ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the music-revival activities at the monastery since the middle of the 1990s in the light of a critical discussion of tradition and modernity. It explores how the past has indeed been reinvented to serve not only the Orthodox spirituality and rite but also other domains, including politics, well into the twenty-first century. The chapter addresses the issues which are intended to contribute to a more balanced view of how sacred musical traditions are part of modernity in terms of dialogue with the sacred musical tradition itself and with the surrounding secular world. Hobsbawm and Ranger's invention logic sees cultural awareness or consciousness of tradition as a disqualifying parameter for being a real' tradition. Most commonly associated with music revivals are folk music and dance traditions, but classical and sacred musical traditions have also witnessed revivals. The music revival discourse proves useful in understanding the value and meaning of the musical concern at Vatopaidi monastery.
