The Tone 6 Kontakion Melody

This prostopinije melody is one of four special feast-day melodies (in Tones 3, 4, 6, and 8) which are now used for singing all kontakia in these four tones. This page explains how to sing the tone 6 kontakion melody.

The kontakion of the Ascension of the Lord

Each of the four kontakion melodies is derived from the melody of the kontakion for an important feast. In Tone 6, this is the kontakion of the Ascension, forty days after Pascha (Easter):

listen

Here is the Sunday kontakion in Tone 6:

listen

Each phrase begins with a tonic triad (do - mi - sol, like a trumpet call), and the entire melody ends on mi. This gives it a distinctly major feel, corresponding to the joy of the feast.

Structure of the Melody

The Tone 6 kontakion melody consists of a single repeating phrase:

THis repeating phrase has a beginning (intonation), a reciting tone, a single preparatory note, and a conclusion or cadence. (See the article on the Tone 3 kontakion melody if you are unclear about these terms.) Each phrase ends with a descending scale, fa - mi - re, that leads immediately into the do - mi - so that starts the next phrase.

The last repetition of the phrase uses a different ending, going up as high as la before coming to rest on mi:

This is the easiest of the kontakion melodies, and is used on quite a few feasts, so there are plenty of examples to assist in learning it.

Melodies for Glory / Now and ever

Here is how "Glory... Now and ever...." should be sung before a kontakion in tone 6.

and here is how "Glory..." and "Now ad ever..." are sung, when there are two ending kontakion.

The "Now and ever" is so short that we go directly to the "final" cadence.

Learning the melody

Sing through the examples of tone 6 kontakia, all of which use this melody.

Memorize the Glory, Now and ever melodies (above) and practice singing them from memory, immediately followed by kontakia in tone 6.

Then try singing a troparion in each of the eight tones, followed by Glory... or Glory... Now and ever... and a kontakion in tone 6.