Greek Chanting Manuscripts of the Cretan Renaissance at Sinai Monastery

The precious collection of Psaltic manuscripts of the monastery of Saint Catherine of Sinai contains many manuscripts which were written in Crete mainly during the 16th and 17th centuries. This is the period of the well-known Cretan Renaissance in literature, poetry, theater, but also the Psaltic Art. These manuscripts were located and studied in detail. This is how we know their musical content, the great ecclesiastical musicians who created the too many compositions of that time, the scribers, chanters and even poets. It is an incredible wealth of artistic creation that sheds light on an entire era and offers plenty of new evidence about the culture on the Island. In this presentation, an attempt will be made for a more detailed reference to very interesting facts of Cretan chanting compared to the general Byzantine and post-Byzantine musical tradition.