CHURCH/SACRED MUSIC &

GREEK MUSIC
PA S T O R V. A M B AT I I I

MASTER OF ARTS IN TEACHING MUSIC

T H E WAY T O
G E T S TA R T E D
IS TO QUIT
TA L K I N G A N D
BEGIN DOING.
WA LT D I S N E Y

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CHURCH OR SACRED MUSIC

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 DURING THE ANCIENT TIMES,
S A C R E D M U S I C O R I G I N AT E D I N
A N C I E N T C I V I L I Z AT I O N S L I K E
THE SUMERIANS, EGYPTIANS,
AND GREEKS. THEY USED MUSIC
IN THEIR RELIGIOUS RITUALS,
INCLUDING CHANTS, HYMNS,
A N D I N S T R U M E N TA L M U S I C .

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 W H I L E I N T H E M E D I E VA L
P E R I O D A R O U N D ( 5 0 0 - 1 4 0 0
A D ) , S A C R E D M U S I C
D E V E L O P E D I N W E S T E R N
S O C I E T I E S . G R E G O R I A N
C H A N T , N A M E D A F T E R P O P E
G R E G O R Y T H E I , WA S T H E
M A I N T Y P E O F S A C R E D
M U S I C . I T C O N S I S T E D O F
S I M P L E M E L O D I E S S U N G
W I T H O U T I N S T R U M E N T S A N D
WA S U S E D I N R O M A N
C AT H O L I C C H U R C H
C E R E M O N I E S .

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IN THE RENAISSANCE
P ERIOD (1400-1600 AD),
SACRED MUSIC WENT
THROUGH SIGNIFICANT
C H A N GE S. P O LY P HO N IC
COMPOSITIONS, WITH
MULTIPLE VOICES
SINGING DIFFERENT
MELODIES, BECAME
P OP ULAR. COMPOSERS
LIKE PALESTRINA,
TALLIS, AND DI LASSO
CREATED COMPLEX
CHORAL WORKS FOR
RELIGIOUS SETTINGS.

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T H E B A R O Q U E E R A ( 1 6 0 0 - 1 7 5 0 A D ) S AW T H E F L O U R I S H I N G
O F S A C R E D M U S I C . R E N O W N E D C O M P O S E R S L I K E B A C H ,
H A N D E L , A N D V I VA L D I C O M P O S E D G R A N D R E L I G I O U S
P I E C E S L I K E O R AT O R I O S , C A N TATA S , A N D M A S S
S E T T I N G S . T H E S E W O R K S C O M B I N E D C H O I R S , S O L O I S T S ,
A N D I N S T R U M E N TA L E N S E M B L E S , E X P R E S S I N G D E E P
R E L I G I O U S D E V O T I O N .

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IN THE CLASSICAL (1750-
1820 AD) AND ROMANTIC
ERAS (1820-1900 AD),
SACRED MUSIC
CONTINUED TO EVOLVE.
FAMOUS COMPOSERS
SUCH AS MOZART,
BEETHOVEN, AND
SCHUBERT COMPOSED
MASSES, REQUIEMS, AND
ORATORIOS WITH THEIR
UNIQUE MUSICAL STYLES.

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H O W E V E R , I N T H E 2 0 T H C E N T U R Y A N D B E Y O N D , S A C R E D
M U S I C D I V E R S I F I E D I N F L U E N C E D B Y M O D E R N I S M A N D
C O N T E M P O R A R Y T R E N D S . C O M P O S E R S L I K E M E S S I A E N ,
P Ä R T, A N D TAV E N E R E X P L O R E D N E W H A R M O N I E S A N D
A P P R O A C H E S W H I L E M A I N TA I N I N G A S P I R I T U A L A N D
D E V O T I O N A L E X P R E S S I O N .

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T O D AY, S A C R E D M U S I C E N C O M PA S S E S A B R O A D R A N G E O F
S T Y L E S , R E F L E C T I N G T H E M U LT I C U LT U R A L A N D
P L U R A L I S T I C N AT U R E O F R E L I G I O U S P R A C T I C E S
W O R L D W I D E . T R A D I T I O N A L H Y M N S , G O S P E L M U S I C ,
C O N T E M P O R A R Y C H R I S T I A N M U S I C , A N D C H O R A L
C O M P O S I T I O N S A R E A M O N G T H E VA R I O U S F O R M S O F
S A C R E D M U S I C P E R F O R M E D G L O B A L LY I N R E L I G I O U S
S E R V I C E S A N D C O N C E R T S .

