Alan Bell

M802 Seminar in Music Theory

Byzantine influence in the late choral works of Sir John Tavener

I. Introduction

Sir John Tavener (1944—2013) was an English composer best known for his vocal and

choral music. Having converted to the Russian Orthodox church in his early thirties, his music

after 1977 was heavily influenced by Byzantine chant, an ancient musical tradition that has

permeated liturgical Orthodox practices since the middle ages. Spirituality was central to his way

of thinking, so much so that it affected every aspect of his composing – he considered the act of

composing itself a spiritual practice.1 Inspired by the religious imagery of Orthodoxy, often

referred to as icons, Tavener’s ambition was to create icons of sound, seeking to achieve a sense

of serenity and frozen ecstasy and leaving an impression of the Divine upon the listener.2 An

exploration of Tavener’s most important works testifies to his ability to attain this sense of what

might be considered frozen ecstasy; performances of these works have been described as leaving

the listener in an almost trance-like state.

Tavener, who’s career as a composer flourished during a modernist and post-modernist

era, consciously rejected modernist techniques, opting instead for musical tools deeply rooted in

Orthodox tradition.3 In his music, a synthesis of Byzantine chant and common practice tonality is

1
June Boyce-Tillman and Anne-Marie Forbes, Heart’s Ease, 2020,
https://www.peterlang.com/document/1057693.
2
Gregory M. Pysh and John Tavener, “Icon in Sound: An Interview with Sir John Tavener,” The Choral Journal 54,
no. 10 (2014): 18–23.
3
Ironically, Tavener believed that Igor Stravinsky was the greatest composer of the twentieth century, and stated
that Anton Webern was not a modernist, but “one of the few composers who understood the concept of silent
music.”
often heard. Repetition, drones and sustained tones, and simplistic tonal constructions blend to

create a music with an almost meditative quality. Tavener maintained the belief that all music

has existed since the beginning of time and that it was the composer’s purpose to find that music

- “if you have ears to hear, you’ll hear it!”4 He stated that the composer should not struggle over

notes, forms, development, or processes; to the contrary, music would come to the composer if

they were in a prayer like state during the act of composing. This conviction directly affected his

style and musical constructions.

Byzantine chant, one of the world’s oldest musical traditions, permeates Tavener’s

middle and late works. The tradition stems from the liturgical practices of the Byzantine Empire

(330 – 1453 AD), also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, which continued ancient Roman

and Greek traditions throughout the middle ages. Stemming from the seven note diatonic scale

introduced during the time of Pythagoras, a specific set of Eight Tones, or scalar modes, are used

in Byzantine chant. Each of the eight modes corresponds with one week of the Orthodox

liturgical calendar, which is organized into an eight-week cycle.5 The modes are used to compose

hymns, or chants, setting religious texts to music to be used in church services and ceremonies.

The Byzantine musical tradition, fundamental to the music of the Russian Orthodox church still

to this day, represents an unbroken connection to humanity’s ancient musical past.

The Eight Tones of the Byzantine tradition are closely related to modes of the diatonic

scale as we know them today, with a few permutations. Figure 1 shows each Tone notated in

present-day western notation. As indicated beneath each Tone, a tonic, or ison, serves as the

Tone’s primary resting point. The ison is often sung as a drone and serves as a point of reference

4
Boyce-Tillman and Forbes, Heart’s Ease.
5
What Is the Orthodox Hymnographic Tradition of the 8 Tones?, 2021,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOESWKObV4w.

