{"id":1706,"date":"2026-07-17T21:52:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T01:52:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/?p=1706"},"modified":"2026-07-17T21:55:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T01:55:20","slug":"chant-works-tone-7-troparion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/chant-works-tone-7-troparion\/","title":{"rendered":"Chant Works: Tone 7 Troparion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The prostopinije melody in Tone 7 for troparia and kontakia is a lovely tune, with a few new features &#8211; but somehow it seems to throw some cantors a curve ball. To find out why, we are going to look <em>first <\/em>at its English settings, and then at the Slavonic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Tone 7 Troparion melody in English<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>First, as usual, we&#8217;ll look at the first  official setting of this melody in English, from the 1970 collection <em>Byzantine Liturgical Chant:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_Resurrection_BLC1970.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This is quite singable, but it&#8217;s not entirely clear how the phrases would repeat if one needed to sing another troparion text to this melody.  We <em>can  <\/em>see that accents are placed on high notes, as we discussed earlier, but anyone who suspected that notes were left out of the melody in making the setting would be on firm ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let&#8217;s look at the troparion of the Resurrection (the Sunday troparion) in Tone 7 from the 2006 Divine Liturgies book to see if that makes things clearer.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/DL\/Tone_7_troparion_Resurrection.GIF\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/recordings\/DivineLiturgies\/232SundayTone7Troparion.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>And since Tone 7 has no special kontakion melody of its own, we can also look at the Sunday kontakion in the same tone.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/DL\/Tone_7_kontakion_Resurrection.GIF\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/recordings\/DivineLiturgies\/233SundayTone7Kontakion.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From these two examples we can see a number of points of interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For one thing, there is an initial phrase that is never repeated:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_I.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s call it &#8220;I&#8221; for Initial. From our two examples, it&#8217;s not particularly clear where the accents fall among the first three notes. These are followed by a reciting tone   and a single preparatory note before the half-note cadence &#8211; or we can think of the last three notes as the cadence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Then comes a different phrase, which will be repeated; call it A.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_A.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>There&#8217;s a four-note intonation with an accent in the middle, a reciting tone, and a single preparatory note (the low <em>re<\/em>) before the  three note cadence. Based on the our experience with the other tones, the start of the cadence (<em>sol<\/em>, which is just another name for <em>so<\/em>) should be accented, and so the preparatory note just before it is NOT. Then comes a third phrase, which we&#8217;ll call B:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_B.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Again, a two-note intonation, a reciting tone, an unstressed preparatory note (<em>la<\/em>) and a half-note cadence <em>(fa<\/em>).  If you look at &#8220;Christ our God, you have risen&#8221; in the Sunday troparion, you can see that this last note can be repeated an an extra note or two is needed after the last accent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The A and B phrases are repeated back and forth, and then the very last phrase is sung like this;  we&#8217;ll call it F:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_F.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>We start right on the reciting tone, and  the cadence consists of four quarter notes (accents on 1 and 3) and three half notes (the first at least is accented).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All this we can derive from two examples, PLUS the knowledge we&#8217;ve gained of how troparia are sung in Tones 1-6. So we know all these is to know, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And then everything goes wonky<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>We can sing this melody every eight weeks without trouble. But at SOME point we get to the feast of the Transfiguration (August 6), whose troparion AND kontakion are in Tone 7. Here they are:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/DL\/Tone_7_troparion_Transfiguration.GIF\" alt=\"\" style=\"aspect-ratio:2.0584795321637426;width:626px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/recordings\/DivineLiturgies\/620TransfigurationTroparion.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/DL\/Tone_7_kontakion_Transfiguration.GIF\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/recordings\/DivineLiturgies\/621TransfigurationKontakion.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Many cantor-students of mine have sung this just fine right up until the low note of the A phrase. Look at &#8220;as they could behold&#8221; and &#8220;upon us sinners&#8221; in the troparion above, and &#8220;glory as they could bear&#8221; and &#8220;suffered willingly&#8221; in the kontakion. The low notes (&#8220;as&#8221;, &#8220;-pon&#8221;, &#8220;-ry&#8221;, &#8220;suf-&#8220;) that we THOUGHT were single preparatory notes are now followed by a second note before the cadence cadence.  