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AGENDA

• I. Historical Background

• II. Natural Resources & Annual Income

• III. Cultural Heritage & National Anthem

• IV. Characteristics of Vocal Music

• V. Characteristics of Instrumental Music

• VI. Musical Instruments & Greatest Musical Composers

M O N D AY, FEBRUARY 1, 20XX 11

 HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
OF GREEK
•The term "Ancient" or "Archaic" Greece pertains to
the time between 700-480 B.C. This era is renowned
for its achievements in art, architecture, and
philosophy. It witnessed progress in various artistic
forms, poetry, and technological advancements.
Additionally, it is recognized as the period when the
concept of the polis, or city-state, originated. The polis
played a crucial role in shaping Greek political life for
an extended period of time.

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HISTORICAL
BACKGROUND
OF GREEK
• The Birth of the City-State
• Colonization
• The Rise of the Tyrants
• Archaic Renaissance

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 I I . M A I N N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S &
ANNUAL INCOME SINCE 2021-2022

• Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing

- Greece faces challenges in its agricultural sector due to factors such as poor soil quality, insufficient
rainfall, a landholding system that leads to many unproductive smallholdings, and rural-to-urban
migration.
- Only a small portion of the land is suitable for cultivation, primarily found in the plains of Thessalía,
Makedonía, and Thráki. These areas cultivate crops such as corn, wheat, barley, sugar beets, peaches,
tomatoes, cotton (with Greece being the sole EU producer), and tobacco.
- Olives (for olive oil), grapes, melons, potatoes, and oranges are also grown in significant quantities for
export to other EU countries. Greek agriculture has received substantial support from EU subsidies,
contributing to rural prosperity, but the sector's overall importance to the economy is diminishing.

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 I I . M A I N N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S &
ANNUAL INCOME SINCE 2021-2022

• Resources and power

- Greece possesses limited natural resources. The significant mineral deposits include bauxite for nonferrous
metals, as well as smaller deposits of silver ore and marble.
- Fossil fuels are scarce, except for lignite, as there are no bituminous coal deposits, and oil production is
restricted to the Prinos field near Thásos.
- The Thásos discovery led to a dispute between Greece and Turkey in the 1970s regarding the delineation of
their continental shelves, which remains unresolved.
- As of the early 21st century, most of the Greece's electricity generation relied on fossil fuels, primarily lignite,
followed by a smaller portion from hydroelectric power and nuclear energy. The country has also made efforts
to develop solar and wind power since the late 1990s.

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 I I . M A I N N AT U R A L R E S O U R C E S &
ANNUAL INCOME SINCE 2021-2022

• Income 2019-2023
- The official minimum wage in Greece for 2023 is 780 euros per month based on 14 payments per year, or
910 euros per month for 12 payments.
- The daily minimum wage for Greek workers is 34.84 euros, resulting in an annual income of 10,920
euros/₱ 668061.55.
- It's worth noting that Greece experienced a lack of minimum wage increases for three years until 2022,
and the minimum wage in 2019 rose from 683.8 to 758.33 euros per month after remaining unchanged for
seven years.

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 C U LT U R A L
H E R I TA G E &
N AT I O N A L
ANTHEM

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WORLD
H E R I TA G E
LIST
Acropolis, Athens

Archaeological Site of Aigai

(modern name Vergina)

Archaeological Site of Delphi

Archaeological Site of
Mystras

Archaeological Site of
Olympia

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WORLD
H E R I TA G E
LIST
Archaeological Site of Philippi

Archaeological Sites of Mycenae

and Tiryns

Delos

Medieval City of Rhodes

Monasteries of Daphni, Hosios

Loukas and Nea Moni of Chios

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WORLD
H E R I TA G E
LIST
Old Town of Corfu

Paleochristian and Byzantine

Monuments of Thessalonika

Pythagoreion and Heraion of

Samos

Sanctuary of Asklepios at
Epidaurus

Temple of Apollo Epicurius at

Bassae

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WORLD
H E R I TA G E
LIST

The Historic Centre (Chorá) with the Monastery

of Saint-John the Theologian and the Cave of the

Apocalypse on the Island of Pátmos

Meteora

Mount Athos

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N AT I O N A L A N T H E M

The Hymn to Liberty (Greek: Ὕμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν, Ýmnos is tīn
Eleftherian) is a poem written by Dionýsios Solomós in 1823 that consists of
158 stanzas and is the longest Hymn in the world, set to music by Nikolaos
Mantzaros. In 1865, the first two stanzas officially became the national
anthem of Greece and later also that of the Republic of Cyprus.

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N AT I O N A L A N T H E M

According to the Constitution of the Quintuplet of Cyprus, the Greek

national anthem is used in the presence of the Greek Cypriot president (or
other Greek Cypriot), and the Turkish national anthem is used in the presence
of the Turkish Cypriot vice-president. Cyprus stopped using the Turkish
national anthem, however, when Turkish Cypriots broke away from the
Government in 1963. Hymn to Liberty was also the Greek Royal Anthem
(since 1864).

