Icon of the Synaxis of the Theotokos (Pskov, 17th century).

In Eastern Christianity (the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite), a Synaxis (Greek: Σύναξις; Slavonic: Собор, Sobor) is an assembly for liturgical purposes, generally through the celebration of Vespers, Matins, Little Hours, and the Divine Liturgy.

Feast day[link]

In Constantinople, the clergy and faithful would often gather together on specific feast days at a church dedicated to the saint of that day for liturgical celebrations. These gatherings were referred to as synaxes. These synaxes came to have services written specifically for them. A Synaxis often occurs on the day following a Major Feast Day and is in honor of saints who participated in the event. For example, services on the Feast of Theophany (the revelation of the Trinity at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan) would be held at Hagia Sophia; then, the next day, a Synaxis was observed in honor of St. John the Forerunner at the church dedicated to him. Over time, the synaxes came into general use and are now celebrated in every church.

Synaxis can also refer to a common commemoration of a number of saints in a single service, such as the Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles. Each individual saint may have his or her own separate feast day, but they are all commemorated together on their synaxis.

Most synaxes are observed as fixed feasts, being celebrated on the same calendar date year after year, though some occur on the nearest Sunday to a particular date. Other synaxes are celebrated on the Paschal cycle, moving backward or forward in the calendar according to the date of Pascha (Easter) that year.

The following are Synaxes which are universally observed in the Rite of Constantinople:

• Synaxis of the Theotokos (December 26)
• Synaxis of the Forerunner (January 7)
• Synaxis of the Seventy Apostles (January 4)
• Synaxis of the Three Great Hierarchs (January 30)
• Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel (March 26 and July 13)
• Synaxis of the Twelve Apostles (June 30)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council (May 22)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Fifth Ecumenical Council (July 25)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council (September 9)
• Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless Powers (November 8)
• Synaxis of the Holy Unmercenaries (November 1)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council (Sunday before Pentecost and May 29)
• Synaxis of All Saints (Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council (Sunday on or after October 8)
• Synaxis of the Holy Fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council (January 23)

There are also synaxes which have been composed for local observance:

• Synaxis of the Saints of Belarus
• Synaxis of the Saints of North America (second Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of all Saints of Pskov (third Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Kostroma (January 23)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Novgorod (February 10, October 4, and the third Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Caves Lavra (second Sunday of Great Lent)
• Synaxis of the Rostov and Yaroslavl (May 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Ryzan (June 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Siberia (June 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Vladimir (June 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Radonezh (July 6)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Solovki Monastery (August 9)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Far Caves in Kiev (August 28)
• Synaxis of the Serbian Hierarchs (August 30)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Tula (September 22)
• Synaxis of All Saints of Alaska (September 24)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Near Caves in Kiev (September 28)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Kazan (October 4)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Volhynia (October 10)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Belarus (second Sunday after Pentecost)
• Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of Optina (October 11)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Georgia (December 11)
• Synaxis of all Saints of Serbia (August 28)
• Synaxis of the Hierarchs of Moscow (October 5)

• Synaxis of all Saints of Moscow (Sunday before August 26)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Smolensk (Sunday closest to July 23)
• Synaxis of the Saints of Tver (Sunday closest to July 3)

Assembly[link]

A Synaxis is a group of churchmen - especially in the Orthodox Church - who would otherwise compose a Synod but lack an officiating Patriarch.

Because they did not recognize the authority of the Latin Patriarchs following the Council of Florence, the group of churchmen opposing the Council and its Union called themselves the Synaxis. The most influential and famous of these was the monk Gennadios, better known as Georgios Scholarios, who later became Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

External links[link]

• Catholic Encyclopedia
• Asociatia Synaxis

Maurice Ohana (June 12, 1913 – November 13, 1992 in Paris) was an Anglo-French composer of Sephardic Jewish origin.

Ohana was born in Casablanca, Morocco. He was a British citizen until 1976, as his father had been born in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. He originally studied architecture, but abandoned this in favour of a musical career, initially as a pianist. He studied under Alfredo Casella in Rome, returning to France in 1946. Around this time he founded the "Groupe Zodiaque", which fought against prevailing musical dogma. His mature musical style shows the influence of Mediterranean folk music, particularly the Andalusian cante jondo.

Ohana's output includes the choral works Office des Oracles and Avoaha (1992), three string quartets (1963, 1980, 1989), and two suites for ten-string guitar: Si le jour paraît... (1963)^[1] and Cadran lunaire (1981-2)^[2], as well as a Tiento for six-string guitar (1957).^[3] He also wrote an opera entitled Syllabaire pour Phèdre.

