I guess I didn't get the English version of the Ascension megalynarion up in
time for today, but I didn't want it to be a rush job. It is now finished and
available on the website:

http://www.newbyz.org/ascension_megalynarion.pdf

The National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians announces a new resource for chanter training: "The Notation, Transcription, and Rendition of Byzantine Chant: A Training Manual for the Eastern Orthodox Chanter" by Dr. Frank Desby. The publication was edited by Dr. George Stefanidakis and is being published posthumously by the National Forum.

The resource includes a 345-page comprehensive manual plus a CD with downloadable PDF of the text and musical examples of the exercises.

The Chanter Manual is available in three formats: hard cover book with CD, binder-ready packet with CD, and CD only.

For more details, a biography of Desby, and an order form, visit: http://www.churchmusic.goarch.org/

Vicki Pappas, National Chairman

National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians

Bloomington, IN 

http://www.churchmusic.goarch.org

LATEST UPDATE: June 6, 2012  - The Apolytikion of St. Mary Magdalene for July 22
is now available in Greek and English. You may find it on the Saints page of the
Menaion section.

Link:

http://newbyz.org/07-22_mary_magdalene_troparion.pdf

Thank you to Manny Creekus who found a small typo in the Communion Hymn for All
Saints Sunday: "en Kyrio" was accidentally typed as "ev Kyrio." Please correct
this before Sunday, or re-download it, as I have corrected it on the website.

Three small words were left off of the end of the English version of the
apolytikion for June 24. It is corrected and sorry for any inconvenience. Here's
the link:

http://www.newbyz.org/06-24_nativity_john_baptist_trop.pdf

LATEST UPDATE TO NEWBYZ.ORG: July 11, 2012  - The apolytikion and kontakion of
the pre-feast of the Transfiguration of Christ, August 5, which falls on a
Sunday this year, is now available in Greek and English under the
Transfiguration section of the Menaion on the main page.

Links:

http://newbyz.org/transfiguration_forefeast_troparion.pdf

http://newbyz.org/transfiguration_forefeast_kontakion.pdf

I should mention the melody for the kontakion is the one in popular use that
mimics the beginning of "I Parthenos Simeron." If you want the original Fourth
Tone melody, I can provide it. Just e-mail me.

LATEST UPDATE to Newbyz website: August 5, 2012 - By request from Ireland, we
now have the Small Paraklesis booklet in letter-sized paper format. It, along
with the music, may be downloaded under August 1 to 14 in the Menaion section of
www.newbyz.org.

We have added three apolytikia for Sundays in this September: Joachim and Anna,
Sept. 9, The Conception of John the Forerunner, Sept. 23, and Gregory the
Armenian, Sept. 30. They are available on the Saints page:

http://newbyz.org/saints

Blessed feast, everybody. I noticed to day that the at the end of our
translation of the Apolytikion of the Transfiguration, I had the words, "Giver
of life," when, of course, it should be "Giver of Light." This was a mistyping
on my part. I apologize to everyone who may have been using this English version
and had been chanting an inaccurate translation. It has been fixed.

I made a small correction to the "Typikon for Sundays" spreadsheet and PDF file.
For January 7, the megalynarion was listed as that of Theophany. Actually, it is
supposed to be the megalynarion of the Synaxis of St. John the Forerunner. The
megalynarion of Theophany is only chanted on January 6 when it falls on a
Tuesday through Saturday. If it falls on a Sunday or Monday, then the St. Basil
liturgy is celebrated and the megalynarion is thus "In you rejoices (Epi si
cheri)."

We've added a version of Nancy's translation of Agni Parthene (O Virgin Pure)
that has English verses with Greek refrain. Link:

http://newbyz.org/o_virgin_pure.pdf

New hymns for Sundays in October now include St. Hilarion, October 21, (see
Saints page), and the apolytikion and kontakion for the Protecting Veil of the
Theotokos, October 28. (See Menaion section.)