Not only that, but we had internalized this low note as UNstressed, and here in &#8220;suffered&#8221; it is accented instead.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The net result is a certain amount of confusion and discomfort with the melody; it just sounds <em>different <\/em>from what we sing on Sunday. To see why, let&#8217;s turn to the Slavonic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Tone 7 Troparion melody in Church Slavonic<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Here is the Sunday troparion in Tone 7 as it appears in our fundamental Slavonic chant book, the 1906 <em>Tserkovnoje Prostopinije<\/em>:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_Resurrection_Bokshai.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The very first thing we notice is that the initial (I) phrase starts not with a quarter note, but with a half note, which gives a slightly different rhythmic sense, while still landing with an implied accent on the reciting tone. Then in the A phrase (second measure), sure enough, there is an accent on that low note, as we can see in the Cyrillic text, and it is <em>sometimes <\/em>followed (as in the third line) by an additional note before the three-note cadence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, most troparion melodies have only one or two short exemplars in the 1906 <em>Prostopinije<strong>. <\/strong><\/em>But we are blessed in this  case, because in the chants for the wedding service we find Psalm 127 set to the Tone 7 troparion melody.  Here I have marked places to pay attention to. <\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_Psalm127_Bokshai.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/recordings\/PappIrmologion\/WeddingPsalm127.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><br>So it turns out that the &#8220;odd-sounding&#8221; music for the troparion and kontakion of the Transfiguration are really the actual Slavonic melody, while our current setting of the Sunday troparion and kontakion in Tone 7 are the oddities. Go figure!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Oh, and one more place we have made an assumption. In the other tones, whenever the intonation rises to the reciting, we usually sing all the notes in between (which the early English settings sometimes left out, in order to not have any &#8220;unneeded&#8221; notes). But in this melody, the leap from the first note to the reciting note in the the B phrase is completely acceptable. There might be one or two notes in between, depending on where the accents fall, but leaving those notes out is valid &#8211; another thing that makes this melody stand out in our collection of prostopinije.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So if we wanted to re-imagine the Tone 7 troparion melody to something more like the Slavonic original in its complete form, here are the phrases. Accents are more carefully marked, and parentheses show which notes are optional.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_I_rev.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_A_rev.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_B_rev.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_F_rev.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>How is this different from where we started? Well, if we tried singing the Tone 7 Sunday troparion this way, it would suddenly sound a LOT more like the Transfiguration hymns that were so puzzling, and it just might highlight a few words better.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/misc\/Tone_7_troparion_Transfiguration_rev.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>This of it as another arrow in your quiver, as a cantor. At the very least, looking through the melodies like this may lead to fewer missteps when singing the music as written &#8211; you&#8217;ll know where to watch out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">One final note about the Tone 7 troparion melody<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In the Greek musical tradition, Tone 7 is referred to as the &#8220;grave&#8221; tone, and sometimes avoided on festal days. But at\u00a0 the same time, in the Byzantine liturgical tradition it is used particularly on the feast of the Transfiguration and on Thomas Sunday, the Sunday after Pascha:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/images\/music\/DL\/Tone_7_troparion_Thomas_Sunday.GIF\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>It could just be that the hymn writer(s) behind these choices thought of Tone 7 as being appropriate for miraculous appearances of the Lord. Who knows?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The prostopinije melody in Tone 7 for troparia and kontakia is a lovely tune, with a few new features &#8211; but somehow it seems to throw some cantors a curve ball. To find out why, we are going to look first at its English settings, and then at the Slavonic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[41],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1706"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1709,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1706\/revisions\/1709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1706"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1706"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mci.archpitt.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1706"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}