"I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live"--Pslam 104:33
CATHEDRAL
MUSIC MINISTRY
The Cathedral Music Ministry is comprised of dedicated
individuals with deep reverence and commitment to the 2,000-year-old Psaltic
tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church. We lead the congregation in worship
and prayer on Sundays, and other Sacred Services of the ecclesiastical
liturgical cycle.
The Cathedral Music Ministry is dedicated to continuing
the traditional blessed PsalticArt, also known as the Byzantine
Chant, that is unique to Orthodoxy and an integral part of worship in the
Orthodox Church. We are a part of a national movement to preserve and cultivate
Byzantine music in the United
States. Our challenge is to render our hymns,
in Greek or English, depending on the occasion, without losing the spiritually
poetic essence of the original Greek. We follow the Typicon of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate for the Order of Services, and since we are blessed to have a
musicophile priest, Fr.Nektarios, we follow the Octoechos
(Eight Mode Cycle) for the Sunday Liturgy music.
For the Greek hymns, we use the classic melodies of the
received tradition, as it is practiced in the Patriarchate of Constantinople,
and the Monasteries of Mount Athos. For the English hymns, we use the
translations and melodies of St. Antony’s Monastery in Arizona
(Papa Ephraim), and St. GregoryPalamas’ Monastery in Ohio (Papa Seraphim).
PARTICIPATION
INFORMATION
We are always in need of more voices! Men, women, and
especially teenagers are welcome! If God has blessed you with the gift of singing,
would you consider giving a part of that gift back to God? We chant in Greek
and English, and English phonetics are available for those who cannot read
Greek. We use Psaltic (Byzantine) notation for most of the hymns; we chant from
text (memory) some of the simple well-known responses (Amen,
Kyrie eleison etc), and some hymns we chant from western notation. The ability
to sight-read music, although helpful, is not a prerequisite. However, a
pleasant voice and a willingness to learn are important.
Chanting the Orthodox hymns as a choir member is an
uplifting spiritual experience. If the Holy Spirit is moving you to become involved
in this ministry of your Church, please proceed to the contact information
above.
Orthros starts at 8:45
every Sunday and Holyday, and Divine Liturgy at approximately 10:00 am. Ideally, all choir members
should be at the Analogio at the start of Orthros, or the latest (given the
driving distances), at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy. We rehearse at
times after the Divine Liturgy, or on Monday evenings.
