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1000 Songs/Only-begotten Son and Word of God

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Only-Begotten Son and Word of God

1000 Songs

Text

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Only Begotten Son, and Word of God, Immortal Who didst vouchsafe for our salvation to take flesh of the Holy Mother of God and ever Virgin Mary, and didst without change become man, and wast crucified, Christ our God, and by death didst overcome death, [Being One of the Holy Trinity, and glorified together with the Father and the Holy Ghost, save us.]

  • Translation by John Brownlie in Hymns of the Apostolic Church, 5th series (Paisley: Alexander Garner, 1909), 37.

Author

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[[[Wikipedia:Emperor Justinian I|Byzantine|Emperor Justinian I]]] (483-565)

Translations/Challenges

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I found an English translation in "A Survey of Christian Hymnody" by William J. Reynolds

Music

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Editor's Choice

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Click here to see the score

Background

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Author biography

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[[[Wikipedia:Emperor Justinian I|Emperor|Justinian I]]]

Historical setting

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  • Fourth and Fifth Centuries
  • Troparion - the earliest type of Byzantine hymn; a single-stanza prayer in response to the psalms.
  • "Only Begotten Son, and Word of God" is the most famous example of troparion hymnody.

Cultural setting

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  • Fourth and Fifth Century Roman Empire
  • 330 A.D. Emperor Constantine moved the seat of Government to Byzantium. This Divided the Church as well as the empire into Eastern and Western areas.
  • Byzantine hymnody was born out of this split.
  • Influenced by Jewish and Syrian tradition, this was an acapella monophonic chant which was mainly diatonic and followed the rhythm of the text.
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