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To follow the lessons in the videos, please download a copy of the Anastasimatarion from here.

The Anastasimatarion is considered the fundamental “hymnal” of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is a collection of hymns that refer mainly to the events of the Resurrection of Christ, the prophesies related to Christ, and the relation of Christ to a Trinitarian God. Additionally, the hymns also refer to the Virgin Mary as the Theotokos and her relation to the plan of humankind’s salvation.

The hymns are arranged according to the Eight Modes of the “Paraklitiki”, or “Oktoechos”, a compilation of hymns that refer to the themes outlined above and used throughout the ecclesiastical cycles in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

The Anastasimatarion evolved over a period of at least 800 years, beginning with transcribed and then hand-copied manuscripts that contained slow melismatic melodies that eventually diverged into three kinds of melodic structures; the slow, stichiraric, and eirmologic musical patterns. Eventually, the Anastasimatarion was expanded to include additional hymns encountered during the SundayVesperal and Matins services.

The Anastasimatarion is considered the “fundamental hymnal” for every practising chantor and the foundation of learning Byzantine chant for students. It is the fundamental hymnal at every analogion of Greek Orthodox Churches, and has inspired and continues to inspire adaptations, slow and brief of the fundamental melodies.

The Anastasimatarion in practical use today consists of two versions. The first, less frequently encountered, is the Anastasimatarion as adapted by Petros the Peloponnesian. It remains the cornerstone of chant tradition of the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Constantinople. The other, version is the Anastasimatarion of Ioannes Protopsaltes, who adapted the melodies in the Anastasimatarion of Petros into a style that became popular and widespread in the other churches of Constantinople and further. The Anastasimatarion of Ioannes Protopsaltes, today, serves as the foundation for many other modern adaptations in the Greek as well as many other languages.

As the foundation hymnal, and as the one in greatest use in the Orthodox musical world today, the lessons herein, recorded over a 28-month period between 2011-2013 live, with informal discussion, are based on the Anastasimatarion of Ioannes Protopsaltes.

Before starting or consulting these videos, please ensure that the Anastasimatarion of Ioannes has been downloaded from
here.

Please excuse the discussional nature of the videos. At times they are light with banter, however, we believe that the open discussions further enrich the understanding and appreciation of the theoretical and historical underpinnings of the hymns and their Modes in the overall context of the ecclesiastical services of the Orthodox Christian Church and the Anastasimatarion.