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Professor Alexander Lingas

Professor of Music

School of Communication & Creativity Department of Performing Arts

Contact details

Address

Professor Alexander Lingas ALG14C, College Building
City, University of London
Northampton Square
London EC1V 0HB
United Kingdom

About

Overview

Professor Alexander Lingas is the founder and Music Director of the vocal ensemble Cappella Romana and a Fellow of the University of Oxford's European Humanities Research Centre. His present work embraces historical study, ethnography, and performance.

Formerly Assistant Professor of Music History at Arizona State University's School of Music, he received his Ph.D. in Historical Musicology from the University of British Columbia. His academic awards include Fulbright and Onassis grants for musical studies with cantor Lycourgos Angelopoulos, a Canadian postdoctoral fellowship for study under Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware) of Diokleia, and a British Academy Postdoctoral Research Fellowship held at St Peter's College, Oxford.

His publications include articles for The Oxford Companion to Music, The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, and The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies. He is currently working on a study of Sunday Matins in the Rite of Hagia Sophia for Ashgate and a historical introduction to Byzantine Chant for Yale University Press.

Since founding Cappella Romana in 1991, Dr Lingas has appeared with the ensemble at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the J Paul Getty Museum, the Pontificio Istituto Orientale in Rome, the Irish World Music Centre in Limerick, Princeton University, and Yale University. Cappella Romana has been featured on over 20 CD recordings.

Qualifications

  • PhD, University of British Columbia, Canada, Sep 1996

Employment

  • Professor, University of London, Aug 2019 – present
  • Reader, City, University London, Aug 2014 – Jul 2019
  • Senior Lecturer, City, University London, Aug 2008 – Jul 2014
  • Lecturer, City, University London, Jan 2006 – Jul 2008
  • Assistant Professor, Arizona State University, Aug 2001 – Dec 2005
  • Musical Director, Cappella Romana, May 1991 – present

Expertise

Geographic Areas

  • Europe - Eastern
  • Europe - Southern

Research

Research interests

Music and Liturgy of the Eastern Orthodox Church, especially Byzantine chant; Music and Identity in contemporary Eastern Europe and the Balkans; Diaspora Studies; Modern Greek Song; Music and Liturgy; Philosophies and Theologies of Music; Performance Practice.

Research activities

Much of Dr Lingas's work as a scholar and performer revolves around his American-based ensemble Cappella Romana, whose projects include Early Music (especially medieval Byzantine chant), contemporary art music (including premieres of works by Michael Adamis, Robert Kyr, Ivan Moody, Peter Michaelides, Richard Toensing, and Tikey Zes), and the transmission of Byzantium's musical heritage to the modern West (notably the English Divine Liturgy project we have undertaken in cooperation with the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain).

Podcasts of Cappella Romana's programme 'Mt Sinai: Frontier of Byzantium' are available at the site of the Sackler and Freer Galleries of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Video from the 2005 performance in Limerick, Ireland under the directorship of Dr Lingas's friend and colleague Ioannis Arvanitis is available from YouTube. Excerpts from the ensemble's concert of Old Roman and Byzantine chant for 'New Year's in Old and New Rome' is available from the 2003 archive of the American radio show Harmonia.

Before work finds expression in a concert programme or a disc with Cappella Romana, Dr Lingas is usually already deeply involved in that area through historical and/or ethnographic research. He regularly reports on his findings and gets feedback from his scholarly colleagues at the meetings of scholarly societies. In addition to being a member of several that serve broad constituencies - for example, the Royal Musical Association, the American Musicological Society, the Society for Ethnomusicology, and the British Forum for Ethnomusicology - he is active in a number of specialised groups relating closely to his areas of research. These include:

- IMS Study Group Cantus Planus
- Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies
- International Society for Orthodox Church Music
- The Plainsong and Medieval Music Society (UK)
- American Society of Byzantine Music and Hymnology
- The Orthodox Theological Society of America
- The Society for Oriental Liturgy

Dr Lingas also serves formally or informally as an advisor to organisations that have a more practical orientation:

- National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians- Pan-Orthodox Society for the Advancement of Liturgical Music (USA)
- The Axion Estin Foundation- The Institute of Orthodox Christian Studies, Cambridge, UK
Listen to his keynote address from the 2006 Axion Estin conference.

View his comments during the closing panel of the 2006 Axion Estin conference.

He served as translator for 2008 Axion Estin conference at NYU.

Publications

Publications by category

Book

  • Desby, F., Lingas, A., Suchy-Pilalis, J. and Conomos, D. (2000). A Guide to Transcription of Post-Byzantine (Chrysanthine) Chant. Maragos, N. (Ed.), Bloomington: National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians.

