What is Psaltic Art

Psaltic Art is the art of chanting. It is strictly vocal, (a capella) strictly monophonic music used in the Greek Orthodox Church. For most people it is synonymous to Byzantine music which both technically and aesthetically is very different from western music. Byzantine church music is vast;y richer and spiritual than western church music. Composers and Cantors St. Romanos the Melodist (6th c.) St. John of Damascus (ca. 676 – 749) Ioannis Koukouzelis (ca. 1270 – ca. 1340) Manuel Doukas Chrysaphes (15th c.) Petros Bereketis (17th – 18th c.) Petros the Peloponnesian (ca. 1735 – 1778) Thrasyvoulos Stanitsas (1910 – 1987) Other notable masters are: Other great cantors of the 20th century include Stanitsas’ predecessors Iakovos Nafpliotis and Konstantinos Pringos, Leonidas Asteris (the current Archon Protopsaltis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate), Chrysanthos Theodosopoulos, Athanasios Karamanis, Athanasios Panagiotidis, Harilaos Taliadoros, Spyridon Peristeris, Photios Ketsetzis, Theodoros Vasilikos, Emmanuel Hatzimarkos, Deacon Dionysios Firfiris, et al