The effort required to learn Byzantine music cultivates a student’s spiritual and cultural development. The conductor of a newly formed children’s Byzantine choir told Basilica.ro that the increasing number of children approaching the chanters at the church stand or in a structured study setting is a significant improvement.

The declaration of 2023 as the Commemorative Year of hymnographers and church chanters in the Romanian Patriarchate has increased musical activity in parishes and beyond. The organisation of new conferences and festivals, seminars, and Byzantine music courses piqued the interest of the youthful public.

Tronos Junior and Mini Byzantion are two eloquent examples that become nurseries of future church chanters.

Tronos Junior

Archdeacon Mihail Bucă, founder and conductor of the internationally acclaimed Tronos Choir of the Romanian Patriarchate, launched Tronos Junior in January 2023 in Bucharest.

“Tronos Junior was founded with the intention of following the old tradition that existed in the Church before communism, which was to raise chanters at a very young age, starting from 5-7 years old. Through a minimal but consistent presence at the chant stand, the chanters were formed easily and thus acquired a stable experience,” explained the 27-year-old Ioan Balaban, who is in charge of forming children in the mysteries of Byzantine music.

The initiative began with 100 students in January. Thirty children were added in May, followed by another 40 in September.

“I see their consistency and perseverance as a significant benefit for chant stands in Romania. They are very enthusiastic and dedicated,” Ioan Balaban said.

Byzantine music classes are conducted with all students from Monday to Saturday. Based on the lessons, members are chosen for the primary Tronos Junior choir, which has distinct Sunday evening rehearsals.

Recently, members of Tronos Junior performed alongside Tronos Choir and Ribale Wehbé from Lebanon at a benefit concert for the reconstruction of Turnu Monastery. The students are currently preparing Christmas melodies.

“The fact that many children rehearse at home and spend seven hours learning certain hymns tells me that we have future great chanters in front of us,” the leader of Tronos Junior noted.

Mini Byzantion

Each day, a comparable initiative develops in Iasi. The Byzantion Cultural Association has desired Mini Byzantion for several years, but it did not become a reality until April 2022. There are presently 35 students in the group.

“The purpose of this group is their spiritual, musical and cultural growth, firstly around the chant stand and secondly in classes, rehearsals and other cultural-musical activities,” explained Dr Adrian Sîrbu, who leads both the Mini Byzantion Children’s Choir and the Byzantion Academic Choir.

In addition to their current Byzantine music classes, the members of Mini Byzantion chant with Adrian Sirbu every Saturday evening and on the eve of Orthodox feasts at Vespers at St. Anthony’s Parish in Iasi.

“Everyone, based on age and training, responds differently to various musical organisational tasks, such as reading, canonarchema, or isocratema, reciting verses, or responding to litanies,” detailed Adrian Sîrbu.

The age segment is between 5 and 14 years.

Mini Byzantion has performed at several concerts in Iași, both on the occasion of important church feasts and at events such as the Byzantine Chant Masterclass and the Iași Byzantine Music Festival.

“The courses are aimed both at learning an occasional Byzantine chant repertoire, such as that of Christmas carols or on the occasion of a concert, as well as at learning the liturgical repertoire. We are learning the chants for the Divine Liturgy, one by one, to be able to perform soon a Liturgy held exclusively by the Mini Byzantion Choir,” said Adrian Sîrbu.

It is scheduled to launch a new series of registrations in October due to rising demand.

Oriental instrument classes

The conductor of Mini Byzantion gave details about a new project that was about to start.
“Perhaps the most important project is this autumn’s opening of oriental instrument classes. The project will be called ‹Mini Byzantion Oriental Orchestra›,” Protopsaltis Adrian Sîrbu announced.

The approach involves collaborating with the “Saint Roman the Melodist” Association in Thessaloniki, whose guide is Panagiotis Neochoritis, Archon Protopsaltis of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

“Professors from this Greek association will hold weekly classes. Beneficiaries will be children who have already purchased instruments according to their preference, following prior presentations, and assistants from the Byzantion Cultural Association.”

The assistants from the Byzantion Association, primarily graduates of the sacred music programme at the “George Enescu” National University of Iaşi, will provide the children with hands-on training and technical support to learn the proper way to play these instruments.

“Spiritual and musical development is aimed primarily at the epicentre of the chant stand and the church, and in the church area, there is interest around instrumental music as part of this so-called Byzantine music. Children are brought up in Eastern culture through the music of Byzantium, which is in the same sacred spirit as the Byzantine chant, the liturgical music.”

The model is borrowed from many already established schools, such as that of Simon Karas, “Saint Romanos the Melodist” Association in Thessaloniki, but also from the teaching method of Dimitrios Galanis.