2
and accompaniment for a chanter as they sing motifs that highlight characteristic intervals of the

scale. The dominant notes serve as intermediate resting points within a hymn and are not to be

confused with the term “dominant” as used in common-practice tonal music.6

The Eight Tones are derived from four scales (Tones 1-4), with a second four created

through permutation (Tones 5-8, or Plagal 1-4). Tone 1 is essentially a dorian scale, although

microtonal inflection on the 6th scale degree may infer a minor second between scale degrees five

and six;7 Tone 2 is characterized by two augmented second intervals, one between scale degrees

two and three and the other between scale degrees five and six; Tone 3 is fundamentally a

diatonic scale, although microtonal inflections alter the scale’s temperament; and Tone 4 is most

closely related to phrygian, with the 5th scale degree being raised or lowered similarly to the 6th

degree of Tone 1. Tones 5-8 are modes of Tones 1-4, thus their Plagal label. The term plagal, in

this instance, does not refer to the subdominant, as is the case in common-practice tonal music,

but to the Greek word plagios, meaning sideways, or oblique. In other words, the scale has been

turned on its side - it has been changed through permutation.

6
Byzantine chant, unlike common-practice tonal music, is not characterized by functional harmonic progression nor
does it imply harmonic direction.
7
Similar to the practice of raising scale degrees six and seven of the melodic minor scale as it rises and flattening
them as it falls, the 6th scale degree of Tone 1 is raised if the scale will continue upwards to the 7th degree and
flattened if it will not move beyond the 6th degree.

3
Figure 1. The 8 Tones of Byzantine chant

4
 The Byzantine Tones are characterized by microtonal subtleties that are not easily

comprehended through the lens of western music theory, and mastering their intricacies can take

a lifetime of performance practice. An in-depth explanation of the Byzantine musical scales,

performance practices, and tradition goes well beyond the scope of this paper and would require

further investigation. Little has been written about the subject and no substantial theoretical

analysis has been carried out by western theorists, despite the antiquity of Byzantine chant and

the Orthodox musical tradition.

Although Tavener claims a significant influence from the Orthodox tradition, he arrived

at his musical conclusions through exposure to the Orthodox church in a modern-day setting, not

through theoretical study or formal analysis. In fact, Tavener has been criticized for composing

outside of Orthodox guidelines for sacred music, accused of putting “long blonde hair” on

Byzantine Tones.8 Despite this unorthodox approach to composing Orthodox music, a clear

byzantine influence can be heard in Tavener’s choral music after 1977, especially in the years

leading towards the end of his life.

II. Byzantine influence in Tavener’s late choral music

In an attempt to demonstrate instances of Byzantine influence in the works of John

Tavener, three of his late choral pieces for unaccompanied SATB choir will be examined. Advent

Antiphon: O Adonai (2010), Nunc Dimittis (Seconding Setting) (2011), and They Are All Gone

8
Cheryl Metzger-Peiskee “An Expression of Religion and Spirituality: The Piano Music of John Tavener” (D.M.,
United States -- Florida, The Florida State University, 2022),
https://www.proquest.com/docview/2708022951/abstract/C89F8BAE25154850PQ/1.

5
into the World of Light (2012) illustrate how Tavener has taken certain characteristic aspects of

the Byzantine tradition and adapted them to fit his own musical vision.

Figure 2. Advent Antiphon: O Adonai, Opening passage. Chester Music copyright 2010.

Figure 2 shows the opening passage from Advent Antiphon: O Adonai, an

unaccompanied melodic phrase sung by sopranos. The phrase emphasizes both a tonic and a

dominant note, G and F respectively, a fundamental feature of traditional Byzantine Tones. As

would be expected in the context of Byzantine chant, the phrase begins and ends on the tonic, G,

while coming to rest on the dominant, F, at the halfway point (occurring at m. 3 in Figure 2).

The Tone used in this piece most closely resembles that of Tone 8, what western theorists

would call mixolydian. It is significant to note that traditionally, the dominant of Tone 8 would

occur on the 3rd or 5th scale degree, not on the 7th. Also of importance, an alternation between C

natural and C# occurs throughout the phrase, a characteristic feature of Tone 8 - however one

that Orthodox guidelines would suggest should happen on the 7th scale degree, not on the 4th.

Worthy of note is the near perfect symmetry of the phrase’s construction, not particularly

representative of Byzantine chant, but an important feature of Tavener’s individual style.

