John Koukouzelis

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John Koukouzelis or Jan Kukuzeli (Albanian: (Shën) Jan Kukuzeli; Bulgarian: Йоан Кукузел, Yoan Kukuzel; Greek: Ιωάννης Κουκουζέλης, Ioannis Koukouzelis; c. 1280 – c. 1360) was an Albanian-Bulgarian medieval Orthodox Christian composer, singer and reformer of Orthodox Church music. Koukouzelis received his education at the Constantinople court vocal school and established himself as one of the leading authorities in his field during the time. A favourite of the Byzantine emperor and a principal choir chanter, he moved to Mount Athos and led a monastic way of life in the Great Lavra. Because of his singing abilities, he was called "Angel-voiced". Koukouzelis established a new melodious ("kalophonic") style of singing out of the sticherarion. Some years after the fall of Constantinople Manuel Chrysaphes characterised the sticheron kalophonikon and the anagrammatismos as new genres of psaltic art which were once created by John Koukouzelis. Despite his innovations, Manuel assured that John Koukouzelis never contradicted the traditional method of the old sticherarion, not even in his anagrammatismoi. Koukouzelis is regarded as the most influential figure in the music of his period. He was later recognized as a saint by the Eastern Orthodox Church, his feast day being on 1 October. He is known as Saint John Koukouzelis (Greek: Άγιος Ιωάννης Κουκουζέλης, Hagios Ioannis Koukouzelis, Bulgarian: Свети Йоан Кукузел, Sveti Yoan Kukuzel, Albanian: Shën Jan Kukuzeli, Macedonian: Свети Ј

top songs

albums

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Voices of Byzantium: Medieval Byzantine Chant from Mt. Sinai

Ioannis Koukouzelis: The Byzantine Maestro

Mt. Sinai: Frontier Of Byzantium

Byzantine Chants

Epiphany: Medieval Byzantine Chant

Korones/Koukouzeles/Kladas

A Byzantine Emperor At King Henry's Court

Byzantine Secular Music Vol. 1

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The Divine Liturgy in English in Byzantine Chant

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