Multimedia

Webcasts

The Library of Congress regularly hosts and records scholarly lectures, uploading them to the LOC website for public viewing. These two lectures relate to the Sinai Collection.

Svetlana Kujumdzieva. “The Library as Witness to Musical History: The Case of the Sinai Musical Manuscripts.” Library of Congress John W. Kluge Center. 6 May 2010. 55 minutes. A professor at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and a 2009-2019 Kluge Fellow, Dr. Kujumdzieva discusses the music manuscripts of the Sinai Collection, and “examine[s] Byzantine music in its various stages and how it was contextualized in these manuscripts” (LC description).

Justin Sinaites and Michael B. Toth. “Spectral Imaging at St. Catherine’s Monastery to Reveal Ancient Texts.” Library of Congress Preservation Directorate. 19 November 2012. 122 minutes. The librarian of St. Catherine’s and the program manager of the Sinai Palimpsest Project “discussed how advanced hyperspectral imaging is revealing ancient texts in the library at St. Catherine’s…” (LC description).

Sound Recordings

Most recordings are stored off-site and must be digitized and made available on The Library of Congress’s servers on Capitol Hill for listening. Unless otherwise noted, researchers should request these items in person in the Recorded Sound Research Center (Madison Building, LM-113) 10-14 days before they plan to listen to them. Please note that copyright laws still apply, and recordings may not be copied.

The Night before Easter
Call Number: Archiv Produktion 2533 413
Published/Created: 1979
Celebrated and sung by Abbot Alexios and the community of the Xenophontos Monastery, Mount Athos.
The fall of Constantinople: Byzantine chant and polyphony c.1453. by Cappella Romana
Call Number: SDB 83816
Published/Created: 2006
Recordings of several 15th century Greek liturgical chants, as well as contemporary compositions by Guillaume Dufay.
Library of Congress intermission broadcasts. 1951-01-12 no. 52, Mount Sinai Project
Call Number: LWO 5395 r7
Published/Created: 1951
Assistant Librarian of Congress Verner Clapp talks with Kenneth Willis Clark about St. Catherine's monastery and library located on Mt. Sinai. Professor Clark gives a history of the monastery and the library and how part of the collections were microfilmed and brought to the Library of Congress as part of the Mt. Sinai Project
Library of Congress intermission broadcasts. 1951-02-02 no. 53, Mount Sinai Project
Call Number: LWO 5395 r7
Published/Created: 1951
Lawrence Marwick, chief of the Library's Hebraic Section, talks to Aziz Atiya, who is editing the microfilmed works from St. Catherine's Monastery on Mt. Sinai for the Library of Congress. He describes the books and manuscripts found in St. Catherine's library and which ones were selected to be microfilmed.
Paques armeniennes by Goussan Aljanian, tenor.
Call Number: SDC 48320
Published/Created: 1964
Traditional Armenian Easter hymns sung by the soloist of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Laura Boulton Byzantine collection and "Rainess" collection
Call Number: AFC 1995/037
Published/Created: 1960-1969
Collection includes tapes of liturgical chants sung by monks on Mt. Athos. Tapes are labelled “Byzantine Mt. Athos.” Harvard University has created a finding aid for the collection listing song information: nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:FHCL.Loeb.Faids:mus00001 External
Hilandarski ktitori u pravoslavnom pojanju
Published/Created: 1999
Traditional Serbian chant melodies.
Sound recording (Call # SDB 62490) may be requested in Recorded Sound Research Center.
Accompanying score (Call # M2082.P48 H55 1999) may be requested in Performing Arts Reading Room (Madison, LM-113).

Musical Scores

Scores and music manuscripts may be requested in the Performing Arts Reading Room (Madison, LM-113)

Interpretation of the songs of the Badarak by Torkom Manoogian
Call Number: M2015 .I58 2002
Published/Created: 2002
Armenian Church liturgy for male chorus, unaccompanied and with organ accompaniment. Introductory notes in English
[Srbazan ergetsʻoghutʻiwnkʻ ew anmah S. Patarag Hayastaneaytsʻ Aṛakʻelakan Surb Ekeghetsʻwoy / ashkhatasiretsʻ Gurgēn Yaralean] = The sacred music and the Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church by Kourken Yaralian, compiler
Call Number: M2100 .S65 1983
Published/Created: 1992
The chants of the Armenian liturgy for Sundays, holy days, weddings, and other special events. The book also includes the 4th revised edition of the spoken liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, with English translation. Primarily Armenian, with some English. Mainly for unaccompanied chorus.
Hilandarski Ktitori u pravoslavnom pojanju. Serbian melodies (Hilander monastery, Mt. Athos) by Danica Petrović.
Call Number: M2082.P48 H55 1999
Published/Created: 1999
A project undertaken to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Hilander monastery on Mt. Athos, a group of scholars and musicians transcribed the traditional Church Slavonic chants of Hilander (including sticherons, troparions, and a kontakion), translated them into Serbian, and then recorded the songs. The bound score includes English translations of the works. The accompanying sound recording (Call # SDB 62490) may be requested in the Recorded Sound Research Center (Madison, LM-113).

Motion Pictures

Moving picture resources must be requested in-person in the Moving Image Research Center in the Madison Building (LM-336).

Lamp unto my feet. The Divine liturgy of the Greek Orthodox Church by CBS Television Network and CBS News ; directed by James MacAllen ; produced by Pamela Ilott.
Call Number: FBD 0174 (ref prints)
Published/Created: 1959
Documentary about the Greek Orthodox church liturgy, explaining the attiring of the priest, preparing of the elements, “liturgy of the catechumens,” and “liturgy of the faithful.”
The Monks of Mount Athos.
Call Number: VBE 1324 (viewing copy)
Published/Created: 1983
Documentary about the history, practices, libraries, artwork, and treasures of the monasteries on Mt. Athos. Color film.
Travelquest. Climbing the mount of Moses (Sinai) by Arts & Entertainment Network, Cinetel Productions
Call Number: VBO 2210 (viewing copy)
Published/Created: 1992
Travel video aimed at a popular audience and including footage of St. Catherine’s Monastery and Mt. Sinai itself. Relevant section dealing with Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine’s begins at 10:10.
The Armenian Archbishop, Rome (procession through Rome)
Call Number: FLA 3355
Film made in 1953 by the Library of Congress from photographic prints taken in 1903. Records a 1903 procession of the Armenian archbishop in Rome.
The JVC video anthology of World Music and Dance. Volume 25.
Call Number: VAC 6225
Armenian folk songs: 25-6 and 25-7
Georgian folk songs: 25-8, 9, 10, 11, 12

Monastery Manuscripts Collections: A Resource Guide

Multimedia

Webcasts

Sound Recordings

Musical Scores

Motion Pictures