Sacred Music

"I will sing to the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praise to my God while I have my being" (Psalm 103[104]:33).

CHRIST IS RISEN!
INDEED HE IS RISEN!

Please note: The Registration Form and Agenda for this year's Sacred Music Institute is now available on line. Click on the link on the right side panel for the Sacred Music Institute for more information.

Welcome to the web site for the Sacred Music Department. We have much information here for you, which changes regularly. Our goal is to provide you with the music you need for celebrating the Liturgical services of the Orthodox Church. Please check back often to find updates to what you need, or write us for what you cannot find.

Our Mission Statement
The mission of the Department of Sacred Music is to provide leadership to the parishes of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese, drawing from the talents of the faithful in order to serve as a resource for the publication of music, to organize workshops and seminars, to build strong ties of communication throughout the Archdiocese, to support the work of missions, and to be a positive influence in the creation of new works of liturgical music for the glory of God and the Holy Orthodox Faith.

THE EMAIL CONTACT FORM AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE IS NOW UP AND RUNNING. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS FOR US, PLEASE LET US KNOW! THANKS. Chris

UPDATED: May 1, 2008
(To make sure you have an updated page, click the Refresh button on your Internet Browser.)

Click on the words "Music Downloads" to access our music!
Music Downloads

The following NEW updates are now available on our web site, under Music Downloads.

PLEASE NOTE: All the Feast Day Series are now done. If there is any other music you need, please let us know.

Music for Pascha: See Pascha Series, in Section P.
The Great Prokeimenon, for Agape Vespers: "Who is so great a God" (found in Section W).
REMEMBER: Each of the Sundays after Pascha have their own Series:
     a. Thomas Sunday Series - UPDATED!
     b. Myrrhbearing Women Series - UPDATED!
     c. Paralytic Series - still being updated
     d. Samaritan Woman Series - still being updated
     e. There is nothing special for the Sunday of the Blind Man. All is the same as Pascha.
New Music available for "As Many As Have Been Baptized", chant version in Arabic, under
Group Heading for "As Many"
Also Available, Music for the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy. Each is listed in its own section:
Under A: for As Many As Have Been Baptized.
Under B: for Before Thy Cross.
Under T: for Trisagion Hymn.
New! Music for ordinations of deacons and priests. See Ordination Music in Music Downloads.
New! Troparia Music for Weddings now available: "O Isaiah, dance thy joy..." in Byzantine chant form, with ison.
(Coming soon: whatever else you might need, write to us! We are currently working on music for the Sacraments of Baptism, Wedding, and Funeral (with Memorial) which will be presented at the Sacred Music Institute at the Antiochian Village July 30 - August 3, 2008. Hope you can come.

We also now have available our revised and updated Convention Music, 2007 edition.
* To access the complete packet of music, go to Section N, and click on the National Convention Music there.
* For inidividual pieces of the Convention Music, click on the "Music Downloads" link, and then the "Music for the National Convention..." link in the box, which will bring up all of the Convention music individually.

Last year's SMI was held from July 11 - 15, 2007!
We hope you enjoyed being with us, and will come again this year.

Please join us THIS YEAR:
West Coast: January 24 - 27, 2008
Antiochian Village: July 30 - August 3, 2008

2007 SMI Group picture

DID YOU KNOW ...

... that the beginning of the reading of the Gospel in many languages at Agape Vespers was in Jerusalem? Many people and pilgrims would come to visit Jerusalem to see the holy sites, especially at the time of Holy Week and Pascha. So therefore, in order to proclaim the Good News of Christ's holy resurrection to all people, they began to read the gospel that day in many languages, so that everyone would hear it proclaimed in their own tongue.

Also, here's an after the fact "Did you know?": DID YOU KNOW... that it is proper for only the priest or bishop on Pascha night to sing "Come ye take light from the Light..."? They are to sing it repeatedly until all the people have their candles lit. THEN, the choir and/or chanters sing "Thy resurrection, O Christ our Savior..." as the people process out of the church. In fact, what's surprising, and ironic, that some of our choirs actually sing "Come ye take light" in Russian Tone 6, is that the Russian tradition doesn't even include "Come ye take light" at all. It's not even in their repertoire of music for that evening, since they don't sing it at all. We sort of adapted that tradition and incorporated that hymn in with "Thy resurrection", setting it to Tone 6, probably to make them both match. But "Come ye take light" is properly in Tone 5, and "Thy resurrection" in Tone 6.

PASCHAL HYMNS:

Christ is risen from the dead trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. (thrice)

In that we have beheld the resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy Lord Jesus, the only sinless One. Thy cross do we adore, O Christ, and thy holy resurrection we praise and glorify, for thou art our God, and we know none other beside thee; we call upon thy name. O come, all ye faithful, let us adore Christ’s holy resurrection. For lo, through the cross is joy come into all the world. Ever blessing the Lord, let us sing his resurrection; for in that he endured the cross for us he hath destroyed death by death. (thrice)

(The Hypakoe) They who were with Mary came before dawn, found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre and heard the angels say unto them: ‘Why seek ye him as man with the dead, who dwelleth in light eternal? Behold the grave wrappings; make haste and declare to the world that the Lord is risen and hath caused death to die; for he is the Son of God, the Saviour of mankind.’

(The Kontakion) Though thou, O deathless One, didst descend into the grave, thou didst destroy the power of hades and, as Victor, thou didst rise again, O Christ our God. Thou didst greet the myrrh-bearing women saying: Rejoice! Thou didst bestow peace upon thy disciples and resurrection upon those that are fallen.

In the grave with the body but in hades with the soul as God; in paradise with the thief, and on throne with the Father and the Spirit wast thou, O Christ, filling all things, thyself uncircumscribed.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As life-bearing, as more splendid than paradise and more radiant than any royal chamber, O Christ, is shown forth thy tomb, the fountain of our resurrection.

Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Rejoice, O thou hallowed, divine abode of the Most High, for through thee, O Theotokos, was joy given unto those who cry aloud to thee: Blessed art thou among women, O all-undefiled Lady. .

When you look at music on the web site, and wish to download it to replace something else, please look at the footer of the page to see the revision number (Rev. 1, e.g.) or the date to make sure that it is the latest one out there, or at least later than the one you currently have.

Please let me know how I may help you in your parish to make your liturigical experience the best that it can be, to the glory of our God.

Chris

Questions and/or comments may be emailed to Christopher Holwey, Chairman of the Sacred Music Department,
by clicking on the link below, filling out all the section, and clicking on Submit at the bottom of the form.

http://www.antiochian.org/contact/Department_of_Sacred_Music

Thank you!

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