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The Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America: vocal music and choral practice

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THE ANTIOCHIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
OF NORTH AMERICA:
VOCAL MUSIC AND CHORAL PRACTICE

By

Krysta Elyse Sorensen

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC THORNTON SCHOOL OF MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL OF ARTS
(CHORAL MUSIC)

May 2022

ii
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, I thank God, the everlasting Light and underlying force behind this
life’s journey. Many thanks are due to my Orthodox brothers and sisters in Christ who were very
gracious with their time and contributions to this research study: Father John Finley, Mareena
Boosamra Ball, Nazo Zakkak, Father John (Rassem) El Massih, Paul Jabara, Dr. Michael
Farrow, and Stanley Takis. I am grateful to my high school choral director, Karrie Brown
Rushing, for introducing the choral world to me from the other side of the podium and believing,
full-heartedly, that I would be successful in music education. I would like to acknowledge Dr.
Daniel Bara for inspiring me in undergraduate studies with his passion and talent in the art of
conducting and choral music. Additionally, many thanks to my University of Southern California
family of professors and mentors: Dr. Nick Strimple, Dr. Jo-Michael Scheibe, Dr. Cristian
Grases, Dr. Tram Sparks, Donald Brinegar, Larry Livingston, and Kenneth Foster. Not only did I
learn a vast array of knowledge about music from them, but many valuable life lessons. Most
importantly, I want to thank my family, my whole world, for their unwavering love and support:
my parents, Father Nicholas and Khouria Barbara; my brothers, Erik, Kirk and Kyle; my aunts,
Ruth and Ann; and my dog and best friend, Mocha.

iii
Table of Contents

Acknowledgments ii
List of Figures iv
List of Musical Examples v
Abstract vii
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: The Antiochian Orthodox Church 4
Hierarchy of Clergy 7

Chapter 2: Music Within the Antiochian Orthodox Church 9
Byzantine Chant: The Origin 12
Other Forms of Chant Used in the Antiochian Tradition 25
History of The Translations and Settings of Vocal Music 27

Chapter 3: The Music of the Antiochian Orthodox Church: Current Choral Practice 39
Choral Significance and Tradition 41
Repertoire Selection 46
Inspiration and Influence of Theology 50
Approval Process 53
Compositions and Arrangements 56

Chapter 4: Suggested Significant Repertoire 58

Final Thoughts 90

Bibliography 96

Appendices
Appendix A: Antiochian Orthodox Terms 100
Appendix B: Additional Repertoire and Source List 105
Appendix C: Interview with Mareena Boosamra Ball 108
Appendix D: Interview with John Finley 118
Appendix E: Interview with Paul Jabara 130
Appendix F: Interview with Rassem El Massih 141
Appendix G: Interview with Nazo Zakkak 148

iv
List of Figures

Figure 1.1 Hierarchy of Clergy in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America 8

v
List of Musical Examples

Example 2.1 Let My Prayer, example of modern neumatic notation. 14

Example 2.2 Byzantine Diatonic Scale 16

Example 2.3 Byzantine Hard Chromatic Scale 17

Example 2.4 Byzantine First Tone 18

Example 2.5 Byzantine Second Tone 18

Example 2.6 Byzantine Third Tone 19

Example 2.7 Byzantine Fourth Tone 19

Example 2.8 Byzantine Plagal First Tone 20

Example 2.9 Byzantine Plagal Second Tone 20

Example 2.10 Byzantine Plagal Third or Grave Tone 20

Example 2.11 Byzantine Plagal Fourth Tone 21

Example 2.12 Rassem El Massih, O, Lord I Have Cried…Let My Prayer Arise, 23
beginning excerpt, neume notation

Example 2.13 Rassem El Massih, O, Lord I Have Cried...Let My Prayer Arise, 24
beginning excerpt, Western notation

Example 2.14 Dmitri Bortniansky, adapted by Michael P. Hilko, This Is The Day, 31
mm. 1-17.

Example 2.15 Basil Kazan, Psalm 140 Tone 1, mm. 1-36. 33

Example 2.16 Basil Essey, Rich Men Have Turned Poor 36

Example 4.1 John Finley, Holy God. 59

Example 4.2 John Finley, The Trisagion Hymn, mm. 1-26. 61

Example 4.3 John Finley, The Anaphora. 63

Example 4.4 John Finley, Rejoice, O Virgin. 65

vi

Example 4.5 John Finley, Today The Virgin Bears The One. 68

Example 4.6 John Finley, Be Prepared O Bethlehem 69

Example 4.7 Nazo Zakkak, It Is Truly Meet. 71-72

Example 4.8 Nazo Zakkak, Trisagion 74-75

Example 4.9 Nazo Zakkak, Canon of St. Andrew, first section. 77-78

Example 4.10 Richard Toensing, O Nations, Let Us Now Prepare. 81

Example 4.11 Richard Toensing, The Choir of Shepherds. 82

Example 4.12 Frederick Karam, Megalynarion, beginning section. 84

Example 4.13 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Praise The Lord, mm. 1-12. 86

Example 4.14 Alexei Kastorsky, Cherubic Hymn. 88-89

The Sacred Music Department of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America has
kindly granted permission to use all music examples for the purposes of this research study.

vii
Abstract
This dissertation examines the history and evolution of vocal music and choral practice in
the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. It includes how composers writing for the
Antiochian Orthodox Church have adapted the Byzantine music to fit the vernacular English
language of North America. It discusses the “choral culture” which has been established
throughout the years as well as the emergence of the new choral composers and compositions of
the twenty-first century.
To contextualize the information, the study begins with a brief description and discussion
of the Antiochian Orthodox Faith, along with an overview of the history of music within the
Church, beginning with its origin, Byzantine Chant. Chapter two traces the history of music in
the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America, including the timeline of translations,
arrangements, and compositions. The remainder of the dissertation focuses on current vocal
music and choral practice in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America today. Five
important music leaders within the church have been interviewed on their experiences with and
thoughts on vocal music and choral practice: Paul Jabara (b. 1966), former Chairman of the
Antiochian Archdiocese Sacred Music Department and choir director; Father John Finley (b.
1953), Chairman of the Antiochian Archdiocese Department of Missions and Evangelism,
composer, and priest; Nazo Zakkak (b. 1987), former Antiochian Archdiocese Sacred Music
Department Composer-In-Residence and choir director; Mareena Boosamra Ball (b. 1958),
current Chairman of the Antiochian Archdiocese Sacred Music Department and choir director;
and Father John (Rassim) El Massih (b. 1981), head Byzantine Chanter for the Antiochian
Archdiocese Sacred Music Department and Byzantine chant composer. The dissertation
examines the extensive knowledge and experience of these leaders from different official

viii
positions within the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. The dissertation concludes with a focus
on a few highlighted compositions featured in this study and an extant repertoire source list.

1
Introduction
While the Orthodox Christian Faith is similar to other Christian sects, it differs in her way
of life and worship practice. Music, art, and incense in the Orthodox church have functional roles
in liturgical life and help incorporate all the senses in spiritual worship.
1
The beautiful icons
incorporate the sense of sight. The music, singing, and chanting incorporate hearing and sound.
The Eucharist or Communion
2
incorporates taste and touch, and the incense incorporates the
sense of smell. “The angelic chorus
3
becomes the basis for our choirs in worship. They, the
choir, are not there to replace the singing of the people but to buttress it with the highest level of
choral beauty.”
4
From the very beginning, starting with Byzantine chant, singing the prayers and
services has been considered one of the most meaningful ways to worship in the Orthodox
church.
Chapter one will explore the Antiochian Orthodox faith and contextualize the study of its
music. In the Antiochian Orthodox Church, Byzantine hymnody has been translated into Western
notation and adapted into the English language. Additionally, there has been a movement to
compose choral settings of the liturgical music to engage worshipers with more congregational
involvement. New choral settings and arrangements have been published for use in the
Antiochian Orthodox services since the early 1900’s when the church was established in North
America.

1
Frederica Mathews-Green, “12 Things I Wish I’d Known”, (Ancient Faith Publishing, Chesterton, IN, 2012).
2
See Appendix A for definition, 99.
3
Isaiah 6. For the purposes of this research study, the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible will be used
throughout.
4
Peter Gillquist, Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith, (Ancient Faith Publishing,
Chesterton, IN, 2009),

2
Chapter two will explore the history of music in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of
North America. It will begin with an overview of Byzantine chant, the origin of music in the
Orthodox faith, and discuss how it was and continues to be adapted to the English language and
Western notation. Finally, it will trace the compositional evolution over the last one hundred
years from monody to choral settings and arrangements of Byzantine chant and new choral
compositions.
Fr. John Finley states, “Because we respect the tradition of the Church, and because we
know that no culture or no era stands in isolation from another in Church History, we seek to
develop Church art in a living continuity with the past, realizing, however, that the one, the holy,
catholic and apostolic Church to which we are united, is not simply the Church of the past, but
also the present and the future.”
5
The Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America is a
“melting pot” of different ethnicities and traditions. In addition to traditions from various
cultures, the Antiochian Orthodox Church has also been influenced by North American musical
traditions. “The challenge is trying to find the balance between our different styles of music.”
6

Chapter three will explore the past, present, and future of choral music and current choral
practice within the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. Informed by interviews with
significant leaders of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America this chapter will
address choral significance and tradition, repertoire selection, inspiration and influence of
theology, the approval process of compositions, compositions and arrangements, and the future
of vocal music.

5
John Finley, “Authentic Church Music” (lecture at Conference on Missions and Evangelism, August 30-September
2, 2002).
6
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.

3
Chapter four highlights selected significant repertoire. The selected compositions
represent the variety of musical aspects discussed in this research study including the new North
American sound, harmonized Byzantine chant, and Russian choral influence. A list of terms,
specific to the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America, can be found in Appendix A for
the reader’s understanding and convenience. Terms which are used in the clerical hierarchy as
well as specific musical terms are footnoted in the dissertation upon first usage in reference to
Appendix A.

4
Chapter 1
The Antiochian Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodoxy is one of three major doctrinal and jurisdictional branches of
Christianity.
1
The Orthodox tradition developed from the Christianity of the Eastern Roman
Empire and was shaped by the pressures, politics, and peoples of that geographical area. As Peter
Gillquist (1938-2012) states in his book Becoming Orthodox, “The Church of the New
Testament, the Church of Peter and Paul and the apostles, the Orthodox Church—despite
persecution, political oppression, and desertion on certain of its flanks—miraculously carries on
today the same faith and life of the Church of the New Testament.”
2
There are approximately
200 million people who follow the Orthodox tradition and they are united in faith as well as by a
common approach to theology, tradition, and worship. They draw on elements of Greek, Middle
Eastern, Russian, and Slavic culture. The Orthodox Church shares similar beliefs with other
Christian Churches in that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the Holy Trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, His crucifixion and
resurrection. The way of life and worship, however, is substantially different from the
aforementioned Christian groups. Today in North America, there are many branches of
Orthodoxy or the Orthodox faith, all having the same core beliefs but differing in culture,
tradition, and origins. Some of the branches of Orthodox Christianity in North America are
Greek Orthodox, American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Albanian
Orthodox, Antiochian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR),

1
John Meyendorff, "Eastern Orthodoxy," Encyclopedia Britannica, August 20, 2020.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy
2
Peter Gillquist, Becoming Orthodox: A Journey to the Ancient Christian Faith, (Ancient Faith Publishing,
Chesterton, IN, 2009), 52.

5
Serbian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of the Americas, Bulgarian Orthodox,
Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Apostolic Orthodox, and Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
All Orthodox Christians are united by their theological and moral beliefs, and they hold to the
fundamental Christian doctrines taught by the Apostles.
3

The New Testament refers to the city of Antioch, in Acts 11:26, as the place where the
followers of Jesus Christ were first called “Christians.” The church in the original Syrian city of
Antioch, which is now in modern-day Turkey, was a crossroads of the ancient world and one of
the original centers of Christianity.
4
Saint Peter was the first bishop of Antioch, and it is also the
place where Saint Paul started his missionary journeys
5
This was the origin of the Antiochian
Orthodox Church which exists to the present day. The city of Antioch was considered the most
important city of the Roman province of Syria and served as the capital city of the “Diocese of
the East.”
6

In the late

nineteenth century, the Antiochians were forced to emigrate to other parts of
the world due to political, economic, and religious hardships. The “Syro-Arabian Mission” of the
Russian Orthodox Church, established in 1794, was the first to welcome people from the Middle
East. In 1902, St. Nicholas Cathedral was established in Brooklyn, New York, which is
considered the first parish of the Antiochian Archdiocese in North America.
7

3
Frederica Mathews-Green, “12 Things I Wish I’d Known,” (Ancient Faith Publishing, Chesterton, IN, 2012), 6-7.
4
Emily Kasradze, “What Does it Mean to be Antiochian?”, Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North
America, May 28, 2020, accessed July 15, 2021, https://www.antiochian.org/regulararticle/673.
5
Ibid.
6
Ibid.
7
“By way of introduction…The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese: A Brief History,” The
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, accessed on July 26, 2021,
http://ww1.antiochian.org/archdiocesehistory.

6
The Antiochian Archdiocese was among the first to introduce the use of the English
language in the Orthodox Churches in North America. The members of the church desired to
bring more converts into the church and believed that it was important to use the vernacular as a
common language for all congregants. In 1917, they began using Isabel Hapgood’s (1851-1928)
pioneering English service book, Service Book of the Holy Orthodox-Catholic Apostolic Church,
which was heavily influenced by Russian Orthodox practice. In the 1920’s the Archdiocese
printed the first English music books for choir in parts. Michael G. H. Gelsinger (1890-1980)
published Orthodox Hymns in English and stated in his introduction, “Obviously, Orthodoxy
must sing in English if it is to live in English.”
8
In 1938, Father Seraphim Nassar produced The
Book of Divine Prayers and Services, a comprehensive collection of liturgical texts that could be
used to chant the complete services in English.
9

Since the establishment of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America, thousands of
individuals from various ethnic and racial backgrounds have converted to the Antiochian
Orthodox Church.
10
The Antiochian Orthodox headquarters and Sacred Music Department is in
Englewood, New Jersey. The Archdiocese owns a 300-acre conference center in Ligonier,
Pennsylvania where meetings are held, including the annual Sacred Music Institute, clergy
meetings, and various retreats. The annual Parish Life Conferences are held in the eight diocese
regions and are hosted by appointed parishes within those regions. The Archdiocese National

8
Michael G.H. Gelsinger, Orthodox Hymns In English: Melodies Adapted From the Russian and Greek Traditions
and Their Texts (New York: Literary Licensing, 1939), 16.
9
“By way of introduction…The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese: A Brief History,” The
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, accessed on July 26, 2021,
http://ww1.antiochian.org/archdiocesehistory.
10
Ibid.

7
Convention takes place every two years and is also hosted by appointed parishes throughout
North America.
Hierarchy of Clergy
In the Antiochian Orthodox Church there exists a hierarchy of clergy. The highest level
of clergy is the patriarch
11
who presides over the Antiochian Orthodox Church worldwide. The
next level is the metropolitan/archbishop
12
who presides over individual archdioceses, such as
the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Next in the hierarchy are the bishops
who preside over an individual diocese which are broken down by region or territory. Under the
bishops
13
are parish priests
14
, and under the parish priests are deacons, subdeacons, and readers
15
.
Today, in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America there are nine bishops under
one metropolitan/archbishop, over 400 priests, and approximately 270 churches and missions
throughout the United States and Canada.
16

11
See Appendix A for definition.
12
Ibid, 102.
13
Ibid, 99.
14
Ibid, 99.
15
Ibid, 99-103..
16
“By way of introduction…The Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese: A Brief History,” The
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, accessed on July 26, 2021,
http://ww1.antiochian.org/archdiocesehistory.

8
Figure 1.1 Hierarchy of Clergy in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America

Patriarch
Metropolitan/Archbishop
Bishop
Priest
Deacon

9
Chapter 2
Music within the Antiochian Orthodox Church
Music has always played an important role in the Orthodox Church. Ss Professor of
Liturgical Music at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary, David Drillock (b. 1938),
has stated, “There is not a single liturgical service in the Orthodox Church which does not use
chanting and singing extensively.”
1
Approximately seventy-five percent of the worship services
are chanted or sung by the choir and congregation. Most of the prayers of the service are sung,
including calls from the clergy and responses from the congregation, and special feast hymns,
such as the Troparion
2
and Kontakion
3
of the day. Traditionally, there are no instruments used in
the services, other than the human voice. The established church choir leads the congregation in
a cappella singing, sometimes in harmony, with the congregational response varying from parish
to parish.
4

All worship in the Orthodox Church is regulated by the ordo or the Typikon, which is a
book that serves as an instructional guide to the prayers and services of each day of the church
calendar year. The Typikon establishes the structure of services, determines daily prayers and
hymns to be sung, and determines what actions should accompany the prayers, such as the use of
incense, entrances, kneeling, standing, the use of light or darkness, etc. Church singing is also
regulated by the text of appointed readings and liturgical function. The music selections must be
chosen based on liturgical considerations, found in the Typikon, and the appropriate attitude of

1
David Drillock, “Music in the Worship of the Church,” Jacob’s Well, accessed on June 12, 2020,
http://www.jacwell.org/articles/1996-FALL-Drillock.html.
2
See Appendix A for definition, 103.
3
Ibid, 101.
4
Frederica Mathews-Green, “12 Things I Wish I’d Known”, (Ancient Faith Publishing, Chesterton, IN, 2012).

10
prayer. In his article, “Music in the Worship of the Church”
5
, Professor David Drillock presents a
structural analysis for liturgical services in which he distinguishes the forms of prayer within the
services which call for the use of song: dialogue, psalmody, and hymnography.
Dialogue is the most familiar type of participation in Christian churches. The “call and
response” dialogue is where the call, invocation, or petition is offered by the celebrant and the
congregants, in unison, respond. An example of this is the Great Litany
6
, or Great Intercession,
in the Orthodox Liturgy in which the celebrant addresses the people singing, “Let us pray for the
salvation of our souls, for the peace of the world, for the union of all.” The people then respond
with affirming voices, “Lord Have Mercy.” Another example of dialogue can be heard in the
Anaphora,
7
or Eucharistic Offering, in which the priest calls, “Let us lift up our hearts” and the
people respond, “We lift them up unto the Lord.”
8

Responsorial and antiphonal psalmody are sung forms of prayer that occur within a
worship service. Chanting and singing of the psalms has been a tradition in many Christian
churches for ages. An example of responsorial psalmody in the Antiochian Orthodox Church is
the Prokeimenon
9
where a solo chanter sings a psalm verse, and the choir/congregation, as one,
responds singing a part of the verse. The solo chanter goes on to sing the multiple verses of the
psalm and after each one, the congregation responds singing the same affirming part of the first
verse, such as “Taste and see that the Lord is good” from Psalm 34, used as a Communion hymn.

5
David Drillock, “Music in the Worship of the Church,” Jacob’s Well, accessed on June 12, 2020,
http://www.jacwell.org/articles/1996-FALL-Drillock.html.
6
See Appendix A for definition, 101.
7
See Appendix A for definition, 99.
8
David Drillock, “Music in the Worship of the Church,” Jacob’s Well, accessed on June 12, 2020,
http://www.jacwell.org/articles/1996-FALL-Drillock.html.
9
See Appendix A for definition, 103.

11
Antiphonal psalmody includes dividing the choir/congregation into two groups and they respond
alternately to the solo chanter. The solo chanter leads and sings the first verse, and the two
groups respond together, either with a short refrain such as “Alleluia” or an independent
troparion.
Hymnody within the church is vast. The hymnography of the Orthodox Church includes
Akathist hymns, Antiphons, Apostichas, Kontakia, Prokeimenons, Stichera, and Troparia. Every
day and feast of the year in the church calendar has multiple hymns presenting the theme of the
day. The hymns exist in written form and can be found in the collections called The Menaion
10
,
The Lenten Triodion
11
, and The Pentecostarion
12
. The Triodion and Pentecostarion are dedicated
to the moveable feast days
13
surrounding the Lent, Pascha
14
, and Pentecost seasons. The
Menaion is a collection of twelve volumes of hymns celebrating the lives of the Church’s saints,
offering the proper liturgical hymns for the services of Vespers, Matins, and the Divine
Liturgy
15
. The eight modes of Byzantine chant are traditionally used in singing the hymns.
The Troparion, Kontakion, Akathist, and Sticheron are specific types of hymns. The
Troparion is a short hymn of one stanza that is sometimes used in between psalm verses. The
Kontakion is another thematic hymn, that was originally an extended homily, or sermon, in one
or two stanzas followed by multiple strophes. The Akathist is a hymn dedicated to a saint, one of
the Holy Trinity, or a holy event. The Sticheron is a hymn that is mainly used in Vespers and
Matins services. The Aposticha is a set of stichera (plural of sticheron) which takes place at the

10
Ibid., 102.
11
Ibid., 103.
12
Ibid., 102.
13
Ibid., 101.
14
Ibid., 102.
15
See Appendix A for definitions of services, 101-103.

12
end of Vespers and Matins. The Antiphon and Prokeimenon are shorter verses used like a hymn.
The Antiphon is one or more psalm verses used as the recurring response to each chanted verse
of a psalm. The Prokeimenon is a liturgical verse or passage from scripture that is sung before
the apostolic reading.
16

Byzantine Chant:
The Origin of Vocal Music in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Byzantine chant is the medieval sacred music of the Christian churches following the
Eastern Orthodox Rite.
17
It was developed in 330 AD in Byzantium from the establishment of its
capital, Constantinople, until its conquest in 1453. Inspired by the plainsong that evolved in the
early Christian cities of Alexandria, Antioch, and Ephesus, Byzantine chant draws on the artistic
and technical productions of the classical age and of Jewish music.
18
The earliest extant sources
suggest that hymns and Psalms were originally mostly syllabic in style, stemming from
congregational recitatives. Worship is believed to have been mostly a communal call and
response. In the earliest period, the background of the worship service was found in Jewish
traditions and continuity was seen between the worship of the Jewish and Christian communities.
Jewish cantors were often appointed to teach Christian communities the cantillation of scriptural
lessons and psalmody.
19
Sacred chant in Byzantium developed out of a mixture of traditions and
cultures.

16
“Eastern Orthodox Church: Singing and Chant” University of St. Thomas Library, accessed June 12,
2020,https://libguides.stthomas.edu/c.php?g=88707&p=572165.
17
Dimitri Conomos, A Brief Survey of the History of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Chant, Oxford University,
accessed July 27, 2019, music.stanthonysmonastery.org.
18
The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4
th
edition. (Cambridge, MA and London, England: The Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press, 2003), s.v. “Byzantine Chant,” 126.
19
Dimitri Conomos, A Brief Survey of the History of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Chant, Oxford University,
accessed July 27, 2019, music.stanthonysmonastery.org.

13
Written notation did not appear until the eighth century. At the end of the first
millennium, the desire to preserve the sacred melodies, not just from memory, led to the
necessity and decision to write down the melodic tradition. With this came many complications
and variations. Numerous attempts were made to create a notation system. By the end of the
twelfth century, a unified neume system was set in place, new music books appeared, and it
remained relatively unchanged until the fourteenth century. Dimitri Conomos
20
, a respected
Byzantine scholar from Oxford University, succinctly describes the notation system in his article,
“A Brief Survey of the History of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Chant:
Byzantine chant notation in its fully developed and unambiguous form represents a highly
ingenious system of interrelationships among a handful of symbols that enabled scribes to
convey a great variety of rhythmic, melodic, and dynamic nuances. Certain signs called
somata (bodies) refer to single steps up or down; others called pneumata (spirits) denote
leaps. Five of the former group also carry dynamic value, and when combined with the
pneumata, they lose their step value but indicate the appropriate stress or nuance. For
example, the oxeia (acute) marks an ascending second with emphasis (usually denoted by
>). When placed with the hypsēlē (high), the ascending fifth, the oxeia loses its intervallic
value but has its dynamic quality applied to the new note. Standing apart from these is the
ison (equal), which asks for a repetition of the note sung before. Another group of signs
refers to the rhythmic duration (note lengthenings), and another (the hypostases) to
ornaments. At the beginning of the chant, a special signature (martyria) indicates the mode
and the starting pitch. Therefore, in order to sing from a medieval Greek chant book, the
trained cantor (psaltes) would work his way through the piece by steps and leaps, applying
the necessary nuances and durations as required by the neumes. To avoid confusion, scribes
frequently drew the somata and pneumata in black or brown ink and the hypostases in red.
21

20
No dates found.
21
Dimitri Conomos, A Brief Survey of the History of Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Chant, Oxford University,
accessed July 27, 2019, music.stanthonysmonastery.org.

14
Example 2.1 Let My Prayer, example of modern neumatic notation
22

The Byzantine tones can be compared to the widely used Gregorian Chant “church
modes,” however the Byzantine tones are a codification of the tones that shows greater
complexity.
23
“In Gregorian chant a mode refers to a set of notes on a scale. Byzantine Tones are
more of a system or organization of notes that have defining characteristics, including a set of
notes or scales, rhythm, tempo, base note or ison
24
, melodic pattern, accents, and cadences .”
25

The eight Byzantine modes, or tones, include the following: First Mode, Second Mode,
Third Mode, Fourth Mode, Plagal First Mode, Plagal Second Mode, Plagal Fourth Mode, and
Grave Mode. “The plagal forms are modally related to their authentic counterparts and may

22
St. Anthony’s Monastery, accessed May 12, 2018, www.stanthonysmonastery.org.
23
Stanley Takis, Understanding the Byzantine Musical System, accessed 7/22/2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/namethattone.pdf.
24
See Appendix A for definition, 101.
25
“Modes (or Tones) and Scales,” Byzantine Music, Apostoliki Diakonia of Church of Greece, accessed October 10,
2021, http://www.apostoliki-diakonia.gr/byzantine_music/en/ymnografoi/ymnografoi.asp?main=hxoi.htm.

15
differ slightly in their tonic and dominant tones as well as their melodic formulas.”
26
“The
melodic formulas correlate to the meter of the poetry, the pattern of groups of accented and
unaccented syllables found in words and phrases.”
27
Each of the eight modes is characterized by
specific melodic formulas or fragments and each psalm or hymn was assigned to one of the
modes depending on subject and word stress.
28
The many different melodic fragments and
patterns allow for a wide variety of choices to fit the accents of the texts.
Each of the modes or tones has a “main note” or a tonic pitch (in Western terms). The
main note is often referred to as the “final” because it is usually the last, or final, note in a
melody. The main or final note of a mode is also the main note of the ison, which is a drone or
bass note that accompanies the melody. The other notes that appear often within a mode are
referred to as dominant notes but are not the same as the dominant fifth in the Western scale.
29

The musical scale of Byzantine music is formed by eight sounds/pitches corresponding,
or similar to, the Western solfege scale: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do. The Byzantine scale
names come from the Greek alphabet and are written in English as follows: Ni, Pa, Vou, Ga, Thi,
Ke, Zo, Ni. The types of scales in Byzantine music are not major and minor, as in Western
music, but they are classified as diatonic, enharmonic, soft chromatic, and hard chromatic.
30
The
terms of the scales are not used in the same way as they are used in Western musical contexts.

