List of Byzantine composers

Last updated

John of Damascus (c. 675 - c. 749), who was a major proponent of 8th century kanons and the supposed creator of the octoechos Ioann Damaskin ikona.jpg
John of Damascus (c. 675 – c. 749), who was a major proponent of 8th century kanōns and the supposed creator of the octoechos

The Byzantine Empire lasted from AD 395 to 1453, during which music was prominent throughout the empire. [1] [n 1] Both sacred and secular music were commonplace, with sacred music frequently used in church services and secular music in many events including, ceronmonies, dramas, ballets, banquets, festivals and sports games. [2] [3] However, despite its popularity, secular Byzantine music was harshly criticized by the Church Fathers. [3] [n 2] Like their medieval Western contemporaries, little is known about the lives of Byzantine composers. [5]

Contents

Composers of sacred music, especially hymns and chants, are generally well documented throughout the history of Byzantine music. However, those before the reign of Justinian I are virtually unknown; the monks Anthimos, Auxentios and Timokles are said to have written troparia, but only the text to a single one by Auxentios survives. [6] The first major form was the kontakion, of which Romanos the Melodist was the foremost composer. In the late 7th century the kanōn overtook the kontakion in popularity; Andrew of Crete became its first significant composer, and is traditionally credited as the genre's originator (though modern scholars now doubt this). The kañon reached its peak with the music of John of Damascus and Cosmas of Maiuma and later Theodore of Stoudios and Theophanes the Branded in the 8th and 9th centuries respectively. [2] Composers of secular music are considerably less documented. Not until late in the empire's history are composers known by name, with Joannes Koukouzeles, Xenos Korones and Joannes Glykys as the leading figures. [3] Partly due to the little information concerning them, many modern studies of Byzantine music pay little attention to specific composers. [7]

Like their Western counterparts of the same period, recorded Byzantine composers were primarily men. [5] The best known woman was Kassia, a prolific and important composer of sticheron hymns and the only woman whose works entered the Byzantine liturgy. [8] A few other women are known to have been composers, Thekla, Theodosia, Martha and the daughter of John Kladas (her given name is unrecorded). [9] Aside from Kassia, only the daughter of John Kladas has any surviving work, a single antiphon. [10] Some Byzantine emperors are known to have been composers, such as Leo VI the Wise, Constantine VII and possibly John III Doukas Vatatzes. [11]

