Abstracts of issue 17 (2003)
Ioannis Papathanasiou – Nikolaos BoukasByzantine Notation and
its Use up to the 10th Century. Oral and Written Transmission of Early Byzantine Chant
An effort has been made in this study to prove that music was being written down in Byzantium before the 10th century and at the same time to highlight the significance of the peripheral zones of Byzantium, as regards the creation and dissemination of Eastern liturgical musical tradition. In the first part of the paper, particular stress is placed on the research carried out, mainly in recent years, on shards, papyri, and parchment and paper manuscripts. The results of this research demonstrate the use of various notational systems prior to the 10th century, at least on the local level. In the second part, we have tried to shed light on the way in which the melodies of the Eastern Orthodox Church hymns were transmitted from the moment of their creation until their final crystallization.