The Ypakoë (also, Hypakoë, el, Ύπακοή, from the verb , "hearken" or "give ear", to "respond"; Slavonic: Ѵпакои) is a troparion chanted at Orthros (Matins) and the Midnight Office on Great Feasts and Sundays throughout the

liturgical year The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and whi ...

in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

. The Ypakoë which is chanted on Sundays is found in the Octoechos and there are eight of them, according to the Tone of the Week. The Ypakoë used at one of the Great Feasts will be written in the tone of the hymnographer's choice. The Ypakoë, as its name suggests, illustrates the theme of being sent to proclaim the

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

; and in particular the

Resurrection of Jesus The resurrection of Jesus ( grc-x-biblical, ἀνάστασις τοῦ Ἰησοῦ) is the Christian belief that God raised Jesus on the third day after his crucifixion, starting – or restoring – his exalted life as Christ and Lo ...

by the

Myrrh-bearers In Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition the Myrrhbearers (Greek: Μυροφόροι; Latin: ''Myrophorae''; Slavonic: Жены́-мѷроно́сицы; ro, mironosiţe) are the individuals mentioned in the New Testament who were directly in ...

(Sundays and Pascha) or the theme of the particular Feast being celebrated. The hymn occurs in several places, depending upon the day and the service: *On some ''Great Feasts'' it is chanted at Matins after the Little Litany which follows Canticle Three of the Canon of the Feast. Not all of the Great Feasts have an Ypakoë; sometimes, a different troparion, called a

Sessional Hymn A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, ''kai-isma''), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a se ...

occurs at this point. *On ''Sundays at Matins'', it is chanted after the

Kathisma A kathisma (Greek: κάθισμα; Slavonic: каѳисма, ''kai-isma''), literally, "seat", is a division of the Psalter, used in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Rite Catholic churches. The word may also describe a hymn sung at Matins, a sea ...

ta (readings from the

Psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...

)—specifically, after the Evlogitaria of the

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, which ...

and the

Little Litany An ektenia (from el, ἐκτενής , translit=ektenés; literally, "diligence"), often called by the better known English word litany, consists of a series of petitions occurring in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic liturgies. The pr ...

. *On ''Sundays at the Midnight Office'' it is read after the "Canon to the

Most Holy Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the Fa ...

" (this is the same Ypakoë that is chanted after the Kathismata) *At '' Pascha'' (Easter), in addition to its place after the Third Ode of Matins, it is chanted again during the

Paschal Hours The Paschal Hours are the form in which the Little Hours are chanted on Pascha (Easter) and throughout Bright Week in the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic churches. Specifically, the Paschal Hours replace: *Compline *The Midnight Office * ...

and the

Divine Liturgy Divine Liturgy ( grc-gre, Θεία Λειτουργία, Theia Leitourgia) or Holy Liturgy is the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, developed from the Antiochene Rite of Christian liturgy which is that of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of C ...

along with the Paschal troparion and

kontakion The kontakion (Greek , plural , ''kontakia'') is a form of hymn performed in the Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic liturgical traditions. The kontakion originated in the Byzantine Empire around the 6th century and is closely associated with Sain ...

Examples

;Sunday (Tone 5):

The myrrh-bearing women, their minds dazzled by the sight of the angel and their souls enlightened by Thy divine Resurrection, preached the good tidings to the Apostles: "O spread among the nation the news of the Resurrection of the Lord, He, Who works wonders and grants us His great mercy."

; Nativity of Christ (Tone 8)::

Calling the
Magi Magi (; singular magus ; from Latin ''magus'', cf. fa, مغ ) were priests in Zoroastrianism and the earlier religions of the western Iranians. The earliest known use of the word ''magi'' is in the trilingual inscription written by Darius th ...
by a star, heaven brought the first fruits of the Gentiles unto Thee, a Babe lying in the manger: and they were amazed to see neither sceptre nor throne but only utter poverty. For what is meaner than swaddling clothes? Yet therein shone forth the wealth of Thy divinity: Glory to Thee, O Lord!

;Pascha (Tone 8):

Before the dawn, Mary and the women came and found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They heard the angelic voice: "Why do ye seek among the dead, as a mortal man, the One Who is Everlasting Light? Behold the clothes in the grave! Go, and proclaim to the world: The Lord is risen! He hath slain death, as He is the Son of God, saving the race of man."

In 1997, Sir Nicholas Goodison of the

City of London Festival The City of London Festival was an annual arts festival that took place in the City of London, England, over two to three weeks in June and July. The Festival was strongly geared towards classical music, but also offered a programme that included ...

commissioned English

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

and Orthodox Christian John Tavener to write a piece for the festival. He wrote a

suite Suite may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Suite (music), a set of musical pieces considered as one composition ** Suite (Bach), a list of suites composed by J. S. Bach ** Suite (Cassadó), a mid-1920s composition by Gaspar Cassadó ** ''Suite' ...

for solo

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

, entitled, ''Ypakoë'', based on the Ypakoë of Pascha. It was premiered at the 1999 Festival by Venezuelan pianist Elena Riu (daughter of Catalan

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

Federico Riu). The work is a 20-minute meditation on the Passion and Resurrection of Christ. The composer has described the piece as "a totally spiritual concept – to atune the individual’s (performer’s or listener’s) will to the divine will."

References

{{Reflist

External links

Hypakoe
article from OrthodoxWiki
John Tavener : Ypakoë
Eastern Orthodox liturgical music Byzantine Rite Liturgy of the Hours