Chapters (24)

  • Lingas, A. (2020). Christian Liturgical Chant and the Musical Reorientation of Arvo Pärt. In Bouteneff, P., Engelhardt, J. and Saler, R. (Eds.), Arvo Pärt: Sounding the Sacred New York: Fordham University Press. ISBN 978-0-8232-8976-9.
  • Lingas, A. (2019). Canonising Byzantine chant as Greek art music. Music, Language and Identity in Greece (pp. 31–53). Routledge.
  • Lingas, A. (2017). Singing the Lord’s Song in a Foreign Land—Teaching Orthodox Liturgical Music in Non-Orthodox Contexts. In Bezzarides, A. and Prodromou, E. (Eds.), Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Higher Education: Theological, Historical and Contemporary Reflections (pp. 279–314). Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press.
  • Lingas, A. (2017). Hymnography with(out) Music as Scripture and Prayer. In Moody, I. and Takala-Roszczenko, M. (Eds.), Creating Liturgically: Hymnography and Music
    Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Orthodox Church Music
    University of Joensuu, Finland - 8-14 June 2015     Joensuu: International Society for Orthodox Church Music.
  • Lingas, A. (2013). From Earth to Heaven: The Changing Soundscape of Byzantine Liturgy. In Jackson, M. and Nesbitt, C. (Eds.), Experiencing Byzantium: Papers from the 44th Spring Symposium of the Society for the Promotion of Byzantine Studies (pp. 311–358). Aldershot: Ashgate, Routleldge. ISBN 978-1-4724-1229-4.
  • Lingas, A. (2010). Late Byzantine Cathedral Liturgy and the Service of the Furnace. In Gerstel, S.E.J. and Nelson, R. (Eds.), Approaching the Holy Mountain: Art and Liturgy at St Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai (pp. 179–230). Brepols Pub. ISBN 978-2-503-53127-4.
  • Lingas, A. (2008). ‘Music’. In Jeffreys, E., Cormack, R. and Haldon, J. (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Byzantine Studies (pp. 915–935). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lingas, A. (2007). How Musical was the “Sung Office”? Some Observations on the Ethos of the Byzantine Cathedral Rite. In Moody, I., Takala-Roszczenko, M. and Music, I.S.F.O.C. (Eds.), The traditions of Orthodox music. Proceedings of the First International Conference on Orthodox Church Music, University of Joensuu, Finland 13–19 June 2005 (pp. 217–234). ISBN 978-952-458-950-5.
  • Lingas, A. (2006). Medieval Byzantine Chant and the Sound of Orthodoxy. Byzantine orthodoxies (pp. 131–150). Ashgate Pub Co. ISBN 978-0-7546-5496-4.
  • Lingas, A. (2004). 'Musica e liturgia nelle tradizioni ortodosse'. In Nattiez, J.J. (Ed.), Enciclopedia della musica, 4 Storia della musica europea (pp. 68–93). Turin: Giulio Einaudi.
  • Lingas, A. (2004). ‘Vizantiiskaya imperiya: Tserkovnoye peniye’ (‘Byzantine Empire: Church Singing’). The Orthodox Encyclopedia (pp. 350–359). Moscow: Ecclesiastical Research Centre ‘Pravoslavnaya entsiklopediya’.
  • Lingas, A. (2004). 'Preliminary Reflections on Studying the Liturgical Place of Byzantine and Slavonic Melismatic Chant. In Wolfram, G. (Ed.), Palaeobyzantine notations III Peeters Pub & Booksellers. ISBN 978-90-429-1434-6.
  • Lingas, A. (2004). Tradition and Renewal in Greek Orthodox Psalmody. In Attridge, H.W. and Fassler, M.E. (Eds.), Psalms in community (pp. 341–356). Brill Academic Pub. ISBN 978-90-04-12736-4.
  • Lingas, A. (2003). 'Johannes Damascenos. Die Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart (pp. 1086–1088).
  • Lingas, A. (2002). Revised and new entries (120 total). In Latham, A. (Ed.), The Oxford Companion to Music Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lingas, A. (2001). New entries on 'Apostolos Konstas', 'Balasios the Priest', Petros Bereketes', 'Petros Byzantios', Chourmouzios the Archivist', 'Panagiotes the New Chrysaphes', 'Germanos of New Patras', 'Gregorios Protopsaltes', 'Iakovos Peloponnesios' and 'John Th. Sakellarides', as well as revision of the article 'Romanos the Melode'. In Sadie, S. and Tyrell, J. (Eds.), The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians London: Macmillan.
  • Lingas, A. (2001). 'The First Antiphon of Byzantine Cathedral Rite Matins: From Popular Psalmody to Kalophonia. In Dobszay, L. (Ed.), Cantus planus ISBN 978-963-7074-77-6.
  • Lingas, A. (2000). Entries on 'Chrysaphes, Manuel', 'St. Joseph the Hymnographer', 'St. John Koukouzeles', 'St. Romanos the Melodist', 'Manos Hadjidakis', 'Nikos Skalkottas', 'Musical Instruments', 'Opera and Operetta', 'Song', 'St. Symeon of Thessaloniki', 'Hymnography', 'Music', 'Callas, Maria', and 'Kasia'. In Speake, G. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Greece and the Hellenic Tradition London: Fitzroy Dearborn.
  • Lingas, A. (1996). Hesychasm and Psalmody. In Bryer, A. and Cunningham, M. (Eds.), Mount Athos and Byzantine Monasticism (pp. 155–168). Aldershot: Variorum.
  • Lingas, A. (1995). 'The Liturgical Place of the Kontakion in Constantinople'. In Akentiev, C.C. (Ed.), Liturgy, Architecture and Art of the Byzantine World: Papers of the XVIII International Byzantine Congress (Moscow, 8–15 August 1991) and Other Essays Dedicated to the Memory of Fr. John Meyendorff, Byzantinorossica 1 (pp. 50–57). St. Petersburg
  • Lingas, A. ‘Chant, Liturgical’, ‘Liturgy, Byzantine’, and ‘Music, Byzantium’. In Bulls, E. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Ancient History Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
  • Lingas, A. Greece: 3. In the Byzantine Empire. Grove Music Online, Oxford Music Online Oxford University Press.
  • Lingas, A. Joseph the Hymnographer, St. In Louth, A. (Ed.), Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Lingas, A. Sir John Tavener and the Search for an English Orthodox Musical Language. In Boyce-Tilman, J. (Ed.), The Spirituality of the Music of John Tavener Oxford: Peter Lang.