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N AT I O N A L A N T H E M

The hymn was set to music in 1865 by the Corfiot operatic

composer Nikolaos Mantzaros, who composed two choral versions,
a long one for the whole poem and a short one for the first two
stanzas; the latter is the one adopted as the National Anthem of
Greece.

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 N AT I O N A L A N T H E M
Literal translation in modern
Greek Romanization
English

1 Σε γνωρίζω από την κόψη Se gnorízo apó tin kópsi “I know you from the cutting edge”

“(that is) mighty (the edge) of the

2 του σπαθιού την τρομερή
3 σε γνωρίζω από την όψη
4 που με βια μετράει τη γη.
5 Απ’ τα κόκαλα βγαλμένη
6 των Ελλήνων τα ιερά,
7 και σαν πρώτα ανδρειωμένη
8 χαίρε, ω χαίρε, Ελευθεριά!
tu spathiú tin tromerí
se gnorízo apó tin ópsi
pu me via metrái ti yi.
Ap’ ta kókala vgalméni
ton Elínon ta ierá,
ke san próta andrioméni
hére, o hére, Eleftheriá
sword.”
“I know you from the sight”
“which in haste paces the earth.”
“Risen from the bones”
“the holy (bones) of the Greeks”
“and valiant as before”
“hail, oh hail, Liberty!”

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N AT I O N A L A N T H E M

The Greek national anthem is played and heard on the following occasions:
• On National Holidays before the students or military parade
• At the beginning of sports events, where the Greek national team participates (e.g. football,
basketball, etc.)
• During an Olympic medal ceremony, if a Greek athlete wins the gold medal
• During the closing ceremony of the Olympics, as a tribute to the ancient Greek roots of the
Games.
• Whenever there’s a Greek flag raising at schools, public buildings, or in the army

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF VOCAL
MUSIC

From Ancient Antiquity through the Renaissance, vocal music was the
preferred type of music by scholars and philosophers. Most of the music that
was written and orally transmuted among the centuries was written
specifically to be sung. This doesn't mean that instruments didn't exist
throughout this time, but that sung music was preferred. And of course, the
human voice singing necessitates text: words that are sung by an individual, or
a group of individuals singing as a unit.
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 CHARACTERISTICS OF VOCAL
MUSIC

The Ancient Greeks had a word for the mystical power that music had on
transmuting and even manipulating human emotions: ethos. Words attached to
melodies, they believed, have the power to move people, and even rulers of
nations. The philosopher Plato wrote about how important vocal music was,
arguing that music should be attached to poetry to reach its true value. Arguing
that music in society should serve the state, he warned against the use of
purely instrumental music, saying that it had little value!
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 PLATO'S STUDENT ARISTOTLE BELIEVED THAT
MUSIC COULD IM ITATE AND AFFECT HUMAN
CHARACTER, WRITING:

“[melodies] contain in themselves imitation of ethoses; and this is manifest, for even
in the nature of the harmoniai there are differences, so that people when hearing them
are affected differently and have not the same feelings in regard to each of them, but
listen to some in more mournful and restrained state…the same holds good about the
rhythms also, for some have a more stable and other a more emotional ethos, and of
the latter some are more vulgar in their emotional effects and others more liberal.”
[Aristotle, Politics 8.5, quoted from Burkholder, A History of Western Music, 9th edition pg. 14)

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF VOCAL
MUSIC

Clearly, these philosophers felt that music had a mystical power to move and
change human emotions. To this day, there are many writings about music that
have survived, and there are even many mosaics, and sculptures that depict
people playing music. Unfortunately, not much manuscript—that is, written
music—has survived to this day. Much of the music was transmitted orally, and
not written down. About 45 pieces or fragments of Ancient Greek music
survives today, ranging from the 5th century BC to the 4th century AD.

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 CHARACTERISTICS OF VOCAL
MUSIC

In Ancient Greece, music served many different purposes, like today. There were
hymns (sacred music sung to a god), funeral songs, wedding songs—even Epic Poetry
(the Odyssey) was set to music. And while not much music has survived, the music
that has survived is mostly monophonic -- that is, it consists of a single melodic line
without any accompaniment. We are not sure if this is how music was performed, as
many pictures depict instruments being played while others sang. However, we do not
know how the instrumental music interacted with the performers.

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 SONG OF SEIKILOS

The oldest surviving complete piece of music is titled the 'Song of Seikilos,'
and epitaph, a short, poignant/humorous poem that typically is inscribed on
tombstones. It was discovered in southern Turkey, and it's from approximately
the 1st century AD. What's truly remarkable is that there seems to be actual
musical notation inscribed over the Greek text!

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SONG OF SEIKILOS

The poem translates to English as follows:

"As long as you live,

be lighthearted.
Let nothing trouble you.
Life is only too short,
and time takes its toll."

