"A Byzantine chant has two parts, the ison and the melody.
The ison is the underlying heavy drone, the sustained choral note that anchors the chant.
The ison doesn't move, and so exists outside time.
It represents nothing less than the uncreated light of God, eternal and sublime.
The ison sustains the melody, which moves up and down through time.
This represents the unified voice of the church.
The chants travel through scales that are distinctly different from the familiar major and minor scales used in western music, shifting unexpectedly through semi-tones that sound beautifully strange.
The ison and the melody combine to form harmonies that shimmer and ring in your head.
It feels exciting and soothing at the same time."
I couldn't help thinking of some of the music off the '2001: A Space Odyssey' soundtrack when listening to various Byzantine chants on You Tube and thought that this must have been what Kubrick was trying to achieve with his movie soundtrack in regard to light and uncreated light.
Well, that's what I like to think when I watch the movie from now on.
Exploring Byzantium, the World of Ghost Empire
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