16 Facts About Konstantinos Psachos

Konstantinos Psachos was a Greek scholar, educator, musician, composer, cantor and musicologist.

Konstantinos Psachos was born in the village of Mega Revma near Constantinople in 1869.

Konstantinos Psachos was the son of Irene-Erifylli and Alexander Psachos, descended from Cephalonia.

Konstantinos Psachos returned to Constantinople and in 1895 was appointed as archcantor at the Metochion of the Holy Sepulchre, where he was given the opportunity to study many manuscripts in the library of the Metochion.

Konstantinos Psachos served as teacher of Greek language and religion in various schools, such as the Girls' School at the Metochion, to which he was appointed in 1896.

Konstantinos Psachos served as archcantor at the churches of Saint Theodore of Vlanga and Saint Nicholas of Galata.

Patriarch Anthimus VII responded to their request by suggesting that Konstantinos Psachos was a suitable person for this post.

Konstantinos Psachos married his second wife, Amalia Armao, in December 1932 at Delphi.

Konstantinos Psachos studied the notation of Byzantine and ancient Greek music.

Konstantinos Psachos invented a keyboard musical instrument, the Panarmonio of Eva, dedicated to his friend and pupil, Eva Palmer-Sikelianou, in order to perform Byzantine music in a more authentic manner.

Konstantinos Psachos wrote music for ancient tragedies and proposed the harmonization of Byzantine music with the use of two or three resonant lines instead of only one.

Konstantinos Psachos set to music the ancient Hymn to Apollo, wrote chorales of ancient tragedies, composed works for orchestra and choir and published many studies.

Konstantinos Psachos compiled a collection of folk-songs with Byzantine and European musical notation.

Konstantinos Psachos exposed many of his students to chanters during his career.

Konstantinos Psachos taught the Constantinople patriarchal style of chanting, which was unknown compared to Bavarian four-vocal chanting.

Konstantinos Psachos was the first who published the Divine Liturgy with a resonant line, publishing a book, "Asian Lyre", currently taught as an instruction book in many Greek conservatories.