How to Transcribe Byzantine Neumes into Byzantine Polyphony

How do you arrange actual Byzantine scores according to Byzantine Polyphony without making arbitrary decisions?

Byzantine neumes encode a monophonic performance. Byzantine Polyphony requires more than symbol-by-symbol conversion of those neumes into staff notation. The transcriber must interpret the melody, identify the mode, distinguish performative ornament from notational folklore, and rebuild the line in a form that supports modal (or where appropriate tonal) polyphony. This article is the working method.

1. What neumes can and cannot tell us

Neumes, per traditional Byzantine theory, signify:

• pitch
• time
• ornaments
• ison (drone)

But:

• Pitch neumes describe the monophonic source line. They do not automatically determine the final soprano line in a polyphonic arrangement.
• Ison does not always give reliable clues to the end-product drones or chords.
• Qualitative characters are sometimes present only as orthographic compliance. They exist because the codified writing system requires them in certain positions, not because the chanter performs anything distinct at that moment.
• Chanters do not always sing what they see on paper. Traditional detours and ornaments beyond the marked ornamental symbols are frequent.
• Ornaments are either eastern inflections, or attempts to make the monophonic line less dull, or attempts to mimic absent polyphony.

The old mistake, taught in traditional Byzantine music courses:

• Flutter (πεταστή) → Grace note
• Accented diminuendo (ψηφιστό) → Grace note
• Link (σύνδεσμος) → A turn
• Heavy accent (βαρεία) → Trill-like stress
• Ripple (ομαλό) → Trill-like stress
• Shake (αντικένωμα) = Grace note

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This produces cluttered, nervous melodies that still think monophonically. Neumes are useful source material, but they are not the final authority for polyphonic writing.

2. Identify the actual mode

Asking “What Tone label does the book print?” is the wrong question. You should ask: “What mode is the melody actually behaving in?“

To do this, you need to know the style of melody (syllabic, solemn, elaborate) and be familiar with the theory in the Tone System Quick Guide .

Examples:

• First Tone usually behaves as Dorian. But some lines are Mixolydian and others Locrian. There may be circle-of-fifths modulations at play.
• Second Tone may behave as Mixolydian, Byzantine, or Phrygian. It may even have Dorian colorations.
• Plagal Fourth may behave as Ionian with a Dorian shadow.
• Grave syllabic and solemn behave as major tonality, but in Elaborate it is Locrian with Dorian and Mixolydian inflections.
• Nenano behaves as the Western harmonic minor (see Mastering Byzantine Polyphony Chapter 4 for the historical phases).

The Tone tells us the liturgical family. The Mode tells us how to write the music.

3. Qualitative signs: what to do with them

The rule is not “ignore qualitative signs.” But:

Qualitative signs are not automatically transcribed as extra notes. First identify their role. They may be purely orthographic. They may be substitutes for harmony. They may be legitimate performance gestures: articulations, ornaments, stresses, or phrase-shaping clues.

• If they are purely orthographic, ignore them.
• If they are substitutes for harmony, reverse-engineer them and identify which polyphonic technique they were trying to mimic.
• If their role is genuinely expressive or ornamental, transfer this into polyphony appropriately. Modern signs for dynamics, breath marks, fermatas, phrasing, and performance instructions (solo, etc.) fall into this category.

Byzantine Polyphony does not worship every sign. It asks what musical function the sign performs. In polyphony, the ornament can move from the melody into the texture:

• Flutter → Rhythmic activation in the bass (e.g., double-picking).
• Accented diminuendo → Inner-voice motion.
• Heavy accent → A harmonic suspension.
• Ripple → Common-tone harmony.
• Shake → Delayed resolution (retardation).
• Link → Connective counterpoint.

The transcriber’s question is not “what extra notes does this sign add to the melodic line?” but “what musical function is this sign performing, and which voice in the polyphonic texture should carry that function?”

4. Rhythm: text governs, but pulse remains disciplined

Do not confuse fluidity with sloppiness.

Byzantine rhythm is not square hymnbook rhythm. Neither is it free mush. Transcription should preserve:

• Word accent
• Phrase stress
• Cadence length
• Textual breathing
• Meter shifts where needed

But it must be written so singers can rehearse it. If the rhythm cannot be rehearsed by a choir, it has not been transcribed but merely been admired.

Aim to preserve the original tempo of the piece according to the style of melody: Not too slow for syllabic and solemn, not too fast for elaborate.

5. Tones and transposition

Mastering Byzantine Polyphony strongly recommends preserving the original pitch location. Many composers transpose to a comfortable key that works for their choir. The recommendation here is the opposite: arrange in such a way that your choir can perform comfortably without needing to transpose.

