the cadence of the third
phrase (line 3) reminds of the singers half-cadence on d; the next phrase (line 4) begins then with d and ends
on a, like in the song. The cadence of the 5th phrase (line 5), which is identical with that of the 7th (line 7),
refers us directly to the final cadence of the song, which is the best testimony for the modal identity of the
latter. [It is interesting that the medial cadences of the chant up to the 5th line give a scheme similar to
Sigalas (G-a-a-G), if we consider the end of the 3rd phrase as a half-cadence].
The well-known song about the death of the legendary Digens ( ) seems to be
a further case of survival of old modal attributes (Ex. 9a-b)29. The year of recording and the performers are
the same as in the previous example30. The melody moves diatonically within a 9th and covers, according to
the terminology of ecclesiastical music, two pentachords: D-a and a-e. The song can be easily divided into
four phrases: The first phrase (- , ) moves mainly within the higher
pentachord and ends on a, the second one ( , - ) uses the lower pentachord
ending on D, the third phrase is a repetition of the second (with the same words) and the fourth one (-
-, ) is a repetition of the first, so that the stanza ends on a. In the last
stanza, however, the repetition of the first phrase is omitted and the song ends on D. It is difficult to find
further dominant tones except D and a, although c has a certain importance as starting note of the
introductory formula (something like apechema) at the beginning of the song.
Baud-Bovy considers both ending tones (D and a) as tonal centres, the lower of them having the
character of a tonic31. Spyridon Peristeris, in his own recording, classifies the song into the a-modus (tropos
of La)32. The editions in Byzantine notation (by A. Sigalas33, P. Vlastos34, K. Psachos35) decide unanimously
on the 1st plagal echos from D (Pa)obviously that of the Papadik, since the sticherarical one ends finally on
G and the heirmological one has another basis (a), while they omit the repetition of the first phrase, so that
each stanza ends on D (transcription by Psachos in Ex. 10)36. In this way a somewhat irregular final cadence
on a is avoided. It is true that Baud-Bovy regards this variant as the original one; he assumes that the
repetition of the first phrase was added later, in order to replace the original one-verse form (i.e. each musical
stanza covers one verse of the poetic text) with the one-and-a-half-verse form, which is the rule in western
Crete37. One could object, however, that K. Psachos recording (1911), which is the youngest of the three in
Byzantine notation, is only 19 years apart from the one used by Baud-Bovy. Given that an Acritic38 song like
this has certainly a very long history, it is difficult to imagine how this adjustment to the musical-poetical
taste of the inhabitants of the Riza took place with such a delay. It is worth mentioning that the one-and-ahalf-verse version of the song can be found in a further recording from the same year (1930) in Baud-Bovys
book39.
Apart from this question, the transcription in 1st plagal echos from D does not create any serious
problems, since D and a (along with G) as dominant and ending tones are indeed characteristic of the
specific mode. Nevertheless, a more careful reading, taking in to account the dominance of a in the first
phrase (the introductory formula leads actually to this tone), but also in the last one (provided that Baud29

Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 144.

See note 22.
31
Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 141.
32
Spyridakis-Peristeris, , p. 17.
33
, pp. 292-293, with a different text.
34
, pp. 1-2, with a different text.
35
50 , p. 62.
36
That is why the great teacher and researcher Spyridon Peristeris (1913-1998) writes with a pencil at the end of Psachos musical
text: The continuation of the stanza is missing ( ). This note can be seen on Ex. 10,
reproduced from the copy of the book that belongs to the Hellenic Folklore Research Centre of the Academy of Athens, at which
Peristeris worked from 1950 to 1971.
37
Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, pp. 141-142. Most of the songs from Athonite manuscripts transcribed by D. Mazarakis
( ) follow the one-and-a-half-verse form.
38
I.e. belonging to the literature about the Acrites, the border guards of the Byzantine empire.
39
Ibid., p. 147. In this recording the song is performed by the great statesman Eleutherios Venizelos (1864-1936).
30