Byzantine composers

Byzantine composers
NameLifetimeExtant worksRemarks
The death of Theodosius I in 395 causes the permanent division of the Western Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire [1]
Anthimosfl. 5th centurySaid to have composed troparia (none survive)A monophysite [12] [6]
Auxentiosfl. 5th centuryThe text to a single troparion survives (attribution uncertain); said to have composed othersA biography on Auxentios attributes the composition of a troparion to him [6] [13] [12]
Timoklesfl. 5th centurySaid to have composed troparia (none survive)– [6] [12]
Anatolius of Constantinople Died 458A few hymns
Severus of Antioch 465–538Many hymns [14] [15]
John bar Aphtonia c. 480 – c. 537A few hymnsHis hymns bare similarities to those of Severus of Antioch, whom he wrote a biography on [16] [17]
Romanos the Melodist late 5th century – after 550About 60 of the 85 kontakion attributed to him are considered authenticThe preeminent kontakion composer of his time [18]
Kyriakosfl. 6th centuryNo works surviveContemporary of Romanos [19]
Anastasiusfl. 6th centuryNo works surviveA composer recorded as "Anastasius" is thought to be a 6th century Byzantine emperor, either Anastasius I Dicorus (c. 431 – 9 July 518) or Anastasios II (Died 719). Contemporary of Romanos [19]
Germanus I c. 634 – c. 733Various kanōns are attributed to himIf authentic, his kanōns would be earlier than those of Andrew of Crete and thus confirm Andrew is not the genre's originator [20] [21]
Andrew of Crete c. 660 – c. 740Hymns, primarily kanōns [22] Best known for his Great Kanōn, a 250 stanza hymn. Traditionally credited with inventing the kanōn, though modern scholars doubt this [23] [20]
John of Damascus
(John Damascene)		c. 675 – c. 749Many kanōns and troparia. Traditionally credited with inventing the octoechos, though modern scholars doubt thisA close colleague of Cosmas of Maiuma [24]
Cosmas of Maiuma
(Kosmas of Jerusalem)		fl. early 8th centuryVarious kanōns, sticheron, idiomelas and triōdiasA close colleague of John of Damascus [25]
Stephen the Sabaite Died 807 Idiomelas in the Triodion, Kanōns [26]
Theodore the Studite 759 – 826Various kanōns Kept a letter correspondence with Kassia; brother of Joseph the Confessor [20] [27]
Joseph the Confessor fl. 9th century Troparia, sticheron and kanōns Brother of Theodore the Studite [28]
Theophanes the Branded 775 – 845 Kanōns for saints and his brother, Theodorus.Contributed to the Parakletike [20] [29]
Kassia More than 50 liturgical works, primarily stichera. 26 have disputed authenticityThe only woman Byzantine composer whose work is included in the Byzantine liturgy. The most important and renowned woman in Byzantine music. She had a letter correspondence with Theodore the Studite [30] [31]
Joseph the Hymnographer c. 816 – 886Various kanōns, of which 525 survive.Contributed to the Parakletike [32] [33]
Theklafl. 9th centuryNo works surviveKnown to have written now lost kanōns [34]
Theodosiafl. 9th centuryNo works surviveKnown to have written now lost kanōns. She was an abbess who lived near Constantinople [35]
Leo VI the Wise 866 – 912Hymns for the Great Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross Was Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912 [36]
Marthafl. End of the 9th centuryNo works surviveAbbess and mother of Simeon Stylites [34]
Constantine VII 905 – 95911 exaposteilaria anastasima and 3 sticheron Was Byzantine emperor from 908 until 959 (co-emperor until 945) [37]
Nikephoros Ethikos fl. c. 1300Liturgical chants; 40 surviveHis works are far more stylistically conservative than those of his contemporaries [38]
Gregorios Glykys fl. c. 1300Liturgical chants; only a few survive, including a sticheron Had the post of domestikos (in a musical context meaning "first singer of the left choir") [39]
John Koukouzelis fl. 1300–50Many chantsOne of the most illustrious musicians of his time; known as the "second source of Greek music" (John of Damascus being the first) [40]
Xenos Korones fl. 1325–50Chants [41]
Joannes Glykys fl. Late 13th centuryChant and psalmsPurportedly the teacher of Korones and Koukouzelis [42]
John Kladas fl. 1400Virtually every sacred genre of his timeHe was particularly prolific and his daughter seems to have been a composer as well [43] [44]
Daughter of John Kladas fl. 1400A single antiphon is attributed to herHer given name is unknown; recorded only as the daughter of John Kladas [44] [31]
John Laskaris fl. first half of 15th centuryNot particularly prolific;Also a music theorist [45]
Manuel Chrysaphes fl. 1440–1463A large amount of hymns, chants, kratēmata, mathēmata and anagrammatismoi among othersAn extremely prolific composer; John VIII Palaiologos and Constantine XI Palaiologos were patrons of his music. [46] [n 3]
John Vatatzesfl. mid 15th centuryLong assumed to be the emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes, though this is no firm evidence for this [47]
Janus Plousiadenos c. 1429–1500 [48]
Fall of Constantinople results in the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire in 1453 [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of music</span>

Although definitions of music vary wildly throughout the world, every known culture partakes in it, and it is thus considered a cultural universal. The origins of music remain highly contentious; commentators often relate it to the origin of language, with much disagreement surrounding whether music arose before, after or simultaneously with language. Many theories have been proposed by scholars from a wide range of disciplines, though none has achieved broad approval. Most cultures have their own mythical origins concerning the invention of music, generally rooted in their respective mythological, religious or philosophical beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wagner tuba</span> Brass instrument related to tubas and French horns

The Wagner tuba is a four-valve brass instrument commissioned by and named after Richard Wagner. It combines technical features of both standard tubas and French horns, though despite its name, the Wagner tuba is more similar to the latter, and usually played by horn players. Wagner commissioned the instrument for his four-part opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen, where its purpose was to bridge the acoustical and textural gap between the French horn and trombone.

