On How to Compose & Perform
Appalachian Orthodox Chant

Note: Appalachian Orthodox Chant, as it is presented here, is not an established chant tradition. It is experimental, and is merely my offering to God and the faithful of His church here in America. What - if anything - comes of it is entirely up to the will of God.

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HISTORY

The history of Orthodox Chant and its effect on the world is incredibly fascinating. The earliest Christians used simple antiphonal refrains and improvised melodies to intone psalms, which was familiar to many having worshipped in Jewish synagogues. This notion of simple, improvised melodies based on tones developed into Byzantine Chant - the oldest continually used tradition of sacred Christian music in the world - which is widely used today in Greek Orthodox churches and monasteries. Around AD 1000, the newly-converted Slavic peoples began taking the specific Athonite tradition of Byzantine Chant and adapted it to their own familiar style. This became known as Znammeny Chant. Although Znammeny isn't as widely used as Byzantine Chant, it still forms an important backbone to the Slavic liturgical tradition. After the introduction of Western four-part harmony in the 17th century, Russia began adapting traditional Znammeny, Byzantine, Obikhod, and Kievan chants into a more complex style of sacred music, championed by composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Rimsky-Korsakov. These four-part settings continue to be used in parishes of many different jurisdictions today.

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The pattern that can be found in the aforementioned examples of Orthodox church music is clear: groups of people took the traditions of sacred music that had been given to them and adapted it to reflect their own culture and identity (it should be noted, of course, the only thing that changes here are the musical settings - the theology and spiritual traditions of the Orthodox church have remained unchanged for over 2000 years, regardless of the country, people, or historical situation). However, us in America today find ourselves in an interesting place: Orthodoxy has existed in America since at least the 1700s, but in the time between then and now, there has not yet been a traditionally "American" form of Orthodox chant to be widely adopted. Nevertheless, as many Americans convert to Orthodoxy, and as America itself has a wonderfully rich musical tradition, there has emerged the Appalachian Orthodox Chant style, based on the traditional Orthodox Byzantine & Znammeny chants, as well as the Scots-Irish, African American, and American Indian musical styles found in the American South.

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Many have reached out to me saying that this style of chant seems very ancient, even though these compositions are new. My theory is that, since traditional Appalachian music is primarily based upon the Celtic musical traditions of the British Isles—and Britain was Orthodox for a thousand years—it is, perhaps, more of a return to that tradition, through the American lens, than something wholly new. 

This Appalachian Orthodox Chant project is designed to serve as an American complement to the foundational traditions of Byzantine and Znamenny chant. It offers a prayerful path for English-speaking faithful to engage with Orthodox hymnography through the familiar musical vernacular of America. It is not a replacement for the aforementioned styles, which were created by great saints of the Church, whereas I am nothing, but rather an experimental offering intended for the spiritual enrichment of Orthodox here in the New World. Its future is therefore entirely in the hands of God and the canonical Orthodox bishops, priests, and faithful. I offer this work in a spirit of humility, seeking only to glorify God by providing another beautiful means for His people to pray and sing His praises.