Megalynarion
The Megalynarion (Greek Μεγαλυνάριον, "magnification", "that which magnifies";[1] also called Velichaniye in Church Slavonic) is a special hymn used in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite. Depending on the local liturgical tradition, this hymn can be one of several.
Matins
In the
The verse is chanted first by the clergy and then repeated by the chanters. The chanters then sing a number of appropriate verses from the Psalms, chanting the Megalynarion between each one. During this chanting the senior priest and deacon perform a full censing of the church. At the end, the clergy again chant the Megalynarion.
In the Greek tradition the psalm verses are used alone (without the Megalynarion), and are referred to as the Eclogarion.
Liturgy
In Greek practice, the megalynarion is a short hymn for the saint of the day or the feast that is sung after "Among the first..." at the Divine Liturgy. This type of megalynarion is also used during other services, such as the Paraklesis.
In both the Greek and Slavic traditions the term Megalynarion also describes a hymn chanted on
Pattern
The use of Megalynaria in Orthodox worship dates back to the 8th century.
References
- ^ In the archaic sense of the word; see "magnification". "magnify". Online Etymology Dictionary.
- ^ a b The St. John Orthodox Church Choir Archived 2008-11-19 at the Wayback Machine, Website of St. John Orthodox Church, Memphis, Tennessee. Accessed 2008-05-02
External links
- Megalynarion article from OrthodoxWiki
- Paschal megalynarion Byzantine chant(video)
- Megalynarion of Pascha Byzantine Tone 1 (music in Western notation)