Second Tone Papadic Bulgarian Cherubikon -Because Beginners Love Hard Things

So far I've posted recordings of an eirmologic piece, an old sticheraric piece, and new sticheraric piece, and now we have to come to the rhythmic style most unfamiliar and most challenging to aspiring American chanters: the papadic style. Learning papadic pieces can be daunting -pages of notes without a lot of lyrics, it can feel like you're moving through a musical labyrinth of sorts.

Well I felt that way, at first. But like all Byzantine chant, very long papadic pieces are made up of formulae which can be learned piece by piece. 

This is a cherbubikon -a hymn sung before and after the great entrance. It's customary now to stop in the middle and allow the priest and deacon to exclaim the petitions "All of you, the Lord God remember..." As an interesting historical foot note, those exclamations were once merely whispered to people as the priest and deacon went around the church.

The cherubikon is in tone 2. That means the scale is a soft chromatic scale that's one of the least familiar to Western ears. [I know, I know -I picked a soft chromatic papadic piece, doubling the 'foreignness" of the piece]

• It's being in Slavonic by a Bulgarian Byzantine choir.
• Since it's papadic and in the second tone, it cadences mostly on δι (G), βου (E), and High ζω (B) with a rare cadence on νη (C).
• The choir's interpretation is very nice, although they've "smoothed out" some of the trills, flutters, and ornaments.

Compare with this tone 2 cherubikon in English ( music / recording ).

Both are challenging to sing and even listen to. Try to listen to both, although it must be said this isn't music you sit back and relax to. This is music that keeps you alert. So listening to both will be work. Consider yourself challenged to make it through both!