In 1877, a 19th-century treatise translated into French with the title: A Synopsis of the Theory of Byzantine Music was published in Paris. Under this title, the name of Chrysanthos - the theorist of the reform of the notational system of Greek Orthodox church music - appears in a way that could hardly be considered as being that of the author.

The evidence that has come to light proves that the publisher of the Synopsis, the French musician Bourgault-Ducoudray, and its translator, the Hellenist and prominent scholar of the time Emile Burnouf, to whom the selection of this treatise among other similar texts is credited, regarded Chrysanthos as its author.

The French musician mentions the Greek theorist as the author of the Synopsis only twice: once indirectly in the comments of the Synopsis and a second time in a letter to Burnouf where he clearly states that Chrysanthos is the author of the Synopsis.

In the absence of an original as well as direct evidence for the authorship of the text, research followed a peculiar course in order to clarify the relationship of the text to Chrysanthos and to establish the appropriate arguments for its dating.

This book documents precisely this relationship, through a multifaceted study based on a thorough investigation conducted in archives and sources of the time. Therefore, the prevailing view that, due to the ambiguous title of the Synopsis, suggested Chrysanthos as the inventor of the theory rather than its author is being re-examined.