Many people are unaware that our own musical scale has a Byzantine counterpart, as indicated below:
- Western (Solfège): Do re mi fa so la ti do
- Greek (Byzantine): Πα (pa), βου (vou), γα (gha), δι (thee), κε (ke), ζω (zo), νη (knee), πα (pa)
For those interested in learning it so as to begin to master byzantine chant (much in demand these days), here is a handy mnemonic device for so doing in the form of a song. The tune is Richard Rodgers’ Do Re Mi, from The Sound of Music. The lyrics are mine, with sincerest apologies to Oscar Hammerstein II.
Πα, a name I call my dad,
Βου, a Gallic word for “you,”
Γα, the sound a baby makes,
Δι is you and only you,
Κε, conjoining words in Greek,
Ζω, where animals are caged,
Νη, arthritis makes it weak.
That will bring us back to
Πα – Κε – Γα – Βου
Πα . . .
Βου, a Gallic word for “you,”
Γα, the sound a baby makes,
Δι is you and only you,
Κε, conjoining words in Greek,
Ζω, where animals are caged,
Νη, arthritis makes it weak.
That will bring us back to
Πα – Κε – Γα – Βου
Πα . . .
April 12th, 2010 | 8:03 am | #1
Solfège a la Nairobi Trio.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Uw03hS_EMY
April 12th, 2010 | 8:49 am | #2
Ah, yes. The great Ernie Kovacs. It’s a pity he died so young.
By the way, my father learned the Byzantine musical scale as a child and can still sing with it. I think all children in Cyprus must have been taught this at the time.
April 12th, 2010 | 9:26 am | #3
Love the music moments!
Speaking of which, where has Rev. Paul McCain been? I miss his Sunday/Feast Day reflections and his pro-Bach posts.
April 12th, 2010 | 12:10 pm | #4
David, I’m trying to arrange choir music today. I’ll gladly pay you anything to get that song out of my head.
April 16th, 2010 | 2:04 am | #5
[...] 18. The Byzantine Musical Scale song! Because we all know how hard it is to master Byzantine chant. [...]
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