Writing down prostopinije: musical notation for plainchant
This page is under construction!
A singer listening to prostopinije for the very first time would have difficulty time determing what the meter of the music is. Many two-note groups occur, as do groups of three notes; occasionally a note is held for double the usual duration, or even four times the usual duration (usually at the end of the piece). But the music is neither in 2/4 time, 3/4 time, nor 4/4 time; it is something else entirely - something both simpler, and more complicated, than ordinary metered music.
Looking at notated music would not immediately resolve the difficulty, as prostopinije is written down without time signatures. Furthermore, the bar lines divide the music into phrases, rather than measures of equal length.
The essential rhythm of Prostopinije
(This page will be completed after this summer's Prostopinije Conference in Uzorod - Webmaster)
Tempo and tempo markings
Text.
Dynamics and articulation
Text.
Recommended Reading
- Light
for Life: Part Two, The Mystery Celebrated.
(Pittsburgh: God With Us Publications, 1996).
An excellent introduction to Byzantine liturgy. This is the second volume of a widely-used Byzantine Catholic catechism.
More about aspects of prostopinje:
History - Styles of singing - Rhythm and tempo - Melodies - Learnng - Chant books - Singing the Services