A few years ago when I first became interested in the traditional byzantine chant of the Orthodox Church, I came across Fr. Apostolos Hill’s recording “Hymns of Paradise: Hymns of Life and Hope,” his English language adaptation of the remarkably beautiful Memorial Service. It was not until I heard this work that I began to appreciate these important hymns. I had simply never heard them executed competently in English anywhere in Greek Orthodox Church of America.
I was also deeply struck by Fr Apostolos’ simple and direct chant style, which is free of affectation, unpretentious, clear, and, in my opinion, simply beautiful. In short, a model for what I wish traditional chant in English would sound like in American parishes. In this recording, Fr Apostolos captures the spirit of an earlier, humble American plain chant tradition, while introducing elements of traditional byzantine chant, which is largely monophonic, uses an isson, and is practiced without any instrumental accompaniment. I appreciate that he avoids many of the vocal habits of popular music that some American psalti bring to their chant, while he similarly avoids injecting the vocal ticks of Greek psalti, which, to my ear, can sound false when found in our English language chanting.
Fr Apostolos’ adaptations are traditionally minded and not based on a single traditional musical text (warning to the musical purists). I count two moments of polyphony on the CD – the first and most obvious is the Trisagion hymn which he bases on the Arabic melody that is very popular here in the US. The second is in the Troparia Tone 8 “Among the Saints” which is subtle and reminiscent of harmonies found in the English adaptations of Vassilis Hadjinicolaou. I still found these pleasant, respectful, performed with sensitivity, unlike certain polyphonic treatments found in GOA parishes.
To my knowledge, Fr Apostolos has not made available a score for this music, so I’ve posted here my own transcription for those who want something to follow. It is in western notation and can be used to chant with friends. It is offers a simple introduction to traditional chant for English speakers who have no prior experience with byzantine style music. It should be used with the CD, not alone. I have not had time to correct the mistakes that riddle it – and there are many. I made it originally just for myself as a listening exercise. Again, I think it is the direct, clear and simple quality of Fr Apostolos Hill’s chant style that is most remarkable and useful, not necessarily the quality of the adaptation on its own.
I very much look forward to having more traditional adaptations from Fr. Seraphim Dedes or Fr. Ephraim of St Anthony’s Monastery. These two offer the best resources for English speakers to learn traditional byzantine liturgical chant.
The CD of Fr Apostolos Hill’s “Hymns of Paradise” can be found here.
The transcription is here.
