The modal particularity of 4th mode in Byzantine chant over the centuries (12–19th cс.)

The history of Byzantine chant goes back many centuries. The modal system of Octoechos, that regulates most of liturgical compositions, emerged even before the appearance of the musical notation in the chant books, and then continuously developed. Over the centuries, this octomodal system absorbed a lot of divergent influences, so Byzantine and post-Byzantine modes appear as a fusion of archaic, classical and modern features. After a detailed study of the modal content of the fourth authentic mode, the authors reconstruct its melodic image and its evolution from the classical Byzantine period to the samples of the later Greek tradition. The present study is based on different sticheras of the hebdomadal and annual liturgical circles taken from the middle-Byzantine Sticherarion of the 12th to the 14th century, from post-Byzantine versions of the Sticherarion by the 17th-century authors Chrysaphos the Younger and Germanos of New Patras, and from collections of selected chants: the Anastasimatarion of Chrysaphos the Younger (17th century), the Doxastaria of Iakovos the Protopsaltis and Petros Peloponnesios, the Anastasimatarion of Peter Peloponnesios (18th century). The middle Byzantine evidence points to the special place of the fourth authentic mode in the octomodal system, as possessing a peculiar modal content: while other authentic modes have a third-fifth structure of the main cadences, in the fourth authentic mode the main cadences are arranged in a second relation. This trait impacts also the melodic formulas of the chants. Over the centuries, this peculiar feature has been preserved in the mutual relationship of the main cadences of the fourth mode. Accordingly, the melismatic enrichment of older versions of Sticheraria took place, but the main characteristics of the mode remained unchanged, in spite of the addition of supplementary modal cadences. The modal particularity of the fourth authentic mode may be explained by the combination of several modal components: the archaic features, inherited from pre-octomodal forms, merged with later elements and were embedded into the classical modal system.