Internet publications (2)

  • Lingas, A. (2003). 'Theodorakis, Music and Politics'.
  • Lingas, A. Editor-in-Chief for musical scores in Byzantine and Western staff notation setting the chants of the Divine Liturgy of St John Chrysostom in English according to the official translation of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain. John Boyer under the guidance of an international editorial committee.

Journal articles (14)

  • Lingas, A. (2018). The Oriental music broadcasts, 1936–1937: a musical ethnography of mandatory Palestine. Ethnomusicology Forum, 27(2), pp. 243–245. doi:10.1080/17411912.2018.1508359.
  • Lingas, A. (2017). Greek Orthodox Music in Ottoman Istanbul: Nation and Community in the Era of Reform. By Merih Erol. Music and Letters, 98(2), pp. 298–300. doi:10.1093/ml/gcx036.
  • Lingas, A. (2015). Music in the Balkans. Ethnomusicology Forum, 24(1), pp. 134–136. doi:10.1080/17411912.2014.980200.
  • Lingas, A. (2013). The Past is Always Present: The Revival of the Byzantine Musical Tradition at Mount Athos. Ethnomusicology Forum, 22(1), pp. 121–124. doi:10.1080/17411912.2012.753815.
  • Lingas, A. (2012). Job Getcha, Le Typikon décrypté: Manuel de liturgie byzantine (Paris: Cerf, 2009). St Vladimir’s Theological Quarterly.
  • Lingas, A. (2012). The origins of Russian music. Introduction to the Kondakarian Notation. Revised, translated, and with a chapter on relationships between Latin, Byzantine and Slavonic church music by Neil K. Moran. JOURNAL OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY, 63(1), pp. 133–134. doi:10.1017/S0022046911001965.
  • Lingas, A. (2009). ‘Byzantine Neumes’, review of Constantin Floros, Introduction to Early Medieval Notation, 2nd ed., revised, translated and with an Illustrated Chapter on Cheironomy by Neil K. Moran (Warren Michigan: Harmonie Park Press, 2005). Early Music pp. 300–302.
  • Lingas, A. (2005). Goffredo Plastino, ed., Mediterranean Mosaic: Popular Music and Global Sounds (New York and London: Routledge, 2003). Music and Letters, 86, pp. 328–332.
  • Lingas, A. (2004). 'Ancient Music in a Medieval Mirror', review of Thomas J. Mathiesen, Apollo's Lyre: Greek Music and Music Theory in Antiquity and the Middle Ages. Journal of the Royal Musical Association, 129(2), pp. 298–304.
  • Lingas, A. (2003). 'Performance Practice and the Politics of Transcribing Byzantine Chant'. Acta Musicae Byzantinae, 6, pp. 56–75.
  • Lingas, A. (2003). Peter Jeffrey, ed., The Study of Medieval Chant, Paths and Bridges, East and West, In Honor of Kenneth Levy (Cambridge: Boydell Press, 2001). The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 54, pp. 333–335.
  • Lingas, A. (2001). William T. Flynn, Medieval Music as Medieval Exegesis (Lanham, Maryland and London: The Scarecrow Press, 1999). The Journal of Ecclesiastical History, 52, pp. 541–542.
  • Lingas, A. (1997). Festal Cathedral Vespers in Late Byzantium. Orientalia Christiana Periodica, 63, pp. 421–459.
  • Lingas, A. (1991). 'Byzantine Chant, Western Musicology, and the Performer'. San Francisco Early Music News pp. 3–5.

Performances (3)

  • Lingas, A. and Cappella Romana, (2019). Venice in the East: Renaissance Crete and Cyprus. St. Stephen Catholic Church, Portland, Oregon.
  • (2015). Passion Week, Opus 13 by Maximilian Steinberg. .
  • Lingas, A. and Cappella Romana, (2014). Maximillian Steinberg: Passion Week, Opus 13 / Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov: Chants for Holy Week. St. Stephen Catholic Church, Portland, Oregon.

Other (24)