26
Stanley Takis, Beginning to Learn the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory, New
Byzantium Publications, accessed July 10, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/byzantine_music_for_western_musicians.pdf.
27
Ibid.
28
The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4
th
edition. (Cambridge, MA and London, England: The Belknap Press of
Harvard University Press, 2003), s.v. “Byzantine Chant,” 127.
29
Stanley Takis, Understanding the Byzantine Musical System, accessed July 23, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/namethattone.pdf.
30
Ibid.

16
Example 2.2 shows the Byzantine diatonic scale. Stanley Takis (b. 1950), a respected
Byzantine teacher and choral director, uses this diagram to show the tetrachords or four-note
subscales that are used by chanters to alternate patterns. The Byzantine diatonic scale looks like
the Western C-Major scale but the E and the B are sung “a little flatter” than in the Western
scale, according to Stanley Takis.
31
Another difference is that the B is normally natural in an
ascending melody and flat when the melody is descending in the Byzantine diatonic scale.
32
The
modes using the diatonic scale are First Mode, Plagal First Mode, Fourth Mode, and Plagal
Fourth Mode.
Example 2.2 Byzantine Diatonic Scale
33

The Byzantine enharmonic scale is perhaps the most similar to the Western F Major scale
because it is the only one that can be played on the piano or keyboard and sounds exactly like a
Western major scale. The main note or tonic pitch is usually F and the B is lowered, very similar
to the Western F Major scale. The modes using the enharmonic scale are Third Mode and Grave
Mode (see Examples 2.6 and 2.10).
The Byzantine chromatic scales include soft chromatic and hard chromatic scales. These
scales inherently include microtonality. The main note of the soft chromatic scale is G natural
and the A above it is slightly flattened. The modes using the soft chromatic scale are Second,

31
Ibid.
32
Ibid.
33
Stanley Takis, Understanding the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory or Name That
Tone! accessed July 22, 2020, http://www.newbyz.org/namethattone.pdf.

17
Fourth, and Plagal Second Modes. The hard chromatic scale, as illustrated in Example 2.3, is
based on D and consists of D, Eb, F# (sharped more than a semitone), G, A, Bb, C# (very sharp),
and D.
34
The hard chromatic scale sounds like and can be associated with middle-eastern music
but is used for slow, solemn themes in ecclesiastical or liturgical music.
35
The hard chromatic
scale is the normal scale for Plagal Second Mode and is also used for Second Mode.
Example 2.3 Byzantine Hard Chromatic Scale
36

In terms of rhythm and tempi, in Byzantine music, the hymns are divided into three
groups. The hymns that are classified as Heirmologica
37
are faster with a short, syllabic format.
This is the most common type of hymn. Sticheraica hymns are lengthier and slower with
melismatic notes on many of the syllables. The Papadica hymns are very slow, ornate, and
melismatic. The Communion hymns or the Cherubic Hymns
38
are Papadica style to provide more
time for the priest or “papa” to finish lengthy prayers.
39

34
Ibid.
35
Ibid.
36
Stanley Takis, Understanding the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory or Name That
Tone! accessed July 22, 2020, http://www.newbyz.org/namethattone.pdf.
37
Comes from the root word heirmos which is the first hymn in an ode of a canon. See Appendix A for definition of
terms, 101.
38
See Appendix A for definition, 100.
39
Stanley Takis, Beginning to Learn the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory, New
Byzantium Publications, accessed July 10, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/byzantine_music_for_western_musicians.pdf.

18
In Stanley Takis’ article, Understanding the Byzantine Musical System Using Western
Notation, he provides examples of each Byzantine tone using excerpts from hymns in Western
notation.
40

In the First Tone, the main note is D and the ison is also D, as seen in the parenthesis
under the first note (see Example 2.4). Takis mentions that this tone has a “minor feel to Western
ears.”
41

Example 2.4 Byzantine First Tone

The Second Tone is used often in the Divine Liturgy including in the antiphons, the Little
Entrance
42
, the Trisagion Hymn
43
, and Communion hymns. The main note and ison is G, and it
employs the soft chromatic scale (see Example 2.5).
44

Example 2.5 Byzantine Second Tone

40
For the purposes of this research study, Stanley Takis has graciously granted permission to include Examples 2.4
through 2.11.
41
Stanley Takis, Beginning to Learn the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory, New
Byzantium Publications, accessed July 10, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/byzantine_music_for_western_musicians.pdf.
42
See Appendix A for definition, 102.
43
Ibid, 103.
44
Stanley Takis, Beginning to Learn the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory, New
Byzantium Publications, accessed July 10, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/byzantine_music_for_western_musicians.pdf.

19
The Third Tone is centered on F and uses the enharmonic scale. Takis compares the ison
to a common pattern heard on timpani because it alternates back and forth between F and C.
45

Middle cadences rest on D, as seen at the end of the excerpt in Example 2.6.
Example 2.6 Byzantine Third Tone

The Fourth Tone is based on E with the dominant note on G. Often the ison is sung on C
instead of E which can make it sound like it is in the key of C in Western music.
46
The Fourth
Tone can be heard in the Paraklesis
47
service and various Troparia and Kontakia for special
occasions (see Example 2.7).
Example 2.7 Byzantine Fourth Tone

Depending on the rhythmic style that is called for, the main notes in the Plagal First Tone
could be A or D. For Heirmological rhythmic style the main note is A and dominant note is C.

45
Ibid.
46
Ibid.
47
See Appendix A for definition, 102.

20
For the Sticheraric rhythmic style the main note is D and the dominant notes are A and G (see
Example 2.8).
48

Example 2.8 Byzantine Plagal First Tone

The Plagal Second Tone can often be seen and heard in the Cherubic Hymn and
Communion hymns in the Divine Liturgy. Depending on the rhythmic style, it uses both soft and
hard chromatic scales and, according to Takis, “modulates frequently between
tetrachords.”
49
Example 2.9 shows the Plagal Second Tone in the Sticheraric rhythmic style with
D as the main note and ison.
Example 2.9 Byzantine Plagal Second Tone

The Grave Tone can be heard during Pascha and Pentecost and is called the “Grave” tone
because it “ends on an unusually low note.”
50
Like the Third Tone, it uses the enharmonic scale
and has F as the main note but uses different formulas and dominant notes, B-flat, G, and C
51

(see Example 2.10).
Example 2.10 Byzantine Grave or Plagal Third Tone

48
Stanley Takis, Beginning to Learn the Byzantine Musical System Using Western Notation and Theory, New
Byzantium Publications, accessed July 10, 2020,
http://www.newbyz.org/byzantine_music_for_western_musicians.pdf.
49
Ibid.
50
Ibid.
51
Ibid.

21
The Plagal Fourth Tone is set to a diatonic scale with the main note (starting note) on C.
This is the most versatile and most widely used tone. If the heirmological rhythmic style is used,
it also has the main note of F as seen in the bottom excerpt labeled as Example 2 (see Example
2.11).
52

Example 2.11 Byzantine Plagal Fourth Tone

All forms and styles of Byzantine chant were and continue to be very formulaic.
However, in the fourteenth century, referred to as “the Golden Age of Byzantine Music” by Fr.
John El Massih, Byzantine musical activity strayed away from the formulaic and composers
began moving toward the highly ornate kalophonic style.
53
In the Golden Age of the fourteenth
century, chant became more artistic and ornate, and the composers were writing multiple
versions of the hymns in the kalophonic style for the sake of art. Even though the texts that were
being set were liturgical texts, the kalophonic style was not permitted to be sung during the
Liturgy. It was sung at the end of the service or during Communion to fill the silence for the
listener’s enjoyment. This new concept of church singing and composition was characterized by

52
Ibid.
53
Rassem El Massih, email message to author, July 24, 2020.

22
what Dimitri Conomos describes as an "evolving freedom from the use of standard, traditional
material; free invention, technical virtuosity, and replacement of old material with new."
54

Kalophonia, which translates as “beautified chant”
55
, has three stylistic features including
rearrangement of word syntax, melismatic embellishment of text, and repetitive holdings of
certain syllables as a type of vocalization such as “te-re-rem.”
56
The kalophonic style can still be
heard today in Greek churches in Greece and the United States by accomplished and well-trained
chanters at the end of the Divine Liturgy. However, as Father El Massih explained, in the
Antiochian Orthodox Churches the original Byzantine chant style or ecclesiastical music is being
used for the liturgical services.
57

Today the Byzantine neume notation is still being taught and there is a new desire by
some chanters and congregants to learn and use the neumes as opposed to the Western notation.
Fr. El Massih is a scholar of Byzantine neumatic notation, and he is also writing the chants in
Western notation. Example 2.12 shows El Massih’s handwritten neume notation with English
words from Psalm 140 O, Lord I Have Cried…Let My Prayer Arise in Plagal Fourth Mode, also
known as Tone 8. Example 2.13 shows the same chant that El Massih translated and printed in
Western notation with English text.

54
Dimitri E. Conomos, “Changes in Early Christian and Byzantine Liturgical Chant,” Studies in Music, 5 (1980)52.
55
Arsinoi Ioannidou, “The Kalophonic Settings of The Second Psalm In The Byzantine Chant Tradition of the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Centuries,” Doctoral Dissertation, SUNY, 2014, pg. 1 accessed October 25, 2019,
Retrieved from https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/433.
56
Ibid, 16
57
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, email to author, July 24, 2020.

23
Example 2.12 Fr. John (Rassim) El Massih, O, Lord I Have Cried…Let My Prayer Arise,
beginning excerpt, Byzantine neume notation with English text
58

58
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, email message to author, August 17, 2020.

24
Example 2.13 Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, O, Lord I Have Cried...Let My Prayer Arise,
beginning excerpt, Plagal Fourth Mode in Western notation and English text
59

59
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, email message to author, August 17, 2020.

25
Other Forms of Chant Used in the Antiochian Tradition: Znamenny,
Bulgarian, Carpathian, Kievan
Due to the numerous ethnicities represented in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North
America, there are other forms of chant that are employed, which have been harmonized or used
in choral settings. While the main source of chant in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North
America will always be Byzantine, there are other forms of chant that are used. These have been
derived from Byzantine chant over the years, influenced by culture, geographical region, and
liturgical necessity. Znamenny, Bulgarian, and Carpathian chants are among those which have
been embraced by the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America and can be heard in the
music of the Antiochian Orthodox church today.
Znamenny chant is a unison Slavic or Russian chant which originated in the fifteenth
century and is characterized by its hook
60
notation or signs.
61
The notation is different from
Byzantine neumatic notation, but the Znamenny chant is influenced by the Byzantine chant
notation. Byzantine forms were the original influence of Russian plainsong. After the Greek
missionaries brought Byzantine forms to Russia and the South Slavic lands in the ninth century,
the Greek service books, including Byzantine chant and notation were translated into Slavonic.
Some contemporary notational features were created during transcription. In addition to the
Byzantine/Russian tradition, a new school of notation was created in the fifteenth century called
Znamenny raspev, which translates to chanting by signs.
62
The later Znamenny form, used today
in some Antiochian parishes, is emotionally expressive in nature. Important words of text are

60
The Slavic word for hook is krjuk.
61
Also called znamia, a Slavic word meaning “sign.”
62
The Harvard Dictionary of Music, 4
th
edition, s.v. “Byzantine Chant,” 750.

26
highlighted and embellished with extensive melismatic passages sung on one syllable of the
word. This draws attention to the vocal talents or abilities of the trained chanter or singer.
63

“Present-day Bulgarian liturgical singing is late-Byzantine, adopted to the Church
Slavonic language with Bulgarian pronunciation.”
64
However, in the 17
th
century there were also
hymns found in western-Ukrainian singing books which were titled “Bulgarian Chant.”
Musicologists noted elements of Bulgarian folk song as well as characteristics of Russian vocal
music. The melodies of Bulgarian chant are different than Znamenny patterns. The Bulgarian
chants that are heard in Antiochian churches today can be characterized as having longer, more
melodic lines which, in some cases, are repeated in succession on different lines of text. Minor
chords can be heard in Bulgarian chant which can convey a sense of prayerful reverence. In
Western music, minor tones can be associated with sadness
65
, but this is not necessarily the case
in Bulgarian and Russian chant. The use of both major and minor is meant to reflect the feeling
and message of the text. An example of this is the Bulgarian Theotokion
66
for Sunday liturgy,
which, while sung in minor, still has the characteristics of joy and reverence.
Carpathian chant is also known as prostopinije, which is Slavonic for “plainchant.” This
is the style of chant that is used in the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese.
Prostopinije has its roots in Byzantine chant and later Znamenny chant. It was also influenced by
Carpathian folk music. Carpathian chant dates to the 17
th
century and, like Byzantine chant, has

63
David Drillock, “Words and Music in Orthodox Liturgical Worship,” Jacob’s Well, Fall-Winter, 1998-99,
accessed June 29, 2021, https://churchmotherofgod.org/articleschurch/about-services-and-prayers/684-words-and-
music-in-orthodox-liturgical-worship.html.
64
Ibid.
65
Daniela Willimek and Bernd Willimek, “Why Do Minor Chords Sound Sad? The Theory of Musical Equilibrium
and the Emotions of Chords,” Journal of Pyschology and Psychotherapy, volume 4 issue 2, 2014, accessed January
2, 2022, https://www.longdom.org/open-access/why-do-minor-chords-sound-sad-the-theory-of-musical-
equilibration-and-the-emotions-of-chords-2161-0487.1000139.pdf.
66
Bulgarian hymn to the Theotokos or Mary, Mother of God.

27
an eight-tone system called osmoglasnik. Existing musical patterns are assigned to or associated
with a tone or mode.
67
Carpathian plain chant is sung by the entire congregation of a parish. A
singer begins the chant and the congregation responds. Although the chant is written as a single
melodic line, it is common that the people will add unwritten harmonies such as parallel thirds to
the melody. Selected Carpathian chants and/or melodies can be heard in the Antiochian
Orthodox parishes, such as the many Carpathian Christmas Carols. An example of this is the
Hymn to St. Nicholas arranged in four parts, using a traditional Carpathian hymn, adapted by
Michael P. Hilko (1905-1974)
68
.
The Antiochian Archdiocese of North America:
History of the Translations and Settings of Vocal Music
According to Michael G. Farrow, Ph.D.,
69
the earliest documented, notated manuscript in
English was published in 1920 by Metropolitan Germanos Shehadi (1872-1934). The Paradise

67
“Prostopinije Melodies” Metropolitan Cantor Institute, Byzantine Catholic Archeparchy of Pittsburgh, accessed
June 6, 2021, https://mci.archpitt/org/prostopinije/Melodies.html.
68
Found on the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese website,
http://ww1.antiochian.org/music/library?search=Hymn+to+St.+Nicholas.
69
Michael Farrow (b. 1939) is the Antiochian Sacred Music Department Head Historian and is the most widely
respected source on the history of Antiochian music in the United States. Dr. Farrow has composed and arranged
music for the Orthodox Church for fifty-six years and conducted choirs for over sixty-two years in Greek,
Antiochian, and Carpathian Orthodox Churches. He has translated hymns into English and adapted music from
Russian, Serbian, Ukrainian, Greek and Arabic sources and ancient Byzantine chant. In 1997 he published the first
comprehensive liturgical source book Psalm verses in the Orthodox Church on the origin and use of psalms in the
Orthodox Liturgy containing all the psalm verses used in antiphons, entrance hymns, Communion hymns, feast
days, weddings, baptisms, and special occasions in both the Russian and Greek traditions. He wrote a history of
sacred music in the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese in North America and has compiled the music of all
the 20
th
century Antiochian composers of North America.
This section is heavily dependent on historical research by Michael Farrow, who has graciously given permission to
freely use for the purposes of clarification of the historical timeline of music translations and settings within the
Antiochian Orthodox.

28
contains a Divine Liturgy and liturgical hymns with music written in unison in the original
Byzantine tone but also includes a four-part organ accompaniment.
70

By 1936, Archbishop Antony Bashir (1898-1966) authorized the use of English-texted
music in the church and asked Greek scholar Rev. Michael G. H. Gelsinger (1890-1980) of New
York to write Byzantine settings in four-part harmony with translations into English. By 1939,
Gelsinger’s Orthodox Hymns in English was published and included a collection of forty-five
four-part settings of Russian and Byzantine melodies, as well as a description of service books
and Byzantine Hymnology, a glossary of musical terms, and a pronunciation guide of Greek
texts. In his introduction, Gelsinger discusses the need for services and music to be translated
into English. He was seeing many young families leaving the Orthodox Church for other
English-speaking denominations. Referring to his parish, St. George’s in Niagara Falls, he wrote,
“When a choir was organized and some English began to be incorporated into the services, the
parents of the children came. The older languages kept them divided, but English has united
them.”
71
He summarizes, “An English Service Book containing the things most often used is
needed at once to hold our people, especially the young. It must be a book which will make
singing in English possible, for our young people need not only to understand the services, but
also to participate in them.”
72
The collection is referred to as the “Blue Book” because of its blue
cover and many of the hymns are still in use today.
73

70
Michael Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music in the Self-Ruled Antiochian Orthodox Christian
Archdiocese of North America 1906-2015,” Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, 4,
Accessed June 10, 2018, http://ww1.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/sacred_music_dept_history_rev_2008.pdf.
71
Michael G.H. Gelsinger, Orthodox Hymns In English: Melodies Adapted From the Russian and Greek Traditions
and Their Texts (New York: Literary Licensing, 1939), 13.
72
Ibid., 18.
73
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 5.

29
In 1955, Fr. James Meena’s (1924-1995) Hymns of Praise marked the first time that a
large collection of Byzantine music set into four parts and in English was published. It included
eight Resurrectional Troparia,
74
fourteen feast-day Troparia and two Kontakia, as well as
Kontakia in the eight tones for ordinary Sundays.
75

Established in the 1940’s, the Syrian Orthodox Youth Organization (SOYO) was
influential in the growth of choirs and hymns in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. SOYO formed
a choir and assigned a choir director each year to perform at national and regional conventions.
The youth inspired a surge of new choirs among parishes. In 1959, the Archdiocese published Fr.
James Meena’s (1924-1995) English adaptation of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom by
Pyotr I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893). With the growth of choirs in the Archdiocese, many parishes
were able to sing compositions by the 18
th
to early 19
th
century Russian composers including
Dmitri Bortniansky (1751-1825), Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857), Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-
1943), and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (1844-1908). Selections from these Russian composers
had become part of the regular repertoire for choirs during this period. Choir competitions and
festivals were prevalent at regional Parish Life Conferences and national conventions, and the
love for choral singing was abundant.
76
The love of choral singing continues today in the
Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America.
English adaptations and translations of the music from the great Russian composers are
still available and in use in Antiochian parishes. For example, Bortniansky’s Easter Anthem
“This Is The Day” adapted by Michael P. Hilko is a choral setting incorporated in the Antiochian
Orthodox services for Pascha or Easter. Dr. Michael Farrow, when asked about specific

74
Hymns meant to be sung during the Paschal or Easter season about the Resurrection of Christ.
75
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 6.
76
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 7.

30
noteworthy choral selections, said Hilko’s setting of “This Is The Day” is a “concert rendition”
which is compelling and different.
77
“This is the Day” and other Russian choral arrangements
translated into English can be included in the services if the choir is capable and the text is made
clear (see Example 2.14).

77
Michael Farrow, email to author, May 30, 2020.

31
Example 2.14 Excerpt of This Is The Day by Dmitri Bortniansky adapted by Michael. P. Hilko
78

78
Michael Farrow, email to author, May 21, 2020.

1
This is the
2
day cre
3
at ed by the
4
Lord our
- -
5
God.
Let
6
Let us re
us re
7
joice and be
joice and be
8
glad on
glad on
-
-
9
it. Let us re
it.
Let us re
10
joice and be
joice and be
11
glad on
glad on
12
it.
Let us re
it,
13
joice and be
and be
-
-
-
14
glad on
15
it. Let us re
16
joice and be
17
glad on
-
Copyright © 2019, bytheAntiochian OrthodoxChristianArchdiocese.
Permission granted to copyfor liturgicaluse only.
02/06/2019 Rev.0 DA
This Is The Day
EasterAnthem
Dmitri Bortniansky
(1751-1825)
Adaptation by
Michael P. Hilko
(1905-1974)

32
When Bishop Philip Saliba (1931-2014) was appointed Metropolitan in 1966, he realized
the impact that music was having on parishes because of the efforts and support of SOYO. In
1968, Metropolitan Philip officially established the Department of Sacred Music and appointed
Rev. Meena as its first chairman. The second chairman was Ray George (1917-2002) who was
the first to start distributing individually printed hymns in English.
79

In the 1970’s Metropolitan Philip realized the need to preserve Byzantine chant as many
of the immigrant chanters were dying and it was difficult to teach younger chanters and converts.
He asked Basil Kazan (1915-2001), who was formally trained in Greece and Lebanon, to write
the Byzantine chant for the entire church year in Western notation and English text. It is a loose-
leaf, multi-volume set which is known as the Byzantine Project and was completed twenty-five
years later. The project standardized and unified chanting across the Archdiocese and provided a
resource to train generations of chanters. Parishioners from all over North America could now
gather and sing the same hymns (see Example 2.15).
80

79
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 8-9.
80
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 9.

33
Example 2.15 Basil Kazan, Psalm 140 Tone 1, part of the Byzantine Project

Kazan’s project brought the Antiochian parishes closer together through the
standardization of the hymns, and also provided codification of Byzantine chant-based hymns
into wider, more accessible use. Many chanters, directors, and choirs continue to use Kazan’s
Byzantine arrangements today.
Kazan’s Byzantine Project was used primarily for almost half a century. The chants
continued to be distributed while the project was being finished. It led to the formation of many
Byzantine choirs who chanted the melody in unison. The largest of these choirs was a fifty-voice
choir directed by Joyce Black (b.1935) from St. Philip Church in Pennsylvania. The Byzantine

34
choirs created a unique sound and a meditative worship experience. Joyce led the way for other
directors and choirs, as well as for more congregational participation with unison singing.
The Byzantine Project inspired many other composers to set the Byzantine tones in
English and Western notation. In the 1980’s, Fr. David Barr (b.1957) from St. Elias in Austin,
Texas, set music for the church year and was one of the first to put his compositions in digital
form. He also established an online self-taught chanting course on the Byzantine tones. Charlie
Marge (b.1962) also composed and arranged Byzantine music for over thirty years and, in 1993,
formed the Boston Byzantine Choir which toured throughout the Archdiocese. In the late 20th
century, Ivan Voronkoff (1894-1983) was among the first paid choir directors from St. George
parish in Montreal, Canada. He composed four-part Byzantine music which included some
original material using Arabic transliterations, and he also adapted Russian compositions into
English.
81

By 1990, many compositions and arrangements were being digitized and placed on the
Archdiocese website. Peter Michaelides (b. 1930), Peter Parshall (b. 1937), and Norman Mamey
(1948-2015) were among composers who began writing new compositions and integrating
original melodies along with Byzantine chant and Greek elements. Michael Farrow (b. 1939)
also arranged four-part Byzantine settings of the Memorial Service, the Great Doxology, and the
Wedding Service as well as a set of thirty-three Communion hymns using the same melody to
make them easily accessible to choirs.
82

Beginning in 1985, Metropolitan Philip Saliba initiated an official Archdiocese music
education program which was first called Choir Director’s Seminar and was later changed and

81
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 12.
82
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 13.

35
continues today as the Sacred Music Institute. This is a week-long program which is held
annually at the Antiochian Village located in Ligonier, PA. Metropolitan Philip mandated that
every parish must sponsor and send one church choir director or church choir member each year.
Numerous classes, lectures, and lessons are offered including chanting classes, conducting
classes, and repertoire sharing. The Sacred Music Department began to grow rapidly in the
1990’s and Metropolitan Philip appointed Bishop Basil Essey (b. 1948), an expert in Byzantine
chant and a composer, to oversee and guide the department. Bishop Basil composed Byzantine
chants in English for the department and is highly regarded for his ability to match the English
language to the authentic chants.
83
Example 2.16 shows Bishop Basil’s arrangement of Rich Men
Have Turned Poor in Tone 7. The Sacred Music Institute has expanded to western venues in
California and now brings together choir directors, choir members, lecturers, musicians, and
clergy for an exchange of music and knowledge.
84

83
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 16.
84
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 15.

36
Example 2.16 Bishop Basil Essey, Rich Men Have Turned Poor, Arrangement of Psalm 33 using
Byzantine Tone 7
85

In the 20
th
century, as the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America continued to grow
with the establishment of new missions and small churches, the need for congregational singing
and participation increased. Fr. Elias Bitar (b. 1948) and Laila Corey
86
arranged a music book for
congregational use which included the Byzantine hymns, mainly taken from Kazan’s Byzantine
Project, and prayers for the Divine Liturgy. This music book was established to help smaller
parishes in which a full choir may not have been available but a chanter was available. In this

85
Michael Farrow, email to author, May 21, 2020.
86
No dates found.

37
way, the congregation became the choir. Metropolitan Philip and many in the clergy believed
that it was very important for the entire congregation to participate in worship. Participation in
worship needed to involve the entire congregation and voices should be “lifted up,” as yet
another way that prayers can be lifted up in the service.
87

At the beginning of the 21
st
century, James Meena (b.1951), the son of the first chairman
of the Sacred Music Department, Fr. James C. Meena, was appointed chairman. He succeeded
Ray George who died suddenly in 2002. Meena was the principal conductor and general director
of Opera Carolina in Charlotte, North Carolina. Under his guidance, new musical standards and
rules were put into place on copyrighting, composing, and arranging. The website, which
Michael Farrow helped establish, was updated and free music was made available to download.
The format for musical scores was standardized to include tone numbers and to credit
composers. With such an influx of newly composed music, James Meena implemented an
Editorial Board to assemble and review all compositions and make sure that they adhered to the
guidelines of the department. He established a standard form for printing music and Finale was
chosen as the official departmental software.
88
An email system was created to connect all priests
and parishes and to send music and new information to everyone. James Meena also began the
digitization of Basil Kazan’s Byzantine Project which took over ten years to complete.
89

Christopher Holwey (b. 1955 ) became the fourth chairman of the Sacred Music
Department in 2006 when James Meena stepped down. Holwey continued the work to improve
upon and expand the department website. The number of hymns available on the website

87
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 17-18.
88
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 20.
89
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 21.

38
increased to over one thousand and included all the music necessary for the church year.
90
The
fifth chairman of the department, Paul Jabara (b. 1966), was appointed in 2015. Paul had been
the director of the Sacred Music Institute (SMI) since 2007 and founded the SMI chamber choir,
an auditioned group that presented music for SMI sessions. The position of chairman was
designated full-time so that Paul Jabara could focus on new endeavors and continue to foster
growth in the department. He began introducing several new American composers. One of these
was Nazo Zakkak (b. 1987), who was appointed the first ever Composer-in-Residence for the
department. Jabara has been encouraging and supporting the younger generations as well as
introducing and celebrating the diversity of the music within the Archdiocese.
91
Jabara was
succeeded by Mareena Boosamra Ball (b. 1958) in 2019, who is now the current chair of the
Sacred Music Department.
In the past twenty years, the Sacred Music Department has been compiling and posting
music for the entire church year on the Antiochian website. This helps the denominational
congregations by providing further easy access to all. This is an ongoing project to upload music
for all services because there is a vast repertoire of arrangements and compositions, including
new compositions that they are receiving, reviewing, and adding.

