Idiomelon
Encyclopedia
Idiomelon—pl. idiomela—is a type of hymn
found in the liturgical book
s used in the Eastern Orthodox Church
and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople. An idiomelon is a sticheron
which, though it is assigned to one of the eight tones of Byzantine chant, is not patterned on any other hymn in terms of meter
, content, or melody. It melodically follows the schema of the tone and yet is usually eccentric in its metre.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
found in the liturgical book
Liturgical book
A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a church, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services.-Roman Catholic:...
s used in the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Rite of Constantinople. An idiomelon is a sticheron
Sticheron
A sticheron is a particular kind of hymn used in the Divine Liturgy, acolouthia or other services of the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
which, though it is assigned to one of the eight tones of Byzantine chant, is not patterned on any other hymn in terms of meter
Meter (hymn)
A hymn meter or metre indicates the number of syllables for the lines in each stanza of a hymn. This provides a means of marrying the hymn's text with an appropriate hymn tune for singing.-Hymn and poetic meter:...
, content, or melody. It melodically follows the schema of the tone and yet is usually eccentric in its metre.