Byzantine Theories of Scale and Arab-Byzantine Chant Practices: A Comparative Analysis Proposing a New Resolution to the Theoretical System of Chrysanthos of Madytos

Authors

Rosy AzarFollow

Abstract

In 2015, Amine Beyhom published a book on Byzantine chant, in which he summarised all the existing theories, paying particular attention to the problematic reform of the Byzantine chant theory in 1881, and guiding the reader through the steps that led to that reform. Driven by the first ever comparison between Byzantine and Arabic modes that he had found in Mīkhāʾīl Mashāqa’s epistle, Beyhom first studied Chrysanthos of Madytos’ insight. He documented this research in detail and followed it with a practical comparison to demonstrate if theory is indeed applied or it acts only as prescriptive guide. He recorded and analysed four cantors performing the same chants in Arabic and Greek. However, this extensive research was written in French, despite the inclusion of references in Arabic, Greek, English, German, and Russian. Ten years after this unique work, the present translation aims to provide an insight into the author’s book, offering selected paragraphs from most of its main sections.

Author Biography

Rosy Azar earned her PhD in Musicology and Arabic Studies from the University of Münster, Germany (2021). Since then, she has been researching the network of music and musicians by tracing the migration of scientific knowledge north of the equator. She also examines music in marginal contexts, particularly in its intersection with other disciplines.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Azar, Rosy (2025) "Byzantine Theories of Scale and Arab-Byzantine Chant Practices: A Comparative Analysis Proposing a New Resolution to the Theoretical System of Chrysanthos of Madytos," Yale Journal of Music & Religion: Vol. 11: No. 2, Article 2.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17132/2377-231X.1345