90
Ibid.
91
Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music,” 27.

39
Chapter 3
The Music of the Antiochian Orthodox Church
of North America: Current Choral Practice
Five prominent Antiochian Orthodox music scholars were interviewed as part of this
research study. They are well-known experts in the respective and collective areas of
composition, choral conducting, chanting, vocal performance, music publishing, religious history
and studies, and hymnology within the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. This
chapter will focus on and analyze the interviews with the five specialists on the musical practices
within the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. The author has divided the
discussions into subsections: Choral Significance and Tradition, Repertoire Selection, Inspiration
and Influence of Theology, Approval Process, Compositions and Arrangements, as well as future
insights.
Mareena Boosamra Ball is the current Chair of the Sacred Music Department of the
Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. Located in Tucson, Arizona, she holds a Bachelor of
Music Education and a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of Arizona.
Boosamra Ball has been the Director of Choral Activities at Rincon/University High School in
Tucson, Arizona for twenty years. She has also served as the choral director at Holy Resurrection
Antiochian Orthodox Church since 1979. Before being appointed as the chair of the Sacred
Music Department in November of 2019, she had served as the Sacred Music Coordinator for the
Western Region since 1989.
Paul Jabara is the former Chairman of the Sacred Music Department for the Antiochian
Archdiocese of North America. Jabara has had a great depth of experience with choral music. He
holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from McGill University, has been the music

40
director at St. George Antiochian Orthodox Church in Montreal for over thirty years, and is the
co-founder and founder of multiple professional choirs.
The Very Reverend Father John Finley holds a Master of Music in Musicology from the
University of California, Santa Barbara. He has served as a choir director and a priest for over
twenty years and has composed and arranged multiple works for the church. In 2016, Fr. Finley
was appointed the Chairman of the Antiochian Archdiocese Missions and Evangelism
Department.
Nazo Zakkak holds two degrees in music: a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies from San
Diego State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and
Technology from the University of California at Irvine. He is the former choir director at Saint
Anthony the Great Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Diego, California, and is the former
composer-in-residence for the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. Zakkak is a young
composer who is writing original compositions as well as arrangements of Byzantine chants for
choirs. He was commissioned by the Archdiocese to arrange the music for an entire Divine
Liturgy.
1

Father John (Rassem) El Massih was born in Anfeh, Lebanon where he studied Byzantine
chant and received his certification at the age of eighteen. He immigrated to the United States in
2001. Fr. El Massih has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religious Studies from Hellenic College in
Brookline, Massachusetts, and a Master of Divinity Degree from Holy Cross Greek Orthodox
School of Theology. In 2013 he was assigned as the Assistant and First Chanter for His
Eminence Metropolitan Philip. This assignment included teaching Byzantine music to the
seminarians of the Antiochian Archdiocese studying at St. Vladimir’s Seminary in New York.

1
The Divine Liturgy is a Eucharistic service, similar to the Roman Catholic Mass.

41
He serves as an adjunct Lecturer in Liturgical Music as well as the Byzantine music liaison and
head of the Byzantine committee for the Sacred Music Department. Byzantine music which is
written for the Archdiocese is reviewed by Father John and a team of Byzantine scholars. Father
El Massih is a professional Byzantine chanter and has recorded two CDs, the most recent in 2017
called Sun of Justice: Selected Hymns from the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
2
which features Fr.
El Massih chanting hymns in Arabic, Greek, and English.
Each of the five scholars were asked the same questions during their interviews including
their experiences with the music of the church, their inspirations, and the present and future of
choral music in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. These scholars all have or
have had a unique role within the Archdiocese and are considered experts in current vocal and
choral practices. These practices are clarified through the discussion of the interviewees.
Choral Significance and Tradition
In discussing the choral practice and importance of choral music within the Antiochian
Orthodox church, Boosamra Ball, Jabara, Fr. Finley, and Zakkak all have extensive choral
experience. These four musicians have served as church choir directors of their parishes and
understand the practicalities of leading a church choir, many of whom are volunteers, and serve
to create music that enhances the worship service. Boosamra Ball has been a high school choral
director for twenty years, and a church choir conductor for forty years. Jabara has served as the
music director of St. George of Montreal Orthodox Church for over thirty years. Fr. Finley was
the choir director of St. Athanasius in Santa Barbara before he became a priest and Zakkak was
the choir director of St. Anthony the Great Orthodox Church in San Diego. Each of them has a

2
The Sun of Justice: Selected Hymns from the Feast of the Nativity of Christ can be purchased online from
numerous sites such as Amazon, Capella Romana, and Spotify.

42
slightly different position and perspective within the Archdiocese but they all whole-heartedly
agree that choral music is important in worship. Jabara says, “The significance of choral music in
the church is huge. You can’t have one without the other. What we are trying to do in the Sacred
Music Department is improve the quality of music through education and the commission of new
compositions.”
3

According to Jabara, “Choral music is a part of the tradition of the Antiochian Orthodox
Church of North America.”
4
As he reflects on the history of choral music within the church, he
explains that in the 1940s through 1960s the Antiochian church choirs were trying to determine
what music to use. Many decided that since the Russian Orthodox church supported them first,
they would sing Russian music. In the 1960s and 1970s, larger choirs were singing four-part
Russian music and competing in the choir festivals at the Parish Life Conferences. Meanwhile, a
newfound love for Byzantine chant led by the Evangelical Orthodox converts was happening.
The Byzantine music was still being arranged for choirs to sing with the harmonization of
Byzantine tones and writing for multiple voice parts. Jabara notes, “Now we are in 2018 and the
pendulum is sort of in the middle, so we are still embracing choral music and we are developing
Byzantine music at a higher level.”
5
Jabara emphasizes that many liturgical texts still need to be
set to music chorally. He explains that choral music is a part of our tradition because there are
many well-known choral arrangements, such as Fr. Finley’s Holy God, which will be discussed
later in this chapter. These arrangements are sung so frequently, that when Orthodox people
come together at church conferences and they hear the familiar settings, they all sing together in

3
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
4
Ibid.
5
Ibid.

43
worship. Jabara says, “This is part of the significance of choral music in the tradition of the
Antiochian Orthodox Church in North America.”
6

Boosamra Ball believes that choirs are critical to developing congregational singing. The
goal is for all congregants to sing and participate. She states that sometimes it is difficult for the
congregation to sing along with the chanter because the chants and chant tones change every
week. The choral tradition within the church allows for many people to work together as a team
to become a stronger “one.” “We have a beautiful tradition of having four-part music in our
churches.”
7
Boosamra Ball believes that the Sacred Music Department and the Antiochian
Archdiocese must continue the choral tradition and allow it to foster new compositions.
Zakkak also speaks to the importance of tradition and well-known hymns, “Antiochian
doesn’t just mean Byzantine. We do have a choral tradition. We have great compositions like
Receive me Today by Frederick Karam (1926-1978)
8
which is the pinnacle of Antiochian
Orthodox music. How can we ever get past that?”
9
The singing of choral arrangements and
compositions has become a tradition and part of the North American Antiochian Orthodox
culture in the worship service. With this choral music and four-part arrangements being so much
a part of what the people love, it is almost impossible not to keep it alive.
Fr. Finley speaks fondly of his experiences with choir festivals between all the religious
organizations at the University of California, Santa Barbara when he was studying for his Master
of Music in Musicology. He says that all the organizations were housed off-campus at the
University Religious Center, and they would hold interfaith choir festivals and invite all faith-

6
Ibid.
7
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 1, 2020.
8
Can be found on the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese website,
http://ww1.antiochian.org/sites/default/files/24a_peoples_communion_hymn-karam_0.pdf.
9
Nazo Zakka, interview by Krysta Sorensen,

44
based organizations to be involved. Today, St. Athanasius Antiochian Orthodox Church hosts a
Liturgical Arts Festival where they have joint concerts on Sunday afternoons led by Valerie
Yova, the current choir director. Finley emphasizes that the Antiochian Orthodox Church of
North America has historic roots in Russian Liturgical music. Since the church was formed
under the Russian patriarchate, it has deep roots in the Russian tradition. When they began
holding services in English, the choirs sang four-part music in English with a full and rich choral
tone. Like Jabara, Finley also mentions the tradition of choir festivals and competitions at the
Parish Life Conferences in the 1950s through 1970s. He stressed that many congregational choirs
would rehearse, prepare, and participate in these competitions. The Parish Life Conferences
continue to embrace four-part choral music which is rehearsed for the services by members of
different congregations and choirs who attend the conference. Even though there are no longer
choir competitions, this choral singing that continues reflects the Antiochian tradition. Finley
declares, “This is our tradition in North America and as Orthodox Christians, we must respect
the traditions received from our fathers, and hand down to subsequent generations what we have
received.”
10

Jabara is one of the first paid Orthodox choir directors in North America. In 1947 the
congregation at St. George of Montreal Church decided they wanted a semi-professional choir
because they believed beautiful music was so important in worship. They first hired Ivan
Voronkoff (1894-1983), who has also arranged choral music for the church, and Jabara
succeeded Ivan as the choir director. St. George Church also hired professional singers to be
section leaders. Jabara continues to conduct annual concert performances with his church choir,
including George Frideric Handel’s (1685-1759) Messiah and Antonio Vivaldi’s (1678-1741)

10
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.

45
Gloria. He notes the positive effects and benefits of leading a choir through a concert process.
“Concerts are great because they force people to rehearse regularly and it creates a spirit of
fellowship.”
11
Because of these experiences, Jabara believes that all parishes should be
encouraging the choirs to perform and strive toward a professional level.
12

Zakkak has had much experience with choirs and choral music. As the former composer-
in-residence of the Sacred Music Department, he has been invited to different parishes to work
with their choirs. This type of visitation or clinic work is also embraced by Boosamra Ball,
Jabara, and Fr. Finley. After Zakkak was unable to play piano professionally due to an accident,
he spent a great deal of time studying Russian choral music. He began to arrange Russian
melodies including a Doxology
13
that was published by Musica Russica.
14
This sparked his
interest in writing for multiple voices. He states that he quickly realized the importance of
writing for each part and ensuring that every voice part is interesting in its own right In 2017,
Zakkak conducted, recorded, and released the album, Luxari, containing his new choral
compositions and Orthodox hymns. The Adelfos Ensemble, a semi-professional choir based in
Santa Barbara, recorded this album. This choir also participates in the Liturgical Arts Festival
which is hosted at St. Athanasius where Fr. Finley serves. Zakkak believes that the music should
always portray the text, which is most important, in spirit and emotion. The words are so
emotionally charged that they should be sung with emotion and from the heart. He passionately
believes that choirs should strive toward excellence and therefore holds regular church choir

11
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
12
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
13
The Doxology is a prayer spoken or sung during the services of matins and Great Compline beginning with these
words, “Glory to God in the Highest and on earth, peace, good will among men.”
14
A Russian choral music publishing company. www.musicarussica.com

46
rehearsals every week. His choir sings with energy and fervor which can also be heard on the
Luxari album.
Paul Jabara states that the Sacred Music Department is striving for musical excellence.
When asked if choirs should strive to be more “professional,” Fr. John Finley prefers the word
“excellent” to “professional.” Finley says the term “professional choir” sounds a bit restrictive
because, in the church setting, we want to be inclusive. He does, however, believe that high
standards require discipline and hard work, even for a church ensemble. Finley says, “We need
discipline in our choirs, we need rehearsals in our choirs. We have to find the kind of medium
where it’s not professional and not ‘anything goes,’ it’s somewhere in between.”
15
Fr. John
(Rassem) El Massih mentions the parable about talents, that if God gave us talents, we need to
make them better and make them the best that they can be. Even though he is considered a
Byzantine scholar, Fr. John continues to study the Byzantine chants to become more
knowledgeable. Choirs and singers should strive to be the best that they can be for the Glory of
God.
16
From Fr. Finley’s position as the Chair of the Missions Department, he visits many
newly-formed congregations where he states the importance of beginning choirs. It is important
in these beginning stages to establish a choir director and choir members, as well as clear
expectations from the clergy regarding the quality of music.
Repertoire Selection
Jabara, Boosamra Ball, Zakkak, and Fr. Finley have affirmed that there is a strong and
rich tradition of choral singing in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America. One of the
many responsibilities of the choir director is to carefully choose the repertoire for the services.

15
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
16
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 15, 2020

47
As Jabara says, “you have to think about what music that you can change and what is so much a
part of our history that it shouldn’t change.” He is referring to traditional services, such as the
Hierarchical Divine Liturgy which takes place during the Parish Life Conference and other
conferences where everyone is all together, including the Metropolitan and the bishops. The
music selection for these services will most likely remain the same as it is tradition and preferred
by the clergy.
When Zakkak chooses music he “taps into the ethos of his parish, the congregation
itself.” Because the whole congregation sings, the music director is not only leading the choir but
serving the people in the congregation as well. Boosamra Ball explains that her church, Holy
Resurrection Antiochian Orthodox Church in Tucson, Arizona, is “extremely pan-Orthodox.”
The ethnic backgrounds within the congregation include Syrian, Lebanese, Greek, Serbian,
Ukrainian, and Romanian. As a choral director of the Antiochian Archdiocese, she feels that she
must make everyone happy. Boosamra Ball’s choir sings the “beautiful music of the great
Russian composers”
17
that has been translated into English, as well as Byzantine music, and
much more. “We are so unique in the United States. We are the true meaning of what is
American. We are a melting pot of so many different stylistic ideals, and it is beautiful.”
18
As
Jabara mentioned, “Choosing repertoire depends on the parish. Each church has its unique
heritage and culture and traditions, and they should continue doing pieces that have been part of
their heritage for generations.”
19
Zakkak looks at the congregation, at how much they sing, how
loudly or softly they sing, and what their ethnic background is as a parish. If it is a purely
Byzantine parish, then the music director needs to choose well-written Byzantine music that is

17
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 1, 2020.
18
Ibid.
19
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.

48
simplified or transposed in many cases. In Jabara’s words, “The Antiochian Church is comprised
of many traditions including Byzantine music, Russian music, and North American Choral
music. The challenge is trying to find the balance between our different styles of music.”
20

Fr. Finley learned through experience that the repertoire selection should be based on
sections of the service. He was told at one point that it was difficult for the people to worship
because his music selections were too different, and the transitions were not smooth. Each
section of the Divine Liturgy or other services needs to have stylistic continuity so that it flows
smoothly with no distraction so people can pray. Composers should consider composing in
sections and not just individual pieces for this reason. Fr. Finley suggests that choral directors
select music for six sections of the Liturgy. In his recent lecture called “Stylistic Continuity for a
Prayerful Service,” on July 18
th
, 2020, for the Archdiocese’s annual Sacred Music Institute, he
included the specific sections of the Liturgy
21
. They are as follows:
1) The Liturgy beginning through the 3rd Antiphon
22

2) The Little Entrance Hymn
23
through the responses of the Gospel Lesson
3) The Cherubic Hymn
24
through the Litany of the Offertory and “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”

20
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
21
An explanation of the order or outline for the Orthodox Divine Liturgy can be found on this website. Holy
Apostles Greek Orthodox Church, The Outline of the Divine Liturgy, accessed July 21, 2020,
http://www.holyapostlesindy.org/our-faith/outline-of-divine-liturgy.
22
The antiphons are psalm verses sung after the Great Litany, usually Psalms 103 and 146 with other psalms for
feast days. The psalm verses are called antiphons because they were traditionally sung antiphonally by two choirs.
For the Divine Liturgy there are three sets of antiphons. Taken from https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-
faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/antiphons, accessed 7/21/202.
23
Ibid. The Little Entrance is the procession of the clergy holding the gospel which represents a significant moment
where the entire congregation is welcomed into the community of prayer in the kingdom of God (represented by the
altar). When the clergy enters the royal gates or the doors of the altar, the Little Entrance hymn is sung beginning
with “Oh come let us worship and fall down before Christ.” Taken from Divine Liturgy-Small Entrance
https://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/worship/the-divine-liturgy/small-entrance.
24
Ibid. The Cherubic Hymn is sung before and in preparation of the Great Entrance which is the procession (by the
clergy) and offertory of the bread and wine (from the altar, out to the middle of the church, and through the royal
doors). The text of the hymn is “Let us who mystically represent the cherubim and sing the Thrice-holy Hymn to the
life-creating Trinity, now lay aside all earthly cares.”

49
4) The Anaphora,
25
including the Megalynarion
26

5) The Communion Section: from “One is Holy” through the People’s Communion Hymn
6) The Liturgy Ending: from “We Have Seen the True Light” to the End

Zakkak agrees that fluency is important when choosing repertoire. He knows that the
Litany usually marks the end or beginning of a section, so he tries to keep things in the same key
and choose music that flows well together. Boosamra Ball also selects the repertoire for her choir
based on the sections of the Liturgy. Consistency is important, not only for the congregation, but
for the priests as well. It is easier for the priest to stay in the same tone or key in certain sections
because of all the call and responses between the celebrant and the people. Additionally, the flow
or consistency of repertoire is important because of the congregation’s desire for prayer which
should not be interrupted each time a new hymn or choral number begins. Tonality and key
relationships are also part of the planning of the choral director.
27
Boosamra Ball explains that
she plans repertoire around sections similar to what Fr. Finley suggests. She keeps the First,
Second, and Third Antiphons all in one stylistic format or character. Then she keeps the
Cherubic Hymn, Anaphora, Megalynarion, through Communion all the same. Communion is a
unique section because there is room for different selections. For instance, once the Communion
Hymn is sung and the priest needs more time to give Communion, an additional hymn may be
inserted. Then she keeps everything after Communion consistent, either by composer or major or
minor tonalities. Jabara believes that there should be flexibility in repertoire selection depending

25
The Anaphora is also called the Eucharistic Canon. This is the point in the Divine Liturgy where the gifts of bread
and wine are lifted up and are sanctified by the Holy Spirit through the lifting up of prayer and song. The anaphora
is a dialogue between priest and the people. For example, the priest sings, “Let us lift up our hearts” and the people
sing “we lift them up unto the Lord.”
26
The Megalynarion is a hymn to the Theotokos, or Mother of God, sung at the conclusion of the Anaphora. Some
arrangements of this hymn are titled “It is Truly Meet” based on the first line of text, “It is truly meet to bless thee,
O Theotokos, ever blessed and most blameless and the Mother of our God.”
27
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 1, 2020.

50
on what fits the parish. There is more than one way of doing things. “If music is sung well, if it is
beautiful, if it is prayerful, people will embrace it.”
28

Inspiration and Influence of Theology
The composers who were interviewed, Fr. Finley, Fr. El Massih, and Zakkak, have
extensively studied the Antiochian Church, the history, and the traditions. They are embracing
the role of music in the church, and even composing additional settings for the worship services.
They are the current scholars on music in the Antiochian Orthodox Church. The author asked
each one of them about their compositional inspiration and the theological impact on their
compositions. Ultimately, the composers are inspired by their faith, and the theology of the
church plays a key role in what and how they write.
Fr. John Finley was part of the Evangelical Orthodox Church (EOC) who was accepted
into the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese in 1987. He was one of the leaders of this group of
approximately two thousand people searching for the true historical Christian church. While they
were in the process of converting to the Antiochian Orthodox Church, they realized that they did
not use an eight-tone system and wanted to start introducing the music of the Antiochian
Orthodox Church into their small churches. The other Evangelical leaders asked Finley to begin
arranging and translating some Byzantine chants into English. Finley says his original inspiration
for composing seemed to be out of necessity. He started studying Kazan’s Byzantine project and
began arranging some of his work for multiple voices. He began introducing Byzantine chant
into his churches through the Prokeimenons
29
because they were short. The Evangelical

28
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
29
A Prokeimenon is a brief verse, usually from the Psalms or canticles, that is sung before the scripture readings in
the Divine Liturgy.

51
Orthodox Church came from a background of Protestant “praise and worship” hymns. Finley fell
in love with Byzantine music once he started arranging. Given that Finley knew Kazan’s
Byzantine settings were inspired by the oldest musical tradition of the Orthodox Church, the
Byzantine music served as his inspiration to write newly composed music. His inspiration to
compose is guided by his faith. In terms of theology, Finley states, “The word is preeminent, this
is a theological concept. The music needs to be set to the words so that the message and meaning
are at the forefront.”
30

Nazo Zakkak’s inspiration comes from his faith and his spiritual journey. Zakkak’s
passion for writing choral music stemmed from his first experience harmonizing the Russian
melody for the Great Doxology. The Great Doxology is a prayer spoken or sung during Matins
or Great Compline
31
services, that begins with the text “Glory to God in the Highest.” “I found
the meaning in music by writing a Doxology and falling in love with the meaning of the text.”
After he was injured and could no longer play professionally as a jazz pianist, he spent much of
his time working with Vladimir Morosan at the Russian music publishing company Musica
Russica. For a year he immersed himself in Russian choral music and studying scores. After
harmonizing the Great Doxology and having it published, he developed a passion for writing
choral music in which every voice part was interesting and pleasing to sing. Composing became
a very spiritual process. Zakkak says that he does not write a single note before memorizing the
text and internalizing it. Theology influences his work through passion. The historical texts of
the hymns of the Antiochian Orthodox Church are very expressive and emotional. The liturgical
tradition is heavily steeped in theology. As he is choosing repertoire for the Divine Liturgy or

30
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
31
See Appendix A for definition, 99.

52
writing a hymn for a specific feast day, he researches the texts and tries to relate to them
personally. His hymns become his personal prayers and meditations.
Father John (Rassem) El Massih is re-writing and translating the Byzantine chants, many
of which were written by Kazan, into English and Western notation for the Antiochian Orthodox
Church. He is also writing the Byzantine music for hymn texts which have not yet been set to
music. As a scholar of Byzantine Chant, Fr. El Massih realized that many of the rules were not
followed in earlier compositions. This has provided him with the impetus for his current
compositional projects. In the past, many churches only had Saturday Vespers and Sunday
services, but now there is a growing desire to do more weekly services. This implies that more of
the texts and hymns are being translated into English, and there is a need for them to be set to
Byzantine music. Fr. El Massih is inspired to keep the Byzantine chant tradition alive by putting
his extant knowledge of the chant on paper so that others can learn and sing it. Theology is at the
forefront of his work as a composer and a chanter. “We use the music to shed light on the
important words and teach the theology.”
32
Chant should create a prayerful moment, not just for
the listeners, but for the chanter as well. One of Fr. John’s first teachers said to him, “we chant to
pray, not pray to chant.”
33
The theological teachings of the text are deemed of such critical
importance that even text painting is involved in the compositions. Fr. John uses the example of
the word “towers,” on which the chant will most likely ascend in range to depict the word.
“Sometimes, because of the complexity of the text, there has to be complexity in the chant.”
34

32
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 15, 2020.
33
Ibid, quotation from interview
34
Ibid.

53
Approval Process
If composers want their compositions posted publicly on the Antiochian website, they
must go through the chair of the Sacred Music Department, Boosamra Ball, as well as the others
on the choral and Byzantine committees. As part of the job of the department chair committee,
all new compositions are approved by the committee, checking on the vocal ranges and difficulty
levels to make sure that they are suitable for most choirs. “If you see Nazo’s music,” Jabara
notes, “it’s the most beautiful music, it’s simple, the ranges are limited, and we can teach the
music easily in one rehearsal.”
35
There are many factors that need to be considered when the
committee is reviewing a new composition. Boosamra Ball explained that currently, they are
receiving more entire Divine Liturgies which can be complicated because of all of the intricate
parts to the service. The composers usually are trying to keep the same style and sound
throughout and it can get very mundane. Most composers are familiar with Western
compositional rules. However, sometimes there will be submissions of a composition that was
created because the composer was inspired by a particular verse or passage and wanted to set it
to beautiful music but does not necessarily know or follow the rules of composition. Recently the
Archdiocese has also been revising all of the service books to include new or more thorough
translations of text. The departmental committee must also be careful to ensure that new
compositions are using the correct translation as found in the new service book. This is certainly
a consideration for composers writing for the Antiochian Orthodox Church.
At the time that Fr. Finley was arranging and composing, Ray George was the chairman
of the music department and he approved Finley’s Anaphora in Tone 3 before he died.
According to Finley, Ray George used to say, “just try it in your church and let me know how it

35
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.

54
goes. If it goes over well it can get unofficially approved.”
36
Zakkak agrees, “When writing
music, if the church loves it and blesses it by singing it, it unofficially becomes blessed and they
include it on the Antiochian website. They don’t want to admit this, if asked they say, ‘Submit
music to us and we’ll see if it’s approved or not.”’
37
Zakkak says that it seems to be easier for his
music to be approved because he makes sure it is simple, begins and ends on the tonic, and is
easy to learn and teach. He is making it beautiful and achievable for any type of choir. Zakkak
also arranges and composes Byzantine music and he states that it can become very technical and
difficult when seeking approval. The different melodies and adaptions of those melodies for each
tone are quite wide. The Byzantine scholars in the Sacred Music Department can also be very
specific regarding the usage of each of the eight tones and how they are to be set. This leads to
conflict among the appointed members of the Sacred Music Department. Some believe, like Fr.
El Massih, that all specific guidelines should be followed to write Byzantine music. Others
believe that if a composer is inspired, they should be able to use the many Byzantine melodies to
create beautiful and prayerful music that enlightens the text. Finley finds that if he thinks about
guidelines and processes, his music is not inspired. Zakkak concurs with Finley.
Jabara explains: “What we, in the Department of Sacred Music, are trying to do is
improve the quality of music through education and through the commission of new
compositions that relate directly to the specific needs of our choirs now. When we commissioned
a liturgy from Zakkak, we allowed him complete musical freedom. We used to have a whole
department to approve choral music. I believe a composer needs the freedom.”
38

36
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
37
Nazo Zakkak, interview by Krysta Sorensen,
38
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.

55
There is a separate committee for the Byzantine compositions that are submitted to the
Sacred Music Department. Fr. El Massih is the head or leader of this committee. There has been
a surge of new interest in Byzantine chant, which is the root of all Orthodox music. Fr. El Massih
quoted Saint Paul from Corinthians 14:40, “everything has to be done properly and in order.”
39

When they are looking at new compositions of Byzantine chant, they make sure that the rules
and guidelines are followed. Fr. El Massih explains that because each tone or mode has many
different combinations of melodies there could be multiple musical versions of the same text in
the same tone. Within the guidelines of the church, each of the hymns were assigned specific
tones. He gives the example that he could write “Oh Heavenly King” in the tone that it’s called
for and ten other people could write the same hymn, in the same tone, in different melodies. The
chant allows for variety because of the richness of the melodies. However, if “Oh Heavenly
King” was written in a completely different tone, it wouldn’t be appropriate or follow the ancient
guidelines of the church.

39
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 15, 2020.

