St. Mark's Byzantine Choir Welcomes You

The St. Mark's Byzantine Choir has been chanting the Divine Liturgy at St. Mark of Ephesus Cathedral every Sunday in traditional Byzantine Chant since its founding in 1988. We offer this website to those interested in the sacred and divine art of Byzantine Chanting and we invite you to take advantage of the resources offered on our links page.

To see the schedule of divine services at St. Mark's, please visit our Cathedral's Homepage.

St. Mark's Byzantine Choir Announces the Release of its new CD "Let my Prayer be Set Forth"

The St. Mark's Byzantine Choir is pleased to announce the release of its new CD "Let my Prayer be Set Forth." The choir endeavors to chant the sacred music of the Orthodox Church in the style of the received tradition, and in its inaugural recording offers a selection of hymns from throughout the daily and annual Orthodox cycle of services. Selections are in English and Greek.

To Order: Contact the St. Mark of Ephesus Cathedral Bookstore by phone, at: (617) 469-2380 or by email, at: bookstore@stmarkofephesus.org. To contact the director of St. Mark's Choir, email: byzantinechant@gmail.com.

Dr. Constantine Cavarnos on Byzantine Music

Byzantine sacred music, which is the traditional, official music of the Greek Orthodox Church, is characterized, as far as inner essence is concerned, by simplicity or freedom from undue complexity, by purity or freedom from everything sensual, ostentatious, insincere, and by unsurpassed power and spirituality. As regards to its outer form or technical aspect, it is characterized by the fact that it is entirely vocal, not making use of any instruments, and monophonic, that is, employing melodies in one vocal part only. The aim of Byzantine music is spiritual. The music is, in the first place, a means of worship and veneration; and in the second place, a means of self-perfection, of eliciting and cultivating man's higher thoughts and feelings and of opposing and eliminating his lower, undesirable ones.

St. Romanos the Melodist, Patron Saint of Chanters

St. Romanos was born in the Syrian town of Emesa. He was, at first, a sexton in Beirut, and later served in the cathedral church in Constantinople in the time of Patriarch Euthymius (490-504). Romanos was not well educated and was untrained in chanting, for which he was ridiculed by some of the more educated clergy. St. Romanos tearfully prayed to the Most-holy Theotokos, and she appeared to him in a dream, gave him a scroll, and told him to swallow it. The following day was the Feast of the Nativity. Romanos took his place as a chanter at the ambo, and with an angelic voice sang the hymn "On this day the Virgin." All were amazed at both the content of this hymn and at the magnificent singing of the chanter. Having received the poetic gift from the Theotokos, Romanos composed over a thousand Kontakia. Romanos entered into rest as a deacon of the Great Church, Hagia Sophia, in Constantinople. He joined the angelic choirs in the year 510.

REFLECTION

The Most-holy Theotokos has often appeared to holy men in need: sometimes to encourage them in asceticism, or to heal them from sickness, or to reveal a certain mystery to them. Two similar, wonderful events took place in the Great Lavra on the Holy Mountain. In Great Lent, during the chanting of the Great Akathist, St. John Koukouzelis was tired and sat down, facing the icon of the Theotokos. As he sat, he fell asleep. Just then, the Holy Most-pure One appeared to him in heavenly light and said: "Rejoice, O John! Chant and do not stop chanting, and for this I will not abandon you.'' With this, she placed a gold coin in John's hand. When he awoke from sleep, the gold coin was still in his hand. After this, many wonderful miracles were worked from the icon of the Theotokos, as well as from the gold coin.

The second incident involved St. Gregory the monk, who, like John Koukouzelis, was a church cantor. Patriarch Kallistos had established that in the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, "In Thee O Full of Grace'' be sung in place of "It Is Truly Meet.'' His successor, Patriarch Philotheus, rescinded this, reinstating "It Is Truly Meet'' because of its brevity. But then, on the eve of the Theophany, and in the presence of Patriarch Gregory of Alexandria, St. Gregory sang "In Thee O Full of Grace" instead. Immediately after this, the Holy Most-pure One appeared to him, and, as she had done to John Koukouzelis, placed a gold coin in his hand. She said: "I am very grateful for your singing in my honor.'' Because of this, it was instituted that all Liturgies of St. Basil would thereafter include "In Thee O Full of Grace."

Life and Reflection from The Prologue from Ohrid.

Contact Us

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