6
Figure 3. Advent Antiphon: O Adonai, Second Passage. Chester Music copyright 2010

As seen in Figure 3, the melodic phrase at its second appearance is accompanied by an ison

in the basses, tenors, and altos sung on the Tone’s tonic, G (as is to be expected within the

framework of the Byzantine tradition). A feature of this passage is a singing of the melodic

phrase in canon by the sopranos, divided in half. The canon is separated by only two quarter

notes, creating a tightly woven stretto that results in a complex textural effect that notably

7
distorts the melody. This approach to polyphony is common in Tavener’s works, although not at

all representative of Byzantine tradition.

The original melodic passage is revisited a third time to conclude the work, in its final

instance accompanied by the G ison in the basses, half of the altos, and half of the sopranos. In

this passage, the melody is harmonized through a real transposition at the fifth and tenth below,

creating parallel major triadic motion in an open first inversion. Again, this effect is Tavener’s

own variation on the practice of harmonizing in parallel motion, often at the fifth, that was

commonly used in Gregorian chant. This, however, is not a feature of Byzantine chant, and

shows a synthesis of musical elements derived from distinct ancient cultures.

The next example of Byzantine influence in Tavener’s works comes from his Nunc Dimittis

(Second Setting) (2011) for unaccompanied SATB choir. The work, stylistically very different

from Advent Antiphon: O Adonai, shows influence, albeit substantially less direct, from the

Orthodox tradition. The piece, 3 minutes in length, contains a melodic line that is harmonized in

four-part homophony. The melody is chant-like in character but does not strictly follow

guidelines related to the tonic and dominant notes of the Byzantine Tones. However, it is in a

mixolydian mode when considered alone, which can be associated with Tone 8. Each passage

can be analyzed, when studied as a whole, from the perspective of common-practice tonality – a

process which reveals nothing of interest about the piece, suggesting that melody is the primary

element at work.

Although drawing a direct connection of the work’s melodic material to Byzantine chant

requires a certain amount of abstraction and permissibility, there are elements of the score that do

result directly from Byzantine tradition. Most notably, as seen in Figure 4, the score has been

written without time signatures. Although the music is measured and a clear eighth note pulse

8
drives the melody, measure divisions are somewhat arbitrary. Measure 1, for example, contains

eleven eighth notes, while m. 2 contains twelve and m. 3, nine. The text drives the musical

phrase, and not the other way around; a practice that comes directly from Orthodox hymns. The

mission of the Orthodox composer is to be a “servant the Word,”9 as Tavener himself put it; this

philosophy appears to be firmly at work in Nunc Dimittis (Second Setting).

Figure 4. Nunc Dimittis (Second Setting), Opening passage. Chester Music copyright 2011

9
Metzger-Peiskee.

9
 A primary feature of the piece, a series of descending chromatic modulations from one

melodic phrase to the next, is one aspect of the music that diverts significantly from Byzantine

practice. Modulation is not a feature of Byzantine hymns; each him is very clearly and firmly

centered around a tonic pitch throughout its entirety.10 An occasional shift of the ison to a

dominant tone is the most significant harmonic change that might be heard within a Byzantine

hymn. Nunc Dimittis (Second Setting), however, modulates a total of six times – the first phrase

is sung in Ab major (from the perspective of common-practice tonal analysis), the second in G,

the third in Gb, and so on, until the final phrase is sung in Eb major. No variations occur within

the internal harmonic structures or melodic lines of each phrase; each subsequent phrase is

simply an exact transposition a half step lower of the phrase that proceeded it.

It is unclear what might have inspired Tavener to include this feature within the music, as it

has not been discussed in interviews, nor was any reference made to this structural aspect of the

work in program notes. It is likely, however, that Tavener used modulation and the

corresponding effect it has on timbre and intonation of the vocalists, to create the sensation of

profound serenity and calm in the listener.