56
Compositions and Arrangements
Jabara refers to Zakkak’s compositions as the perfect representation of the “new North
American sound.” Zakkak’s music is a blend of the old traditional sounds with newly composed
elements. “Nazo is writing music that is beautiful, fresh, and accessible for all types of choirs
and congregations.”
40
Zakkak has written music for the services of the Antiochian Orthodox
church including the Divine Liturgy, Vespers, Matins, major feasts, special services, and Lent.
Though his music is becoming more familiar throughout the archdiocese, It is Truly Meet is his
most widely sung hymn. It is an original composition, not based on a chant or a tone. Zakkak
says, It is Truly Meet was inspired by Fr. Finley’s Trisagion Hymn or “Holy God” and the
harmonization’s and descending lines found in the composition. Zakkak has arranged the
Byzantine melodies and tones as well as Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian music. For example,
Zakkak’s Trisagion, a part of his Divine Liturgy, is written in Bulgarian Chant Tone 1. Most of
Zakkak’s compositions can be found on his website nazozakkak.com and parishes are permitted
to print and perform his compositions for liturgical use. The complete Divine Liturgy can be
found on Zakkak’s website.
Fr. Finley has written and arranged for most of the Orthodox Liturgical services. He
composed traditional hymns in four parts including a Megalynarion, the Cherubic Hymn, Let
Our Mouths Be Filled, We Have Seen the True Light, and Rejoice Oh Virgin. He also wrote for
three parts, such as his Lord, I Have Cried. The three parts are the melody, the ison
41
, and a tenor
or alto line. Finley liked writing in three parts to keep a more “linear” sound, especially when
arranging chant melodies. He arranged of much of Basil Kazan’s Byzantine works, as well as

40
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
41
See Appendix A, 102.

57
multiple Resurrection Troparia, Theotokions, and Prokeimenons for Vespers and Liturgy
services. In 2000, Finley wrote The Anaphora which is an original composition based on
Byzantine Tone 3. He later wrote an entire Liturgy around The Anaphora but the rest of the
Liturgy, aside from The Anaphora, was arrangements of Byzantine traditional melodies. Finley’s
most widely sung composition is the Trisagion Hymn or “Holy God.” To this day, it can be heard
across North America at different parishes.
Father El Massih was born in Lebanon and has a unique and historically informed
understanding of Byzantine chant. He has dedicated his time and talent to the project of re-
writing the pre-existing Byzantine chant hymns as well as writing new hymns in the Byzantine
tones to which they are assigned. This is an extensive research project which has taken and will
continue to take enormous time to complete. As he explained, there has been more interest in
holding the daily church services, aside from Saturday and Sunday, for which many of the
hymns have not been set to the Byzantine tones and melodies.
42
Since Fr. El Massih has started
setting the texts of the hymns, the church congregations have been able to hold and chant the
prayer services as they were intended. The majority of Fr. El Massih’s Byzantine chants can be
found on the Antiochian Sacred Music website, by simply searching his name in the Sacred
Music Library.
43

42
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 15, 2020.
43
Sacred Music Library, http://ww1.antiochian.org/music/library.

58
Chapter 4
Suggested Significant Repertoire
Throughout the interview and research process, specific noteworthy compositions were
emphasized. The choral and vocal repertoire in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North
America is vast and varied in terms of style and ethnic origin. The selected compositions which
are highlighted in this section include Byzantine tones arranged into four-part harmony, Russian
and Bulgarian influenced choral works, and those considered to have the new North American
Antiochian choral sound. This section includes selected compositions from the composers who
were interviewed for this study. Also included are other composers, compositions, and
arrangements that have been emphasized during the interviews.
Fr. Finley was part of the Evangelical Orthodox Church which joined the Antiochian
Orthodox Archdiocese in 1985. The Evangelical Orthodox group, for convenience and
familiarity, used Orthodox texts and set them to Protestant hymn tunes. When they were
welcomed to join the Antiochian Archdiocese, Metropolitan Philip tasked them with a goal to
become acquainted with Orthodox hymnology. In the 1980s, very few Byzantine four-part choral
settings in English were available. Fr. Finley began composing four-part arrangements of the
Byzantine tones, as well as original four-part choral arrangements. He might be considered by
many as one of the first composers to write music that would eventually be referred to as the
“new North American sound.” In his lecture Authentic Church Music, Finley states, “I have
heard it said that the great musical contribution of the East is its melodies and the great
contribution of the West is its development of harmony. What better place than America to bring

59
these two great traditions together to form something uniquely American in terms of Orthodox
music:”
1

Example 4.1 Original Manuscript of Father John Finley’s “Holy God” Trisagion Hymn
2

Fr. Finley’s Trisagion Hymn, also known as “Holy God,” has had a lasting influence
since he joined the Antiochian Archdiocese, along with the other Evangelical Orthodox
Christians, in 1987. The Trisagion or Thrice Holy Hymn is sung during the Divine Liturgy

1
Fr. John Finley, Authentic Church Music, Accessed November 15, 2018, http://ww1.antiochian.org.
2
Received from Sacred Music Department.

60
immediately after the Little Entrance. As the clergy prepare to approach what is referred to as the
“High Table” or the throne beyond the altar table, the holiness of God is expressed or sung and
intensifies the awareness of the nearness or presence of God the Father and Heaven. The text of
the hymn is reminiscent of Isaiah 6:2-3, Ezekiel 1:18, and Revelations 4:8, where the angels or
Cherubim utter “holy, holy, holy.” The text “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One” is
sung three times, representing the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each time the text is
sung the people sing with more fervor, praise, and anticipation. Traditionally, the Divine Liturgy
has always had a theme of the connection of Heaven and Earth. This hymn is a symbol of lifting
voices to reach closer to Heaven.
In his interview, Finley explained attending his first Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese
Convention in Michigan 1987, and he was asked if they could sing the “Holy God.” He said,
“When it was more than just the choir, and everyone was singing along, I could tell that
everyone was amazed. It’s just such an easy melody and everyone enjoyed singing it.”
3
This
composition exemplifies the North American Antiochian Choral tradition that both Jabara and
Zakkak mentioned. Finley’s “Holy God” is one of the choral arrangements that Jabara states as
being one that everyone knows and loves and is sung “over and over again” in the Antiochian
Archdiocese of North America. Finley explains that the entire composition only encompasses the
range of a fifth in D Major. The melody is easy to learn and uplifting to sing. The major chord
harmonies and descending lines make for a fulfilling and meaningful expression of the text (see
Example 4.2).

3
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018

61
Example 4.2 Fr. John Finley, The Trisagion Hymn

&
?
#
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4
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6
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.
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Lord, have mer-cy.
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A-men.
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and to the
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it,
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Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese 9/19/13 Rev. 1 MK, CAH
1
The Trisagion Hymn
Archpriest John Finley
10-F

Minor Third Interval and Descending Soprano line in D

62
When Fr. John Finley began composing music for the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese
he wanted to thoroughly immerse in the Byzantine tradition and begin to write new music rooted
from that tradition. Finley wrote the original composition The Anaphora in 2000 for four-part
choir. He composed The Anaphora for his church choir at St. Athanasius Orthodox Church in
Santa Barbara, California, and it is based on Tone 3 but not a direct arrangement of the
traditional Tone 3 melodies. He dedicated The Anaphora to his parish in honor of St. Athanasius,
whose Apolytikion
4
was also written in Tone 3. Finley was inspired by various Tone 3 melodies
within The Anaphora. The Byzantine Tone 3 uses the enharmonic scale which is tuned like a
major scale in Western music and is similar to F Major. The main note and ison is F and the
dominant notes are A, D, and C. The ison of Tone 3 in Byzantine chant often alternates between
F and C which sounds similar to “Sol- Do” or the Perfect fifth in the Western scale. This can be
seen in the bass line of Finley’s Anaphora (see Example 4.3). Rarely does the bass note go away
from F and C and it can be considered similar to the ison of the four-part composition inspired by
Byzantine chant. Because of the similarities between Tone 3 in Byzantine chant and F Major in
Western music, The Anaphora is written in the key of F. Although many of the syllables within
the text only have one note, which would imply the Byzantine Heirmological rhythmic style,
Finley also emphasizes the text by writing multiple notes for single syllables of specific words
such as, “mercy”, “sacrifice”, “spirit”, “meet”, “Trinity”, “essence”, and “undivided.” Finley’s
use of word painting can be seen throughout, such as his use of three notes on the first syllable of
the word “Trinity” in the second measure of the bottom system in Example 4.3. The Anaphora is
sung during the offering of the gifts of bread and wine and is one of the most sacred moments

4
See Appendix A for definition, 99.

63
and cherished texts in the service. Finley explains, “the music is written for the words, the word
is preeminent.”
5

Example 4.3 Fr. John Finley, The Anaphora

5
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
&
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1
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, 8/26/13, Rev. 2, MK, CAH
16-F
The Anaphora
Archpriest John Finley
* It is customary in some parishes, where the priest prays the first prayer of the anaphora aloud,
to sing only "It is meet and right."

64
An additional composition that Finley addressed in his interview is Rejoice, O Virgin,
written in 1979. Like The Trisagion Hymn it is simple and short in four-part harmony to
highlight the text. Written in A Major, it creates a bright and uplifting composition to express the
joy of Jesus’ birth. This is a Troparion to the Mother of God, and is sung at Vespers on special
Feasts and Saints days. The singing occurs at the end of the service during the blessing of bread
and wine, called the Litiya and Artoklasia, and honors the saint of the day. It can also be sung or
prayed during private evening prayers and has occasionally been used for bridal party entrance
music at weddings. This hymn is similar to saying the “Hail, Mary” or the singing of the “Ave
Maria” in the Roman Catholic Church. The text is found in the Gospel of Luke 1:28 where the
Archangel Gabriel announces “Rejoice, Highley favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are
you among women!”

and from Luke 1:42 where Elizabeth says, “Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb”
6
(see Example 4.4).

6
Ibid.

65
Example 4.4 Fr. John Finley, Rejoice, O Virgin

&
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j
œ
j
œ
˙ ˙
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ
˙
˙
. œ
j
œ
œ
œ
Ma ry, full of
. œ
J
œ
œ
œ
.
œ
j
œ œ œ
.
œ
J
œ
œœ
œ
.
˙ œ
grace; and
. ˙ œ
˙
œ œ
. ˙ œ
j
œ
j
œ
j
œ
j
œ
œ
j
œ
j
œ
blessed is the fruit of thy
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ œ
J
œ
J
œ
j
œ
j
œ
j
œ
j
œ
œ
j
œ
j
œ
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ
J
œ
œ
J
œ
J
œ
-- - - --
&
?
#
#
#
#
#
#
. œ
j
œ
œ
œ
œ
womb, for thou hast
œ
J
œ
J
œ œ
œ
.
œ
j
œ
œ œ
.
œ
J
œ
œ œ
.
œ
j
œ
œ
œ
borne the Sav ior
. œ
J
œ
œ œ
.
œ
j
œ œ œ
.
œ
J
œ
œœ
œ
.
˙
œ
of our
. ˙ œ
˙
œ
œ . ˙ œ
w
souls.
w
w
w
. ˙
.
˙
. ˙
. ˙
-
Rejoice, O Virgin
Fr. John Finley

66
Fr. John Finley has a collection of choral compositions written in the early 90s that are
categorized as “paraliturgical,” meaning that they are not specifically meant to be sung within
the Liturgy or other services but could be performed at the end, or possibly inserted if there is
additional singing needed during the Communion. Finley arranged two Christmas, Advent, or
Nativity
7
hymns: Be Prepared, O Bethlehem which is a Troparion of the pre-feast of Christmas,
and Today The Virgin Bares The One, which is a Christmas Kontakion. Both choral
arrangements may be considered Christmas carols and tell the story of the Nativity.
Finley metered the text of Be Prepared, O Bethlehem himself. His love for the Alfred
Burt Carols
8
inspired him to set this carol in a similar style. In the past this carol has been used
for the Paraklesis of Advent service. Finley explains that the Paraklesis service is not a part of
formal Divine Liturgical services, so this paraliturgical carol could be included (see Example
4.6). Today The Virgin Bares The One was rhymed and metered by Archpriest Jack N. Sparks
(1928-2010). Finley tells the story of his friendship with Sparks who was also one of the
Evangelical Orthodox Christian leaders who joined the Antiochian Orthodox Church. Sparks
would sit on his chair with pen and paper, looking through hymns and he would put them to
rhyme and meter. The texts that Fr. Jack Sparks rhymed and metered came from Nassar’s Divine
Prayers and Services, the Festal Menaion, and the Lenten Triodion. The text set in Today The
Virgin Bares The One was taken from the Festal or December Menaion. This carol was recorded
by the Archangel Voices sponsored by Musica Russica on a CD titled Christ is Born, Give Glory

7
See Appendix A for definition, 102.
8
The Alfred Burt carols are a set of well-known Christmas carols written by Alfred Burt (1920-1954) including
Caroling, Caroling, The Star Carol, and We’ll Dress the House.

67
and can be found on the Musica Russica website.
9
The ending on a Picardy third
10
is Finley’s
homage to many typical Christmas carols. Today the Virgin Bears the One is written in E Minor
and then on the last chord in the last measure Finley adds a Picardy third to end on a bright,
major sound. He exclaims, “You have to have a Picardy third on the end if it’s going to be a
Christmas carol”
11
(see Example 4.5).

9
Musica Russica, Russian music publishing company website, www.musicarussica.com
10
A Picardy third is a major chord at the end of a musical section which is in a minor mode or key. The third of the
chord is sharped or raised a semitone to make it sound major and bright.
11
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.

68
Example 4.5 Fr. John Finley, Today the Virgin Bears The One, Paraliturgical Christmas
Kontakion

69
Example 4.6 John Finley, Be Prepared, O Bethlehem, Paraliturgical Christmas Troparion

70
Nazo Zakkak’s most well-known composition is It Is Truly Meet. Zakkak was influenced by Fr.
Finley’s compositional style. He was inspired by the bright feeling of the major chords and the
descending lines that permeate Finley’s Trisagion Hymn. He set It Is Truly Meet in G Major and
employs descending lines throughout. In Finley’s Trisagion Hymn, he uses a minor third (mi to
sol) interval to begin a phrase and steps down (fa, mi, re, do) to resolve it. An example of this is
in mm. 11-18 on the text “Have mercy on us” (see Example 4.2). Similarly, descending lines are
throughout Zakkak’s It Is Truly Meet with a final resolution in the last measure. From the
anacrusis into m. 15 through m.18, in Example 4.7, the soprano melody line has stepwise
descending notes on the text “Without corruption” and “God the Word.” Zakkak creates text
emphasis by writing multiple notes embellishing specific words such as “Seraphim” in mm. 13
and 14, “God” in m. 17, “Word” in m. 18, and “magnify” in mm. 21 and 22. The written soft
dynamics depict the humble, respectful approach to the Theotokos. The excitement of the
message that the Theotokos gave birth to “God the Word” is enhanced dynamically with a
crescendo and forte on mm. 13 and 14 through m. 18. It Is Truly Meet is an additional example
of what is now known as the new North American Orthodox sound. It has elements of the old
traditional melodies as well as original material which is sensitive to the text.

71

Example 4.7 Nazo Zakkak, It Is Truly Meet

72
Example 4.7 Nazo Zakkak, It Is Truly Meet, Continued

%
>
∀
∀
3
5
3
5
S
A
T
B
15
out cor rup tion,
gav est birth to
God the
−
- - -
%
>
∀
∀
3
5
3
5
3
3
3
3
S
A
T
B
18
ϖ
Word.
ϖ
ϖ
ϖ
ϖ
True The o
Ο
Ο
to kos, we
- - -
%
>
∀
∀
S
A
T
B
21
mag ni fy
ϖ
thee.
−
Ι
(mag ni fy
−
ι
ϖ
thee.
ϖ
ϖ
thee.)
ϖ
ϖ
- - - -

73
In Zakkak’s Trisagion, he uses the Bulgarian Chant Tone 1. In his interview, Zakkak
emphasized how much he, as a conductor, likes to include Bulgarian chant in the music
selections for his choir and parish. The Bulgarian chant tone can be heard clearly in the
beginning as the melody, which is the top line designated for Soprano and Alto voice parts in
section 1 (see Example 4.8). Bulgarian chant invokes beauty, simplicity, and prayerfulness.
Traditionally in the Divine Liturgy, the people sing the text “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy
Immortal, have mercy on us” three times and on the third time, the priest invites everyone to sing
“with strength”; the third exclamation is much louder and enthusiastic. Zakkak wrote the
beginning two phrases in simple two-part harmony, and for the third phrase he adds the alto and
tenor lines to create the feeling of “with strength” with four-part harmony (see Example 4.8,
section 3). As the Trisagion closes, the text is “Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy
Spirit, now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen.” It ends with a final exclamation,
enthusiastically or “with strength” once more on text, “Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.”
Zakkak goes back to simple two-part harmony in the third section for clarity of text at “Glory to
the Father…” and the four-part harmony comes back to finish affirmatively on “Holy Immortal
have mercy on us.”

74
Example 4.8 Nazo Zakkak, Trisagion, Sections 1 and 2, based on Bulgarian Chant Tone 1.

Bulgarian Chant Melody

75
Example 4.8 Nazo Zakkak, Trisagion, Section 3 continued

%
>
b
b
− j
−
j
Ho ly God, Ho ly Might y,
−
j
− j
3
- - -
%
>
b
b
−
j
Ho ly Im mor tal, have mer cy on us.
−
J
- - - -
%
>
b
b
j
j
Glo ry to the Father and to the Son and to the Ho ly Spir it,
J
J
- - -
%
>
b
b
j
both now and ever and unto ages of a ges. A men.
J
j
j
- -
%
>
b
b
−
j
Ho ly Im mor tal, have mer cy on us.
−
J
- - - -
DivineLiturgyNo.1/2
Trisagion2-nazozakkak

76
Zakkak has composed a few non-liturgical, or paraliturgical hymns. He wrote an excerpt
of the Canon of Saint Andrew. The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete is traditionally sung on
the first four nights of Great Lent
12
and at Matins of the fifth Thursday of Great Lent. Nazo
refers to Canon of St. Andrew as one of his favorite compositions. Canon of St. Andrew is deeply
steeped in the Russian choral tradition (see Example 4.9). Within the Canon of St. Andrew
Zakkak references John Tavener’s (1944-2013) Funeral Ikos
13
by using similar musical material
in various forms for multiple verses of text. Zakkak was inspired by Tavener’s unique aesthetic
and simplistic style. Just as each section of the text ends with the same music on the word
“Alleluia” in Funeral Ikos, each section within the excerpt of the canon is followed by the same
musical response “Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me” (see Example 4.9). As seen
before in Nazo’s compositions, simple harmonies highlight the text.
The Canon of St. Andrew is the longest canon
14
in all the services. It consists of twelve
odes
15
, whereas a typical canon just has eight. It is somewhat like a private journal and is a
dialogue between St. Andrew and his soul.
16
Zakkak wrote this canon due to the penitential
themes and the focus on personal sins within the text. Many of Zakkak’s hymns are about the joy
of the faith, but he also desired to delve into the deeper emotions including sin and repentance
which are exemplified in the writings of St. Andrew.

12
See Appendix A for definition, 101.
13
John Tavener’s (1944-2013) Funeral Ikos, written in 1981, is a sacred, unaccompanied SSATTB choral work with
liturgical texts from the services for the burial of priests.
14
See Appendix A for definition, 99.
15
Odes are different sections or parts of the ancient liturgical hymn.
16
St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church. Accessed August 5, 2020, http://www.orthodox.net/greatlent/great-
canon-of-andrew-of-crete-explanation.html.

77
Example 4.9 Nazo Zakkak, Canon of St. Andrew, excerpt

&
?
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
œ
A
œ
œ
œ
with driving force
half note = 84
F
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ
help er and a pro tec tor,
˙ œ œ œ œ
˙ œ
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ
˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ
- - -
&
?
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
S
A
T
B
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ
œ
˙
w
He has be come my sal va tion.
œ œ œ ˙ œ
œ ˙
w
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ
œ
˙
w
œ œ œ
˙ œ
œ
˙
w
- - -
&
?
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
S
A
T
B
œ
œ œ
œ ˙ œ
œ
˙
œ œ
. ˙
This is my God, I will mag ni fy Him.
œ
œ œ
œ ˙
œ
œ ˙ œ œ
.
˙
œ
œ œ
œ ˙
œ
œ
˙
œ œ .
˙
œ
œ œ
œ ˙ œ
œ
˙
œ œ .
˙
- -
&
?
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
b
S
A
T
B
œ
œ
œ ˙ œ œ œ
œ
˙
˙
. ˙
My fa ther's God, and I will ex alt Him,
œ
œ
œ ˙
œ œ œ
œ w
.
˙
œ
œ
œ ˙
œ œ œ
œ
˙
˙ .
˙
œ
œ
œ ˙ œ œ œ
œ
˙
˙ .
˙
- -
Canon of St. Andrew
(excerpt)
nazo zakkak
© 2015, nazo zakkak. All rights reserved.

78
Example 4.9 Nazo Zakkak, Canon of St. Andrew, excerpt continued

79
One of the noteworthy American Orthodox composers who made a lasting impact in
choral writing and choral singing was Richard Toensing (1940-2014). He studied composition at
St. Olaf College and received his Doctor of Musical Arts from University of Michigan, Ann
Arbor. He was a Professor of Composition at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Toensing
was raised Lutheran and converted to the Orthodox Christian faith in the 1990s. In a quote found
in one of his notebooks from the 1980’s Toensing writes, “I believe that, after time stops, all
music written in the spirit of praise to God will be performed again-perfectly-in Heaven, as part
of the eternal round of God’s praise. Thus, I wish my music to at once foreshadow that heavenly
performance, and also to bring, as best as I am able, the music of Heaven down to Earth.”
17

Much of his music was professionally recorded into albums including Night Songs: The Music of
Richard Toensing for symphonic winds and soloists, Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ,
Responsoria, Concerto for Flutes and Wind Ensemble, and Crossroads.
18
He composed one,
two, and four-part complete musical settings of the Divine Liturgy.
Toensing composed forty Christmas carols with text taken from an Evangelical Orthodox
book, already in English and poetically set, reflecting the Antiochian Orthodox theology. Oh
Nations, Let Us Now Prepare based on Byzantine Mode 1, is an example that Toensing chose for
the audience to listen to in his interview on Ancient Faith Radio when he was asked about the
carols (see Example 4.10).
19
Toensing’s carols, including O Nations, Let us Now Prepare, are
unique in style because they include elements of both Byzantine and American Hymnody. The
Choir of Shepherds written for Matins on the Nativity, Advent, or Christmas is also one of his

17
Richard Toensing, Composer, accessed June 23, 2020, www.richardtoensing.com.
18
Can be purchased on amazon.com. See bibliography for full citation.
19
Richard Toensing, “Kontakion On The Nativity of Christ,” interview, Ancient Faith Presents, Ancient Faith
Radio, November, 18 2008. Audio, 29:05, accessed June 23, 2020,
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/features/kontakion_on_the_nativity_of_christ#.

80
four-part Christmas carols (see Example 4.11). The text in both carols was adapted by Fr. Jack
Sparks, who also rhymed and metered the text for Fr. Finley’s Today the Virgin Bears the One
and other carols. Also inspired by his Orthodox Christian faith is his Kontakion for the Nativity
of Christ, a four-movement choral concerto written for two choirs and six soloists. Toensing
wrote it for a concert setting; it is not liturgical because of the length (c. 30 minutes) and
complexity of vocal lines.
20
He wrote it specifically for the professional choir, Capella Romana,
who recorded and produced a CD of the work in 2007 titled Kontakion on the Nativity of Christ.
Toensing’s carols, including O Nations, Let Us Now Prepare, were also recorded on the same
album and were called the New Orthodox Carols for the Nativity of Christ. Richard Toensing
was diagnosed with terminal cancer and continued composing until one month before he died.
Your Bridal Chamber I See Adorned and I have No Wedding Garment that I May Enter was his
last composition submitted to the Sacred Music Department and is said to be one of his most
spiritual works.
21

20
Richard Toensing, “Kontakion On The Nativity of Christ,” Ancient Faith Presents, Ancient Faith Radio,
November, 18 2008. Audio, 29:05, accessed June 23, 2020,
https://www.ancientfaith.com/podcasts/features/kontakion_on_the_nativity_of_christ#.
21
Michael Farrow, “History of Antiochian Orthodox Music”, 23.

81
Example 4.10 Richard Toensing, O Nations, Let Us Now Prepare, Nativity carol based on
Tone 1
22

22
Richard Toensing, accessed April 10, 2021, www.richartoensing.com

&
b
2
2
2
3
2
2
2
3
œ
(All)
Simply
1.O
œ œ
œ
œ
na tions, let us
œ
œ
.
˙ œ
now pre pare, And
œ
œ
œ
œ
lay a - - -
&
b
2
3
2
2
.
˙
œ
œ
œ
side all earth ly
.
˙ œ
care, To
œ
œ
œ
œ
cel e
. ˙ œ
brate the
œ
œ
œ
œ
birth of - - -
&
?
b
b
.
˙ œ
Christ With
∑
œ
œ
œ
œ
all the
∑
œ
œ
˙
wor thy,
∑
œ
œ
œ
œ
good, and
∑
. ˙ œ
wise 2.Our
œ
Ó Œ
œ
œ
-
&
?
b
b
2
3
2
3
2
2
2
2
2
3
2
3
2
2
2
2
œ œ
œ
œ
minds lift up to
œ œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ œ œ œ
œ
œ
.
˙ œ
Beth le hem, And
œ œ . ˙ œ
œ
œ
. ˙
œ
œ œ
.
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
with our
. ˙ œ
œ
œ
œ œ
.
˙ œ
.
˙
œ
œ
œ
con sciences as
. ˙ œ œ œ
œ
œ
œ œ
œ
œ
.
˙ œ œ œ
- - - -
&
?
b
b
2
2
2
2
.
˙ œ
cend, May
.
˙ œ
.
˙
œ
. ˙
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
we with
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙ ˙
˙ ˙
. ˙ œ
in our
. ˙ œ
. ˙ œ
.
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
hearts be
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙ ˙
˙ ˙
.
˙ œ
hold, The
. ˙ œ
. ˙ œ
.
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
Vir gin
. ˙ œ
.
˙
œ
.
˙ œ
- - -
O Nations, Let Us Now Prepare
Richard Toensing Vespers, Sunday before the Nativity of Christ
Stichera I at "O Lord, I have cried"
Adapted, Fr. Jack Sparks
FOR PARA-LITURGICAL USE ONLY . NOT TO BE SUNG AS PART OF THE VESPERS SERVICE.
Music © Richard Toensing, 2005.
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, RT. Rev. 0, 9/19/05.

82
Example 4.11 Richard Toensing, The Choir of Shepherds, four-part Christmas carol
23

23
Michael Farrow, email message to author, May 21, 2020

83
Many choral arrangements that exist in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North
America are based on the Byzantine chant modes. Dr. Frederick Karam (1926-1978) was the
choir director at St. Elias Antiochian Orthodox Church in Ottowa, Ontario, Canada, and arranged
and composed music for the church. He composed two entire Liturgies, one in a major mode and
one in a minor mode, as well as four-part music for feast days. Karam’s compositions are
entirely based on the traditional Byzantine melodies. The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
Megalynarion: Hymn to the Theotokos is an example of the blending of Byzantine and four-part
music. In her interview, Mareena Boosamra Ball noted, “He keeps the Byzantine melody present
while satisfying the four-part choral ideal.”
24
At the beginning of this Christmas hymn, the
Byzantine melody of Tone 1 is given to the tenors and basses and moves into four-part harmony
with the addition of sopranos and altos (see Example 4.12).

