The musical work of Ekonomos Charalambos: critical presentation of the theoretical «Byzantine Music String»

Economos Charalambos was one of the most prominent personalities in the chanting art in Cyprus during the end of the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century. He published the theoretical book titled «Byzantine Music String», the Anastasimatrion and the Funeral Service. He became acquainted with both the new and the old notation of writing Byzantine Music. His articles stigmatize the impact and alteration that the chanting art suffered from the western music. He tried to rescue the chanting art from this effect and to transplant the genuine and authenitc form of Byzantine Music into later generations. As far as the teaching part is concerned, he was proved a great teacher, having many chanters as students during the course of the years.The beginning of the twentieth century finds the churches both in Cyprus and in Greece to be dominated by the western tetraphony. Ekonomos Charalambos tried to change this, by writing mainly in the newspaper «PAFOS», where he criticized this situation and advocated for the return to the genuine Byzantine chanting way.In his Book of Byzantine Music Theory “Theoritikon” he refers amongst other to the spelling of musical characters, as well as to other matters, such as «symfonia», «synichisi», «proslamvanomenos», «synafi», «diazefktikos» and in «apichimata». He knew the old notation and he refers to the ancient ekfonitika signs as well as to ison and isokratis. In one of the chapters he deals separately with each genre and its components. An important chapter in its “Theoritikon” is, among others, the Rhythm and the Imitation. Finally, being himself a music composer (melopoios) he particularly refers to the composition, as well as other components of the genres, that make up the system of chanting art.Ὁ Οἰκονόμος Χαράλαμπος ὑπῆρξε μία ἀπὸ τὶς σημαντικότερες προσωπικότητες στὸ χῶρο τῆς ψαλτικῆς τέχνης στὴν Κύπρο κατὰ τὰ τέλη τοῦ 19ου καὶ τὶς πρῶτες δεκαετίες τοῦ 20ου αἰώνα. Ἐξέδωσε τὸ θεωρητικό, μὲ τίτλο «Βυζαντινῆς Μουσικῆς Χορδή», τὸ Ἀναστασιματάριο καὶ τὴ Νεκρώσιμη Ἀκολουθία. Ὑπῆρξε γνώστης τόσο τῆς νέας ὅσο καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς γραφῆς. Τὰ ἄρθρα του στιγματίζουν τὴν ἐπίδραση καὶ ἀλλοίωση, ποὺ εἶχε ἡ ψαλτικὴ τέχνη ἀπὸ τὴ δυτικὴ μουσική. Προσπάθησε νὰ διασώσῃ τὴ ψαλτικὴ τέχνη ἀπὸ τὴν ἐπίδραση αὐτὴ καὶ νὰ τὴ μεταλαμπαδεύσῃ στὶς νεώτερες γενεές. Ὅσον ἀφορὰ τὸ διδακτικὸ μέρος, ἀναδεικνύεται σὲ μεγάλο διδάσκαλο, ἀφοῦ κοντά του μαθήτευσαν πλῆθος μουσικῶν.Στὶς ἀρχὲς τοῦ 20οῦ αἰῶνα, τόσο στὴν Κύπρο ὅσο καὶ στὴν Ἑλλάδα κυριάρχησε στὶς ἐκκλησίες ἡ δυτικὴ τετραφωνία. Ὁ Οἰκονόμος Χαράλαμπος ἀρθρογραφοῦσε κυρίως στὴν ἐφημερίδα «ΠΑΦΟΣ», ὅπου καὶ στηλίτευε αὐτὴ τὴν κατάσταση.Στὸ θεωρητικό του ἀναφέρεται, μεταξὺ ἄλλων, στὴν ὀρθογραφία τῶν μουσικῶν χαρακτήρων, καθὼς καὶ σὲ ἄλλα θέματα, ὅπως «Συμφωνία ὴ «συνήχηση», «Προσλαμβανόμενος», «Συναφὴ» «Διαζευκτικὸς» καὶ στὰ «Ἀπηχήματα». Γνώστης καὶ τῆς παλαιᾶς γραφῆς, ἀναφέρεται στὰ ἀρχαῖα ἐκφωνητικὰ σημεῖα καθὼς ἐπίσης καὶ στὸ Ἴσον καὶ Ἰσοκράτης. Σὲ ξεχωριστὸ κεφάλαιο ἀναλύει ξεχωριστὰ τὸν κάθε ἦχο καὶ τὰ συστατικά του. Ἕνα βασικὸ κεφάλαιο στὸ θεωρητικὸ του εἶναι, μεταξὺ ἄλλων, καὶ ὁ Ρυθμὸς καὶ ἡ Μίμηση. Τέλος ὡς μελοποιὸς ἀναφἐρεται στὴν μελοποιΐα καθὼς καὶ σὲ ἄλλα συστατικὰ τῶν ἤχων, τὰ ὁποῖα ἀπαρτίζουν τὸ σῶμα τῆς ψαλτικῆς τέχνης