Greek Musicians Resurrect Thousands-Year-Old Orphic Hymns

A group of Greek musicians has been resurrecting the Orphic Hymns, a collection of eighty-seven hymns to the Gods which have been used in the mystical rituals of ancient Greece.

PanArmonia is a musical ensemble consisting of 12 members and over 20 regular contributors whose vision is to highlight the values and benefits of musical harmony in all its musical events.

PanArmonia has composed over 100 of its own songs, but in recent years has devoted itself to the study, composition and performance of the Orphic Hymns.

The Orphic Hymns are attributed to Orpheus

The Orphic Hymns are attributed to Orpheus, an ancient Greek legendary hero endowed with superhuman musical skills. He became the patron of a religious movement based on sacred writings said to be his own.

The date of composition of the hymns is also a matter of dispute. There are some in the Orphic tradition who believe they are approximately 10,000 years old, based on certain clues found in the text itself, but this date has been convincingly challenged.

Scholars, on the other hand, claim a time period ranging anywhere from the sixth century BCE to the fourth century CE, most believing they were composed in the more recent period.

The Orphic Hymns were recited or chanted in the different services of the ancient Greek religion. Also, these were used in the private prayer as the appropriate invocations of the various Gods.

The hymns provide an important window into the religious traditions of the eastern Greek world, including several deities quite obscure in mainland Greece.

In particular, three hymns, those to Mise, Hipta, and Melinoe, were completely unattested to outside the hymns until their names were found inscribed on tombs excavated in Anatolia.

PanArmonia renders Orphic Hymns to music, connecting yesterday to today. It boasts a versatile combination of instruments, melodies and rhythms, with sounds from lute and bouzouki to harp and thunderous cymbals.

The Orphic Hymns that have been set to music so far (in the full original ancient text) are the hymns of Vesta, Zeus, the Sun, Mercury, Remembrance, the Muses, Pluto, Hephaestus, Asclepius, the Moon, Mars and Victory.

PanArmonia was founded in 2011. The Band is bringing their vision of creating a deeply meaningful and spiritual musical experience to life.

The majority of PanArmonia’s songs are compositions with Greek or foreign lyrics which praise the true life, inspiring higher love, virtue and a wish for every human being to experience true Bliss through their own decision to be free from every illusion in every moment.