Manuel Byzantios

Archon Protopsaltes of the Great Church of Christ

Manuel Byzantios, student of Iakovos Protopsaltes and George of Crete, stood out for his serious eccesiastical style, which was faithfully imitated by his successor Protopsaltes Constantine Byzantios. Because of his melodic voice and his music experience, he became Protopsaltes of the St Kyriaki Church at Konstoskalion.

He composed three series of artistic cherubic humns , communion hymns, lessons for the Mathematarion, Antiphons per mode in in mixed genre, short doxologies in various modes, the verses of the kekragaria in 8 modes, the beatitudes in grave mode and first-grave mode, He also melodised the verses of the Megalynaria of the Meeting of the Lord, he shortened the greatest «Μακάριος ἀνήρ» of Peter Lambadarios, he wrote a collection of idiomela with various kontakia and apolytikia, according to the tradition of the Great Church.

On his death on 3 June 1819, he was succeeded by Gregory Levite, the up to then Lambadarios of the Great Church.

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