<i>Ars nova</i> Musical style of the Late Middle Ages

Ars nova refers to a musical style which flourished in the Kingdom of France and its surroundings during the Late Middle Ages. More particularly, it refers to the period between the preparation of the Roman de Fauvel (1310s) and the death of composer Guillaume de Machaut in 1377. The term is sometimes used more generally to refer to all European polyphonic music of the fourteenth century. For instance, the term "Italian ars nova" is sometimes used to denote the music of Francesco Landini and his compatriots, although Trecento music is the more common term for the contemporary 14th-century music in Italy. The "ars" in "ars nova" can be read as "technique", or "style". The term was first used in two musical treatises, titled Ars novae musicae by Johannes de Muris, and a collection of writings attributed to Philippe de Vitry often simply called "Ars nova" today. Musicologist Johannes Wolf first applied to the term as description of an entire era in 1904.

Abū Isḥāq Ibrāhīm al-Mawṣilī was an Arab musician of Persian origin who was among the greatest composers of the early Abbasid period. After Arab and Persian musical training in Ray, he was called to the Abbasid capital of Baghdad where he served under three successive Abbasid caliphs: Al-Mahdi, Al-Hadi and Harun al-Rashid. He became particularly close with the latter and emerged as the leading musician of his time. He championed the conservative school of Arab music against progressives such as Ibn Jami. His son and student Ishaq al-Mawsili would succeed him as the leader of the conservative tradition and his other pupils included the musicians Mukhariq, Zalzal and Ziryab. He appears in numerous stories of One Thousand and One Nights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baude Cordier</span> French composer (fl. early 15th century)

Baude Cordier was a French composer in the ars subtilior style of late medieval music. Virtually nothing is known of Cordier's life, aside from an inscription on one of his works which indicates he was born in Rheims and had a Master of Arts. Some scholars identify him with Baude Fresnel, a harpist and organist in the court of Philip the Bold, though other scholars have rejected this.

Manṣūr Zalzal al-Ḍārib or simply Zalzal, was an Iranian musician during the early Abbasid period. The renowned musician Ishaq al-Mawsili was his student; he declared Zalzal to be the most outstanding lutenist of his time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claude V. Palisca</span> Twentieth century authority on early music, professor of music at Yale

Claude Victor Palisca was an American musicologist. An internationally recognized authority on early music, especially opera of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, he was the Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor Emeritus of Music at Yale University. Palisca is best known for co-writing the standard textbook A History of Western Music, as well as for his substantial body of work on the history of music theory in the Renaissance, reflected in his editorship of the Yale Music Theory in Translation series and in the book Humanism in Italian Renaissance Musical Thought (1985). In particular, he was the leading expert on the Florentine Camerata. His 1968 book Baroque Music in the Prentice-Hall history of music series ran to three editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Steinberg (music critic)</span> American music critic and author (1928-2009)

Carl Michael Alfred Steinberg was an American music critic and author who specialized in classical music. He was best known, according to San Francisco Chronicle music critic Joshua Kosman, for "the illuminating, witty and often deeply personal notes he wrote for the San Francisco Symphony's program booklets, beginning in 1979." He contributed several entries to the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, wrote articles for music journals and magazine, notes for CDs, and published a number of books on music, both collected published annotations and new writings.

Ishaq al-Mawsili was an Arab musician of Persian origin active as a composer, singer and music theorist. The leading musician of his time in the Abbasid Caliphate, he served under six successive Abbasid caliphs: Harun al-Rashid, Al-Amin, Al-Ma'mun, Al-Mu'tasim, Al-Wathiq and Al-Mutawakkil. The caliphs and Abbasid court held him in high regard, and his diverse intellect elevated him to a social status that was highly unusual for musicians of the time.