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

119

Bovys theory is not correct), guides us to the 1st echos of the old repertoire40. This mode can be described as
follows: Having a as its basis and its main dominant and ending tone, it ascends up to d or e, makes often
medial cadences on the respective plagal mode (a 5th lower, on D) but also on the mesos41 (a 3rd lower, on
F) and ends finally on a or D. In certain cases G and c make also their appearance as dominant and ending
tones.
All these attributes can be observed in the Sticheron Anastasimon , , , from
Codex Peribleptus again (Ex. 11)42. Each numbered line corresponds to a musical phrase; the first three
phrases end on a (the first of them reminds of the introductory formula of the song), the fourth one ends on D
(it is comparable to the cadence of the second phrase of the song), the fifth one ends on F, the sixth one
makes a half-cadence on c and the last one ends on a. One could say that all the basic attributes of this mode
are present in the Digens song, except the cadence on the mesos. But if we look at another version of the
song, transcribed by Baud-Bovy from a 1954 recording (Ex. 12)43, we see a quite clear half-cadence on f in
the second and third phrase; the melody ascends then to the dominant tone c and ends medially on D. It is
worth mentioning, finally, that the 1st echos from a, usually called tetraphonos, survives in the younger
repertoire as well, but only in melismatic chants, like those included, for example, in the Doxastarion by
Iakovos Protopsaltes (d. 1800).
The reader should not get the impression that the modes described here can be found only in the
Rizitika songs or only in Crete. These songs are simply the most adequate starting point for an attempt to
trace certain survivals of melodic attributes from the Byzantine period through the analysis of their modality,
testing thus a diachronic approach to the modal system in connection with the demotic songs. The specific
repertoire comes stylistically close to the ecclesiastical music and is handed down from generation to
generation in a very conservative way, which ensures the continuity and prevents us, up to a point, from
searching for something where it does not exist.

<

>
<q >
U
j
j 3 j j j j j 2
j .
2

4
&4 4

1. En - t $xe - te gu - ro gu - ro________________, k$e

-

Ex. 1

Moderato q T72
Solo

. >
J
< qnai
> ....... hai, k$e U
N
j
j 2 . .
j
j
j
j
3
.
4 4
J J
nai
ba - ri,
k$e - nai ba - ri kar - di ____________ sa _________ ? Dn
M#
< >
3
jU
j
24 .. bj r b
34 j .

tr

te

J J
J

ka ........ ai

40

dn

ka ............... hai ____________

dn

Kr
q

p ............................., Dn tr - te

b 3
4
J

ne

te.

The same modal attributes apply to the song , from Cod. 1203 of the Iviron monastery, dating from
th
nd
the 17 c. (Mazarakis, , 2 ed., p. 53), which shows a similar melodic progression and refers also to Digens.
Like in our example, the melody starts from c and moves in the higher pentachord, falling then into the lower one. The scribe
st
seems to be conscious of the problem, as he notes at the beginning: this is 1 echos ( ). It is true that
st
st
in more recent years the 1 mode from a was often considered as 1 plagal. The music theoretician Apostolos Konstas from Chios
th
th
writes at the beginning of the 19 c.: The four modes, whose bases lie four steps (a 5 ) above the bases of the respective plagals,
were considered by the so-called later teachers of this art as plagals, while they were sung as authentics[
, , ,
(Cod. 1867 of the National Library of Greece in Athens, dating from 1820, edited by Charalambos
Karakatsanis under the title: , vol. 1: , Athens 1995, p. 150)].
41
Mesos (middle) is the tone lying in the middle between the basis of an authentic mode and that of the respective plagal.
42
Tillyard, Octoechus II, pp. 87-88.
43
Baud-Bovy, Chansons populaires, p. 146.

120

>
& j
1bis. JEn
<

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

Duo q T 66

j 3 j 3 j 2 j . 3
.
4
.
J
3

- t

$xe - te

gu - ro

- ro ______________

gu

k$e

43 . j j j j j 24
R
nai _____________, k$e - nai
ba - ri,
k$e - nai ba - ri kar
di _________________
<q >
r > < qr. >
<
.
U
Uq Ur
>
j

3
2

. J J 4 4 . b j j j
sa _________? Dn

tr - te

ka

ai ___________ dn

p ................., Dn

tr - te

b J . #R # b r 43
J

<q >
m j U
3
m3 j
M
j
j
j
j
j
j
& 24
2. Dn tr - te ka 3 dn p 3- ne - te __________________
3
,
ka ________________
<Tq T72>
. m j . N 43 j j j 24 . ..
J
J
3
d __________, ka
d _____ xa - ro,
ka d xa - ro - ko - p
a
<q >
<
>
.
T
U
U
j
j j
j j 3 .

