List of Byzantine composers

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John of Damascus (c. 675 – c. 749), who was a major proponent of 8th century kanōns and the supposed creator of the octoechos

The

sacred music frequently used in church services and secular music in many events including, ceronmonies, dramas, ballets, banquets, festivals and sports games.[2][3] However, despite its popularity, secular Byzantine music was harshly criticized by the Church Fathers.[3][n 2] Like their medieval Western contemporaries, little is known about the lives of Byzantine composers.[5]

Composers of sacred music, especially hymns and chants, are generally well documented throughout the history of Byzantine music. However, those before the reign of

Joannes Koukouzeles, Xenos Korones and Joannes Glykys as the leading figures.[3] Partly due to the little information concerning them, many modern studies of Byzantine music pay little attention to specific composers.[7]

Like their

Byzantine emperors are known to have been composers, such as Leo VI the Wise, Constantine VII and possibly John III Doukas Vatatzes.[11]

Byzantine composers

For composers of the same time in the Western classical tradition, see List of medieval composers.
Byzantine composers
Name Lifetime Works Remarks
The death of Theodosius I in 395 causes the permanent division of the Western Roman Empire and Byzantine Empire[1]
Anthimos fl. 5th century Said to have composed
troparia
(none survive) 		A
monophysite[12][6]
Auxentios fl. 5th century The text to a single troparion survives (attribution uncertain); said to have composed others A biography on Auxentios attributes the composition of a troparion to him[6][13][12]
Timokles fl. 5th century Said to have composed
troparia
(none survive) 		–[6][12]
Anatolius of Constantinople Died 458 A few hymns
Severus of Antioch 465–538 Many hymns [14][15]
John bar Aphtonia c. 480 – c. 537 A few hymns His hymns bare similarities to those of Severus of Antioch, whom he wrote a biography on[16][17]
Romanos the Melodist late 5th century – after 550 About 60 of the 85 kontakion attributed to him are considered authentic The preeminent kontakion composer of his time[18]
Kyriakos fl. 6th century No works survive Contemporary of Romanos[19]
Anastasius fl. 6th century No works survive A composer recorded as "Anastasius" is thought to be a 6th century Byzantine emperor, either
Anastasios II (Died 719). Contemporary of Romanos[19]
Germanus I c. 634 – c. 733 Various kanōns are attributed to him If authentic, his kanōns would be earlier than those of Andrew of Crete and thus confirm Andrew is not the genre's originator[20][21]
Andrew of Crete c. 660 – c. 740 Hymns, primarily kanōns[22] Best known for his Great Kanōn, a 250 stanza hymn. Traditionally credited with inventing the kanōn, though modern scholars doubt this[23][20]
John of Damascus
(John Damascene) 		c. 675 – c. 749 Many
troparia. Traditionally credited with inventing the octoechos
, though modern scholars doubt this 		A close colleague of Cosmas of Maiuma[24]
Cosmas of Maiuma
(Kosmas of Jerusalem) 		fl. early 8th century Various kanōns, sticheron, idiomelas and triōdias A close colleague of John of Damascus[25]
Stephen the Sabaite Died 807 Idiomelas in the Triodion, Kanōns [26]
Theodore the Studite 759 – 826 Various kanōns Kept a letter correspondence with Kassia; brother of Joseph the Confessor[20][27]
Joseph the Confessor fl. 9th century
Troparia, sticheron and kanōns
 Brother of Theodore the Studite[28]
Theophanes the Branded
 775 – 845 Kanōns for saints and his brother, Theodorus. Contributed to the Parakletike[20][29]
Kassia 805/810 – 865/867 More than 50
stichera
. 26 have disputed authenticity 		The only woman Byzantine composer whose work is included in the
Byzantine liturgy. The most important and renowned woman in Byzantine music. She had a letter correspondence with Theodore the Studite[30][31]
Joseph the Hymnographer c. 816 – 886 Various kanōns, of which 525 survive. Contributed to the Parakletike[32][33]
Thekla fl. 9th century No works survive Known to have written now lost kanōns[34]
Theodosia fl. 9th century No works survive Known to have written now lost kanōns. She was an abbess who lived near Constantinople[35]
Leo VI the Wise 866 – 912 Hymns for the
Exaltation of the Cross
 Was
Byzantine emperor from 886 to 912[36]
Martha fl. End of the 9th century No works survive Abbess and mother of Simeon Stylites[34]
Constantine VII 905 – 959 11 exaposteilaria anastasima and 3 sticheron Was
Byzantine emperor from 908 until 959 (co-emperor until 945)[37]
Nikephoros Ethikos fl. c. 1300 Liturgical chants; 40 survive His works are far more stylistically conservative than those of his contemporaries[38]
Gregorios Glykys fl. c. 1300 Liturgical chants; only a few survive, including a sticheron Had the post of domestikos (in a musical context meaning "first singer of the left choir")[39]
John Koukouzelis fl. 1300–50 Many chants One of the most illustrious musicians of his time; known as the "second source of Greek music" (John of Damascus being the first)[40]
Xenos Korones fl. 1325–50 Chants [41]
Joannes Glykys fl. Late 13th century Chant and psalms Purportedly the teacher of Korones and Koukouzelis[42]
John Kladas fl. 1400 Virtually every sacred genre of his time He was particularly prolific and his daughter seems to have been a composer as well[43][44]
Daughter of John Kladas fl. 1400 A single antiphon is attributed to her Her given name is unknown; recorded only as the daughter of John Kladas[44][31]
John Laskaris fl. first half of 15th century Not particularly prolific; Also a music theorist[45]
Manuel Chrysaphes fl. 1440–1463 A large amount of hymns, chants, kratēmata, mathēmata and anagrammatismoi among others An extremely prolific composer; John VIII Palaiologos and Constantine XI Palaiologos were patrons of his music.[46][n 3]
John Vatatzes fl. mid 15th century Long assumed to be the emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes, though this is no firm evidence for this[47]
Janus Plousiadenos c. 1429–1500 [48]
Fall of Constantinople results in the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by the Ottoman Empire in 1453[1]