John Kladas was a Byzantine composer. He had the post of lampadarius in the cathedral of Hagia Sophia of Constantinople. He wrote several works on the theory of music, the most important being the Grammatike tes mousikes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Noël Goodwin</span> English arts critic and author (born 1927–2013)

Trevor Noël Goodwin was an English music critic, dance critic and author who specialized in classical music and ballet. Described as having a "rare ability to write about music and dance with equal distinction", for 22 years Goodwin was Chief music and dance critic for the Daily Express. He held criticism posts at many English newspapers, including the News Chronicle, Truth and The Manchester Guardian among others; from 1978 to 1998 he also reviewed performances for The Times. Goodwin wrote an early history of the Scottish Ballet and was coauthor for two books: London Symphony: Portrait of an Orchestra with Hubert J. Foss and a Knight at the Opera with Geraint Evans.

Nicola Sabini was an Italian composer of the mid-Baroque period who spent his career in Naples. An influential figure in early Neapolitan opera buffa, his most important opera is the 1701 comedy Scherzo drammatico, Il mondo abbattuto.

Jacob J. Sawyer (1856–1885) was an American composer, pianist, songwriter, and conductor. His Welcome to the Era March (1877) was included in James Monroe Trotter's Music and Some Highly Musical People (1878).

References

Notes

  1. ↑ Even after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 the Byzantine musical tradition continued in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople through figures such as Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes, Petros Bereketis, Petros Peloponnesios, and Chrysanthos of Madytos, [2] [3] as well as Serbians such as Kir Stefan, Isaiah, Nikola and Kir Joakim. [4]
  2. ↑ Touliatos 2001 lists John Chrysostom, Tertullian, Cyprian, Clement of Alexandria, Gregory Nazianzen, Basil the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo and particularly Jerome as the church fathers who were vocally against secular Byzantine music
  3. ↑ He was also a noted music theorist, writing the treatise Peri tōn entheōroumenōn tē psaltikē technē kai hōn phronousi kakōs tines peri autōn which contains extensive and otherwise unknown information on contemporary Byzantine music, practice and theory. [46]

