Oktoechos

DIMITRI CONOMOS

The collection of eight modes forming the compositional framework of Christian chant. Each mode comprises a restricted set of flexible melody types peculiar to it. Byzantine theorists refer to them as Modes I-IV Authentic and I-IV Plagal. While the origins of the Oktoechos are obscure, by the 8th century the system had become established within the Greek liturgical orbit. St. John of Damascus (675-ca. 749) contributed significantly to the formation of the Paraklitike (Oktoikh in Russian), a liturgical book which allocates proper chants for the Office to the eight modes over a recurring cycle of eight weeks.

SEE ALSO: Liturgical Books; Music (Sacred); Paraklitike

REFERENCES AND SUGGESTED READINGS

Jeffery, P. (2001) “The Earliest Oktoechoi: The Role of Jerusalem and Palestine in the Beginning of Modal Ordering,” in P. Jeffery (ed.) The Study of Medieval Chant, Paths and Bridges, East and West, In Honour of Kenneth Levy. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell, pp. 147–210.