Nana (echos)

Phthora nana (Medieval Greek φθορά νανὰ) is one of the ten modes of the Hagiopolitan Octoechos consisting of 8 diatonic echoi and two additional phthorai.

Today the "nana" intonation has become the standard name of the third authentic mode which is called "echos tritos" (ἦχος τρίτος) in Greek and "third glas" (третий Гласъ) in Old Church Slavonic.

The book contained a collection of simple hymns troparia as well as heirmoi which served as melodic models (μέλη) for the 10 modes of Octoechos.

In contemporary theoretical explanations the phthora nana had not only been regarded as a melodic model for stichera and heirmoi, but also as a transition model as well, which mainly connected tritos with tetartos echoi.According to theoretical explanations of the Papadike, phthora nana was not only defined by its melos like a proper echos itself, as such it had been subordinated to certain echoi already in the Hagiopolites treatise.

[8] The triphonic solfège could be solved again from the enharmonic into the diatonic genus, but it was in fact not just a change of the genus (μεταβολὴ κατὰ γένος, metavole kata genos), but also a change from the triphonic into the tetraphonic tone system (μεταβολὴ κατὰ σύστημα, metavole kata systema).

The reform of the Byzantine neume notation in the early 19th century redefined the mele according to each genre (troparic, heirmologic, sticheraric, papadic), it also transcribed for the first time the rhythm which was so far part of an oral tradition or method, how to do the thesis of the melos.

Chrysanthos of Madytos, together with Chourmouzios the Archivist and Gregorios the Protopsaltes one of the three "great teachers" that undertook the reform, published a treatise explaining the principles of the new system, entitled "Theoretikon Mega tes Mousikes".

"[16] But its long formula was already replaced by the short of νανὰ in Chrysanthos explanation of the former papadic practice of solfège using the enechemata: This simple form is used until today, but Chrysanthos also developed its whole melos as a kind of exegesis ("interpretation") of the simple traditional echema of phthora nana: Chrysanthos' exegesis of the real nana intonation uses the enharmonic intervals: Διὰ τοῦτο ὅταν τὸ μέλος τοῦ ἐναρμονίου γένους ἄρχηται ἀπὸ τοῦ γα, θέλει νὰ συμφωνῇ μὲ τὸν γα ἡ ζω ὕφεσις, καὶ ὄχι ὁ νη φθόγγος.

Καὶ ἐκεῖνο ὅπερ εἰς τὴν διατονικὴν καὶ χρωματικὴν κλίμακα ἐγίνετο διὰ τῆς τετραφωνίας, ἐδῶ γίνεται διὰ τῆς τριφωνίας:νη πα [βου δίεσις] γα, γα δι κε [ζω ὕφεσις−6], [ζω ὕφεσις−6] νη πα [βου ὕφεσις−6].Ὥστε συγκροτοῦνται καὶ ἐδῶ τετράχορδα συνημμένα ὅμοια, διότι ἔχουσι τὰ ἐν μέσῳ διαστήματα ἴσα· τὸ μὲν νη πα ἴσον τῷ γα δι· τὸ δὲ πα [βου δίεσις], ἴσον τῷ δι κε· τὸ δὲ [βου δίεσις] γα, ἴσον τῷ κε [ζω ὕφεσις−6]· καὶ τὰ λοιπά.

And like the diatonic and chromatic scales are made of tetraphonia, here they are made of triphonia:Thus, also conjunct similar tetrachords are constructed by the same intervals in the middle [12+13+3=28]: C νη—D πα is equal to F γα—G δι, D πα—E sharp [βου δίεσις] to G δι—a κε, E sharp [βου δίεσις]—F γα is equal to a κε—b flat [ζω' ὕφεσις−6], etc.He applied this intonation to the traditional varys enechema: There is also a diatonic form of echos varys,[18] but according to Chrysanthos' adaption to the Ottoman tone system it was no longer based on a pentachord between kyrios tritos and varys, but on a tritonus on a low b natural.