Stability and flexibility in the transmission of melodic archetypes in Greek Liturgical Chant

Abstract

Research to date reveals that, for over half of Christian history, Christians primarily sang from memory. By comparing notated melodic patterns from the 13th to the 18th centuries, specific trends and developments emerge in the melodic structures that served as foundational models for much of church hymnography. In this paper, we aim to examine, using the same comparative method, the transmission of these model melodies within the Greek language tradition from the 19th to the 21st centuries, while other contributions will explore their evolution in different linguistic traditions.