“Music is of two kinds (as are the other
arts also)—secular and ecclesiastical. Each of these has been developed
by different feelings and different states of the soul. Secular music
expresses worldly (i.e., carnal) feelings and desires. Although these
feelings may be very refined (romantic, sentimental, idealistic, etc.),
they do not cease being carnal. Nevertheless, many people believe that
these feelings are spiritual. However, spiritual feelings are expressed
only by ecclesiastical music. Only ecclesiastical music can truly
express the secret movements of the heart, which are entirely different
from those inspired and developed by secular music. That is, it
expresses contrition, humility, suffering and godly grief, which, as
Paul says, “worketh repentance to salvation.” [2] Ecclesiastical music
can also evoke feelings of praise, thanksgiving, and holy enthusiasm.
Secular music, on the other hand—even the purest—expresses carnal
emotions, even when it is inspired by suffering and affliction. This
type of suffering, Paul calls “worldly grief,” which “worketh death.”
[3]
Thus two kinds of music were formed, the
secular, which arouses emotion—any kind of emotion—and ecclesiastical
music, which evokes contrition. St. John Chrysostom strongly condemns
the attempts that were made by some of his contemporaries to introduce
into the Church secular music, the music of the theatre and the mimes.
Only the arts which were developed by
devout motives since the early years of Christianity have given
expression to the spiritual essence of the religion. These alone can be
called liturgical, that is, spiritual, in the sense that religion gives
to the term spiritual. The “spiritual odes” of which Paul speaks [4]
were works of such art. All the liturgical arts express the same thing:
architecture, hymnody, iconography, embroidery, and even writing, the
manner of walking, and in general the movements and gestures of the
priests, the chiming of the bells, and so forth.
That these arts are truly of unique
spirituality has been realized by many non-Orthodox, especially
clergymen, whose sense-organs have been exposed, from youth on, to
formative influences different from those in which Orthodox Christians
have been brought up. Nevertheless, they confess that our icons and
psalmody evoke in them contrition-of course, when executed by inspired
and pious artists.
Thus, the value of the liturgical arts is
not merely conventional, but real, extending beyond the limited
conceptions that are due to nurture, habit, and taste, since even
persons who are not of the Orthodox faith recognize that the arts of the
Orthodox Church reflect the spirit of the Gospels and for this reason
lift the soul above the earthly realm. And how could it be otherwise,
inasmuch as these arts have been developed by sanctified hearts, which
felt deeply the liturgical element in speech and music? Liturgical music
is the natural musical garb of liturgical speech. Both sprang up
together; they are one and the same thing. Essence and expression here
have an absolute correspondence, even more exact than that of an object
and its reflection in a mirror, for the objects of which we speak here
belong to the spiritual realm. The profound and apocalyptic spirit of
Christian religion and its mysteries could not be expressed faithfully
and worthily except by these arts, which are called liturgical and
spiritual, and which were developed by that same profound spirit. Only
this music, and none other, uniquely expresses the spirit of our
religion, because only this music has an absolute and most exact
correspondence with it. This is testified to, I repeat, by certain men
whose spiritual upbringing, religious training, phyletic and other
heritage have no relation to that of the Orthodox. “The Spirit bloweth
where it listeth,” [5] and is transmitted to souls by means of sounds
which the same Spirit formed, by illuminating the souls of the holy
writers of hymns.
The Fathers of the Church ordained that
Christians use the voice alone in execution of hymns, chanting as did
our Lord Himself and His disciples. St. John Chrysostom says: “Our
Savior chanted hymns just as we do.” The Apostolic Constitutions forbid
the use of musical instruments in the church. From the time of the
Apostles, psalmody was monophonic, or homophonic, as it is to this day
in our churches [in Greece].
The Western Church, in order to gratify
people and flatter their tastes, put instruments inside the churches,
disobeying what was ordained by the Fathers. They did this because they
had no idea what liturgical music was and what secular music was, just
as they did not know the difference between liturgical painting and
secular painting. But the Byzantines distinguished the one from the
other, and this shows how much more spiritual they were in comparison
with the Westerners and how much more truly they experienced the spirit
of Christianity. Byzantine music is, in comparison with the music of the
West, exactly as Orthodox iconography is in comparison with the
religious painting of the West.
How divine, indeed, is the psalmody of
the Orthodox Church! It seems sweeter and sweeter each year to the
Christian—a new wine that fills the heart with joy and makes it soar to
the ethereal region of immortal life.
Byzantine music is peaceful, sad but
consoling, enthusiastic but reserved, humble but heroic, simple but
profound. It has the same spiritual essence as the Gospels, the hymns,
the psalms, the books of the lives of the saints, and the iconography of
Byzantium. That is why Byzantine music is monotonous for one to whom
the Gospels are monotonous, naive for one to whom the Gospels are naive,
circumscribed for one to whom the Gospels are circumscribed, mournful
for one to whom the Gospels are mournful, antiquated for one to whom the
Gospels are antiquated. But it is joyful for one to whom the Gospels
are joyful, filled with compunction for one to whom the Gospels are
filled with compunction, enthusiastic but humble for one to whom the
Gospels, are enthusiastic but humble, and peaceful for one who
experiences the peace of Christ.
Byzantine art is spiritual, and it is
necessary that a man have spiritual depth in order to understand its
mystical treasures. Byzantine music expresses “gladdening sorrow,” [6]
that is, that spiritual fragrance which only the spiritual senses are
capable of experiencing. Its melody is not unholy, ostentatious,
despondent, shallow, tasteless, or aimless; it is meek, humble, sweet
with a certain bittersweetness, and full of contrition and mercy. It
bestows an unwaning spiritual glory upon souls that have become worthy
of the eternal mysteries and the compassion of God. It expresses
thanksgiving; it causes the flow of tears of gratitude and spiritual
joy. This music is the warmest, the most direct, and the most concise
expression of the religious feeling of faithful Orthodox people.”
- Photios Kontoglou
- – -
[1] Photios Kontoglou of blessed
memory (1895-1965) played a major role in the glorious return of
traditional Byzantine iconography to the Greek Orthodox world in the
twentieth century. He was also an accomplished chanter and a spiritual
writer who inspired countless souls to embrace the unadultered
traditions of the Orthodox faith. This epilogue consists of selections
from his writings translated in the book Byzantine Sacred Art by Dr. Constantine Cavarnos, who was one of his disciples.
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