The Damaskenos Byzantine choir in 1934

The Damaskenos Byzantine choir in 1934

Tarpon Springs, Greek community, Damaskenos Byzantine choir posing at Spring Bayou pier

Byzantine choir The Damaskenos, led by Father George Anastassiou (1900-1962), poses on the steps leading to the Spring Bayou pier in 1934. In the early 20th century, priests and others in America began to compose new Greek Orthodox liturgical music that abandoned the traditional Byzantine modes and single vocal line. The new music with European scales was often presented in a westernized style through choirs accompanied by organs. Among those associated with the progressive style was Anastassiou, who arrived in the U.S. from Cyprus in 1920. He settled in Tarpon Springs in 1924, where he became the principal of the Greek Parochial School and served as head chanter at St. Nicholas Greek from 1931 to 1941. He organized the Byzantine Choir, composed liturgical music and edited the Liturgical Hymnal used in most Greek Orthodox churches of his time.

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Esther Jordan Raptis

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1934

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