{"id":1679,"date":"2026-07-07T22:27:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T02:27:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/?p=1679"},"modified":"2026-07-07T22:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T02:27:16","slug":"chant-works-tone-4-troparion-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/chant-works-tone-4-troparion-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Chant Works: Tone 4 Troparion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Five weeks into the cycle of Eight Tones<\/a>! In this installment of Chant Words, we will look at the melody used for singing troparia and kontakia in Tone 5 in the prostopinije <\/em>tradition and, just perhaps, engage in a little creative simplification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Tone 5 Troparion melody in the 1906 Prostopinije<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we can fool ourselves due to sheer familiarity. The 1906 collection Tserkovnoje Prostopinije<\/em><\/a> (\u201cChurch Plain Chant\u201d) begins with the basic melodies in the eight tones, with examples of each. Here is the troparion of the Resurrection (the Sunday troparion) in Tone 5:<\/p>\n\n\n

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The little note at the end indicates that this melody is also used for kontakia in Tone 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clearly, this melody consists of a single repeating phrase. Here is how I have been teaching this melody at the MCI for many years:<\/p>\n\n\n

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except for the very last phrase, which expands the cadence:<\/p>\n\n\n

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See the accent over the second note? That’s the “fooling ourselves” part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s look at the English settings of this melody, and then I’ll explain why I think the two lines of musical explanation above are not quite <\/em>right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Tone 5 troparion melody in English <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Here is the first official <\/strong>setting of the Tone 5 Sunday troparion in English. from the collection Byzantine Liturgical Chant <\/em>(1970):<\/p>\n\n\n

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Because this is the only Tone 5 troparion regularly employed at the Divine Liturgy, we sang it this way a LOT back in the day. Compared to the Slavonic music above:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. The beginning three half notes (re mi ti<\/em>) are treated a little differently each time: the first half note is shortened or subdivided so that the first internal accent (the fia<\/em>) falls on the middle half note. In the last phrase, the third half note (on ti<\/em>) disappears entirely.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The falling eighth notes before the cadence are merged into a quarter note on the same pitch.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Every phrase is treated a little differently, in both pitch and rhythm.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Now let’s look at the version in the 2006 Divine Liturgies book:<\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"\"\/<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n