New November hymns put up on the website are for St. Theodore the Studite (Nov.
11) and St. Katherine the Great Martyr (Nov. 25). Also see the Saints Page for
St. Joannicius (Ioannikos) (Nov. 4) and St. Plato (Nov. 18).

http://www.newbyz.org/saints

Now available on newbyz.org are the Sunday apolytikion and kontakion for
December 9, St. Anna's Conception of the Theotokos. Look on the Saints page
under December.

http://newbyz.org/saints

We've uploaded the apolytikion for the Sunday after the Nativity of Christ (Dec.
26-31), commemorating St. Joseph, Prophet David, and St. James. It's in Greek
and English. Here's the link:

http://www.newbyz.org/sunday_after_nativity_christ_trop.pdf

We've put up some carol arrangements. Go to newbyz.org and scroll down to near
the bottom of the page.

Sorry this is so late. Just in time for tomorrow, we've put up the megalynarion
for the Presentation of the Theotokos. Here's the link:

http://www.newbyz.org/presentation_theotokos_megalynarion.pdf

LATEST UPDATE: November 24, 2012. We've added the apolytikion (Jan. 2-4) and
kontakion (Jan. 2-5) of the Forefeast of Theophany. See under the January 6
feast in the Menaion section

I've also added today the apolytikion of the Eve of Theophany.

http://www.newbyz.org/theophany_eve_troparion.pdf

By the way, the hard chromatic melody used for the forefeasts of the Nativity
and Theophany is the one most commonly used today in America. However, I plan to
create alternate versions using the older melody for those who prefer it. I hope
I can do this in time for the upcoming feasts.

We've added the apolytikion and kontakion of the Forefeast (February 1) of the
Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and also the megalynarion of the feast.
Look under February 2 of the Menaion section of newbyz.org.

We've put up the apolytikion for tomorrow, December 15, in Greek and English,
that of St. Eleftherios. Here's the link:

http://www.newbyz.org/12-15_eleftherios.pdf

Now available on the New Byzantium Publications web page is the apolytikion for
January 20, St. Efthymios, in Greek and English. Here is the link:

http://www.newbyz.org/01-20_efthymios_trop.pdf

We've also added St. Charalambos for February 10:

http://www.newbyz.org/02-10_charalambos_trop.pdf

If you have downloaded the St. Charalambos hymn before today, please do so
again. I inadvertently did not include the name of the saint in the English
version. Also, I've used a more traditional model melody, thanks to A.
Combitsis, who generously gives of his time to mentor me.

--Stan Takis

http://www.newbyz.org/02-10_charalambos_trop.pdf

We put up today the formerly unfinished hymns for the month of March. These are
the apolytikion for the Forty Holy Martyrs (March 9) available on the Saints
page of newbyz.org, and the apolytikion and kontakion of the Forefeast of the
Annunciation (March 24), which are in the Menaion section of the main page under
the feast.

With the posting of the apolytikion of March 9, all of the necessary Sunday
hymns for 2013 are now available on newbyz.org and so we are trying to finish
all of the hymns for future years which are not up yet. To that end, we have
added today the apolytikion and kontakion of the forefeast (September 7) of the
Nativity of the Theotokos.

It was brought to my attention that the Memorial Service (Mnimosino) in the
Common Service section of newbyz.org had a printing error. The column of the
Greek music on page 3 was accidentally reproduced on page 4 as well. The problem
has been corrected, and the proper verse inserted. So if you have downloaded the
Memorial Service in the past year, please download it again, or at least pages 3
or 4 and replace the old one with the error. Thank you. Link:

http://newbyz.org/memorial_service.pdf

I've begun to mark any pages that have corrections and have been uploaded to
replace older versions. If a hymn has no mark in the lower right hand corner of
the page, it is to be considered as version 1.0. If I make a minor correction to
the hymn, I will increase the number to the right of the decimal point by one,
and mark it in the lower right corner, e.g., "v. 1.1." If I make a major
correction, I will increase the number to the left of the decimal point by one,
e.g., "v 2.0."

This way, if you have two versions of the same hymn that differ, you will know
which one is the corrected version. We prefer you always use corrected versions.
Major corrections will be reported here, and on our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/newbyz.org

Speaking of updates, we have been steadily adding saints' apolytikia to the
Saints page of newbyz.org. You can check it here:

http://newbyz.org/saints