www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Top Ten Byzantine Hymns

I mentioned that the Hymn of the Incarnation is probably one of the favorite liturgical hymns of people through the ages. If I had to pick a list of the top ten favorite Byzantine Hymns, I would choose (not in order of priority):
1. Hymn of the Incarnation
2. Trisagion
3. Cherubicon
4. Hymn after Communion, "Let our mouth be filled ... "
5. Paschal Troparion
6. The Exapostolarion of Paschal Matins
7. "O Joyful Light" (from Vespers)
8. The Great Doxology
9. Heavenly King
10. "Now the powers of heaven ... " (Cherubicon of Presanctified)

My "top ten" list is as follows (I changed this three times before this version) :

1. Voskres Isus ot Hroba/Jesus is Risen as He foretold, in tone six samohlasni, Hymn after "Having Seen the Resurrection of Christ" from Paschal Matins and Sunday Matins

2. Paschal Stikhera in Tone 5 Bulgarian

3. Isaie Likuiye/Dance O Isaiah (Znamenny irmos) from the Wedding and Ordination services

4. Ton Despotin

5. Svite Tikhy/Tranquil Light from Vespers(Galician style)

6. Bud Imya Hospodni/ Blessed be the Name of the Lord in Kievan chant

7. Z Nami Boh/God is With Us from Great Compline

8. O Divnoye Chudno samopodobni

9. Come Let Us Worship from Divine Liturgy/Znamenny chant

10. Plotyu/Exapostlarion from Paschal Matins

[ 08-18-2002: Message edited by: Diak ]

Must we choose only 10?

My favorites are:

1. The Office of the Three Antiphons on Pascha
2. The Office of the Three Antiphon with the Typical Psalms and Beatitudes in Russian Tone 1 (and, of course, little litanties)
3. The Polyeleos of Matins (Ruthenian melody)
4. The Paschal Stichera sung at the Kissing of the Cross on Pascha (in Slavonic)
5. Paschal Troparion
6. "Having beheld the Resurrection of Christ�." (from Matins, in Russian Tone 6).
7. Christmas Troparion (in Slavonic, Ruthenian Tone 4)
8. Cherubicon (Ruthenian melody 1)
9. Great Doxology of Matins (Ruthenian Variant of Kontakion Tone 6).
10. "Count us worthy, O Lord" from Vespers (Ruthenian melody).

1) Kontakion of the Akathistos Hymn "Ti Hypermakho" sung in Greek.
2) The Vesper Hymn "O Gentle Light" "Phos Hilaron" sung in Greek to the Sakellarides melody.
3) Agni Parthene, sung in Greek or Slavonic.
4) The shortened version of Psalm 103 sung at Vespers, to the Russian Znam. melody, harmonised or not.
5) The Troparion of the Holy Cross, Tone 1 Russian Obikhod melody "Spasi Gospodi..."
6) The Troparion "Voskresenye Tvoye, Khriste Spase" "Thy Resurrection, O Christ our Saviour" sung at the procession at Pascha. Russian Obikhod Tone 6.
7) The Paschal Verses and Troparion in Slavonic, Russian Obikhod again.
8) The Small Paraklesis sung in Greek to the traditional melodies.
9) The Hexapsalmos "Slava v Vyshnikh Bogu i na ziemli mir" "Glory to God in the Highest" sung to Znam. Chant.
10) "Behold the Bridegroom" sung to the Russian melody, harmonised.
11) "By the waters of babylon" Russian melody
12) The Lamentations of Great and Holy Saturday sung in Greek... "He Zoe en Tapho"...

I know that's more than 10, but I love them all.. and much more!

How can I limit them to only ten? I can't.

Me, too! Not in order of preference but as they popped into my mind. No stopping at 10, thougl. Naturally, these are with byzantine melodies.

1. Do thou open unto me the doors of repentance. (From Lenten Orthros)
2. Triumphant Leader
3. O God of Powers, be with us. (Great Compline)
4. The angel cried out to the one who is full of grace.
5. In thee, o full uf grace.
6. Cassiane's hymn about the sinful woman.
7. Behold, the Bridegroom comes.
8. Anything whatever from the small Paraklesis.
9. Great Doxology
10. Today the Virgin is on her way.
11. The Paschal canon
12. Awed by the beauty of thy virginity. (sung at the end of the Akathist)
13. O Virgin pure
14. Paschal stichera

There, that's a START!

Vicki

[ 08-19-2002: Message edited by: VWilliams ]

1. Da Ispolnatsja usta nasha
The best words to come out of my mouth.

2.The Creed
How can this be recited, when our music makes every congregation sound like a choir?

3. Cherubic Hymn
Blue book 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15
A beautiful hymn and a breathtaking treasury of musical ideas.

4. Jehda ot dreva T'a mertva Great Friday vespers
Funeral Farewell Hymn (same tone)
Wonderful to sing if you can hold back tears

5. Paschal Troparion with verses

6. Hypakoje at Resurrection Matins
My childhood priest, now in blessed repose, sang this in a way that will never be forgotten.
7. Paschal Sticheras at the kissing of the Cross

8. Sv'ite Tichij is a glorious text, but after Rachmaninoff's setting no other music is worthy of it. And ditto for just about everything else in his all night vigil

9. Anaphora in the Liturgy of St. Basil.
So difficult, so glorious.

10. Da Ispravitsja from the Liturgy of the Presanctified

11. Pinije Umilitenoje
The idea may be imported, but whoever put together the text and music understood everything about the Byzantine Slavonic Duch. This is a masterwork.

12. Marian Hymns
O Mati Bozhe, O Marije Mati Bozha Prechista, D'ivo Mati Zastupaj Nas, Anhel Bozhij, Pod Tvoj Pokrov

Christmas Kolady
Another thread?

Almost anything that is correctly sung (in Church Slavonic of course)in the traditional Rusyn Prostopinije which would include:

1. Anhel vopijashe...
2. All versions of the Paschal Tropar in Rusyn Prostopinije.
3. Otce Nash (long version with the "Otce Nas" refrain after every stanza.
4.The Paschal Resurrection Matin Service ( when sung in the originial Rusyn Prostopinije, preferably in Church Slavonic).
5. Bohoridice D'ivo (Hail, Mother of God, Virgin Mary) the beautiful Rusyn Marian Hymn.
6. The Parastas, Panachida and the correctly-sung
furneral burial service in Rusyn Prostopinije.
7. The three traditional versions of Mnohaja L'ita
in the Rusyn Prostopinije instead of the Greek version (Is polla eti, Despota).
8. Any Rusyn Marian hymn when sung in the original Rusyn-Slavonic.
9. Rusyn Nativity Kol'jady.
10. The Po-vecherij Compline Service.

Correction:

That should be spelled "Bohorodice". My bad!