Remember:

• These hymns were not composed to make the choir feel good or to lift the mood of the people. They are offerings.
• A transposition comfortable for the choir may have practical implications elsewhere, it may be uncomfortable for the priest or the bishop.
• Original pitch preservation also keeps the compositional intent of the original intact at the points where the composer’s pitch choices were specific rather than incidental.

6. Ison: source clue, not prison

Traditional ison can help reveal perceived centers and cadences. But in Byzantine Polyphony, the drone is not automatically copied.

Sometimes the traditional ison is:

• useful
• misleading
• overextended
• harmonically destructive
• evidence of later misunderstanding

The ison sometimes gives a clue for the active mode of the line, but it must be judged by modal function.

Example. Traditionalist theories strictly forbid an ison on Pa when syllabic Fourth Tone (Legetos) uses the Phrygian Mode. The institutional teaching is that “Pa is attracted toward Vu and is therefore sharpened.” This is a misreading of Aristoxenus’s distinction between stable and movable notes. Aristoxenus’s “movable” meant non-residual, fast-accessed, not raised in pitch toward the note above. There is no melodic pull that sharpens the seventh degree in a Phrygian line. Introducing one would import a leading-tone function and would Westernize the mode at exactly the point where the traditionalists claim to be defending its Eastern character. The contradiction is the institutional position’s, not ours.

Not only is it not a mistake to use Pa as ison in Vu-centered Phrygian melodies when appropriate, it can be beautiful. Keep this in mind when arranging.

7. From melody to polyphony

After the monophonic line is clarified, then harmonize.

Workflow:

1. Simplify and transcribe the main melody.
2. Identify mode and cadences.
3. Mark poles, finals, medial cadences.
4. Decide on sonorities, possible drones, harmonic rhythm.
5. Add bass first. The melody should sound good with the bass alone.
6. Add inner voices. Avoid obvious voice-leading mistakes. Some parallel octaves in modal harmony are acceptable. Parallel fifths only if absolutely intentional. If the harmony is tonal (Nenano or a major scale), do not double the leading tone.
7. Strive for singable melodies instead of “filling chords.”
8. Counterpoint is your friend.
9. Verify that the ornamental symbols have been expressed through harmonic techniques. Go back and add what is missing. Go back and remove what is unnecessary.
10. Run the gravity test: remove Alto and Tenor. Does the arrangement still hold as Melody plus Drone? If yes, the modal foundation is sound. If no, the inner voices are doing structural work they should not be doing, and the arrangement is functional harmony disguised as modal.

8. Example: before and after

Let’s transcribe this traditional melody from the Ascents (Αναβαθμοί) of First Tone:

Style of melody: Syllabic. Tone: First.

1. Simplifying the melody. This is a syllabic-style hymn from the Ascents, sung early in Matins. The pace is fast; around 110 bpm is a good tempo. I will use changing time signatures so that the first beat of each measure falls on a stressed syllable. This is common practice in Byzantine Polyphony.

In measure 4, I see a stepwise descent that can be simplified because the harmony will supply the motion. In measure 10, I see a small leap that looks suspiciously like a cadential ornament. I am simplifying that as well, because I will reverse-engineer its function in the harmony.

I am careful to enter the Greek syllables with punctuation. For simplicity, I will use modern Greek punctuation even though the text is ancient. In staff notation, punctuation should be included for textual clarity. I also use hyphens between syllables of the same word, and slurs or extension lines where a syllable continues across multiple notes, as in measure 9.

2–3. Mode and cadences. This is the Dorian Mode. The medial cadence is on G, and the final cadence is a perfect authentic cadence on D. Nothing unusual appears here, and I do not see any modulation.

4. Harmonic plan. The main sonority is {D, F, A}. Since Dorian often accepts support from the lowered VII, {C, E, G} is also available. I should not clutter the harmony, because this is a fast-paced syllabic piece.

5. Bass line. I added the bass in a way that works clearly with the melody and expresses some of the flutters, especially in measures 3 and 4. I also used harmonic motion in the bass to express the accented diminuendo. I may later transfer some of that motion to the inner voices if the bass becomes too active.

6–9. Inner voices. I added the inner voices and intentionally kept the tenors low for this piece. The final cadence is graced by the alto’s delayed resolution, replacing the cadential leap found in the monophonic version.

10. Gravity test. The arrangement passes the test. The modal foundation remains stable, and the piece stays faithful to Dorian behavior.

Preserve the structural melody. Translate the qualitative sign into the appropriate polyphonic function.

Be aware that harmony itself sometimes provides a texture that eliminates the need for further ornamentation. Be very conservative when transcribing ornaments, and if you do need to transcribe them, ask yourself, “What musical function is this sign performing, and which voice should carry that function?”

The neumes are source material and the polyphonic arrangement is the destination. The path between them is interpretive musicology, not just mechanical conversion. Composers who follow this method will produce arrangements that honor the source while functioning as music.