J J 4 j j j . 24 . b j j
ka

- hai

dn

te.

T
#

Solo

te __________, Pr

n _____$rqh

r j

ne

$rqh

<

>

Duo q T66

j
& J
2bis. Dn
3

j J J
J

a - ro

dn

n ___________ m

3 j
3
j
j

ka

p - ne

n ______________, Pr

ro

bj. r 3
4

tr - te

br _____.

N j. 24 . M

3
ka ________________

3
te _______________
,

m j 3
j
J 4 r . j j j 24
J
3
3
d ______ xa - ro,

d ___________, ka

ka d

r
2
J J . 4
te _____________ Pr
n 'rqh
X n 'rqh
< K> X - }
b q.
3
U j r
m
j
bJ J bJ . R
. J J

$rqh

a - ro

n __________

xa - ro - ko -

<q.>
U

br.

3
bM r b j j. r

ro

n _________,

Pr

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs
3
3
3
Mj 3
m
m
m
j
j
j
j
& 43 24
3. Pr n $rq$X - ro n m br __________,
<Tq T 72>
N
j
. 43 j j j

Solo

dia

43 .
dia

gou

<

&
3bis.

- m

$rq$ X - ro n

N 43 .
J

3
m __________, n

# 24 .
J

dia

gou - m

Ex. 2.

i - sh

ts __________

ge

3
n ________________

j j j j 2

, n m - e

N
j

b n J J n b. r
J
J

n.

3
br ___________________
,

dia

j
. J J 43 . j 24

sh __________, N

< .>
U
bq j 43 .

>
j 3 3 j 3 j 3
4 J
n

24 . >. . m j
J J

sh ts ___________________,N dia - gou -

3
ts ___________________
ge

i - sh

Pr

3
3
m _____________
, n

________,

Duo q T 66
3

3
n ___________

m j
J

sh
<e>
< > , n m - e dia - gou M- mT
U
U
r
j
r
2

4 b
-

n J J
J
m

M j
J

n.

dia - gou -

3
b r j b j j. r j
-

sh

ts _________, N

dia - gou-

<>
& w b n <#>

121

122

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

Ex. 3.

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

Ex. 4.

Ex. 5.

3 et 2
&( 4 )

POCO MOSSO
Lyra

Sandouri
?
3 et 2
( 4 )

<q T 100> M
m
T mTj b j b

m
m m
m

< >M
&
1. E ___ Mh

Canto
q T108 j

Mh

b j
J
J
J

Lyra

j b

- n ________________,

rh ____,

Sandouri

k$r

xo

.
J

nJ J

n _____ mou

Lyra

k - e

Mh - n

- mai.

bm
.

mou,

123

124

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

<q T 116>
j
j j m b

&
J
Mh - n _____ mou k

& j
?

&
2. E
j

ts

- ta ___ q

j
J

M$

mou

rh ___

k -

k$r - xo - mai

br,

b - ,

lw

$rtw?

b n j
3

M$ __ br - xei

j
. b j

b
J

.j b
J

j
J J

b,

M$ br

xei

J
J

le ___

Lyra

- xi - na,

Mh - n

b j

<n>

.
e_____ k$en

j j . m j

j J
M$ br - xei ___

m
j

&

b - ,

M$

br - xei

m
b

le ___

ts - xi

b -

j <>

j

- na,

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

&j

ki

ne ___

xio

m
&
J
3

Ex. 6.

j
-

b
J

-,

j
n
xio - n

j
-

zei

t$

m
b n

bb
?
b

&

spra.

b n

125

126

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

Ex. 7.

Ex. 8.

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

Ex. 9.