He is also known for his extensive use of microtonality; for example, third- and quarter-tones in pieces like Le Tombeau de Debussy and Si le jour paraît.... He was influenced by the use of microintervals in the cante jondo. ^[4]

Ohana rarely composed for large symphony orchestra: Synaxis (1966), Livre des Prodiges (1979) and T'Harân-Ngô (1973-1974). He composed two cello concertos, one piano concerto and a guitar concerto (1950-58; dedicated to Narciso Yepes).^[5][6]

References[link]

External links[link]

Articles[link]

• Défense et illustration de la musique contemporaine - Le Cadran Lunaire by Arnaud Dumond (French)
• A propos de Pierre Boulez et de Maurice Ohana by Arnaud Dumond, Les Cahiers de la Guitare, July 1982 (French)
• Maurice Ohana: l’originalità di un linguaggio (parte prima) – Cenni biografici e riferimenti culturali by Isabella Abbonizio, «Il Fronimo» n .131, luglio 2005, pp. 31–42 (Italian)
• Estelas, by Mauricio Ohana (The history of a guitar-work composed in collaboration with Abel Carlevaro) - by Alfredo Escande
• Maurice Ohana: l’originalità di un linguaggio (parte seconda) – Un profilo estetico e l’opera per chitarra by Isabella Abbonizio, «Il Fronimo» n. 132, ottobre 2005, pp. 24–36 (Italian)
• Maurice Ohana: l’originalità di un linguaggio (parte terza) – Il Tiento by Isabella Abbonizio, «Il Fronimo» n. 133, gennaio 2006, pp. 36–46 (Italian)

Listen[link]

• Excerpts from sound archives of Ohana's works.

Mauro Picotto (born December 25, 1966) is an Italian electronic music musician. Previously a member of the Italian eurodance group, Cappella^[1]. He became well known as a solo artist with techno-trance tracks including "Komodo" (2000), "Pulsar" (2001, with new mixes in 2002) and most famously for "Lizard" (1999, remixed in 2000). He has collaborated with other techno-trance musicians such as Tiësto and Mario Più.

He now promotes his own techno club night, Meganite (named after an early 21st century track of his), which has run for consecutive years annually since 2005 at Privilege Ibiza. He now produces under his own record label, Bakerloo.

Biography[link]

Born in the Italian town of Cavour, near Turin, Picotto was raised in a family of stonemasons and dancers. His father ran a mason's yard called CRW, a name Mauro would later use as a pseudonym for his trance side-project.

Picotto longed to start making his own productions, but felt that to be successful he must first become a DJ. After winning the Walky Cup competition on national TV^{[citation needed]}, an event for the top DMC^{[clarification needed]} DJs in Italy, he met with Daniele Davoli who was there to promote his Black Box single "Ride On Time", and this led Picotto towards record producing. His first track "We Gonna Get", produced under the name RAF, became a Top 20 hit single across much of Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Another RAF release followed, alongside remixes and co-writing credits for Clubhouse (who had a European hit with "Light My Fire"), Cappella (best known for rave hits like "U Got 2 Let The Music" and "Move On Baby") and the 49ers. A track released under his own name, "Bakerloo Symphony", ended up being Number 1 in Italy for eight weeks.^{[citation needed]} Also in 1996 Picotto became a partner in Media Records alongside Gianfranco Bortolotti.

1998 saw the release of the gatecrasher anthem, "Lizard (Gonna Get You)". The track ended up being a Top 30 hit in the UK Singles Chart^[2] - and was followed by two further instalments in the reptilian trilogy: "Iguana" (#39) and "Komodo (Save a Soul)", which would give Picotto the highest UK chart position of his career - #13.^[2] This would see him make his only solo performance on BBC Television's Top of the Pops. Picotto was the first DJ to mix live on the show.^[3]

Later tracks he was involved in also made an impact on the UK chart. "I Feel Love" - released under the pseudonym CRW - reached #15 in 2000,^[4] whilst "Communication (Somebody Answer The Phone)" - which he produced alongside Mario Più - reached the UK Top 5 at the end of 1999.^[5]

His remix of "On The Beach" by York, also helped to propel that song into the UK Top Five in Spring 2000,^[6] when it was selected by the record company - Manifesto - to be used as the official radio edit. Two solo albums, The Double Album (2000) and The Others (2002), followed, as well as remixes and productions for Freddie Mercury, Jimmy Somerville, the Pet Shop Boys and U2. Upon leaving Media Records in 2002, Picotto formed Bakerloo Music, as well as a new label Alchemy, releasing several club tracks, including "New Time New Place" and the "Alchemy EP". That same year he launched his Meganite party at the Miami Winter Music Conference.

Picotto has more recently released several Meganite Ibiza albums on a new label Big In Ibiza.

Picotto's 'Meganite' party is held every Wednesday at Ibiza'a Privilege club.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• The Album (2000)
• The Others (2002)
• Live in Ibiza (2002)
• Superclub (2006)
• Now & Then (2007)
• Meganite Ibiza (2008)
• 2010 (2010)

Singles[link]

Awards[link]

• German Dance Awards: Best International DJ, Best Producer, Best Radio Hit
• Danish Dance Awards: Best International DJ
• Ericsson Swiss Dance Awards: Best International DJ
• BBm Magazine Irish Dance Awards: Best International DJ
• Deejay Magazine Spanish Dance Awards Best International DJ
• TMF Dutch Dance Awards: Best International DJ
• RTÉ 2fm Irish Dance Music Awards: Best International DJ
• DJ Awards 2005 Ibiza: Winner
• Voted in the Top 100 DJs in TheDJList.com (US) and DJ Mag (UK)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Mauro Picotto Official Site
• Mauro Picotto at Discogs.com
• Mauro Picotto discography at MusicBrainz