24
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview

84

Example 4.12 Dr. Frederick Karam, Megalynarion, four-part Byzantine

&
?
#
#
Soprano
Alto
Tenor
Bass
∑
œ œ
˙ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
Omysoul, mag-ni-fy her who is more
œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙
Magnification
&
?
#
#
∑
œ
œ ˙
œ œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ
œ
hon - 'ra - ble and who is more glo - rious than the
œ
œ ˙
œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙ œ œ
&
?
#
#
∑
œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
heav'n - ly hosts.
œ œ
˙
˙
Œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ
œ
Amys-ter-y I be-
Œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ
œ
Œ
œ
œ œ ˙ œ œ
Œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ
œ
Heirmos of the 9th Ode
&
?
#
#
œ
œ
œ
˙
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ
œ .
˙
hold which is strange and won - drous:
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ œ œ œ œ
œ#
. ˙
w œ
œ
œ
œ
˙
. ˙
œ
œ
œ
˙ œ œ œ œ
˙
. ˙
Rev. 2, 12/5/17
MGF_0065-1
December 25th
THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Megalynarion: Hymn to the Theotokos (B)
Copyright © 2007, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.
Permission granted to copy for liturgical use only.
Arranged by
Frederick Karam (1926-1978)
Byzantine - Tone 1

Tone 1 in Tenor and Bass

Four-Part Harmonization of Byzantine Tone

85
Much of the Russian four-part choral music written for the Orthodox church has been
adapted into English for use in American parishes. According to the church historian for the
Antiochian Sacred Music Department, Dr. Michael Farrow, these Russian choral hymns in
English have multiple aspects that would be intriguing to any choral musician.
25
Polyphony is
not often used in the music of the Antiochian Orthodox, simply for the fact that the words are the
most important and must be made clear. However, Nicholai Rimsky-Korsakov’s (1844-1908)
Praise the Lord is polyphonic in nature and can still be heard today in services of the church.
Despite the overlapping words, Rimsky-Korsakov keeps the four voice parts untangled and the
message remains clear for the worshiper to pray. As the sopranos enter in the first measure, the
altos enter in the second measure with the same text, and the tenors come in at measure eight
creating the polyphonic texture (see Example 4.13). Even though there are some overlapping of
words, such as the beginning of the second measure where the sopranos are singing the word
“Lord” and the altos are singing the word “praise,” the message is still clear because the
overlapping of text only occurs in two voices at a time. The text of this hymn is found in Psalm
148:1, “Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.” It is a Communion hymn
sung in the Divine Liturgy on Ordinary Sundays.

25
Michael Farrow, email correspondence

86
Example 4.13 Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Praise The Lord, Russian four-part choral in English
translation

&
?
#
#
4
4
4
4
˙
œ
œ
Praise the
∑
∑ ∑
p
p
˙
˙
Lord, the
˙
œ
œ
Praise the
∑ ∑
.
œ
j
œ
œ
œ
Lord
.
˙
œ
Lord
∑ ∑
œ
œ
œ œ
from the heav ens.
œ
œ
œ
œ
from the heav ens.
∑ ∑
-
-
&
?
#
#
. œ
j
œ
œ
j
œ
j
œ
Praise the Lord from the
. œ
J
œ
œ
J
œ
J
œ
Praise the Lord from the
∑ ∑
˙
˙
heav ens.
˙
˙
heav ens.
∑ ∑
p
p
w
Praise
˙
œ
œ
Praise the
∑ ∑
p
˙
˙
the
˙
˙
Lord, the
˙
œ
œ#
Praise the
∑
-
-
&
?
#
#
4
6
4
6
w
Lord
. œ
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Copyright © 2011, by the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese.
Permission granted to copy for liturgical use only.
04/29/2011 Rev 0 DA
Nicholi Rimsky-Korsakov
(1844 - 1908)
Praise The Lord
Koinonikon
Moderato

Polyphonic Writing

87
The inclusion of major/minor modalities is another intriguing aspect of Russian choral music
used in the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese. As Dr. Michael Farrow mentions, Russian choral
music is full of alternating measures that contain both major and minor tone references.
26
In
Western music, minor chords and keys are often associated with sadness or darkness.
27
This is
not the case with Eastern Orthodox Church music. Chords and tones resembling the minor sound
are meant to reflect text and feeling and yet do not convey a sense of sadness. The Cherubic
Hymn written by Alexei Kastorsky (1869-1944) can be seen as an example of this. Although it is
written in E Minor in Western notation, the message is not sad, it is praising, calming, and
reverent (see Example 4.14). The text within the Cherubic Hymn includes: “Let us who
mystically represent the Cherubim, now lay aside all earthly cares. Amen. That we may receive
the king of all who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic host. Alleluia.” Major chords and
tones are written within on the second “Amen” and into “that we may receive the king of all who
comes” (see Example 4.14 continued). This is a change in feeling within the text and a more
excited exclamation. However, the minor feel of most of the hymn as well as the faster tempo
reflects a positive message. Boosamra Ball has used Kastorsky’s Cherubic Hymn with her church
choir and states that it is “very choral in nature and astonishingly beautiful.”
28

26
Michael Farrow, email correspondence
27
Daniela and Bernd Willimek, “Why Do Minor Chords Sound Sad? The Theory of Musical Equilibrium and the
Emotions of Chords,” Journal of Pyschology and Psychotherapy, volume 4, issue 2, 2014, accessed January 2, 2022.
https://www.longdom.org/open-access/why-do-minor-chords-sound-sad-the-theory-of-musical-equilibration-and-
the-emotions-of-chords-2161-0487.1000139.pdf.
28
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview with Krysta Sorensen, July 1, 2020.

88
Example 4.14 Alexei Katorsky, Cherubic Hymn excerpt, Russian choral major and minor tones

89
Example 4.14 Alexei Katorsky, Cherubic Hymn excerpt, Continued

E Minor D Major
G Major

90
Final Thoughts
In summary, those who were interviewed during this research study were asked about the
future of vocal music and choral practice in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America.
As the former Chairman of the Sacred Music Department and from the official department’s
standpoint, Paul Jabara knows that choirs in the churches have been changing and that they need
to elevate their musical standards and approaches. Since the archdiocese is growing and there are
new mission churches being added, many of them need to be educated in the music of the
church. The purpose of the Sacred Music Department is to educate and encourage composers to
continue writing for the choirs. Jabara says, “We are trying to compose music that sounds good
within the limitations of our choirs in North America. We are trying to learn from our past
experiences and somehow create a new North American sound, which can be heard in Nazo
Zakkak’s liturgy.”
1
Jabara believes it is important to continue the compositional process, to
create more opportunities to have meaningful worship through music. “We have borrowed many
different traditions including Russian and Byzantine music and now we are pushing for the
composition of the new North American Antiochian music.”
2

Zakkak stresses that it is important to continue to compose because there is a lot of text
and therefore, a lot of well-written music is still needed. He wants to encourage more people to
try their hand at composing. He feels a bit isolated, as if he is the only one writing new music
with a fresh eye. Fr. Finley believes it is important to continue to compose because it is God’s
will. He quotes Fr. Alexander Schmemann (1921-1983), a leading Orthodox theologian and
Dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Crestwood, New York, “We have to

1
Paul Jabara, interview by Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.
2
Ibid.

91
change in order to remain the same.”
3
Finley states that Zakkak uses some familiar choral sounds
and chords that can be likened to that of Rutter’s music or Salamunovich’s choral sound, which
people like to hear.
4
Finley reminds the reader that it is important to continue composing and
arranging because, among everything, there are some things that ultimately become part of the
tradition. “We have to move with the times while keeping everything that is essential to the
Divine Liturgy and Orthodox tradition.”
5

Because there have been so many different musical sources employed in the Antiochian
Archdiocese of North America including original Byzantine chant, multiple-voiced part
arrangements of the Byzantine chants, choral compositions, Bulgarian chant, Russian influences,
and arrangements of hymns, the question arises as to what the future holds for the music of the
Church. Recently, in quite a few parishes that primarily use Byzantine chant, there has been a
fascination with monastic life and a movement to sing single-line chant only. Fr. Finley
perceives that the “hyper-monastic imitation will not be long-lived.”
6
He believes that the
worship of the church and the participation of the people will ultimately prevail, and they will
come to a solution for music that is more accessible for parish life, as opposed to the monastic
life. “I don’t think the music of the church will swing back to a more simplified style of
Byzantine chant without a fight.”
7
Zakkak says that the general opinion right now, by Byzantine
supporters, is that we are returning to the employment of more Byzantine music. He does not
believe that anything will go beyond Basil Kazan’s works. “Kazan’s arrangements are

3
John Finley, quotation as stated in interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
4
Finley, interview, November 26, 2018.
5
John Finley, interview by Krysta Sorensen, November 26, 2018.
6
Ibid.
7
Ibid.

92
simplified, non-ornamented versions of Byzantine chant that are easily accessible and singable.”
8

Zakkak says that Byzantine will always be there because it is the root of music history within the
church, but he believes that there will also be more composers doing what he is doing and
composing with the new North American Antiochian sound.
As the current Chair of the Antiochian Sacred Music Department, Mareena Boosamra
Ball sees both sides or “schools of thought” in terms of determining what music should be sung
in the parishes, now and in the future. She mentions that there has been a push for the usage of
more Byzantine chant with a new generation of young chanters, as well as older members who
wish to preserve our language, traditions, and heritage. She believes that this renewed passion is
a blessing and that it is important and beneficial to continue the further education of the church
musicians. It is vitally important for the current Antiochian Orthodox Church musicians to know
the roots and traditions of the church. However, she also believes that there must be room for
both. “There’s room for so much. We have a beautiful tradition of having four-part music in our
churches. I think we must continue that tradition and allow it to grow with new compositions.”
9

Having an active choir and singing choral songs is a much more communal experience for the
congregation. Everyone can join in and feel like they are involved in the worship. Boosamra Ball
mentions that it is much harder to sing along with chanters unless there is a hymn that is chanted
the exact same way every service, which does not happen often in many parishes.
10
However, the
new project begun by the Byzantine scholars, including Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, will
continue in the future due to the need to set to music numerous newly translated prayers into
English. These new texts will need to be set to the Byzantine tones. This project is incredibly

8
Nazo Zakkak, interview with Krysta Sorensen, March 29, 2018.
9
Mareena Boosamra Ball, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 1, 2020.
10
Ibid.

93
valuable to the parishes that identify more with the Byzantine style of music and provides a
greater depth of material for choir directors to choose from. Boosamra Ball notes that when the
COVID-19 pandemic occurred, choirs were not allowed to gather and sing together and only one
or two chanters were allowed to sing on opposite sides of the room for the online-streamed
services. The Byzantine chants for the services, provided on the Sacred Music website, as well as
the knowledgeable Byzantine chanters themselves, have become very beneficial during the year
of social distancing. Thus, all types of traditional Orthodox music should be embraced in the
Antiochian churches of North America if they are appropriately highlighting the text and essence
of the prayer or worship service.
According to Jabara a solely Byzantine approach will not occur in the future. The church
in North America has already embraced a wide variety of musical styles. The Antiochian church
is comprised of many traditions, Byzantine, Russian, and North American choral music. Jabara
sees a continued balance of choral music and Byzantine music. Due to the smaller sizes of most
choirs in the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America, Russian choral music most likely
will not be employed as often. There will always be the Byzantine purists who say there is only
one correct type of Byzantine chant. Fr. El Massih is one of these Byzantine enthusiasts who
says, “We are seeing how young and older people are thirsty for more Byzantine.”
11
He states
that people are not used to it yet, but he will not be surprised if we see a switch toward more
Byzantine music used in parishes over the next fifteen years. However, the current Metropolitan
Joseph has said, “Liturgical music does not have ethnic borders, it does not have ethnic
characteristics, it is not Greek, Arabic, or Russian. The church fathers did not create ethnic
borders for worship. If music lifts you up, if it is a vehicle for prayer, not Western, Eastern,

11
Fr. John (Rassem) El Massih, interview by Krysta Sorensen, July 15, 2020.

94
Arabic, Greek, Russian, or Byzantine; it is church music.”
12
This is how the Sacred Music
Department and the church need to move forward. All the effort that is being planned by the
Sacred Music Department is to plant the seeds to improve choral music for future generations
and to educate directors to lead and inspire. This work will hopefully contribute toward
improved quality of music in the services. Within the period of 2010 to 2020, Jabara observes
that there has been a change in the perceptions of the understanding and acceptance of the music
heard in the church. It may be a combination of introduction to new composers and materials
from the Department of Sacred Music and the exposure to this mixture of these musical styles,
but it appears that the congregations are beginning to embrace the North American School of
Antiochian Orthodox music. “If music is sung well, if it is beautiful, if it is prayerful, the people
will embrace it. Therefore, the more we educate our directors, the more we up the level of music;
and the better the quality of music, the more the people will embrace new styles.”
13

In conclusion, the vocal and choral music that has evolved throughout the history of the
Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America is a somewhat hidden but extensive body of
repertoire that is culturally, ethnically, and stylistically varied, and yet accessible to all. The
limitations to this research, including that it was only possible to interview a handful of the
composers in the church, leaves room for continued research. This study offers historical context,
an exposure to a new body of choral repertoire, current trends, and poses questions about the
future of the “two schools of thought” on the choral and vocal music used within the Antiochian
Orthodox Church of North America. As suggested by the evidence collected in this study, it is
almost certain that the “melting pot” of different cultures, parishes, musical preferences, and ages

12
The Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdioceses of North America, Accessed June 10, 2019, antiochian.org.
13
Paul Jabara, interview with Krysta Sorensen, June 27, 2018.

95
of the Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America will grow together and continue beautiful
traditions, as well as embrace new ideas with the common goal and focus of using the voice to
highlight the most precious Scriptural texts.

96
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100
Appendix A

Terms Used in The Antiochian Orthodox Church

Akathist: A hymn dedicated to a saint, one of the Holy Trinity, or a holy event.

Anaphora: The anaphora is also called the Eucharistic Canon. This is the point in the Divine
Liturgy where gifts of bread and wine (Communion) are lifted up and are sanctified by the Holy
Spirit through the lifting up of prayer and song. The Anaphora is a dialogue between priest and
the congregants. For example, the priest sings, “Let us lift up our hearts” and the congregants
sing, “we lift them up unto the Lord.”

Antidoron: Passing out of the remaining bread that was not used for Communion but was
blessed with prayers.

Antiphon: One or more psalm verses, used as a recurring theme alternating with other verses of
a psalm. There are three sets of antiphons sung after the Great Litany in the Divine Liturgy.
These are a combination of psalms (usually Psalms 103 and 146) and the Troparion of the day.

Apolytikion: First principal hymn of the day, also known as Troparion or dismissal hymn.

Aposticha: Set of hymns called stichera (plural for sticheron), which takes place at the end of
Vespers and Matins.

Archbishop/Bishop: The administrative and spiritual head of a diocese. The title “archbishop”
is given as an honorary title.

Archpriest/Priest: The administrative and spiritual head of a parish. The title “archpriest” is
given as an honorary title.

Archdeacon/ Protodeacon/ Deacon: A fully ordained member of the clergy assigned to a parish
to assist the priest. The title Archdeacon and Protodeacon are honorary titles.

Communion: The holy sacrament where the consecrated bread and wine is consumed by
prepared Orthodox Christians, also known as the Eucharist of Holy Gifts.

Compline: An evening prayer service done after dinner and before bed. It is a combination of
prayers, psalms, and canons for the completion of the day.

Canon: A structured hymn that consists of nine odes, also called canticles or songs, that are
found in the Bible. Usually only sung in the services of Matins, Compline, and special services
such as the Paraklesis.

101
Cherubic Hymn: The song of angels meant to imitate the singing of the Heavenly Hosts or
angels in heaven beginning on text, “Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim.”

Dismissal: Point of conclusion where the priest or bishop pronounces a formal parting blessing.

The Divine Liturgy: The primary worship service of the Orthodox Church and is divided into
two parts:
I.) The Liturgy of the Catechumens: The first part of the Divine Liturgy, which is also
called the Liturgy of the Word, where scriptures are read and emphasized. This part of
the service is meant for anyone who is interested in learning about the scriptures and the
faith.
II.) The Liturgy of the Faithful: The second part of the Divine Liturgy, also called the
Liturgy of the Eucharist, which is where the gifts of bread and wine are offered and those
who are Orthodox Christians (the faithful) partake of the sacrament of Holy
Communion. In this part of the Divine Liturgy, the bread and wine are believed to turn
into the actual body and blood of Jesus Christ.
The Divine Liturgy is practiced every Sunday morning and special feast days and holidays.

The Divine Liturgy

I. Liturgy of the Catechumens (Word):
Great Litany
Antiphons
Little Entrance
Troparion
Trisagion Hymn
tletle
Gospel
Homily
Litany of Fervent Supplication
Litany for the Departed
Litany of the Catechumens

II. Liturgy of the Faithful (Eucharist):
Cherubic Hymn
Great Entrance
Litany of Completion
Nicene Creed
Anaphora
Epiclesis
Megalynarion
Lord’s Prayer
Communion
Dismissal
Antidoron

102
Epiclesis: The point in the service in which prayers invoke the Holy Spirit to come down and the
Orthodox Christians believe that the bread and wine turns into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Epiphany: The celebration of Jesus’ baptism in the river Jordan

Epistle: Readings from the epistles of the New Testament assigned for that day.

Feast day for an Event- An assigned day on the calendar celebrating a specific event.

Feast days for a Saint: An assigned day on the calendar celebrating a specific saint.

Gospel: Readings from the four Gospels of the New Testament assigned to that day.

Great Entrance: The second procession by the clergy and offertory of the bread and wine for
Communion. The clergy process with the bread and wine from the altar, out to the middle of the
church, and back through the front doors of the altar called the royal doors.

The Great Horologion: Liturgical book containing the daily offices.

Great Lent: The forty-day season of spiritual preparation leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus
(Pascha).

Great Litany: A sequence of prayers and supplications spoken or sung by a deacon or priest and
after each petition, the congregants respond with “Lord Have Mercy,” “To Thee O Lord,” or
“Grant this O Lord.”

Heirmos: First hymn of each ode of a canon.

Homily: The sermon given by the priest or deacon, meant to emphasize and reiterate the gospel
reading and saints or feasts of the day.

Ison: The drone pitch (note) or lower part heard in Byzantine chant that only consists of a few
notes in order to help keep the tonal center of the chant.

Kontakion: A thematic hymn that was originally an extended sermon in one or two stanzas
followed by multiple strophes; second principal hymn of the day.

Litany for the Catechumens: Prayers for people who are studying to become Orthodox

Litany of Completion: Prayers for the people in the church.

Litany for the Departed: Prayers for the departed.

Litany for Fervent Supplication: Emphasized prayers for the local church community.

103
Little Entrance: The Little Entrance is the procession of the clergy holding the Gospel which
represents a significant moment where the entire congregation is welcomed into the community
of in the Kingdom of God (represented by the altar).

The Lord’s Prayer: A prayer that Christ taught to the disciples according to scriptures in
Mathew and Luke. It has also been referred to as the Our Father, with first words being, “Our
Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.” This prayer is spoken or sung together as a
congregation.

Matins: A morning prayer service, contains a combination of prayers and canons to begin the
day, takes place every Sunday morning before the Divine Liturgy.

Megalynarion: Hymn of magnification. A hymn to the Theotokos, or Mother of God, sung at
the conclusion of the Anaphora.

The Menaion: A collection of twelve volumes of hymns celebrating the lives of the church’s
saints, offering proper liturgical hymns for the services of Vespers, Matins, and the Divine
Liturgy.

Metropolitan: The administrative and spiritual head of the Antiochian Orthodox Churches in
North America. Current Metropolitan is Joseph, in Inglewood, NJ.

Nativity: The celebration of the birth of Christ, also known as Christmas.

The Nicene Creed: Statement of faith and what the Orthodox Christians believe beginning with,
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth” spoken out loud in
unison together as a congregation.

The Octoechos: Liturgical book containing hymns for Sundays in the eight tones.

Paraklesis: A prayer service addressing the Theotokos (Mary) or another special saint and
includes the singing of a canon to the Theotokos or the specific saint.

Paraliturgical: A descriptive term for sacred songs performed in a non-liturgical service or
setting.

Pascha: The word Pascha means “Passover” and is commonly called Easter. It is the
remembrance and celebration of Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection.

Patriarch of Antioch: The administrative and spiritual head of the Orthodox Church of Antioch
worldwide. Current Patriarch is John X, located in Damascus, Syria.

The Pentecostarion: Contains hymn texts dedicated to moveable feast days surrounding the
Pentecost season, Pascha (Easter) through the Sunday of All Saints.

104
Prokeimenon: A liturgical verse or passage from scripture which is sung before or as an
introduction to a reading from scripture.

Reader: A member of the parish appointed or blessed by the bishop to read the hymns and
scripture in church services.

Sticheron: A hymn that is mainly used in Vespers and Matins.

Subdeacon: A member of the parish who is blessed by the bishop to serve at the altar as an
assistant to the priest.

Theotokion: A thematic hymn about the Theotokos, or Mary the mother of God.

The Triodion: Contains hymn texts dedicated to moveable feast days surrounding Lent and
Pascha (Easter).

Trisagion Hymn: A prayer to the Trinity on text, “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal One,
Have mercy on us. Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, Amen.” Also called
the Thrice-Holy Hymn.

Troparion: A thematic, sacred, strophic hymn of the day. It is one stanza that is sometimes used
in between psalm verses.

The Typikon: A liturgical book that serves as an instructional guide to prayers and services of
each day of the church calendar year.

Vespers: The first prayer service in the daily prayer cycle which begins in the evening. Vespers
takes place every Saturday evening in preparation for the Divine Liturgy on Sunday mornings. It
consists of the singing of psalms and hymns, such as Psalms 104 and 141 and the well-known
hymn, “Oh Gladsome Light.”

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Appendix B
Additional Repertoire and Source List
All titles can be found on the Antiochian Orthodox Sacred Music website unless otherwise
specified in parenthesis.
A Mercy of Peace by Ivan Voronkoff
Alleluia by Michael Farrow
All the Universe Rejoices adapted by Michael P. Hilko
Be Renewed by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Blessed Be the Name by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Cherubic Hymn by John Finley
Cherubic Hymn by Mikhail Glinka (Gelsinger, Orthodox Hymns in English)
Cherubic Hymn by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Come, Let Us Worship by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Communion Hymn by Alexei F. Lvov adapted by Michael P. Hilko
Gladsome Light by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Hymn for Thanksgiving Day by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Hymn for Sunday of Orthodoxy by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Hymn of Kassiane by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Hymn to Saint Nicholas adapted by Michael P. Hilko
Hymn to the Theotokos by Boris M. Ledkovsky arr. By J. Gulka
Hymn to the Theotokos by John Namie arr. by John Finley
I Have Thee by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Kontakion for the Annunciation by Peter Parshall

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Magnificat by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Magnification of the Nativity by Peter Michaelides
Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ by John Finley
O Pure Virgin by Bishop Basil Essey
People’s Communion Hymn by Frederick C. Karam
Polyeleos by Alexei Kastorsky (Gelsinger, Orthodox Hymns in English)
Rejoice, O Virgin by John Finley
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos by Richard Toensing
Saint Simeon’s Prayer by Basil Kazan arr. by Norman Mamey
The Anaphora adapted by James C. Meena
The Anaphora by John Namie arr. by John Finley
The Angel Cried by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
The Angel Cried by Pavel Tchesnokov
Theotokion Megalynarion by Dmitri Bortniansky (Gelsinger, Orthodox Hymns in English)
Today is the Beginning by Nazo Zakkak (nazozakkak.com)
Today the Virgin Bearest God by John Finley
Your Bridal Chamber by Richard Toensing

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Source List of Antiochian Orthodox Choral and Vocal Compositions
1. Antiochian Sacred Music Library, from the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North
America website, antiochian.org/music/library
• Extant collection of chants and choral compositions and arrangements, indexed by
composer, title, tone, type.
• Various compositions by Fr. John Finley, Dn. John (Rassem) El Massih, Basil
Kazan, Dr. Michael Farrow

2. Byzantine Chant, The Byzantine Choir of St. George Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral website,
byzantinechant.org.
• Various hymns from the church year and descriptions and examples of each
Byzantine tone.

