St. Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia (source)
"Byzantine ecclesiastical music is a
teaching...it softens the soul of man, and slowly lifts him up to
other spiritual worlds with his voice, which sows [spiritual]
pleasure and rejoicing and thanksgiving, traveling to another,
spiritual world. This is how it is in reality, my children. Do not
look where you are hearing this and what they are doing. When you do
this slowly, you enter in with such a spiritual form, and thus sense
what to do.
"You can be an egotistical chanter, and
rock and be pleased with your self and be hollow. You might have the
voice that can move others, but he who is truly holy when he chants
has something else. He does not have his voice alone. Together with
his voice, which radiates with sound waves, he radiates grace with
other mystical waves, which reaches the souls of men and moves them
even more deeply.
"The hollow “musician” (let us call
him), the egotist, has [pride] and is pleased [with this]. The holy musician sends
forth waves together with his voice. This is a very great mystery. As
a result, if you go to the Holy Mountain, and hear the monks
chanting, even if you have a frozen and stony heart, when you hear
them, [you say]: “There it is. This musician can [truly move someone]...”
(amateur translation of text from source)
An icon of some of the most prominent Holy Melodists and Hymnographers of the Orthodox Church: Sts. Romanos the Melodist, John Koukouzelis, Gregory Domestikos, John of Damascus, Joseph the Hymnographer and Kosmas the Poet (source)
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
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