References

Notes

  1. ^ Even after the Fall of Constantinople in 1453 the Byzantine musical tradition continued in the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople through figures such as Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes, Petros Bereketis, Petros Peloponnesios, and Chrysanthos of Madytos,[2][3] as well as Serbians such as Kir Stefan, Isaiah, Nikola and Kir Joakim.[4]
  2. Basil the Great, Ambrose, Augustine of Hippo and particularly Jerome
    as the church fathers who were vocally against secular Byzantine music
  3. ^ He was also a noted music theorist, writing the treatise Peri tōn entheōroumenōn tē psaltikē technē kai hōn phronousi kakōs tines peri autōn which contains extensive and otherwise unknown information on contemporary Byzantine music, practice and theory.[46]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c Nicol, Donald MacGillivray (21 September 2021). "Byzantine Empire | History, Geography, Maps & Facts". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 2 October 2021. When did the Byzantine Empire exist?: The Byzantine Empire existed from approximately 395 CE—when the Roman Empire was split—to 1453.
  2. ^ a b c Levy 2001.
  3. ^ a b c d Touliatos 2001.
  4. ISBN 978-0-674-01163-2
    .
  5. ^ a b Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 62.
  6. ^ a b c d Metcalfe, William (1898). The Scottish Review. Vol. XXXII. Alexander Gardner. p. 302.
  7. ^ Velimirović 1978, p. 818.
  8. ^ Mellas 2020, pp. 147–148.
  9. ^ Touliatos-Banker 1984, pp. 64, 80.
  10. ^ Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 64.
  11. ^ Kalaitzidis & Apostolopoulos 2015, §2 "Prominent Personalities".
  12. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  13. Ktav Publishing House
    . pp. 16–17.
  14. ISBN 978-90-04-30799-5. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 2021-10-17.
  15. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  16. ISBN 978-0-19-881625-6
    .
  17. George A. Kiraz
    ; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press.
  18. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  19. ^
    ISBN 978-0-911726-06-0
    .
  20. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  21. ISBN 978-0-85115-800-6
    .
  22. ^ Mellas 2020, p. 115.
  23. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  24. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  25. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  26. ^ Patrich 2001, p. 11.
  27. ISBN 978-0-88402-232-9
    .
  28. ^ "Saint Joseph, Bishop of Thessalonica, and brother of Saint Theodore of Studion". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 2 October 2021.
  29. ^ Patrich 2001, p. 174.
  30. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  31. ^ a b Touliatos 1996, p. 1.
  32. ISBN 978-3-643-90995-4
    .
  33. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  34. ^ a b Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 80.
  35. ISBN 978-1-55553-219-2
    .
  36. ^ Cartwright, Mark (2017). "Leo VI". World History Encyclopedia. Horsham.{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  37. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  38. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  39. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  40. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  41. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  42. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  43. ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  44. ^ a b Touliatos-Banker 1984, p. 63.
  45. ISBN 978-0-19-504652-6
    . (subscription required)
  46. ^
    ISBN 978-1-56159-263-0. (subscription or UK public library membership
    required)
  47. ^ Velimirović 1978, pp. 819–821.
  48. ^ Conomos 1982, pp. 2–4.

Sources

External links

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