3. Nazo Zakkak’s compositions, personal website, nazozakkak.com.
• Most of Nazo Zakkak’s compositions

4. Orthodox Hymns In English, published book by Michael Gelsinger (see bibiliography)
• Collection of forty-five Russian and Byzantine melodies in four-part harmony

5. Orthodox Church Music, The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of
Russia (ROCOR) Music website, music.russianorthodox-stl.org.
• More than 1,000 arrangements by various Russian composers
• Hymns in Kievan and Znamenny chant

6. Orthodox Two-Part Music, The St. Thikon’s Orthodox Seminary Music website,
orthodoxtwopartmusic.org.
• Many arrangements of Orthodox music in two parts

7. Richard Toensing’s compositions, The website dedicated to Toensing, under “Orthodox
Music,” richardtoensing.com.
• PDF Links of compositions that Richard Toensing wrote for the Orthodox church

8. St. Anthony’s Monastery, The monastery website,
stanthonysmonastery.com/music/index.html.
• More than 1,000 hymns in both Byzantine and Western notation

9. St. Raphael Clergy Brotherhood, The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese; Diocese of Wichita
and Mid-America website, dowama.org.
• Variety of hymns for the church year

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Appendix C
Mareena Boosamra Ball Interview Transcript
July 1, 2020

KRYSTA SORENSEN. Can you explain what the process is for composers to get their
music approved?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. Sure. In the Antiochian Orthodox Church we have a
committee that I have put together that is composed of two Byzantine scholars and one of the
Byzantine scholars is also a Western musician, so he acts on both sides of the fence, both four-
part choral music as well as Byzantine music because he is in both worlds. Actually, two of the
Byzantine scholars are both in both worlds. One is Chris Holwey he is in charge of putting all of
our music up on the website, so he works in both Byzantine world as well as four-part world and
not only is very accurate and learned in the Byzantine world with a great deal of knowledge, but
he is also a composer in his own rite in four-part music. So, he, Charlie Marge, and Michael
Farrow, who you have met, and myself are on the committee. Basically, what happens is
composers submit their music to me, I take a first glance at it and sort of make sure that it’s
something that we would be interested in, in general. Some people send things that are para-
liturgical which means that they are not actually sung in the service but rather would be
performed at a concert or in a situation for Communion or at the end of the service where we can
do things that are not exactly ready for the service. Generally, people send us entire Divine
Liturgies, that’s sort of the thing that we see probably the most and they can very ominous
because there are so many pieces to them. That’s something you have to be very cautious about
when you’re doing a Divine Liturgy, you know that Tchaikovsky or the Rachmaninoff, or the
Meena or any of them. As a composer, one of the things that they strive for is to make a liturgy

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cohesive, and when you make something that is cohesive, you also run the risk of having
something that’s really boring. They are attempting to make it all sound the same, and by virtue
of being a composer that’s just saying that you have a style and they are going to stick to their
style. There are so many problems that can arise. And then of course, that’s just sort of the bare
bones of it. Then we have to get into are they following the new liturgical translations that we are
using? Are they following the actual service order? There are a million rules, not to mention the
compositional rules that we have all taken in comp classes, rules that have to be taken into
consideration. Some of these people are music educators or composition majors and they know
all of that but then there’s the guy that is inspired and wants to write a pretty song and he found a
passage that he put to music. There are so many different levels. The process is I take a look at it
and if I think its worthy of sending to the committee then I will send it and I let the composer
know that that’s what’s happening and they can expect to see some feedback and I usually ask
them to give us a month. They take a look at it, and generally, they will write directly on the
music and sometimes send it back as a scan, and some of guys will make suggestions in the side.
It’s a process and it goes on sometimes for a year, and at the end of the process there is still a
possibility of it getting turned down and not being put into the library. We don’t have a lot so I
should back that up by saying that it’s not a constant influx of music that’s happening. We aren’t
the only archdiocese, the Greeks, the Serbs, and OCA also have libraries that people are writing
for. We are pretty cool about crossing over jurisdictions and sharing music but a lot of times we
run into the problem of translations and our archdiocese is getting a little pickier about wanting a
very specific translation because we are revamping all of our service books right now. We are
trying to be very careful that any of the music that is coming out is following the new translation

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so we aren’t putting something brand new out that has an old translation in it. So that’s also an
issue. We get something we like and then we say now can you make it match these words.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Going along the same subject of the fact that there aren’t that
many composing, why do you think it’s important to continue composing and arranging music?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. Like anything in the world, if we don’t keep infusing
new blood into anything, we will die. As beautiful as our old music is, of course we have an
incredibly rich tradition, especially with our Byzantine music, it goes back thousands of years,
we have to continue to be alive. We want to encourage young composers, young not necessarily
in age but just beginning, to spread their wings and to attempt and try, and be where they can
explore the Orthodox world with new compositions without going into the 21
st
century sound if
you will. We still come back to “does this sound like Orthodox music?” Who’s to say what that
really sounds like, especially in America. We have so many backgrounds especially in the
Antiochian Church. We are known as the church that started off as being a Syrian Orthodox
church. That’s what we were when we came to the United States. Our roots definitely are
focused if you will on the Syrian Orthodox church but 45 years ago when we switched over to
becoming the Antiochian Orthodox Church, that opened us up and allowed us to be open
minded. Met. Philip of Blessed Memory, had a huge vision, he was smart and he knew that if we
kept ourselves closed off and were only focused on the music of the Arab nation and of that
stylistic sound that we would never grow in this country. He was smart enough to bring in the
AEOM baptizing hundreds of people at one time to allow them to be part of who we are. They
were American people who were interested in Orthodoxy, they didn’t have the background of
being Serbian, or Russian, or Greek, or Arabic. They were more interested in the religion piece
of who we are and they wanted the Orthodoxy part. So, we had to really consider who we are

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and how we were going incorporate all of these different ideals into what is now the Antiochian
Orthodox church. When we first came over from the Middle East the only music that was in
English, that was a big deal, to digress for a moment, my dad came to the United States from
Lebanon in 1920 and his parents had already started bringing boatloads of Lebanese over to
Canada and starting their own churches there. The ideal at that time was ‘we are here now and
we are going to speak English’ unlike where we are in the last 20 years, as immigrants are
coming into the US and Canada there is a very large push to be able to retain our background and
the language. Back in the 20s and 30s that was not the case. My father, granted I wasn’t around
him until 1958, said he refused to teach me any Arabic, my mother was an English girl, so she
did not have Arabic background but he refused and said “no, we’re here now. We’re not learning
the language. We will speak English in the house.” That was not just his thought, that was
everybody at the time. So, to go back to where I was, when the Antiochian Orthodox Church
came to America, the Russians, the OCA were here 100 years before us and they had already
translated the music, they had already taken Rachmaninoff, and Tchaikovsky, and Bortniansky,
and all the big guys that were writing Russian Orthodox music. They had already started the
translation situation and were singing it in the OCA as English music. When we came here and
started establishing churches, of course choirs were a huge thing at that point, there were big
choirs, 60,70 people in a choir. The obvious thing to do was to absorb their music and start using
their music. Fast forward to where we are now, we have with the writing of Kazan and putting all
the Byzantine music on paper which was of course a very oral situation for hundreds of years,
Kazan finally sat down and started putting everything on paper and we started then incorporating
that Byzantine chant into our Divine Liturgies and our Vesper and Orthros services until we have
created a unique American sound. I know in my church here in Tuscon Arizona, we are

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extremely pan-Orthodox. We have Syrians, Lebanese, Greek, Serbs, Ukrainians, we have
Romanians pretty much everybody you can think of. As a choral director in the Antiochian
Archdiocese, I feel it’s my duty to make everybody happy. So, we sing, I have a choir thank
God, and we sing choral music. We sing this beautiful music of the great Russian composers that
has been translated into English. We do Byzantine music as well, the Apolytikion, or Troparions
of the day, anything that has not been harmonized we do in Byzantine stylistic and we may have
a chanter do it, we may have it harmonized. Kh. Joyce Black did a lot of harmonizing of
Byzantine melodies which a choir can then sing. There is argument that you can have a
Byzantine choir which is not harmonized necessarily because it’s a different format. You can
have your people who sing the ison and people singing melody, you can have two of each so
they are singing antiphonally. We are so completely unique in the United States. We are the true
meaning of what is an American, we are a melting pot of so many different stylistic ideals and
it’s kind of beautiful. It can also be challenging, going back to composition, how are you writing
for that style, how are you writing to appease so many people and its tricky.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. You naturally went into the next question. How do you choose
music for your choir? You said you like to use a variety and include everyone, but how do you
choose it and do you use the sections as a guideline? What do you do as a choral director?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. I do try, there are days when that doesn’t work. Any
good choral director is going to have to be realistic. Are you choosing a piece of music because
you like it? Or are you choosing it because it’s right for your particular mix of people? Or are
you choosing it because your priest told you to? Who knows, there are so many options that we
could go through. I attempt to keep my sections, sections of the Liturgy, I try really hard to keep
them consistent. Either keeping them stylistically in the same format or keeping them by

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composer. Say we are going to have a more pensive times, say we’re in Lent and working our
way into Pascha. Generally, I’m going to attempt to do all minor music because it is a more
somber time. We do still sing Allelulia because Alleluia’s are part of what we do, different from
Catholics. When we get to Saturday morning at the end of Holy Week and we’re starting to have
more joyous feel to the service, I’m going to start changing my music, start using more of my
major bright sounding music because it matches what’s going on with the liturgy and the time of
year. I try to keep my first, second, and third antiphon all in one stylistic format. Then my
Cherubic hymn, and my anaphora through Communion, Megalynarion try to keep those all-
together. Then after Communion, Communion is kind of its own thing, you can do lots of things
in there. Then after Communion, keep that consistent, either by the same composer or at least
major or minor. You also have to consider your poor priest and deacons, they are trying, if
you’re lucky they know what’s going on, if not they’ve got one pitch and they are going to just
hang on to it no matter what. The congregants need consistency. They don’t want to be jarred out
of their seat every time a new song comes along and you start changing keys and changing
tonality. They need the peace to be able to pray. They can’t pray if craziness is going on in the
choir. One of Metropolitan Joseph’s big thing is, allow me to pray, let me pray. He says “Don’t
make it a lousy choir. We can’t pray. It needs to be calm. It needs to be gentle so I can focus on
what I need to do.” We all need that. Some choir members say “when I sing in the choir, I lose
out on being able to pray.” No! Singing in choir is singing and praying twice. You as choir
members are creating the most beautiful service for everyone. That is a beautiful service that you
are creating and giving that to the church, to Christ, to the people that are in the church listening.
They come for comfort. They come to be able to pray without distraction.

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KRYSTA SORENSEN. What is the significance of choral music in the Antiochian
Church?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. Well, that kind of goes back to what I was saying
earlier. It goes back to where we came from, who we are, what we strive to be as an archdiocese,
incorporating so many different backgrounds. There is definitely a camp, if you will, who think
that everything should be Byzantine in the Orthodox church. Well, I disagree. There are many
people who disagree with that. There’s room for so much. We have a beautiful tradition of
having four-part music in our churches. I think that it is our duty to continue that tradition and
allow it to grow with new compositions. With the ability to allow that many more people to
participate in the church and in the life of the church. If what you can do is sing in a choir and
you come from that tradition or even if you don’t come from that tradition, it allows for many
people to work together as a team to become a stronger one. We can all sing together. The choir
is also a beautiful basis if you will for the congregation to sing with us. It becomes communal
then so that the congregation can sing along. It’s really hard for a congregation to sing along with
the chanter (unless it’s the Apolytikia something that they know that is the same all the time).
There are times when congregation can sing with the choir and feel like they are a part of
something else. I think that choirs are critical especially here in the United States.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. I agree. Going in the same direction when you were saying that
some people think it should be totally Byzantine. How do you think the music in the Antiochian
Orthodox Church of North America will evolve over time? Will it go back to a more Byzantine
chant style?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. Like I said, there’s definitely a push for that in many
churches. That also backs up to what I was saying about the preservation of language and

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tradition where people now in our lifetime are putting a great deal of thought into preserving our
heritage and preserving where we come from. That’s where that comes from. So, it behooves
Western style taught musicians to embrace the Byzantine music and the stylistic type of music
that’s being brought to our attention because some people have never even heard of it. They are
intrigued by it and they want to learn how to read it in the ancient Byzantine notation. That’s a
big thing right now. People are excited about it and they want to understand more about it.
Byzantine scholars are saying that if you really want to sing true Byzantine music you have to
learn how to read it in Byzantine notation because of all of the added sounds that aren’t on the
regular keyboard. All of that is beautiful and wonderful but there’s got to be room for both types
of music. What we have found out in the last 4 or 5 months of Covid, we are not hearing choirs,
we’re hearing a huge amount of Byzantine music. Thank God we have it available to us. They
are able to continue having our services. Nothing says it has to be Byzantine music, we could
sing melodies from four-part choral music. But we have the ability and the resources to do the
Byzantine style music and it’s meant to be sung by one or two chanters. I can tell you by the
emails and phone calls, people don’t want it to be like that.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Antiochian choral repertoire is significant and intriguing to
choral musicians. Can you suggest a couple specifically noteworthy or compelling selections
written for choirs to investigate in this research study?
MAREENA BOOSAMRA BALL. Something that I think might be interesting for
compare and contrast is taking a look at any of the four-part music that was taken from Greek or
Byzantine melodies and then harmonized. I think it would be interesting for your paper. Father
Meena did a lot of that. Some of his stuff is less than perfect but some of it works beautifully.
The easiest way to look at it if you will, is his First and Second Antiphons. Actually, if you go

116
online and listen to last Sunday at Holy Resurrection in Tucson Arizona, you hear this melody
going on. (She sings the melody “Through the intercessions”) But it’s a four-part harmonization.
He did it back when we first were harmonizing Byzantine music. It covers a lot of bases. It
allows for the Arab type to hear that music that they are familiar with and yet it takes care of the
“we’re a choir and we want to sing” and the harmonization allows for that.
I would speak with Deacon John who is the current head of Byzantine music for the
Antiochian Orthodox Church, he’s my counter-partner. He does a lot of composition. If you go
on the website, there’s something that says new compositions. 99% of that is the Apolytikions
and Poliolios because they are re-doing all of the moving parts, re-writing everything and taking
us away from Kazan to what they say is the “correct” way of singing Byzantine music. It’s a big
movement that will be happening for a very long time. Right now, their focus is getting it to be
accurate. The work that Kazan did was wonderful. There are some rules in Byzantine music, just
like rules in Western choral composition, that he didn’t follow. So, the younger generation of
Byzantine composers who have been going through seminary and getting degrees in Byzantine
chant, Deacon John is one of those people. He has a certificate and he knows exactly what is
appropriate and what is not. So, they are re-writing. Not only are they rewriting the music but
they are updating all of the texts as well. It is a huge project. In the last year and a half, I think
they have put up 100 and some pieces. They are working on all of the moveable parts first. In all
reality unless you are a really talented Byzantine chanter, it’s going to take you a few weeks to
get it under your belt because its complex and different and people have been singing the same
Kazan music for the past umpteen years. Things are changing and making people crazy but it is
accurate. They are trying very hard to make sure that we know what’s up.

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Anyway, going back to some pieces that might be a good idea for you to incorporate
especially because you are going back and forth between Byzantine and choral. I would look at
the Megalynarion by Dr. Frederick Karam. He was a composer, passed now, in St. Elias
Antiochian in Ottowa Ontario Canada. He composed at least two or three entire Divine Liturgies.
He really shows the blending of Byzantine to four-part music, the Megalynarion for Christmas.
Starts off with tenors and basses using Byzantine melody (sings) then it goes into four part and
then the women come in. It’s just gorgeous, it gives me chills every time I hear it. I’ve even used
it in concerts and it always brings people to tears if it’s done well. It is stunning. He keeps the
Byzantine melody present while satisfying the four-part choral ideal. I think there is a lot of
room for conversation. I assume you know about Gelsinger’s the Blue Book. Everyone sang out
of the blue book at that time. That was very critical for the Antiochian Archdiocese that he be
included. That was the book, all of those Russian melodies that he took, compiled for us and put
some of it into English. Anybody who’s been in a choir has sung Bortiniansky and major
Russian composers.
There’s a guy, he’s not as well known. There is a Cherubic Hymn that I heard one time
and I really liked it. The last name is A. Kastorsky. E Minor Cherubic Hymn, its one that I use
regularly when I’m doing a minor mass. Its astonishingly beautiful. It is very choral in nature.

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Appendix D
Father John Finley Interview Transcript
November 26, 2018

KRYSTA SORENSEN. Are you still arranging?
JOHN FINLEY. I should be. I feel bad about it, but since I became chair of the
department it’s hard to find time. I need to get back to it.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What compositions have you written? I know some of them, I
don’t know if you want to elaborate on particular ones…
JOHN FINLEY. Would you draw distinction between compositions and arrangements?
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Yes, but you’ve done both correct?
JOHN FINLEY. Yes.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. So, let’s say compositions…
JOHN FINLEY. I wrote an Anaphora for 4-part choir in Tone 3 back in 2000 and it’s in
the Archdiocese but hardly ever gets sung. I wrote that when I was transferred from St.
Athanasius church for a while up to St. Timothy’s and the St. Athanasuis Apolotikian is in Tone
3 and I wrote it for their choir. Later on, I filled that out into an entire Liturgy but it wasn’t
entirely new compositions, but more of adaptions and arrangements of traditional melodies. But
the Anaphora itself is an original based on Tone 3. If some people were listening in, they would
say that there is no such thing as choral Byzantine.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Is that true?
JOHN FINLEY. Not in my opinion. The Byzantine purists are against any kind of
harmonization at all. Single melody only. I say what about the Ison and they say well yeah…well
any single line melody plus something else is not monophonic. They say its monophonic chant

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but they accept the ison. Monophonic plus the ison is NOT monophonic. There is an implied
harmony. If I’m hearing the implied harmony then why not write it down? But they get upset.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. And this goes back and forth like that. That’s like the main issue,
isn’t it?
JOHN FINLEY. Yes. Early on I wrote a Megalynarion in four-part harmony, Cherubic
hymn in four-part harmony, “We have seen the true light,” “Let our mouths be filled with thy
grace…” this was during the days of the Evangelical Orthodox Church in the early 80’s.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. And are these on the website?
JOHN FINLEY. No, but I also wrote The Rejoice O Virgin Theotokos during that same
time period and that has been revived and I think it is on the website
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Part of what I’m doing with this is compiling a source list and
doing examples of what they look like and analyzing a bit…
JOHN FINLEY. I think if you did that Anaphora, you could do an analysis. What I did
was I took various Tone 3 melodies, and harmonized like the fast tone, the sticherari, and the
Troparion you know I was using different Tone 3 melodies. I also at that time wrote a Cherubic
Hymn based on another special Byzantine Tone and a Megalynarion, Tone 3 melody, and of
course the Trisagion Hymn “Holy God, Holy mighty” That’s probably the most widely sung
piece. (in four-part harmony)
I remember in our very first Archdiocese convention in Michigan in 1987, we had just
been received in Feb and March by Metropolitan Philip and they asked us to sing the Holy God
at the convention and when it was more than just the choir and everyone was singing along, I
could tell that everyone was amazed. It’s such an easy melody. The melody in terms of analysis,
just comprises a 5th, it’s just D, E, F#, D A.

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There’s a bunch of stuff that I did “chorally” if you call 4-part harmony choral…I did all
the Kazan Resurrection Troparia and Theotokions, I harmonized all of those 4-part harmony.
Harmonized all the God is the Lord’s, harmonized all the Vesperal Prokeimenon and Liturgy
Prokeimenon. That was stuff I did a long time ago. When I finally got around to “Lord I have
Cried”, I started doing 3-part stuff, melody, ison, and tenor or alto line. I felt like that the 4-part
harmonization tends to throw things vertical and the 3-part keeps things linear. I think you would
understand that, not everybody would understand. It’s not as blocked.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Going back to the Anaphora, is there somewhere I can find that?
JOHN FINLEY. That’s online, if you look up Finley Anaphora you could find it. The
Megalynarion, it might be catalogued separately. Cataloguing is not always the best, but they are
trying. I did an Only Begotten Son, in that whole F Major, based on traditional “Come Let us
Worship” melody.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What was your inspiration to compose or arrange?
JOHN FINLEY. You know when we came in to the Archdiocese in 1987, we had
somewhat of a reprieve to continue doing what we were doing. Met. Philip had not put a lot of
demands on us there, but we realized ourselves within two years, that we didn’t have an 8-tone
system and we had to do something. I was taken to the local park by Fr. Peter Gillquist, Fr. John
Bron, Richard Sparks, Fr. Gordon Walker and we said we need an 8-tone system and we don’t
know what to do and we are asking you to help. We don’t care if its Russian, Byzantine…we
gotta have something. I said, “I sure don’t feel like writing one right now.” My understanding
was that the Russian, at least in its early stages, evolved from the Byzantine, why don’t we start
with the Byzantine.” I camped out that summer, I just hibernated for about 6 weeks and I used
my skills that I had learned in my undergraduate work and I tried to do my best to analyze

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Kazan’s project. Then I started introducing in our church through the Prokeimenons because they
were short. The inspiration really came from them as more of a call to a necessity than just from
my own devices. But I immediately fell in love with the music. In terms of what inspired me to
write new compositions for an old tradition, its really for me more of writing new compositions
within an old tradition, inspired from an old tradition, and rooted in an old tradition. I remember
Fr. Elias Bitar used to invite me to the chanter stand at conventions, I was young, I was a deacon,
it was ’89 and he asked me to sing the Great Doxology before liturgy so I sang it in Tone 8 and I
saw Met. Philip looking at me from across the way. Afterward he motioned for me, he said
“Deacon John come here.” I said “yes your imminence.” He said, “You did such a beautiful job
with the Great Doxology this morning, you sing it just like me.” I said “Thank you very much. I
want to do thoroughly immerse myself into the Byzantine tradition and begin to write new music
rooted from that tradition. He said, “Excellent.” And every time he would see me, he would ask
if I was still writing. I would say yes, but in more recent years I have slowed down. It’s not that I
don’t want to. There are a few reasons, one is time, the other is that there’s just a lot of resistance
to what I’m doing. And I just need to do it whether it gets sung or not. Resistance to Byzantine.
What I thought of was taking some old Sacred Harp or Appalachian melodies and using those as
some kind of basis. You know like for Great Litany “Lord Have mercy (sung).” Taking clips of
an old melody like that. I’ve got an Old Sacred Harp, I own one.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. The next question is about guidelines and process to be
approved…
JOHN FINLEY. Ray George approved my Tone 3 Anaphora before he died. I wrote it in
2000. Jimmy Meena officially published it when he was the chairman of the department. But if I

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go for guidelines and process of getting things published, it tends to shut me down. I just need to
forget about that and just write.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. That’s what Nazo was saying. He said he tries to introduce it to
his choir and if it works, then it gets out there gradually to other churches.
JOHN FINLEY. Ray George used to tell me the same thing. Before Paul Jabara was
Chris Holwey, before Chris was Jimmy Meena, and before Jimmy it was Ray George for many
years, he was the founder and head for 30 years. He used to say “just try it, just try it in your
church and let me know how it goes.”
KRYSTA SORENSEN. It seems like there is some flexibility and freedom because each
parish is different.
JOHN FINLEY. I remember talking to Fr. John Mamie, I was complaining how my stuff
gets sung and then put in a cardboard box and locked in a closet. He said, “If you approach this
like an iconographer approaches painting an icon, they fast and they pray, and they produce
something that you can pray with. If you approach your music writing like that, if you write
music that we can pray with, you may not hear it in your lifetime but I can guarantee it will be
sung. It was like the Lord was speaking to me through him.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. If it was the right time and place and theme, would you be open
to having your music performed outside of the church in a concert venue?
JOHN FINLEY. Yes, I wouldn’t have any problem with that.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. I feel like it is really important to introduce this music, even
outside of the church because it might spark questions and bring more people to knowing about
Orthodoxy.
JOHN FINLEY. No, I’m not rigid on that at all. I agree with you.

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KRYSTA SORENSEN. Do you have any experience with Orthodox choirs who perform
outside the church services?
JOHN FINLEY. We used to have an organization. UC Santa Barbara would not let any
Christian organizations have an office on campus. There was a building off campus called the
University Religious center. All the religious organizations would have their offices there. They
used to occasionally have joint events and a couple of times they had a choir festival and they
asked each of the church organizations to perform. Our choir performed and participated in that.
Even now, we have Valerie Yova puts on a Liturgical arts festival. In the past few years she’s
been inviting the local city choir that’s called Adelfos, and sometimes they join together and
have concerts on Sunday afternoons. Ask Valerie about the Liturgical Arts Festival.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Why is it important for you to continue composing or arranging?
JOHN FINLEY. Because God wants me to. Fr. Alexander Schmemman used to say, “we
have to change in order to remain the same.” We have to move with the times, while keeping
everything that is essential to the Divine Liturgy and Orthodox tradition. Trying to discern
what’s not essential. For instance, Nazo is using a lot of harmonies that I would say, they kind of
come out of a new choral tradition that I would describe a “Rutter” or Salomunovich. He’s
taking some of that chordal structure with high soprano lines, and I like what he’s doing. Nobody
ever bats a thousand. If a baseball player hits the ball three times out of ten, he’s considered
awesome. We can’t get bent out of shape when not everything we write works. But this is an
example of why it’s important to keep composing and keep arranging and people will come in
and say, this sounds familiar, and they don’t know why it sounds familiar. They don’t have a
master’s or doctorate degree in music and they don’t know that it’s being informed by Rutter and
some of these modern composers. It’s kind of a new sound, and it works in church. Maybe we

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could say something like, “we need to stay current or fresh without being popular or relevant or
entertaining. There’s a fine line there.”
KRYSTA SORENSEN. As a church choral conductor, how do you select choral music?
JOHN FINLEY. I remember once, I had an early encounter with Fr. John, I’ve written
some of this stuff down and lectured on it. I can send you some stuff if you want me to. For the
Department of Campus Ministries, established in 1989, Fr. John Bron was the chairman of the
department and first college leader was Bryan Nassar, now Fr. Michael, and we had our first
college conference at UC Irvine and all of these kids had been going to the Antiochian Village
camp with Fr. John Nami, and they wanted him to come out and be the keynote speaker. I had
been asked to select the music for Vespers and Divine Liturgy. Fr. John Bron said get as much as
you can of traditional music, we can use your Trisagion Hymn but the rest of it should be
traditional that’s easy to sing that everyone can sing together. I put it together, and after he came
and sat down by me. I was fishing for a compliment, I said “What did you think of the music for
the Divine Liturgy this morning.” He said “you know the problem with you is …you’re a
musician. You just picked music you liked and it doesn’t have anything to do with what came
before it and what comes after it and there’s no continuity and so I can’t pray to it.” I was so
upset. I said, “Well you’re right so what do I do?” He said, “It doesn’t have to be all Byzantine
and it doesn’t have to be all Russian, but each section of the Liturgy needs to have the stylistic
continuity to it so that its smooth, so that it flows, and there’s no distraction so that we can pray.
I said, “what are the sections?” He gave me 6 sections and it transformed the way, I was the
choir director at St. Athanasious at the time, it transformed how I selected music. So choral
conductors need to select music for sections of the liturgy not for individual pieces of the liturgy.
Composers need to write sections, not individual pieces. People can feel and they don’t know

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why it’s not smooth or not going why, they don’t know why but they have an innate sense about
it.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. As a musician, I get distracted easily.
JOHN FINLEY. Let me give you an example. This will drive you nuts. You’ve heard it a
million times and accept it as normal. Start out Great Litany doing Romanian “Lord have mercy”
and then “through the intercessions…” back to “Lord have mercy” back to “save us oh son of
God in Arabic” Churches do it all the time and they think it’s normal. Sometimes you point it out
to them and they don’t get it. So, this question number 7 is very, very important!
Number 8, yes, you already know and why because that’s the music of the church
(Byzantine).
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How does Theology influence your work?
JOHN FINLEY. The most fundamental answer to that is that the words are set to music.
Maybe we should say the music is set to the words, the music is written for the words. And we
know that we get in trouble when we try to stuff the English text into traditional melody and we
are adamant about not changing one note of that melody because it’s as sacred as the bible is.
This is a big mistake. The word is preeminent, this a theological concept. The music needs to be
set to the words so that message and meaning of the hymn is brought forth and even word
painting is used a lot to bring out the text. Like going up in pitch on “Heaven” and down on
“hell”.
This is an arrangement not a composition, I think one of the best things I did was an old
Byzantine Anaphora from the Village camp and when that congregation book was put together,
they used Kazan’s Byzantine Anaphora, not Fr. John Namie’s, and I liked his better because it

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was a more traditional melody for the Megalynarion. Its online, you can find it online. Fr. John
Namie’s anaphora, arranged by me.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What is the significance of choral music in the church?
JOHN FINLEY. It certainly depends on who you are talking to what kind of answer
you’re going to get. As Orthodox Christians, if we are respecters of history, why can’t we be
respecters of the history of the Antiochian Archdiocese of North America. That has a very
specific history. We were formed under the Russian patriarchate, under Moscow patriarchate.
Before Lebanese. So, we were deeply rooted in this tradition, we had first services in English and
we started having choirs, and we were singing Russian 4-part music, in especially 50s and 60s,
and 70s, Parish Life Conference always had a choir festival and it was choir competitions and
there would be winners and the whole choir would come to the Parish Life Conference. When
we got rid of that, I would bet the attendance dropped tremendously. This was big. Even today
the conferences we still do the 4-part music. But we don’t keep it fresh, we keep singing the
same old things and I would love if we could start hearing some new stuff. That’s very much a
part of our tradition. It began to change when this rebellion happened with St. Peter and Paul
Church in Vemlock? There was another thing that happened four years before that somewhat
contributed to it. It was a blow up after the Bishop’s meeting in Ligonier 1994. They signed a
statement saying that we wanted a unified jurisdiction and patriarchate for North America. All of
these bishops who came to the Antiochian Village signed that and they submitted it to
Ecumenical patriarch and his response was, he fired Archbishop. Everyone ran scared back into
their ethnic corners and didn’t want that to happen to them. Then Russian music started being
associated in the minds of many people as a disloyalty to Met. Philip and Antiochian archdiocese
but Met. Philip never felt this way but people were interpreting things this way. So, the

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congregational book in Byzantine came out in ’93. So, 93, 94, 98. Now you’ve got the
emergence of the influence of the Ephrenomite monstery in Florence Arizona, exclusively
Byzantine but now a very exotic form of Athenon chant that is barely 200 years old. They say
that is the way Peter and Paul sang it. The shift began to move toward the Byzantine and pushing
out the Russian. There was a priest once who said the ecumenical patriarch forbade polyphony in
the patriarchate of Constantinople. I said “this isn’t polyphony.” No, he also forbade the use of
falsetto and these women are singing falsetto. I said I could care less we are not under the
patriarchate of Constantinople. This is not our tradition and I don’t care what he thinks.” So, the
Russians, it was true that the polyphony was attacked. But that’s like “row, row, row your boat.”
Over and over again, like Dufay. The Russians purged that from the repertoire and if we are
singing the same syllable, the same word, at the same time, the meaning of the text is not going
to get confused. If it is truly polyphonic and we are singing words rolling over on top of each
other and it creates a concophony that we can’t understand, now that’s wrong. But the Russians
purged their own repertoire of that. So, there is no reason why we shouldn’t be able to sing this
Russian music. Everyone is crying that we have to be one unified church, but nobody can agree
on what kind of music we can use. One of the biggest hindrances to our merging together is
music. It’s not the only hindrance but it is a hindrance.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. It is really complicated. It is going to be hard to put this all in the
paper to help people who don’t know, understand what’s happening.
JOHN FINLEY. I would put it in terms of “this is our tradition in North America and as
Orthodox Christians we must respect our tradition and receive from our Fathers, and hand down
to subsequent generations what we received from our Fathers.”