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (21 September 2021). "Byzantine Empire | History, Geography, Maps & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica . Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2021. When did the Byzantine Empire exist?: The Byzantine Empire existed from approximately 395 CE—when the Roman Empire was split—to 1453.
  2. 1 2 3 Levy 2001.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Touliatos 2001.
  4. ↑ Randel, Don Michael, ed. (2003). The Harvard Dictionary of Music. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. pp. 751, 771. ISBN   978-0-674-01163-2.
  5. 1 2 Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 62.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Metcalfe, William (1898). The Scottish Review. Vol. XXXII. Alexander Gardner. p. 302.
  7. ↑ Velimirović 1978, p. 818.
  8. ↑ Mellas 2020, pp. 147–148.
  9. ↑ Touliatos-Banker 1984, pp. 64, 80.
  10. ↑ Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 64.
  11. ↑ Kalaitzidis & Apostolopoulos 2015, §2 "Prominent Personalities".
  12. 1 2 3 Troelsgård, Christian (2001). "Troparion" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.28455. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  13. ↑ Werner, Eric (1976). Contributions to a Historical Study of Jewish Music. Brooklyn: Ktav Publishing House. pp. 16–17.
  14. ↑ Youssef, Youhanna Nessim (2016). "Hymns of Severus of Antioch and the Coptic Theotokia" (PDF). In D'Alton, John; Youssef, Youhanna Nessim (eds.). Severus of Antioch: His Life and Times. Leiden: Brill Publishers. ISBN   978-90-04-30799-5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-10-17.
  15. ↑ Wolfram, Gerda (2001). "Severus of Antioch" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.25529. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  16. ↑ Watt, John W. (2018). "John bar Aphtonia". In Nicholson, Oliver (ed.). The Oxford Dictionary of Late Antiquity, Volume 2: J–Z. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 819–820. ISBN   978-0-19-881625-6.
  17. ↑ Childers, Jeff W. (2011). "John bar Aphtonia (d. 537)". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press.
  18. ↑ Engberg, Gudrun (2001). "Romanos the Melodist" . Grove Music Online . Revised by Alexander Lingas. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.23748. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  19. 1 2 Kucharek, Casimir A. (1971). The Byzantine-Slav Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: Its Origin and Evolution. Combermere: Alleluia Press. p. 394. ISBN   978-0-911726-06-0.
  20. 1 2 3 4 Velimirović, Miloš (2001). "Kanōn" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.14677. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  21. ↑ Jeffery, Peter (2001). "The Earliest Oktōēchoi: The Role of Jerusalem and Palestine in the Beginnings of Modal Ordering". In Jeffery, Peter (ed.). The Study of Medieval Chant: Paths and Bridges, East and West. Suffolk: Boydell Press. p. 181. ISBN   978-0-85115-800-6.
  22. ↑ Mellas 2020, p. 115.
  23. ↑ Follieri, Enrica (2001). "Andrew of Crete" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.00894. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  24. ↑ Follieri, Enrica (2001). "John Damascene" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.14388. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  25. ↑ Follieri, Enrica (2001). "Kosmas of Jerusalem" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.15408. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  26. ↑ Patrich 2001, p.  11.
  27. ↑ Thomas, John Philip; Hero, Angela Constantinides, eds. (2000). Byzantine Monastic Foundation Documents: A Complete Translation of the Surviving Founders' Typika and Testaments. Washington D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. pp.  85. ISBN   978-0-88402-232-9.
  28. ↑ "Saint Joseph, Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of Saint Theodore of Studion". Orthodox Church in America . Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  29. ↑ Patrich 2001, p.  174.
  30. ↑ Touliatos, Diane (2001b). "Kassia" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.40895. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  31. 1 2 Touliatos 1996, p. 1.
  32. ↑ Toma, Paraskevi, ed. (2018). The Sabaite Heritage in the Orthodox Church from the Fifth Century to the Present. Münster: LIT Verlag. pp. xxi–xxii. ISBN   978-3-643-90995-4.
  33. ↑ Jeffery, Peter (2001). "Oktōēchos" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.50097. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  34. 1 2 Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 80.
  35. ↑ Touliatos, Diane (1995). "The Traditional Role of Greek Women in Music from Antiquity to the End of the Byzantine Empire". In Marshall, Kimberly (ed.). Rediscovering the Muses: Women's Musical Traditions. Boston: Northeastern University Press. p. 119. ISBN   978-1-55553-219-2.
  36. ↑ Cartwright, Mark (2017). "Leo VI". World History Encyclopedia . Horsham.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  37. ↑ Troelsgård, Christian (2001). "Constantine VII Porphyrogennetus" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.06331. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  38. ↑ Williams, Edward V. (2001). "Ethikos, Nikephoros" . Grove Music Online . Revised by Christian Troelsgård. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.09050. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  39. ↑ "Glykys, Gregorios" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2001. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11305. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  40. ↑ Williams, Edward V. (2001). "Koukouzeles [Papadopoulos], Joannes" . Grove Music Online . Revised by Christian Troelsgård. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.15428. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  41. ↑ Troelsgård, Christian (2001). "Korones, Xenos" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.51928. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  42. ↑ Williams, Edward V. (2001). "Glykys, Joannes" . Grove Music Online . Revised by Christian Troelsgård. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.11306. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  43. ↑ Williams, Edward V. (2001). "Kladas [Lampadarios], Joannes" . Grove Music Online . Revised by Christian Troelsgård. Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.15917. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  44. 1 2 Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 63.
  45. ↑ Conomos, Dimitri E. (2005) [1991]. "Laskaris, John" . In Kazhdan, Alexander (ed.). Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium . Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-504652-6.(subscription required)
  46. 1 2 Conomos, Dimitri E. (2001). "Chrysaphes, Manuel" . Grove Music Online . Oxford: Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.05722. ISBN   978-1-56159-263-0.(subscription or UK public library membership required)
  47. ↑ Velimirović 1978, pp. 819–821.
  48. ↑ Conomos 1982, pp. 2–4.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.