MOSSO q T 80
Lyra

2
j <>
& 4 .
2
& 4

Sandouri

<>m

accelerando
m
j m m

j
j

m
b <>

j j j
m m b Lyra n

J
&

J J
1 E ___________________ O Di - ge - n ________, O Di - ge - n yu m
3
b j j .j . j j j j

q T100

xo - ma - xe,

K$ _____

g,

k$

to

n _______

tro

127

128

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

ms

j j
. j

j
.

k$_____

sei,

j
.
b

sei

. j

g,

j j

e __________________

k$

tn ___

&

q . T106
Lyra

- n _____ tro

to

ms -

J m m b
J

r
.

pl - ka

K'

pl

ka

Lyra
j

na - tri - xi

<j.. > j < > m m m

j j

Sandouri

&

k$ g

m
j j
n b

<>m b m
<>
b

j
r
j j
& . .
2 E ________________ K$ pl - ka
<m> mj j j
b . . j
-

na - tri - xi

p - sh,

j
.

sh.

J <m> m
J
<m>
j j m

t ..............., K$

p ______

q ____, e p

q_______, e

. j j j
e ________________ Giat$

Lyra
j j

b j

J
3
po ________________ ko - te - tai

to

3
m

- n ________

to

Sandouri

ske -

- n _______ ske

r
. J J

kei

q ___

3
j m
j
j
.
p ____,

tn ___ ..............

pl - ka

kei __________, Giat$

p -

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs
q T 112
Lyra

<j..> j m m m j

&

j
j

Sandouri

&

<> b j <> <r>.

J
b

j
r

j j
& . b . J J
5 E ________________ N p - tou - nt ________, N
m
M
Lyra
b j j .j j j
J J
-

k - lia

&

&
Ex. 10.

Sandouri

t - ma - ta

$pia

- toun

-3

pa

b
j m

$pia - na ___

t _____ ker -

j
. j j
.

n ______

.
j

n _____

$pia ...

$pia

na ___

t _____

ker

k - lia.

Bb

b
&

b n

129

130

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

Ex. 11.

Ex. 12.

Theodorus Psaros (Askyfou)
P.VII 8
Texte analogue 15 .

< >
j j
& b(3 et4 2)

1 E _________________ O
Di
Andante q T72
N

j

-

ge

J J

3
n _____________,

. m
Di

ge

Eustathios Makris Byzantine Modes in Greek Traditional Music. Some Remarks on the Rizitika Songs

m
b n . b
J
n ___ yu

xo - ma

.
-

xe,

m
T
m
b . j j
j

g

to

n __________ tro - ms - sei,

m
b
T
b . j j j T j

g

to

k$ _______

g ___________

k$ ______

g ___________

ka ___

K$ pl -

k$

m. j j

e __________________ K$ pl - ka

j
. m . n N bM .
J R 3 J
J J

t ............,

e ____ k$

j
. j J J

n __________ tro - ms - sei

. . j j J
J
J

tn ___

na - tri - xi.

. N
mj
TqT
j
. j m . n j

&

J
J
3
3
2 E _________________
3
K$ pl - ka
t ..............., K$ pl - ka __ tn __
M
m M
T
j

b b . . . . j J . j
J J
J
J

b b

na - tri - xi,

j

-

p _____

M
j
j

. . . j J J ..

p ____

sh,

q ___________, e ___ p q ____ to

q ___________,

e___ p

q_____ to

M
bj j

n _________ ske-

- n __________ ske-

m
j
j j j j J j J

3
T

e ________________ Giat$

p - sh.

- kei

b . n . J b .
J
3
po____ yu

xo - ma

po ___ yu

m
b .
gi$

n-triw -

b ..
gi'

n-triw -

xo - ma

nou

m
T
j j

nou

ei,

ei.

kei _______

M3 j m M
r . J J

Giat$

j
. . . j j J J

xe,

l -

kei _

3
po ____________,

>
m j
bj j

j m

J J

N .
J

xe.

j
j
j j

& b T
3 E __________________ Giat$ - kei
j
b .

3
po ___________ , Giat$

gia ____________,

gia ________,

e___ l-

he

l-

m
j j j

e __________________

$xen

131

132

Acta Musicae Byzantinae VII

b J

3
g ___________________,

b J b
J J
3
-

t - ma

.
- ta.

3
$xen ______________

__________

m
. n
g

pa

& w b n w b n