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 SONG OF SEIKILOS

Now let’s take a listen to the video, this performance of the Song of Seikilos
and we'll hear a stringed instrument that doesn't sound like what we're used it.
This is a Kithara, which is an ancient Greek stringed instrument. It will
likely sound distant and foreign to your 21st century ear.

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M O N D AY, FEBRUARY 1, 20XX 35

 CHARACTERISTICS
O F I N S T R U M E N TA L
MUSIC
Music (or mousike) was an integral part of life in the ancient Greek
world, and the term covered not only music but also dance, lyrics, and
the performance of poetry. A wide range of instruments was used to
perform music which was played on all manner of occasions such as
religious ceremonies, festivals, private drinking parties (symposia),
weddings, funerals, and during athletic and military activities. Music
was also an important element of education and Greek drama
performances held in theatres such as plays, recitals, and competitions.

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 CHARACTERISTICS
O F I N S T R U M E N TA L
MUSIC
Ancient Greeks regarded music as a divine gift and attributed the
invention of specific instruments to gods like Hermes, Pan, and Athena.
The Muses represented different aspects of music and entertained the
gods on Mount Olympus. Dionysos, the god of wine, and his followers
were also associated with music. Legendary figures such as Amphion,
Thamyres, and Orpheus were celebrated for their musical talents.
Archaeological evidence from various Greek civilizations, including the
Bronze Age societies of Cycladic, Minoan, and Mycenaean, reveals the
significance of music.

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 CHARACTERISTICS
O F I N S T R U M E N TA L
MUSIC
The discovery of bone auloi instruments from the Neolithic Age and
depictions of harps, lyres, and sistrums in art highlight their musical
importance. The Greeks believed that the combination of words and
music, melodic systems, and popular instruments like the lyre originated
from the Near East. While the lyre was seen as a Greek instrument, the
aulos was often portrayed as an inferior foreign competitor. Apollo, the
god of music, defeated Marsyas and his aulos in a mythical musical
contest. The lyre held a special place in Greek education, as young
Greeks were encouraged to learn it, as recommended by Plato in his
Republic.

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Greek music encompassed a variety of instruments, including those with

strings, wind instruments, and percussion. The most widely favored were the
ff:
• lyre,
• aulos (often in pairs), and
• syrinx.

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Additional instruments comprised rattles like the sistrum and seistron, cymbals
known as kymbala, the guitar called kithara, bagpipes referred to as askaulos,
shells such as conch and triton (kochlos), the trumpet known as salpinx, the horn
called keras, tambourines called rhoptron, shallow drums referred to as tympanon,
clappers known as krotala, maracas called phormiskoi, xylophones referred to as
psithyra, various forms of lyres such as the four-stringed lyre (phorminx) and the
elongated barbiton with multiple strings, as well as different types of harps, often
triangular in shape like the psalterion.

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MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

Two exceptional instruments included the rhombos, a wind instrument shaped

like a flat rhombus with holes, played by spinning a cord, and the hydraulis, an
elaborate Hellenistic organ that utilized compressed air and water pressure
controlled by pedals. It is noteworthy that stringed instruments were played with
fingers or a plectrum, not a bow, and during the Classical Period, they were
preferred over wind instruments due to their ability to accompany singing. For the
Greeks, the significance of words in music outweighed the importance of pure
musical sounds.
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 Greek musicians often served as both composers and lyricists of
the music they performed. They were known as "makers of songs"
or melopoioi and their creations involved combining words,
melody, and rhythm, known as melos. Historical evidence suggests
that musicians held a respected position in society, as indicated by
their distinct attire and inclusion in royal household staff lists.

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 Musicians even had their own symbol in the Cretan
hieroglyphic script and later in Linear B. Generally, professional
musicians were male, although there were exceptions such as
courtesans or hetairai who performed at symposia. While male
musicians were more common, depictions in artwork show female
musicians, such as clay figures of dancing lyre players from
Palaikastro. Other professional musicians included trieraules, who
maintained the rhythm for rowers on triremes, as well as trumpet
players and choral singers who accompanied marching soldiers.

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G R E AT E S T G R E E K C O M P O S E R S

Vangelis Mikis Theodorakis Iannis Xenakis Yanni

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G R E AT E S T G R E E K C O M P O S E R S

Georges Aperghis Stavros Xarchakos Nikos Skalkottas Manos Hatzidakis

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G R E AT E S T G R E E K C O M P O S E R S

Spyridon Samaras
Manolis Kalomiris

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While not as widely recognized as

composers from other European
nations, the aforementioned group of
Greek composers and music has made
SUMMARY significant and substantial
contributions to Greek music, history,
culture, society, and the broader
human experience.

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THANK
YOU
PASTOR V. AMBAT III
Email Address:
johnleh23@gmail.com

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