The first manuscripts containing melodic chant notation date to the ninth century, around the same time we find notated manuscripts of Gregorian chant in regions such as Gaul and Rome. These early notations (referred to as “Palaeobyzantine”) were primarily mnemonic in character….

The Historical Development of Easter The celebration of Easter (i.e., Pascha) for Orthodox Christians commences on Saturday morning with a Vesperal Liturgy that comprises psalms, hymns, and Old Testament readings, followed by the Divine Liturgy. Pascha is formally inaugurated several hours later, at midnight, in a rush of blazing candles, exuberant Paschal greetings (“Christ is […]

Archaeoacoustics is a multidisciplinary field that has as its focus the exploration and reconstruction of the sounds of the past. Sound is by nature ephemeral – sounds are delivered in waveforms that dissipate quickly.

Byzantine chant finds a unique bedfellow in a recent discussion featured on the blog of Red Bull Music Academy. In the interview, Psaltikon Artistic Director, Dr. Spiro Antonopoulos, describes his work in medieval acoustics in Thessaloniki, and how his research team and a group of cantors from the same city were able to map subjective […]

Dr Spyridon Antonopoulos, Honorary Research Fellow at City, recently led the vocal ensemble Psaltikon on a three-concert tour in Scandinavia. Psaltikon, founded by Antonopoulos in 2010, is a Boston-based vocal ensemble specializing in Byzantine chant and the music of the Eastern Mediterranean. For this tour, Psaltikon was joined by City University Reader in Music, Dr […]

Our logo was created by local Boston architect Alex Liousas. It is inspired by the Byzantine double-headed eagle and medieval Greek scribal practices of writing with ligatures.