Glory to Jesus Christ!

In the video Infant Baptism, what kind of singing was that?

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

The video referred to in the article (along with the documentation links) can be seen in the original blog post here.

Slava Isusu Khrestu!Praise be Jesus Christ

Hello Manuel

"Receive the Body of Christ taste the fountain of immortality"

These words are sung in the tradition of the Ukrainian Catholic and Ukrainian Orthodox churches for sure as communicants approach for communion.

The melody is one familiar to me for as a youngster, it was sung in our church originally in Old Slavonic, then, years later about 1960's it was sung in modern Ukrainian and now sung in English.

Often it is sung in both languages, Ukrainian and English alternately at communion time.

Z Bohom
Kolya

Glory to Jesus Christ!



Dear Garajotsi,

Do the Ukrainian Catholic or Orthodox use Byzantine chant or the Russian chant? I understand that Russian Orthodoxy developed it's own 8 tone style of chant.

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

The UGCC church I attend has a hymn or 2 during communion. At the Russian Catholic Centre in Melbourne they repeat the verse continually while communion of the congregation is taking place.

Slava Isusu Khrestu

Hello
Manuel

The Ukrainian church of Rus'-Ukraine which was baptized in 10th century at the time of St Vladimir the Great, Grand Prince of Rus' is older than the Church of Russia. The Christian message later went north from Rus'.

Accordingly, the Church of Rus'-Ukraine did use Byzantine chant but over time, developed its own unique Ukrainian 8 tones/hlasi
which with subtle variation are used throughout Ukraine and here in Canada by both Orthodox and Catholic Ukrainians. The Russian Church after it received the Gospel News developed and modified the 8 tones based on those of the Ukrainian Church.

Z Bohom
Kolya

Check such sources as the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Heirmologion, and you will find that the chant which remains in Galicia is based on Zammeny.

Fr. Serge

Glory to Jesus Christ!



Thank you for this information. So I guess there are three chant styles: Byzantine, Ukrainian and Russian?

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

Manuel,

There is also Carpatho-Russyn chant, which is slightly different from Ukrainian chant. Russia seems to have a couple of styles, the traditional Znammeny chant, and the more choral arrangements for which the Russians are so famous. Several other countries have also developed their own style of chant, but those all seem to have derived from Byzantine chant.

So the question I guess is when will American Chant come around? I think I remember hearing from one of the Ancient Faith podcast that the speaker, an Antiochian priest, was trying to develop one but it is quite difficult.

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

I shudder to think of what an authentic and indigenous American chant might sound like! (Rock and roll, the blues, rap, jazz, etc...?!?) LOL!!

In the meantime, the sacred sounds of the old world countries (including the ethereal Gregorian chant of the West) feel reverent and 'right'...Here is a very good Byzantine chant, sung in English:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wmhA4D5CKU&feature=related

Glory to Jesus Christ!



LOL Yea I can understand that sentiment, especially with the abuses done in the Roman Church. I love the Byzantine Chant. I was just stating out loud what I think is the natural thought process with so many other regional/national chant styles. It would be interesting if such a thing as reverent American Chant could be developed. But American custom, if you will, has from it's birth to be practical and do away with what's not needed. Look at our English compared to British English. Color as opposed to colour. It would be interesting, but I doubt if possible. Especially in such a world and generation that at large has and is losing the sense of reverence in general .

Kyrie eleison,

Manuel

Personally I think that even if jurisdictional unity is achieved for the Byzantine Churches in the U.S. (whether they be Catholic or Orthodox), each church should maintain its inherited form of chant and work to promote the best expressions of that chant in English. In other words, within an "American patriarchate" Russian parishes should work to produce the best possible expression of Russian/Znammeny chant in English, Greek and Antiochian parishes should work to produce the best possible expression of Byzantine chant in English, Ruthenian parishes should work to produce the best possible expression of Ruthenian chant in English, etc.

One other thing to note is that each country that is traditionally Orthodox has had centuries to develop its own style/form of chant, and didn't just pull it out of mid air at the urging of some liturgical commission. The same will hold for the U.S. and other English speaking countries. So I'd guess that many styles of chanting will exist in the Byzantine churches in the U.S. for a couple of centuries, but a common "American" chant will gradually form, founded of course on the traditional forms of Byzantine chant, particularly Byzantine chant itself.

That is the Communion Hymn for Pascha. It is also the hymn for the Sundays of the Paschal season, except for Thomas Sunday (at least in the Ruthenian Recension). As such, it appears to be a kind of default Communion Hymn. Our BCC parish did not actually use it in that way, but it is so used in a 1966 recording of a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy ( link).

This is the link for the Communion Hymns. Hymn 2, "Receive the Body of Christ," begins at 01:43.

It is an example of Carpathian chant.