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KRYSTA SORENSEN. Should we encourage our Church choirs to be like professional
choirs?
JOHN FINLEY. I would prefer the word “excellent” to professional. There is nothing
wrong with holding concerts separate from services, but we want to strive for excellent choirs.
To get a professional choir, you can’t have any walk-ons, you have to commit to a rehearsal
schedule and if you don’t fulfill that, you’re out. You have to audition. It’s kind of exclusive,
and we want to be inclusive. We don’t want to be quite so restrictive. We can’t be relaxed and
accomplish excellence. I remember once we had an organization called the psalm organization.
At one of the meetings, around 2006, someone asked, “I have a question when did mediocrity
become the standard in the Orthodox church?” It’s like all the air was sucked out of the room
because everyone knew he was talking about something that really needed to be talked about.
You have so many volunteers, so many people leading the chanters and they can’t read music.
I’m confronted with this all the time as a missionary priest. We need to sure that up, I don’t
know how to sure that up. You know if the school systems can kick all the music education out,
why don’t we pick it up. Now people come to church to learn music, teach music lessons, voice
lessons, piano lessons. Where do you go to do that? You go to church to do that. We need
discipline in our choirs, we need rehearsals in our choirs. We have to find the kind of medium
where it’s not professional and not anything goes, its somewhere in between there. You don’t
want to pick repertoire that’s so hard that people can’t perfect it. But you don’t want it so easy
that it is blazee or boring. I remember Archbishop Ben of OCA, he says he’s so tired of the
“typewriter music.” But I think we need to go for excellence over professional choirs.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Are there any significant choral compositions that you think are
noteworthy?

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JOHN FINLEY. I think in terms of research, that Tone 5 Anaphora that we always sing
sometimes you see Fr. James Meena’s name on it, sometimes you see…but it would be worth a
study of who really wrote this and who adapted it, who arranged it…
Richard Toensing- he’s an interesting study in his own right. He was Lutheran and he
became Orthodox in St. Luke’s in Lafayette and now in Eery, Colorado. He wrote a lot of
individual compositions. Vlad Morrison put my Christmas cantata “Today the Virgin barest
God.” Kevin Morox,
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How do you think music will evolve over time?
JOHN FINLEY. I think it’s going to swing farther in the direction that its going. I don’t
think it will swing back to more simplified style of Byzantine chant without a fight. I do believe
that it will, because I believe in God and the worship of the church and the participation of the
people. I believe that will ultimately prevail. I think the near-term evolution is fueled by our
being enamored by monasticism. We are destroying a distinction between monastic life and
parish life. I think that that hyper monastic imitation will not be long lived. I think it will be short
lived and that we will return to a more reasonable solution. We have to. This is why I just have to
do what I’m doing and be quiet about it. It’s like a tidal wave, this Byzantine push, and its
everywhere. But at the same time our Bishop says thank you to the person leading the choir all
the time. He loves beautiful music, and if it is something everyone can worship to, its a go.

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Appendix E
Paul Jabara Interview Transcript
June 17, 2018

PAUL JABARA. I think the question is, the greatest challenge as the chairman of the
department, What is the music for the Antiochian church? Bottom line is, I am not sure. If we
were Greek Orthodox, we know our music is going to be Greek, if we were Russian we would
know the music would be Slavonic and embrace the style of Russian composers, if it was
Romanian we know what language it would be. So here we have the Antiochian church, formed
over 100 years ago in North America, and we went into it blindly, and we did it under the
support of the Russian church. When choirs were being formed in the 40s-60s the question is
what style of music do we use and then we turned back to who supported us first the Russian
church. So, then you saw the formation of large choirs in 60s and 70’s with like about 60 singers
in the choir who started singing Russian music that became part of the Antiochian tradition in
North America. Then 30 years ago, When Metropolitan Phillip welcomed the
converts/Evangelicals from CA, they brought this curiosity and new found love of Byzantine
music and so like anything the pendulum swung the other way and more and more churches
started singing Byzantine music. It became more and more difficult over the past 25 years with
Byzantine purest defining the Antiochian church as being purely Byzantine…Now we are in
2018 and the pendulum is sort of in the middle so we are still embracing choral music and we are
developing Byzantine music at a higher level than what it was ever produced at. In terms of how
this music fits into the structure of the Orthodox service, that’s where the challenges are, we
borrowed many different traditions, including Russian, Byzantine music, and now we are
pushing for the composition of new North American Antiochian music. This is creating a whole

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new choral sound. What we are trying to do is learn from experiences with the past 40-50 years
with the Russian music and somehow create a new North American sound and that you can hear
in Nazo’s liturgy which is 85 percent complete. In terms of maintaining the Russian music, every
chairman of the department has their own goals, ideals, how we want to move forward, I am
hearing less and less these days on how we can include Russian choral music into the service
because Byzantine has become so strong. Having said this, those choirs in the 50s-70’s were
huge, they were able to do this big Russian stuff and it sounded good. That was when the church
was the center of social activity, people’s lives were centered around the church, that’s what they
did. Nowadays, we compete with everything, we try and over schedule our children with sports
and school music programs. The result has been the choirs have gotten smaller, because there
was time when socially our church families socialized with church families, choir rehearsal was
a social activity. Now we have competition with other things, our choirs have gotten smaller.
Many choirs are still trying to do this big Russian music and it no longer sounds good because
we don’t have the forces that we used to have. So, part of the mandate of all of the music that we
are commissioning, this is a very big thing now that we are doing, primary focuses, not just
Nazo’s music, we want to bring in other composers writing new music. We are trying to
compose music that sounds good within the limitations of our choirs in North America. The fact
is that most of our choir directors are not even able to give pitches to choirs. Now I know that
sounds shocking. I didn’t know this either until I started traveling visiting other parishes. Most of
the work that I do is to try to teach the director how to conduct a pattern and how to give pitches.
We’ve gone backward in that sense. There was a time when we put emphasis on education for
our directors but somehow along the line it was decided “well if we have the best of intentions, if
we feel the music, that is all that God is requiring of us.” Then I come along and I remember

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Bishop Basil’s quote of, within past 5/10 years, he spoke about the quality of music in Orthodox
church with confusion, “If we believe that God is perfect, shouldn’t we be striving for perfection
in everything that we do” and he’s absolutely right. We don’t, unfortunately. That comes from
many of our clergy who feel as though just anybody is fine. I remember one woman at a music
institute was 80 years old and she was so frustrated, she said my priest appointed me music
director and I don’t know what I’m doing and I said why did he appoint you. She said that
someone had told him that she took piano lessons when she was 10 years old. So this priest felt
that because she took piano lessons 70 years ago that she was qualified enough to conduct the
choir. Our mission is to educate clergy on the importance of having an educated conductor and
training them properly. In other words, elevate our musical standards, this includes very sensitive
subjects such as should we pay our directors. I am of the view that absolutely we should pay our
directors because when we pay the fact is that you can have expectations. These are our
expectations. We have regular rehearsals to learn new pieces. These are surprisingly new
concepts but I’ve also learned that we can’t accomplish anything without the support of our
priests. Bit by bit priests are starting to understand that. I always use the story of St. George of
Montreal. Our budget is larger than the whole archdiocese. In 1947 my church decided they
wanted to form a Western choir, 4-part choral music. They recognized that there is no
Antiochian Orthodox service without this perfect marriage between clergy and choir. All of our
service is sung except for Lord’s prayer, Creed, and Communion prayer. If quality on either side
suffered, we would not able to have a beautiful service and worship at a level that we strive for.
In 1947 our church had an open audition looking for choir directors. The church had no money
but they knew the importance of having a professional musician lead their choir. They brought in
3 candidates. They ended up hiring Ivan Voronkov whose music we still hear throughout the

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archdiocese. I inherited that. They also hired professional singers, section leaders, because the
mandate was to have consistency. So, they hired a professional director and had section leaders.
This was many years ago. So, what I am trying to do is share that story so that when priests say
to me that they cannot afford it. I think that if they plan accordingly that eventually there will be
enough money to pay small amount for a director and help education the singers and the
directors. The mission that we are trying to push forward is musical excellence remembering that
we believe that God is perfect and we have to strive for perfection ourselves. The significance of
choral music in the church is huge. You can’t have one without the other. What we are trying to
do is improve the quality of music through education and through the commission of new
compositions that relate directly to the specific needs of our choirs now. When we commissioned
a Liturgy from Nazo Zakkak, we allowed him complete musical freedom. We used to have a
whole department to approve choral music and I don’t believe in that. I believe a composer needs
the freedom. However, I did say things like, our sopranos aren’t trained and can’t sing those high
“F”s and “G”s. I want the range to be limited and if you see Nazo’s music, it’s the most beautiful
music, it’s all simple, the ranges are limited, we can teach the music easily in one rehearsal and I
can see it in the Megalynarion the next thing you know if becomes their standard go-to piece.
The thing is now we need to find other people as brilliant as Nazo who can also contribute
because eventually people are going to say “no.”
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Should we be encouraging choirs to be like professional?
PAUL JABARA. Absolutely. As you can hear so far, we are striving for musical
excellence. The biggest problem is that our directors don’t know how to teach a piece of music
so they don’t. And when they don’t, they don’t see the need to have regular rehearsals. We are
trying to improve that. In terms of concerts, there is nothing like the preparation of a concert to

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instill the discipline required to pull it off. My church choir had an, for many years, annual
Handel’s Messiah, full orchestra, full soloists and the sound that was produced in our Liturgy
after the concert, people noticed immediately an improvement. If you can sing “His yolk is easy”
or “For unto us a child is born” and all those killer choruses in the Messiah, you can do an
amazing “Cherubic Hymn” and amazing “Anaphora” because they are all simple compared to
that. The concerts are wonderful because they force people to rehearse regularly and it creates a
spirit of fellowship amongst people. This past year we did Vivaldi Gloria, and we worked them
so hard. I left every rehearsal feeling horrible. How could I push these altos so hard? The rule
was that we would not go home until the chorus was learned each rehearsal. Sometimes
rehearsals were three hours long. So, we pulled it off and it was wonderful. Then I had annual
Christmas party at my home and I thought at least I can redeem myself for working them so
hard. The first question they asked me is so “when can we do another concert?” My response
was “are you serious?” They said when you work us so hard it is so inspiring, we want to do
more. The role of the choir director is to inspire members to want to do more. but we can’t get to
that point if our directors are not educated and don’t know how to inspire. So, choir concerts are
important what I am more concerned about that everyone wants to record these days. The
problem is, we don’t know what we don’t know. For example, people come to church our
services are truly beautiful, just because something sounds good in the moment in the service,
doesn’t mean that it is quality for a recording. I have had so many choirs that want me to put the
recordings on the website and I have only been able to put one up. The church since 1970s has
been primarily converts, non-Middle Eastern, now we are seeing return to Arabic traditions. We
have many churches who worship only in Arabic and then we have some who want to sing in the
choir. Culturally, they don’t understand the importance of having regular rehearsals, they say in

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Lebanon we all just came and sang. I’m seeing a bit of a conflict. It comes back to education.
Even the sound produced by people of Middle Eastern origin is a very different sound, it is nasal
and hairy. I also have to deal with text, how to pronounce the words, having to embrace all
cultures and how they can make a good choral sound. That’s why I’m really pushing for this
North American choral sound, its overwhelming to think what we are introducing now is going
to be around for generations to come. I pray we are doing the right thing. I believe that Nazo’s
music is a perfect example of a North American Antiochian choral sound, others may disagree
and that’s the beauty of music. The general rule when I teach a piece, I’m not interested in
hearing how you feel about a piece of music until you have learned it completely. When it is
done beautifully and you can sing it by memory, then I want to hear your thoughts about it. Some
people will still say they don’t like it. How can they learn it correctly if the directors don’t know
how to teach it properly. It all comes down to support of clergy for education of directors.
What music do we change, what can we change, and what music is so part of our history
that we should not change? For example, while I’m pushing for the North American choral
sound, it would be really hard to change music for a Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, music arranged
by Fr. Meena in 1950’s, that’s stuck, that stays. I also think that each church has its own unique
heritage and culture and traditions, that I believe we should allow a little bit of freedom for
parishes to continue doing pieces that have been part of their heritage for generations. Everybody
does their own version of “Christ is Risen’s”. Not everybody at the archdiocese level agrees with
that, some believe there is only one way. I’m going to move forward with my vision that there is
some flexibility (more than one way to do things). When we were at Vespers at PLC last week,
we were ending the service with “Preserve O God the holy orthodox church”, it fell apart
because there was a new version in the book. I stopped and asked the congregation if they knew

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what I meant if I said “sing the old version of this” and then everyone sang it. That was better for
that service for many different people from different congregations. There are certain things that
should not be changed, we have to pick and choose our battles. So, the repertoire is very
significant in terms of the culture of the parish. My church is very Arabic we want to embrace
some choral music in Arabic. What I have learned…I hear this a lot from priests, “people in my
parish are just not going to accept a new piece of music”. My answer is, should that stop us
because somebody in the pews says they don’t like to change? Or do we have a vision and be
strong with our convictions and move forward? I suggest that we be strong with our convictions
and move forward, despite the criticism. As long as the people involved have thick enough skin
to accept criticism. But what I have learned is that if music is sung well, if it is beautiful, if it is
prayerful, people will embrace it. People don’t want to embrace music that is not sung well.
They don’t sit in the pews saying the sopranos sang those wrong notes, it wasn’t good”. They
just say, “I’m either unsettled or something wasn’t right.” So the more we educate our directors,
the more we up the level of music, and the better the quality of music, the more people will
embrace new styles. I expected Nazo’s music to be completely rejected in my parish because it is
89% Arab, but because it’s done beautifully, the opposite happened. They came up and said how
prayerful the music was. So, on so many levels, we have to up the quality of music, through
educating our directors and our priests.
Absolutely, the question to holding concerts, it doesn’t have to be a big concert, I was
just in Toledo and they are terrified of a concert. I said don’t make it big. Start off small, it
doesn’t have to be big but make it consistent. And the more consistent you become, the more you
will attract members. The biggest issue of all at how to attract members, it comes right down to
this, it’s the mood of the choir director. If in any way we take out our moods and our feelings and

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show them to the choir members, they are going to pick up on it and respond. My background is,
sidenote, but when I grew up, I was very young, my mother died when I was 11 years old, and I
was very angry. I was very lost. My father when I was 16, he went off and got married and my
sister and I were on our own. I had the church, thank God, but while children have the privilege
of screwing things up in the privacy of their own homes, where their parents can raise them and
guide them and teach them. I took my everything out on my choir. I took my anger and my
moods out on the choir. I learned early on that when I do that, they are not capable of striving
for perfection because they were so preoccupied with what the music director was going through.
I see this today all of the services are very good, but I also notice that when I am on 100%, they
can achieve greatest that they never thought possible of themselves. So, the role of the director is
so important. We are in a transition right now. When my choir sees me frustrated, they pick up
on it. How directors handle themselves is of upmost importance and the fact is, any director who
is not completely confident with what they do and does not have the education, people will pick
up on the frustrations and the quality of music will never grow.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How do you think music will evolve over time, will it go back to
more simplified?
PAUL JABARA. I think there are some who absolutely want that - but that is not going
to happen.
The Antiochian church is comprised of many traditions Byzantine music, Russian music,
North American choral music. I do see the big Russian music, taking a step back because it is too
difficult. I do see the continued balance between choral music and Byzantine music. Have you
gone on our website and looked at the quote by Metropolitan Joseph? He came to the “Liturgical
music does not have ethnic borders, it does not have ethnic characteristics, it is not Greek,

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Arabic, or Russian. The church fathers did not create ethnic borders for worship. If music lifts
you up, if it is a vehicle for prayer, not Western, Eastern, Arabic, Greek, Russian, or Byzantine,
it is church music.” That is how we have to move forward. If anything, our entire conversation,
all of your questions, we can go back to the official mandate of Metropolitan Joseph of the
Antiochian Orthodox Church of this present day, which embraces all styles of music. I’ve had no
conversations with him, I get disappointed, I presume if we were doing something wrong, he
would let me know. We are moving forward with this. The one thing that he said to me the day I
was appointed, all he said was “Paul, I don’t like the quality of choral music in our archdiocese.
Our choirs sound terrible. Fix it.” So, everything I’m doing is to plant the seeds for future
generations, will I ever see this complete fusion in a liturgical service of Byzantine music and
Western choral music? We’re seeing that happen now. And with the addition of simplified choral
music like Nazo’s I’m finding it much easier for example to retain our Troparion of the
Resurrection (all we have of those is Byzantine right now) and keeping choral music. There is a
way to do it. If the music, the quality is high, people will embrace it, if it is bad, people will
reject. Now this doesn’t mean that we will not have our hard-core purists who will fight us all the
way. In fact, I had one person one time on Facebook say that I don’t know what I’m doing and
that the Metropolitan is stupid. This is just from a few people. He believes that all Byzantine
chant comes from a specific monastery in Tripoli and that it is the only correct way. My response
to this is, if that is what you truly feel, perhaps the Antiochian church is not the right place for
you, because the Antiochian church embraces all musical styles and traditions (as mentioned by
the Metropolitan). So, all of this is to plant the seeds to improve choral music for future
generations, to educate our directors to lead and inspire (and the only way is to have a director
who knows what they are doing) these concerts we were talking about, you do a concert that

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requires months of preparation, discipline, focus, fellowship (because you have to make this a
fun experience too), all of this will contribute toward improved quality of music in our actual
liturgical services. Anything else?
KRYSTA SORENSEN. No this is great! Thank you so much.
PAUL JABARA. The very first thing that I said to our department three years ago,
people know me and that I’m ambitious, guys “understand, I’m going to come on board, this is
the honeymoon phase, year 2 is when we start introducing all of these projects, our department is
going to grow tremendously, however let’s not be naive, because as soon as you grow naturally
there will be criticism. It’s all part of the package. More people talking about it. Year three, now,
the honeymoon is over. The challenge is trying to find the balance between our different styles of
music. Defining Antiochian music in North American, I’m trying as best I can, as you heard with
our different styles and histories, it’s not easy. We are the only ones with this identity crisis. I
actually think that is all being worked through. Deacon John for example is in charge of the
Byzantine music program for our department, everything goes through him, he’s a hard-core
Byzantine purest, doesn’t understand choral music a bit. But he embraces the traditions that we
have in North America so he is happy about it. It’s going to take a long time but we are planting
all of the seeds right now. Some things will work, other things we will need to re-assess and
figure out how do we grow from here. I am equally excited and terrified about the introduction of
what I’m calling, and we’ve never called this before, “the North American Antiochian Choral
Sound.” That’s unheard of. Yes, I’m thrilled about it. But if there’s one thing that keeps me up at
night thinking “whoa are we doing the right thing” it’s that. It doesn’t stop us from moving
forward, just means we are extra sensitive to it and trying to see all the pieces of the puzzle.
Everything that’s meant to happen happens at the right time. Have you heard of the composer

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Richard Toensing? Richard wrote a lot for the church. He was a convert (past 25 years before he
passed) and his early music sounded very protestant but he wrote and wrote and wrote and his
music was rejected. It’s actually fascinating, the introduction of his music from the moment he
converted to Orthodoxy until, literally, his last day on this earth. He wrote his last piece on the
day that he died. That is a journey into Orthodoxy like I’ve never seen before. You see in the last
5/6 years of his life a change in his music, you see the growth over 20 years. All this to say,
about 6/7 years ago, we started introducing some of his music, instantly rejected. Last year at the
music institute, I felt because of Nazo’s music being embraced, I thought I’m going to
reintroduce the same music we had 10 years ago. All of a sudden everyone loved it, “this is so
beautiful”. Something has happened to how we are hearing the Orthodox music (in past 10
years). I’m not sure if it’s just introduction to new composers, or department growing, exposure
we are getting. But something is happening and people are embracing more than ever the North
American school of Antiochian Orthodox music. So, it’s really exciting to see what’s going to
happen. I would love to have this conversation in a year with you again and see what is
happening. I hope this has answered most of your questions.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Absolutely! Thank you for taking time.

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Appendix F
Father John (Rassem) El Massih Interview Transcript
July 15, 2020
KRYSTA SORENSEN. The first question is, what compositions have you written? It
doesn’t have to be for choirs but just for the Antiochian church…
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. We have a committee and, basically, I oversee it. We
have church services like Orthos, Vespers, other Holy week services that have a lot of hymns
that we do not have music for, or if we have it, they lack, in general Byzantine chant is very well
organized, there are rules, there are theories, it’s not just like whatever comes to your head, put it
there. So, we have been doing a lot of writing for mainly Vespers and Orthros, we don’t do much
Liturgy stuff because it is mostly four-part, and major feasts for every day. We have a lot,
thousands. There are two people who do most of the composing. The last three and a half year,
we’ve done 2,000 links and each link can be one hymn or it can contain ten pages of hymns. If
you put my name into the music library on the Antiochian website and it will give you a list. I
would definitely look at the, in Greek, the doxostichon. There’s one for Pentecost “Oh heavenly
king” another one for Pentecost “Come all ye people.” They are a little bit more embellished.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. So what inspired you, you kind of touched on this already, that
either there is a need for it to be written but that what is written may not be using the correct
rules and guidelines…
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. Exactly. We’re not trying to just act like, “I’m better”.
We realized in our churches that we do have that tradition, the Byzantine chant tradition.
Unfortunately for many years, it was approached in the wrong way and we can talk more and I
can tell you why it happened like this. We saw that people are using, they say a lot of times, “I’m
an accomplished Byzantine chanter.” Like “OK” but I give them a common Byzantine chant

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term, they say ‘What is that” like I come from a different planet. They say, usual answer, “Well
the Greeks do it this way. We’re different.” It’s like “NO” It’s not like there’s a difference in
Greek or Romanian, or Antiochian. There is a theory. The rules are the rules. But there is a big
misunderstanding how the music works. There was a huge aspect that was missing here in the
states which was the choral aspect of Byzantine chant. I can also talk about the tradition
historically, Byzantine chant was never intended from the inception to be a just one-person show,
you would have twenty people at the chant stand and they just one after one, taking turns
chanting and then never chant as a choir although some people like Kazan, God Bless him, they
wrote music for it. There are two reasons, first, because its choral because this is worship of
Christian church, we are talking basically up to the 1800’s we had one type of music in the
Christian church and then we split but at least in the Orthodox church we had one style up until
1800’s we had basically four-part was introduced in Eastern churches. It was always one type. It
was always meant to be choral. The second, music was used because, “well today I wake up I
sing this hymn in a certain way. Tomorrow, I don’t know I had a fight with my wife so I’m not
in the mood to sing so I sing it differently” I have to follow the same pattern, the same rules. In
America, we have this lack of knowledge that, this not having the right idea. Byzantine chant
was intended to be choral. In order to do choral that means we have to have music, in order to
have music we have to have something that’s done very well. That’s why we started to, and with
all due respect, people who worked before on Byzantine chant, including Kazan (which by the
way, what Kazan did was very crucial and important. If it wasn’t for Kazan writing Byzantine
chant in Western notation, I do not think we would have had Byzantine, this style would have
survived at all, at least in English). The problem is, it had many mistakes. So now people are
pushing for more fixing things. We have people telling us, “why do you have to change it.” We

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don’t argue about it, we don’t talk about it, we keep it like this. You know it has mistakes and it
needs to be fixed. I would always say if someone can come up with another composition then its
good, please do so, let’s have it, people learn from it. Why do we have to have one composition
for each specific hymn. Why can’t we have five or ten like Western music we have 50 variants
of the Cherubic Hymn or so. So that’s basically what is inspiring me to do the compositions. A
lot of people who worked on these projects, did not have an education, they had some on chant,
nothing personal.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. I know that you are the one that everyone’s Byzantine
compositions go through.
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. First of all, I’m not by myself, maybe I have the last
word, or I lead this committee but we have other people. Honestly, I talk to those three people
more than I talk to my wife. If I could show you the emails. Any composer of any kind of music,
if they are confident with what they do, they share their work. So, I share the music with the
other three people. Just preparing the canon for Transfiguration, we have maybe 35 emails going
back and forth, like “OK why is it half not here, or why is it” going back and forth editing.
Basically, anybody can write any music for us but it has to follow the guidelines and rules of
Byzantine chant. I can write “Oh Heavenly King” in the tone that’s it’s called for and maybe ten
other people can write the same hymn in the same tone in different melodies and it is OK
because Byzantine chant allows for that because of the richness of the melodies. Basically, it has
to be submitted to the committee and we look at it and if it works, we can put it on the website.
The rules for Byzantine chant go along with the church guidelines for the music because you
can’t just write any kind of music. It shouldn’t be the kind of impact on you like you are going to
a concert. So, in the church we have guidelines that we have to follow, we don’t use instruments,

