July 06, 2003

Typika

Because our Eucharistic Community doesn't meet every week and we travelled to Shrewsbury last week, we prayed the Typika at home today. This is the substitute service for the Liturgy when no priest is present. Unfortunately, since I'm hopeless with the tones, we did everything in Tone One, even if it didn't fit exactly.

In place of the sermon, I first read the lives of three of the saints commemorated today, St Sisoes the Great, St Lucy, and St Sexburga.

St Sisoes was a disciple of St Antony the Great, the patron of our community. His icon shows how he visited the grave of Alexander the Great, who had been reduced to dust and bones. When St Sisoes was dying his face shined brightly and when he spirit left his body, a beautiful fragrance filled the room. It made me think of Psalm 116:15: "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints." (I'm using the reference from the Hebrew text, as I don't know how the LXX is numbered here.)

St Lucy is the most famous of the trio. She is commemorated in the traditional Roman mass (pre-Vatican II and the current Eucharistic Prayer I). She suffered in the Diocletian persecution. When she refused to marry a pagan, the governor attempted to force her into a brothel, but the power of God kept them from taking her. She was then tortured for her faith.

St Sexburga is one of our home-grown British saints. She is also a representative of a holy family. Her four sisters were all glorified as saints, as were her two daughters. She was the daughter of the King of East Anglia and married to the King of Kent. Her two sons were successively Kings of Kent. Her sisters were all nuns (three were abbesses) and her daughters both became nuns, one having never married and the other like her mother, taking the veil after the death of her husband, the King of Mercia, and also like her mother becoming Abbess of Ely. Sexburga founded the Abbey of Minster in Sheppey, but after a few years she left there and place herself under the obedience of her sister Etheldreda at Ely. When her sister died, Sexburga was elected abbess. She died about the year 699 and was buried at Ely.

In thinking of names for a girl, should we ever have one, I have in the past suggested Etheldreda, but Mrs Holford is not too keen on it.

After the lives of the saints, we listened to a sermon from Fr John Braun.

Posted by david at July 6, 2003 05:49 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Unfortunately, since I'm hopeless with the tones, we did everything in Tone One...

Firstly...what are the tones...secondly, if they are what I think...meaning essentially notes of the scales that one uses for chanting as in how Psalms are often done in the Liturgy in ECUSA, RC et al....how can you be hopeless with the tones with your voice? unless...you cannot read music...perhaps? hmmmm. ps...still hoping to eventually possess a copy of you singing and playing the Liturgical music you wrote once upon a time...dont say its not liturgical, or argu with me, please...you know what music I am talking about.

Posted by: Mare at July 10, 2003 01:30 AM

The Eight Tones are the basis of most of the music of the Orthodox Church, developed by St John of Damascus in the 8th Century. They are basic melodic structures, which are then altered depending on the type of hymn being sung, so there are several variations on each Tone. e.g., Sticheron, Troparion, Prokeimenon, Irmos, Refrain. With just those variations, that is in essence 40 different melodies. In some references they are called Tones 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. In other places, Tones 5-8 are called the first plagal, second plagal, grave tone, and fourth plagal.

They also vary significantly between Byzantine and Slavonic usage, though neither is comfortable or natural to the ear that has only known Western music. The intervals and endings are not necessarily what the Western ear would expect.

For certain music, the Tones rotate on a eight-week cycle. The tone changes at Vespers each Saturday. For other music, such as Troparia and Kontakia to a particular saint or for other fixed feasts, the Tone is fixed and bears no relation to the tone of the week. These hymns are in books called the Menaia. There are also variations for Lent and Eastertide, which are in the Triodion and Pentecostarion.

On top of this, there are hymns which have special melodies, which may or may not be the same all the time. You just have to know.

I can read music. Of course the books don't have the music printed in them -- they work on the assumption that the reader knows the appropriate melody to use, given the tonal prescriptions for that particular day and the type of hymn.

And even after all this, I'm guessing you have no idea how complicated it is.

As for the other music, just keep hope alive.

Posted by: David Holford at July 10, 2003 10:29 AM

And even after all this, I'm guessing you have no idea how complicated it is...

Dont sell your explaination short... and be glad, I suppose, that you have a lifetime ahead to learn it all. Would it be possible for you to make musical dreams come true so that hope does not disappoint?

Posted by: Mare at July 10, 2003 12:55 PM

It is not possible at this time, due to technological constraints.

Posted by: David Holford at July 10, 2003 10:11 PM