A fundamental error in choral arranging is treating all Byzantine chant as a blank canvas. Traditionalists claim Western harmony destroys the chant, while modernists force it everywhere. Both are wrong.
Byzantine music is about 80% modal and 20% tonal. Functional harmony is a highly specific acoustic tool and it’s not an enemy. You deploy it where the melody (and the history behind it) demands it, and you ban it where it corrupts the mode.
The Tonal Zones: Where Functional Harmony is Required
If the mode is historically a Western import, we treat it like one. When we adopt a lion, we can’t force it to be vegetarian. If the structure of the melody implies a leading tone, resists modal cadences, or gravitates toward functional resolution, forcing modal harmony onto it creates a category error. The lion cannot have boiled broccoli for lunch.
The following environments natively support standard Western triadic progressions:
1. Third Tone (The F Major / D Minor Axis)
Third Tone is the clearest example of Western tonality within the Byzantine system. Its core identity operates strictly on the F Major and D Minor axis. In all its forms, Third Tone is fundamentally tonal rather than modal. When arranging this tone, you must abandon modal treatment and utilize standard functional chord progressions, moving between F Major, C Major, and D Minor depending on the active tonal center of the phrase. Few exceptions do exist and are explained in the book “Tone System Quick Guide: The Composer’s Manual“.
Practical Example: Third Tone Cadence
Consider the final cadence of By the Rivers of Babylon, a Polyeleos in F Major (composed by Chourmouzios the Archivist, arranged by Ari Koufogiannakis):
2. Grave Tone (Syllabic and Solemn Styles)
Do not confuse this with the unstable B Locrian mode used in elaborate Grave Tone. In its syllabic and solemn forms, Grave Tone inhabits a majestic F Major environment. You must treat Grave Tone major as Western-tonal by default. When the melody pivots toward D, standard relative-minor (D-minor) progressions are entirely legitimate and structurally sound.
3. The Nenano Mode (Harmonic Minor)
Certain specific hymns, such as the Kathismata of the Fourth Tone (modeled after “Joseph marveled”), are written in pure Nenano. These behave identically to Harmonic Minor and must be harmonized tonally rather than modally. Similarly, when operating in solemn and elaborate Plagal Second Tone, Nenano passages can support full Western treatment. This includes counterpoint, imitation, and functional V-i cadences, provided the chromatic melodic dialect remains intact.
Practical Example: Nenano Mode
“Joseph Marveled” – Unknown composer, arranged by Ari Koufogiannakis:
Byzantine Music is not exclusively modal. When the Mode dictates functional gravity, execute Western harmony without apology.