Oxyrhynchus hymn
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The Oxyrhynchus hymn is the earliest known manuscript of a Christian hymn to contain both lyrics and musical notation. It is found on Papyrus 1786 of the Oxyrhynchus papyri, now kept at the Papyrology Rooms of the Sackler Library, Oxford. This papyrus fragment was unearthed in 1918 and the discovery was published in 1922. The hymn was written down in about the late 3rd century AD. The text, in Greek, poetically invokes silence so that the Holy Trinity may be praised.
The music is notated in Greek letter notation. It is diatonic, has an ambitus of slightly less than an octave, with a final of G. The text is largely set syllabically, with a few short melismas.
It is often considered the only fragment of Christian music from ancient Greece, although Kenneth Levy has persuasively argued that the Sanctus melody included in the medieval Requiem mass dates to the 4th century. It is similar to the hymn in its largely syllabic texture and diatonic melody, with slight differences.
Modern recordings of the hymn have been included on a number of releases of Ancient Greek music.
[edit] Text
- .. Let it be silent
- Let the Luminous stars not shine,
- Let the winds (?) and all the noisy rivers die down;
- And as we hymn the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
- Let all the powers add "Amen Amen"
- Empire, praise always, and glory to God,
- The sole giver of good things, Amen Amen.
(translation from West, M. L. 1992. Ancient Greek Music. Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-814975-1)
[edit] External links
- Oxyrhynchus 1786 at Oxyrhynchus Online, with low- & high- resolution images of the papyrus itself.
- Website containing transcribed text and translation of the Oxyrhynchus hymn, and a recording.
- McKinnon, James W.: 'Christian Church, music of the early', Grove Music Online ed. L. Macy (Accessed 11 July 2006), Grove Music - Access by subscription only