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but anyway when we follow those rules of Byzantine chant ultimately it makes it more
appropriate for worship. If you are looking for guidelines to get approved basically anybody can
write music, they have to send it to us in order for it to be published on the website, we don’t go
around looking for compositions that haven’t been submitted. We review it, in the end we offer
suggestions to make changes and we try now to make sure that we have those things in both
notations. We can talk more about whether we need both types of notation. Do we really need
Byzantine neume notation or just in Western notation style? Right now, I think we need both.
Then we put them online. We are always open, a lot of times we get a lot of comments. People
feel like they know what they are talking about but we are still open and listen to what they have
to say. There are some things that we are “grandfathering in” because it’s been used so much and
we choose our battles. St. Paul said “everything has to be done properly and in order.”
KRYSTA SORENSEN. The next couple of questions are more choral. It’s not really for
concert setting but have you ever done or performed Byzantine chant for paraliturgical times or
outside the service?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. It is really common among people who use Byzantine
chant, it is very common to have concerts, like Byzantine concerts. During Lent, during the
Summer for Dormition Feast or during Christmas during Advent, and of course after Pascha.
Those four occasions that having music concerts is encouraged to do, as long as it still prayerful.
We need to approach it in a very prayerful way.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Have you worked with choirs at all in your experience?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. No, I never did work with choirs. We work together in a
way (chanter and choir) it’s not like we are two separate entities. I was in this group in Boston, a
multi-cultural group where they would do concerts including music performances from different

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religions. So, we would do the Byzantine part, then the Jewish choir would do something very
traditional, and sometimes at the end we would do a harmonized song together.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Why is it important for you to continue composing?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. I will mention one more thing. Now we have more things
translated in English. New translations with new books. The Orthodox church in general, we
have thousands of hymns, a lot of hymns for every day, for every saint, for every feast.
Translation-wise we are getting more texts translated so we need more music written for it. Back
in the day, churches maybe had Saturday Vespers and Sunday morning services but now more
and more priests and parishes are doing more services during the week.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How does theology influence your work?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. That’s a great question. The main role for music is to
serve the words and theology. It’s not about coming to church to show off. People think that we
have one style of chant. Depending on the importance of the hymn, depending on where it is in
the service that’s why the music comes to serve that. My first teacher said, “we chant to pray, we
do not pray to chant.” At the end of the day those who chant are basically praying twice. Yes, I
want the music so I don’t get bored, but we use the music to shed light on the important words
and teach the theology. Chant should give you a prayerful moment. Did you hear the text, did
you learn from it? Sometimes because of the complexity of the text, there has to be complexity in
the chant. For example, if the word is “towers” the chant is going to go up high to depict towers.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What’s your thoughts on choral music in the Antiochian
Orthodox church?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. Oh now I’m walking on egg shells. Should we be
encouraging our church choirs to be more like professional? I think there’s nothing wrong with

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that at all. The parable of talents, God gave us talent, gave us something, we need to make it
better period. I have worked really hard on studying Byzantine chant but even today, I still read
about it and I want to be better than I was yesterday. I’m seeing more in the Western music
(choirs) that there isn’t a zeal to learn more or get better, like “We know these two Cherubic
hymns and that’s good enough.” If you cut me, I’ll bleed Byzantine chant. But in my position as
a Christian, at the end of the day I understand that I do not belong to the Byzantine chant church.
It doesn’t give me the right to say this music is better than the other. I prefer one because that’s
the one I was raised listening and singing to. Last year I went to Russia and I will tell you this
that I loved every single church we visited, and I’ll tell you this, they were not using Byzantine
chant. It was just done so beautifully you don’t want to leave. I thought “why can’t we do this in
the states.” Now, in the states, there are a lot of young people interested in Byzantine chant.
After 7 years of travelling to different churches, the average of the age of choir members is 60’s
and older. Who’s going to keep it going. God will keep it going one way or the other. We have to
do a better job preserving the choral music.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. We did talk about the pendulum affect. How we are coming
back to more Byzantine interest….
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. Yes. I hope it’s not just a pendulum. We are seeing how
young and older people are thirsty for more Byzantine. I won’t be surprised in the next 15 years
to see a huge switch that it becomes more common than Western. One issue with Western music
is it is only limited to Liturgy. In Russia they developed their own 8 tones, they still conduct it
somehow in Western style. In America, we only do Liturgy basically. Those twenty hymns and
maybe Vespers service. There is a movement to more Byzantine, we are seeing it now. People
learning more about organized music that can fit the English language. Yes, people are not used

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to it yet. I have many examples of converts who never even group up with Byzantine anything
and now they are great chanters and they perform it very well in Byzantine notation.
What do you mean by going back to more simplified Byzantine style? Like not
harmonized? We do have hymns that they use in the liturgies, we have people who help us
harmonize them into four-part. I don’t see the point but I’m OK with it because that’s what the
people are used to for many years. But for me harmonizing Byzantine is basically mixing two
different foods that have different tastes. Why? Either do it all in Byzantine or do it all in
Western. Some people tell you, well, we’re in America, we are a melting pot. I understand but
not everything melts together. Some things go together and some don’t.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How would you explain the hymnology?
FATHER JOHN EL MASSIH. When I was at Holy Cross Seminary, we used to
participate in Boston Theological Institute. We would meet once a year and hold a concert. Each
school would perform their style of music. We came to seminary with a lot of knowledge of
Byzantine chant so our performance was done very well. I remember before the concert they
gave each of us a warm-up sound check time. Everyone else is around when it is your turn.
When we opened our mouths, you could hear a pin drop, people literally stopped everything they
were doing. People were listening which was a totally different reaction than what they had done
when other choirs were singing. At the end of the day, up to 13
th
14
th
century the saints who were
writing the hymns, wrote the text and the music for it. Our music established our faith. They
created music that is easy and taught the faith not like other religions, or like those that wrote
specific songs for the opera singer or the symphony. The goal is to beautify and edify the words.
Our music serves the word. Some people might not like it for the first time, you have to get used
to it and hear it more.

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Appendix G
Nazo Zakkak Interview Transcript
March 29, 2018
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What compositions have you written for the Antiochian
Orthodox Church?
NAZO ZAKKAK. There’s kind of two positions as far as how the Antiochian Orthodox
Church or archdiocese approves the music. One is there’s a list of Byzantine people who are
already approved to write the music. Forgive me if I say anything that sounds somewhat bitter,
one of them is this list of Byzantine people that are already approved, and there you want to talk
to Chris Holwey about that because they’re not really open about that process and that’s
something that I’m advocating for. You need to know how and who’s the person that is blessed
by the Archbishop to write this or to compose new text. So, we’re just told that its tone 4 melody
prescribed for the face of the Ascension and it’s the tone 4 soft chromatic that sounds more like
tone 2. You can’t write the regular tone 4 it has to be that specific one even though and this is
where it gets kind of convoluted, the sacred music website, they have many different versions of
the same tropari for tone 4. So, part of it is there’s the Byzantine people and it’s just because they
say so. Granted they’ve studied it and the church has prescribed their hoops but then in the
opinion of a lot of other composers, Father John Finley, I don’t want to speak for him, but some
of his written choral music is not based on that and for myself there’s a bit of this kind of
Pharisee ideology where the law is more important than the heart of it. So, I’ve written perhaps
the most popular hymn is It Is Truly Meet and you’ll hear that on the CD and that one is not
based on the chant, not based on the tone, very much following after Father Finley’s
harmonizations, having that descending face line (hums notes) which is in his “Holy God” a very
famous one. So, part of it is, when writing music for them, if the church loves it and blesses it by

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singing it, it unofficially becomes blessed and we put it on the Antiochian website. But the
they’re not willing to say that’s the process. They just kind of happen from the people. So, that’s
the difficult thing, archdiocese isn’t really saying here’s the process. They say submit music to us
and we’ll see if it’s approved or not. OK. And even then, they’re not really approving a lot.
Much of the music I would say isn’t really that well written. Also, and I can show you examples
of that, but I’ve been commissioned to write a Divine Liturgy and I’m sending it to them in parts
and that’s getting approved, that’s like following the process. Other pieces like It is Truly Meet
just have become so popular that it has been translated into French also and the French Orthodox
Church are singing it and I also want to hear that because the music is beautiful in French. So
that’s also kind of the hidden process of it.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. When you introduce the piece to your choir, say and it goes well,
then it becomes official or starts spreading to other churches?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Yeah, it starts spreading. I put it on my website. Another contact for
you would be Valerie Yova, she’s the director of St. Athanasious in Santa Barbara. I can forward
you here email as well, if you send me a reminder. She’s a big advocate for music that’s written
in English that fits English text well and I’ve worked with her choir a lot and she’s a big fan of
mine and she pushes my music forward and so the bottom line is there’s a lot of really poorly
written music and the reason is the reason that it is approved is that it’s a harmonization of the
byzantine melody which is “blessed” to be out there. I can show you this very poorly written
music. My music is simple, it doesn’t go to extreme ranges and it’s about the text first and
foremost. So, this is a controversial thing with me and I’m blabbering on I’m sorry but I believe
that what makes orthodox music orthodox isn’t the tradition, it’s not byzantine, it’s not
Romanian, it’s not Russian, it’s the text. If you can express the text cause that’s theology those

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are the words so if you can express that, it’s orthodox. And the rest of it is easy to figure out. So,
that’s where I’m coming from. Long winded answer. Did I actually answer it?
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What inspired you to write new compositions for an old
tradition?
NAZO ZAKKAK. The short answer would be it’s my faith. I can tell you very briefly
about my background and how I got into Orthodox music. I was a jazz pianist, a professional
jazz pianist for many years and had a hand injury that took me out of commission basically.
During that time, I worked with Vlad Morrisoan, he’s the owner of Musica Russica the Russian
choral publishing company and I got to read a lot of scores. I wasn’t doing music at that time and
he encouraged me to try my hand at harmonizing the great doxology. Do you know this already
because I may have told this before? So, I immersed myself in a lot of Russian choral music,
studied all the scores for about a year, did nothing but study Russian choral music.
Rachmaninoff’s “All Night Vigil” I almost know by heart. One day I will. Vlad gave me the
melody for the Doxology and I studied, studied, studied, harmonized it. It got recorded. It got
published. People loved it, but then I realized the alto part was on two notes and the Doxology is
long. It’s about 5 minutes, 8 minutes, and I realized a problem with four-part harmony is one
part kind of gets the boring part. Everyone loved the piece but the altos. I felt so bad. So that’s
really what sparked the passion in me. So ok if I can make every part interesting then the whole
thing becomes critical. Right? If everyone is praying simultaneously that really is four-part
music. Everyone has a fun part. It’s easy to engage prayerfully in that. So, I began writing.
That’s kind of the new style that I started. Every part had to be interesting. I would sing through
every part and if I felt that it expressed the text properly and that was it. It just gelled and I
realized that was what I was trying to do during my jazz days. All the performances, all of my

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weird experimental bands, experimental compositions, I realized I was trying to achieve this holy
place in music. I remember telling a shacahachi player when you hit this G that needs to be holy.
That note needs to be holy. He was immersed in kind of eastern mysticism so he got it. But try to
explain it to a rock and roll bass player, he was just like hitting the G…what more do you want.
When it worked, it really worked. But most of the time it didn’t because of western sensibilities
and then when I finally got the text and I meditated on it and I saw that there was deep poetry in
the text. All of it is based on the text. I don’t write a single note before I’ve memorized the text
and internalized it and I can say it in my own way. So, part of it is problematic because its
personal prayer for me, but the second part is I speak English, I know English and I express
English properly. So that’s the gist of it. I just wrote a Doxology and I fell in love with the
meaning. I found the meaning in music for me.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. This is not part of the list but have you ever put like
Rachmaninoff or anything into the service…like had your choir sing?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Every now and then, not so much part of the service, afterwards.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. I was wondering if that was OK to do?
NAZO ZAKKAK. That’s the ultimate question because Russian music itself, you know,
have you studied Russian Orthodox music history? You know how they like hire opera singers to
come in on Sundays and they would advertise it. Singing Chesnokov’s 7 seconds to begin with.
This soloist it blows my mind and now we’re shocked about just something that is not based on
the chant. The question is whether it is liturgical or not is up in the air but it’s orthodox, it’s
beautiful music. It depends on the church.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. What guidelines or process did you have to follow in order for
your compositions to be approved for use in the worship service?

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NAZO ZAKKAK. The reason that mine are approved more easily is because they’re well
written. That’s the honest truth. I start on the tonic and I end on the tonic. Cause you know
there’s a tradition of ending on the dominant, especially in the Russian tradition or a piece that is
based on the dominant. Mine is simplicity, for everyone to learn their part quickly, to learn the
hymn and so that’s why it’s easier to get approved. The process is you have to submit it to the
archdiocese to Paul Jabara. But even then, and now we’re getting weird kind of commentary
from the Byzantine folks saying it’s not approved because it’s not harmonization of this melody
that has been approved. Yeah, it’s hard and I don’t envy Paul’s position. But the problem with
that is it makes Byzantine music a museum piece and effectively makes Orthodox music dead
then. You know we only have this one mountain. This is the way it’s always been done.
Tradition is a living thing its always living and evolving and changing. So that’s my problem
with that attitude. The process is text-based. I’ve studied counterpoint and choral music like
crazy. It just made sense to me you know? So, the well-written thing definitely helps but the
official process is it has to go through the archdiocese…Paul Jabara. I don’t know. I want to say
he makes the final say, but this guy, Chris Holwey has been kind of pushing forward this
Byzantine idea and I don’t really know where that is coming from. Recently, I submitted a hymn
saying you guys might want to put it up on the website and Chris said it’s not approved, you
know, it’s not the melody, and I’m going, what am I doing as composer in residence? So, for you
it’s going to be an interesting phase actually to catch the archdiocese in because Paul’s telling me
things are going to change and I don’t really know how to respond to that. So, if their approach is
if it’s a hymn like a Cherubic Hymn or a Trisagion where a tone isn’t prescribed, then you can do
whatever. But if a tone is prescribed like Feast Day and then you have to follow the tone but

153
even then, they’re being very picky about it which I obviously disagree with. Other people have
definitely come in and had their say and Paul has had to deal with that.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Would you be open to having your music performed in a concert
setting?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Yeah.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Would there be stipulations, like not in the church but in a
concert for choir?
NAZO ZAKKAK. I guess I say all my music is approved for Liturgical singing. So,
people have contacted me for like can we use it in this fundraiser or concert. Yeah, I honestly
believe that the text is Salvific and if my music…I don’t have an ego when I say this, but it does
express the text. That’s what I work hard on. I spend most of my time composing by listening,
just listening. I don’t take credit for this music. I sincerely think it’s the Holy Spirit and I’m just
trying to get myself out of it. And I can explain that to you through my album art work that’s the
message I was trying to convey. The early stuff that I’ve written, some of it is more fitting for a
concert I would say actually. Now I’m trying to tone it down and make it more liturgical.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Yeah, and I think it would depend on the concert and what the
conductor was going for.
NAZO ZAKKAK. Exactly. The music, a well written piece, can be interpreted many
different ways and that’s what I hear a lot of people say about my music. They take it personally.
They come up to me and say “I don’t like the way this director is treating your song. Go say
something to them because I would do it differently during the service.” I would say, “Let them
do it their way. It’s ok.”

154
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Do you have any experience with Orthodox choirs who perform
outside of the church service? That would be like the Santa Barbara Choir…
NAZO ZAKKAK. Well, yeah, the semi-professional, they sing some Orthodox works. It
depends how you put it. They sing pieces by Sir John Tavener. The Funeral Ikos. I use him in my
music analysis class. It’s a beautiful expression of iconography and text.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. So, you do have experience with professional/semi-professional
choirs singing Orthodox music?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Oh, yeah.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. So why is it important to you to continue composing or
arranging for the church?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Well, because we have a lot of text. We need a lot of well-written
music. I’m a big advocate of getting rid of the approval process of the Antiochian Archdiocese. I
want more people writing. I want there to be a sense of competition. I want to hear a piece of
music that will make me jealous…go “I wish I’d written that, it’s a good idea.” Right now, it
seems like it’s only me and that worries me a bit. I’m always pushing people, my singers down at
St. Anthony’s to write music, hey, write a “Holy God”, just try it. I’ll arrange it for you. Just give
us something, you know. But at the same time when I see some of the stuff that’s been submitted
to the archdiocese I can see why they’re not too eager to lift the gate, but at the same time if we
take the position that the Holy Spirit will bless whatever is well-written, what we love, like
Finley’s “Holy God” or my “It is Truly Me”, then you don’t need to worry about that other stuff.
It just won’t take off. So, I’m kind of like, open the gates.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. As a church choir director, what’s your process of selecting the
music that you choose?

155
NAZO ZAKKAK. Well, the first priority is that it has to tap into the ethos of our parish,
of the congregation itself. Do they sing, do they not sing, what services do they sing on, how
loud do they sing. It always needs to serve that. The choir, we’re leading, but we’re serving, too.
Other than that, it’s about the flow. I try to look at the service in sections. Litany usually marks
the end or the beginning of a section, so I try to keep things in the same key and pieces that flow
well together in those sections. Apart from that, I keep going back to whatever serves the ethos
of the parish. In my parish, we don’t do my music all the time because some don’t like it and I’m
ok with that. But in some of the parishes I’ve worked with I helped them integrate new music in
their services. They have a purely Byzantine thing and it shouldn’t be my music. It shouldn’t be
choral music then. It should be well written Byzantine music, either simplified or transposed in a
lot of cases. It needs to match the congregation, whether they sing or whether they don’t. That’s
really it.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Do you utilize Byzantine chants in your own compositions? If
so, why or why not?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Yes. Actually, I’m a bit paranoid. In virtually every hymn I’m able to
trace every chord progression I use to either a Byzantine tradition or a Russian tradition. To say
Gretchanoff used this. Hey, it’s been done before only because the last thing I want is for
someone to say that’s not Orthodox. Again, it kind of goes against my belief that it’s the words
that make it orthodox. I’ve studied the music and almost everything I can trace to it being done
in the past, with just a few tweaks.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How does theology as opposed to liturgical restrictions influence
your work?

156
NAZO ZAKKAK. Well, I’d say by passion. Our music is very emotional. Look how
many instances we have of “Oh, Son of God”. “Oh” is an emotional expression. When we say
“Oh God, do not despise me a sinner”. Do we really believe that God would despise us? That’s
not our theology, but it’s an expression of human emotion. There are times when we feel
despised by life. It took me awhile to get to that point by meditating on these hymns. A lot of it
is very expressive. So, I’d say it’s more of a personal, spiritual thing for me. Theology-wise I
research the Feast or whatever hymn I’m writing for a lot. I try to incorporate that into it the way
any western composer would incorporate extra musical themes into their work that make it more
complete, but only they would know about it. But I’d say for me it’s more a personal/spiritual
element during times I went through a tough time for me. My father passed away from stage 4
stomach cancer. So, I went through all the natural process of where is God and I doubted
everything until I got to sit down to work on the hymns and, suddenly, I’m yeah this is what I
believe. I have no problem believing that this saint could intercede for us and these words are
true and then I’d leave the piano and go back to doubting. For me, that’s how I knew it’s a
personal thing for me to which is kind of a tradition St. John of Damascus talks about his hymns
being personal prayers as well. Other times we don’t write them for everyone it’s just for us, too.
I hope that kind of answers it. If you want to clarify it because I don’t quite understand because I
try to make everything fit liturgically as well. The other thing is the liturgical tradition is heavily
steeped in theology. Especially if you look at the origin, the history of the church, the readings
took up the bulk of the service, Old Testament, then the psalms, then the epistles and the gospels.
The psalms got abbreviated to the Prokeimenon right? And then now we just have one epistle
and one gospel in some of the liturgies. The reason it may confuses is that they’re like this in the
Orthodox Church.

157
KRYSTA SORENSEN. If I wanted to include one or two of your pieces in my paper and
kind of analyze them, would you be ok with that?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Absolutely. I’d be happy to. Of course, anything on my website. If
there’s anything missing that you hear on the CD that’s not on my website, I think there’s two
hymns that I haven’t put up, they’re not really liturgical, but people have been using them, just
let me know and I’ll send them to you.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Those non-liturgical ones, ones that you think might be
something more interesting to the choir world outside of the church to perform in a concert
setting?
NAZO ZAKKAK. Yeah, I wrote the first stasis of the canon of St. Andrew which we’ve
just celebrated, just the first set, and recorded it part of the reason for that was I wanted to do
something in the Russian tradition that was more steeped in the Russian tradition. You’ll hear
some Tavener there’s a pretty blatant reference to The Funeral Ikos. It’s one of my favorite
pieces. Also, I to be honest when I wrote that piece I kind of saw it as an unofficial audition
piece for like Cappela Romana to listen to it maybe we can commission him to do a whole canon
in this style you know, so that’s my ego speaking there. Also, a lot of the hymns that I wrote are
about the joy of our faith which is something I think we’re missing a lot because if you look at
the tone 2 melody for the tone 4/tone2 melody for the Ascension (sings sample) and I don’t find
joy in that at all. So, some express that more than anything else. So, the reason I wrote this canon
was because obviously its themes are very penitential and focused on our sins and I wanted to
make sure I wasn’t losing sight of that. That I could I could get in that place and focus on it and
that was why I wrote that piece. It’s not meant for liturgical use but the refrain, “have mercy on
me oh, God have mercy on me”, has been used by choirs and we’ve just used it and it worked

158
marvelously and I was surprised by it. It worked really well. I’ll put it on my website in the next
few days. I can send it to you if you need it sooner. So, yeah, I’ve done a few things, but I like to
keep it simple. I’ve studied the music of Brian Eno, I love Brian Eno, Howard Skempton, Harold
Bud, some of the 60’s American and British experimentalists that were writing very simple
music because it was about the concept not about the sound so much. I love counter point
because of the simplicity. I love reducing things down. I don’t want to write big Rachmaninoff
like scores or things, it’s about simplicity for me. That’s why the liturgical thing works. I think
someone who said this, I forget who, oh probably not, “So few notes but so much music.” My
first CD was a very minimalist piano CD. I’m very much interested in stripping everything
down to the bare essence.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. Are there any specific choral arrangements or things that you
enjoy using that are not yours that should be like highlighted?
NAZO ZAKKAK. You mean in my parish? I really like Father Finley’s music. Amyia
Apprehein, she’s Armenian. I can send you the piece she wrote, it’s Trisagion but again taken
over [hums notes], have you heard that one? I think she wrote it as a musical actually, a whole
other project but orthodoxy kind of took it and it’s become the funerial “Holy God”. Other
composers…I use some stuff from the Russians, Bortniansky. I really like diversity. I like
changing it up. We go back and forth between Byzantine sound. I like bringing in Bulgarian
traditions. Bulgarian orthodox music is great because it’s repetitive and it’s rhythmic. So, I love
that. Romanian music is very formulaic and a very different way than Byzantine. So, I introduce
some of them but I would say the biggest influence is Father Finley’s stuff. He’s very much the
opposite of me. You see how fast I talk. Whenever we have a phone conversation I have to
really, really hold my tongue because he has a great Southern drawl and he’s going to start by

159
telling you a story or tale. And I’m sitting there thinking, I’ve heard this but ok. He’s fabulous.
You’re going to enjoy talking to him.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. How to you think the music in the Antiochian Orthodox church
will evolve over time and will it go back to a more simplified Byzantine chant style? We’ve
already talked about it seems to be going back in that direction which maybe we’re hoping
maybe not hoping it doesn’t, but is there going to be the natural flow of now we’re going back to
the old and then we’re going to go back to the new?
NAZO ZAKKAK. The attitude now, from correspondence I’ve had from Byzantine
people, is we’re going back to the old. Now we know better. We know that this is the true
Byzantine melody and this is what we want. You must know some of Kazan’s work. So, he’s
obviously criticized for not being true Byzantine music. It’s not ornamented enough it very
simplified almost dumbed down version. I love it because if you’re going to look at the war
between true ornate Byzantine traditional music and Kazan. Kazan has won. He’s widely used.
It’s simple and people can sing along. That’s the thing, we’re not taking the American identify
into this. There has to be room for congregational singing. Kazan has won. So, to me using that
as the basis of Byzantine music is legitimate, it’s valid. So, I don’t think we’re going to go
beyond Kazan or back beyond Kazan. He set the standard I think. The direction that it’s headed,
I can go both ways. Right now it’s a very interesting time in the Archdiocese. I’m a bit
pessimistic. I think if it’s just me it’s problematic because I’m running out of ideas. I started
using similar chords and chord progressions and there’s only so much one person can do. So, I’m
a bit advocate of more people writing Orthodox music. Try your hand at it. No, send me
something, anything. I’ll be happy to give you pointers if you want. If not, I’ll just put it up on
my website and share it. We need some. I’m a bit pessimistic because I think the Byzantine

160
people are starting to get a bit antsy and the Antiochian identity itself is kind of interesting you
know because it’s very … people want to focus on the Arabic side of things. But Antiochian
doesn’t mean only Byzantine. We do have choral tradition. We have great pieces like the Receive
Me Today by Karam, I believe, hums…the pinnacle of Antiochian Orthodox music. How can we
ever get past that? At the same time, I’m convinced the only way to introduce the music in the
Antiochian Archdiocese inside, is from the outside, by composers like Richard Toensing, who
passed away recently, Kurt Sander, he could probably be a person to interview, but he’s not in
the Archdiocese, he’s just a composer, a professor. It’s good music. It’s definitely Russian, big
wide ranges, Kurt Sander, but it has to come from the outside. So as of right now, to sum it up,
the Byzantine thing worries me. I’m writing music for them. I’m commissioned to do a liturgy
which I’m almost done with, a 4-part liturgy. I’ve been commissioned to do a 2-part liturgy for
them because we need something simpler for mission choirs and I’ve been told by everyone
who’s commissioning it that they want it A) to be Byzantine inspired, B) to have nothing to do
with Byzantine music. So, I have to please all parties involved. So that tells you something.
That’s really where we’re at right now. But honestly, I’m kind of excited because I need
something different to do than just make it up, you know. This is a challenge.
KRYSTA SORENSEN. So, how long do you think this is going to take you?
NAZO ZAKKAK. When they pay me the first installment, I’ll start. That’s another sad
truth, you know, people think they should get music for free. I’m doing it as much as I can, I
have a patron page. Spread the word if you can. So that’s the gist of it. I’m going to keep doing
the best I can. I want to serve in every possible way but it can’t fall on just me. We need more
composers.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Sorensen, Krysta Elyse (author)

Core Title The Antiochian Orthodox Church of North America: vocal music and choral practice

School Thornton School of Music

Degree Doctor of Musical Arts

Degree Program Choral Music

Degree Conferral Date 2022-05

Publication Date 02/28/2022

Defense Date 02/27/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag Antiochian,Antiochian Orthodox choral repertoire,Antiochian Orthodox Christian music history,Byzantine,Choral Music,OAI-PMH Harvest,Orthodox music

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Scheibe, Jo-Michael (committee chair), Grases, Cristian (committee member), Sparks, Tram (committee member)

Creator Email kesorens@usc.edu,sorensenkrysta@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC110765156

Unique identifier UC110765156

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Rights Sorensen, Krysta Elyse

Type texts

Source 20220301-usctheses-batch-914 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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