Byzantine Prosomia

Byzantine Prosomia

Artist: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Item number: AB081
Category: Byzantine
Chant Type: Byzantine
Language: English
Label: Holy Transfiguration Monastery
Period: Contemporary
Length: 100'55
Release date: 2005
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Price: $20.00 USD
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You may need RealPlayer or Windows Media Player to listen to the music samples below.

1. O all-lauded Martyrs (First Tone)

2. O strange wonder (First Tone)

3. Thou art the joy (First Tone)

4. The three most great luminaries (First Tone)

5. While Gabriel was standing (First Tone)

6. The Soldiers standing guard (First Tone)

7. Thou soughtest the heights (Second Tone)

8. When he took Thee (Second Tone)

9. With what fair crowns (Second Tone)

10. O house of Ephratha (Second Tone)

11. Hearken, ye women (Second Tone)

12. Upon that mount in Galilee (Second Tone)

13. While Thy disciples looked on Thee (Second Tone)

14. Awed by the beauty (Third Tone)

15. On this day the Virgin (Third Tone)

16. The power of Thy Cross (Third Tone)

17. That which came to pass in thee (Third Tone)

18. Thy confession (Third Tone)

19. From the heights our Saviour, Christ - 1st version (Third Tone)

20. From the heights our Saviour, Christ - 2nd version (Third Tone)

21. O Changeless Light (Third Tone)

22. O ye Apostles from afar (Third Tone)

23. Thou Who as God adornest (Third Tone)

24. While standing in the Temple

25. As one valiant (Fourth Tone)

26. Lord, when Thou didst ascend (Fourth Tone)

27. O Lord, although I desired to blot out (Fourth Tone)

28. On this day Thou hast appeared (Fourth Tone)

29. Thou who wast called from on high (Fourth Tone)

30. Unto them that fear Thee (Fourth Tone)

31. Be quick to anticipate

32. Joseph was amazed, Dismissal Hymn

33. Those Who wast raised up

34. Those Who wast raised up, Kontakion

35. Joseph was amazed, Sessional Hymn

36. Let us worship the Word

37. We the faithful bless thee

38. O righteous Father

39. Rejoice

40. Angels in the Heavens

41. As it is written

42. Ere the morning star

43. Having laid up all their hope

44. Ye angelic hosts

45. By conceiving the wisdom

46. O Lord, though Thou didst stand

47. O Lord, Thy holy-Martyrs

48. O strange wonder

49. The paradise of Eden

50. What shall we now call you

51. To Thee, the Champion Leader

52. When the bodiless one

53. As first-fruits of our nature

54. Thou, as the Life of all


This is an instruction CD for chanters, that is also a joy to listen to, in that it contains the Prosomia sung in English. The Prosomia are special melodies to which Byzantine hymns are metered. They are used in thousands of hymns in the Menaion, Triodion, Pentecostarion, Octoechos, and all the service books of the Eastern (Byzantine) Rite. This is a two CD set, and the second CD includes PDF files of the music (western notation) and text for all the Prosomia. The two CDs include a total of 54 hymns (tracks) covering all eight tones. In addition, CD2 includes two PDF files: the first is an 84-page booklet with hymn text and music (western notation) to accompany the hymns sung on the CDs; the second covers the music only for all the hymns on the CDs.

By: Benjamin Williams

On these CDs, the Original Melody of each Prosomion is chanted clearly and simply, followed by a second example, some of which are taken from English services to Saints not in the original Greek Menaia, such as St. Patrick, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. John of Kronstadt, the Holy Martyrs of China, and St. John Maximovich. If you want to advance in your chant technique, if you love Byzantine chant and want to learn and appreciate more, or if you just want to know the sound of the melody that goes with those cryptic titles in red print in the service books, then this CD is for you. The chanting is uniformly good, and the CD is both a pleasure and joy to listen to apart from its teaching purpose.