Play the video through some good speakers and imagine yourself in the Byzantine church of Hagia Sopia looking up at the mosaic icon of the Blessed Mother holding the Child Jesus.
Byzantine Polyphony
For this Kyrie, I tried something new. I attempted to combine the sound of the Byzantine music of the Eastern Catholic Church with the polyphonic texture of the Latin or Western Catholic Church. To simulate the music as sung in a place such as the Hagia Sophia, I basically maxed out the convolution settings in the Aria player with Garritan Personal Orchestra — far short of the real thing, but the best I could do.
I realize that the 16ths I have written are only an approximation of the quillismatic oscillations of Byzantine Chant and that I am still operating within the Western scale. Nevertheless, I do think that I had some success at “Byzantine polyphony” as the piece pulses with the deep, rich energy characteristic of a Byzantine choir, even with the layered entrances characteristic of the Renaissance. I also sneaked in a subtle “Palestrina arch” in the Tenor that brings the piece to a final F major chord, while keeping the “quavering” counterpoint beneath it.
Aside from the Kyrie, there’s no more Greek in the ordinaries of the Latin Mass, which poses something of a quandary. I have no idea what to do for the rest of the setting. Maybe Cum Jubilo would work for the remainder, with this as a “stand alone” Kyrie?
Belonging to a parish dedicated to the Mother of God, it seemed fitting to unite the two musical forms, hailing her as Sancta Dei Genitrix and Theotokos.
About the Featured Image
The featured image is the mosaic of the Virgina and Child in the apse of Hagia Sophia. The image is in the public domain in the United States.
