Thanks again for your reply. I was highly impressed with the sound of your choir, especially with regard to overall consistency in interpretation. I was also impressed by the steady chronos of the group. I appreciated the lack of modern innovations (for example, dramatic tempo or volume changes, or the use of soloists for particular lines) which have become common in some other Byzantine choirs. Your director is doing a wonderful job, and I would love to hear more about your choir in the future, especially if you plan to make any recordings.
I am a member of a relatively new Byzantine choir in the USA, and it was not easy to agree on a common analysis. We were using classical scores, and people's overall experience with Byzantine music varied greatly. In some cases we wrote an analytical line above the main line with a pencil. I think I agree with your director that in the ideal case, it would be better not to introduce additional markings in a score (other than the ison, and perhaps some barlines). My reasoning is that too many markings on the score can distract one from praying and maintaining steady chronos, in which case the markings do more harm than good.
