A Study on the Sinai Psaltika. An Eastern Group?

When Egon Wellesz published his transcription of the Akathistos Hymn (1957), he was not aware of the version in Sinai gr. 1314. Further, the Psaltikon 1280, but not 1322, was analyzed by Thodberg in his study of the Allelouiaria (1966). In addition to these three exemplars, prof. Kritikou has informed me of an important Psaltikon fragment among the New Finds. Since the majority of the preserved Byzantine Psaltika have Italo-Greek connections, I shall try to characterize the musical relationship of the Sinai Psaltika with to the rest of the group and try to assess if a particular ‘Eastern’ type existed and what its characteristic might have been.