Isaiah the Serb

[1] Isaiah worked in the Matejče Monastery, near Kumanovo (in modern North Macedonia).

Isaiah was a very well-educated composer of both bilingual and purely Greek hymns.

The existence of Greek and Slavonic settings in his works shows that Serbian services were commonly bilingual.

Isaiah's melodies, some syllabic, others more melismatic, show his inventiveness, and his ability to introduce new and original elements, especially from the Serbian tradition, within the compositional framework of the Byzantine chant, thus creating a new and distinctive style: the Serbo-Byzantine school.

He was also immensely popular after his death, with his compositions being copied until the late 18th century.