Tavener’s work, They Are All Gone into the World of Light (2012) serves as a third example

of Byzantine influence in his music. Synthesizing stylistic elements seen in both Advent

Antiphon: O Adonai and Nunc Dimittis (Second Setting), the work is perhaps more representative

of his own unique musical idiom than one strictly of Orthodox origin; however, a Byzantine

influence is undoubtedly at work. The piece is composed in an A – B – A ternary form, with the

melody centered around a tonic G. The “A” passages are harmonized through four-part

homophony, while the “B” section is constructed of counterpoint through cannon. Figure 5

10
“Byzantine Chant,” Holy Cross Orthodox Church, accessed May 2, 2023,
https://www.holycrossonline.org/byzantine-chant.

10
shows the first phrase of the opening “A” section. The passage can be analyzed with common-

practice harmonic analysis; however, a much more enriching understanding comes from

analyzing the main melody in the sopranos. In this manner, we see that the melody is composed

in a phrygian mode, reminiscent of the Byzantine Tone 4.

Figure 5. They Are All Gone into the World of Light, “A” section phrase one. Chester Music copyright
2012

As is often the case with Tavener’s works, They Are All Gone into the World of Light is

highly repetitive. This opening passage is repeated six times during the first “A” section alone.

However, more variation is introduced within this work than seen in the other works previously

analyzed. Figure 6 shows the second appearance of the melody, now having been permutated to

G mixolydian, representative of Byzantine Tone 8. A mixing of different Tones within a single

composition goes strongly against Byzantine tradition, as each Tone is used for a specific week

of the Orthodox liturgical calendar.

11
 Figure 6. They Are All Gone into the World of Light, Second appearance of melody. Chester Music
copyright 2012

The “B” section of the work is constructed through dense polyphony created through

canon. Figure 7 shows an excerpt of how this was achieved. The melody has not been altered

from the “A” section and continues the pattern of alternating between Tone 4 and Tone 8,

Figure 7. They Are All Gone into the World of Light, "B" section. Chester Music copyright 2012

12
phrygian and mixolydian. This creates a textural effect that is highly complex and sounds

anything but traditional. The simplicity of its construction is then quite ironic, as the resulting

sound of the passage is one that might by described as decidedly modernistic.

This works serves as an example of where Tavener has again taken great liberties and

gone well outside of the guidelines of Orthodox compositional practice. Yet, even here, it is not

possible to separate his music entirely from the Orthodox tradition. They Have All Gone into the

World of Light demonstrates how Tavener seamlessly integrated traditionalism with his own

modernist ideas. Perhaps this synthesis of spiritualistic simplicity with modernist complexity

might explain his widespread appeal in the world of concert choral music; his popularity has

extended well beyond the confines of the Orthodox church throughout the twentieth and twenty

first centuries.

III. Conclusions

Sir John Tavener, composer, spiritualist, and public figure has without a doubt shaped

concert choral music of the modern era. His works have been highly acclaimed across Europe,

the United States, and elsewhere, testimony of the significance of his impact. Guided by his own

spirituality in his compositional practices, Tavener’s music has been known to create feelings of

spiritual serenity in the listener. He believed that his purpose as a composer was to be a “servant

of the Word,” setting Orthodox texts to music in a way that represented the Divine in sound.

These Icons of sound that he sought to create have touched listeners in ways similar to works by

composers Arvo Pärt and Henryk Gorecki, the three often grouped together under the term “Holy

Minimalism.”

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 Tavener achieved his unique, and considerably spiritual sound through incorporating

elements of Byzantine chant into his works. An ancient tradition rooted to 6th and 7th century

liturgical practices, Tavener believed that the basic musical materials that comprise Byzantine

chant came from the mouth of God himself. An idiom not commonly heard by western ears,

Tavener spent decades studying and working with the Byzantine Tones in search of a music that

was truly sacred. The resulting sound of Tavener’s music, a synthesis of ancient tradition with

his own individual style (and a certain disregard for strict Byzantine guidelines), is exotic yet

familiar; a music that has been capable of connecting with listeners around the globe from

diverse cultural backgrounds and belief systems. Whether Tavener’s appropriation of Orthodox

tradition was with merit or not is irrelevant; he has left a legacy of beautiful music that will most

certainly be enjoyed for centuries to come.

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