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Actually, polyphony came to Russian liturgical chant not through Galicia or Kyiv or the Carpathians, but in the form of Italian or Italian trained court composers, who began by rearranging existing chants for multiple parts, and, by the beginning of the 18th century, began replacing traditional chants altogether with composed choral pieces based on operatic modes.
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Dear Pavloosh,
I was just very happy with what you said earlier, as Irish Melkite said!
Alex
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I read somewhere perhaps "Russian Orthodox Chanting"
The spirit of Worship in Awe and Wonder is what we are after - not who can sing the best or who sounds the best - although sound does help create a spiritual atmosphere - sometimes even an out of tune congregation and choir who cannot sing to save themselves but come together out of love of God and one another is BEAUTIFUL MUSIC INDEED. No denying that, brother! My comment was only to ponder the musical characteristics of the two (sub-)traditions and was in no way meant to suppose that even perfect rendering of the melodically most beautiful chants would be truly beautiful if there's "nothing inside", so to say. We need to count our blessings when there are more than only 2 or 3 people in our congregations unless that is all we have - then we need to thank God for the 2 or 3! I more than agree: I have here (when I am in Sweden) chance for participating in the Divine Liturgy only a couple of times per year and even then it can be that we are only my family plus a few (Latin) friends joining us...
Last edited by Lyachovits; 08/21/13 06:51 AM.
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Actually, polyphony came to Russian liturgical chant not through Galicia or Kyiv or the Carpathians, but in the form of Italian or Italian trained court composers, who began by rearranging existing chants for multiple parts, and, by the beginning of the 18th century, began replacing traditional chants altogether with composed choral pieces based on operatic modes. Makes sense even if one doesn't consider history, just what is now: most of Galician or Ruthenian chanting is maximum homophonic (latter mostly monophonic) and not polyphonic so cannot really be the source of that in Russian liturgical singing.
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There are also some Italianate pictures brought directly from Italy by Italian composers and other visitors that, over time, have become much venerated Orthodox miraculous shrines.
It is said that St Seraphim's icon "Of Tender Feeling" is just one such image.
Not that there's anything wrong with that . . .
Alex
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Makes sense even if one doesn't consider history, just what is now: most of Galician or Ruthenian chanting is maximum homophonic (latter mostly monophonic) and not polyphonic so cannot really be the source of that in Russian liturgical singing. According to Gardner (writing in the 1920s), while the singing of the Sub-Carpathian Rus' was congregational and monadic, sung from memory and led by cantors, the people did add their own folk harmonies, while those who could not sing "reinforced the base line"--indicating, I think, that Prostopinje must have had something like an ison. It should also be noted that in churches with a high ceiling, the echo and reverberation of monadic singing tends to create its own harmonies.
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love that reverberation!
there are flutes from my native Yugoslavia - Kaval - that have a tone know as a KABA - it is actually a weird 2 tone sound that is produced as a natural part of the kaval flute - and can notes can be played in this mode.
it creates its own polyphony and sounds a lot like an Ison and melody together - although it is witch-like in its enchantment.
most kaval players played to their flocks of sheep - I often wonder if the sheep liked the music (they probably did)
Last edited by haydukovich; 08/22/13 10:21 AM.
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yes ... it is good know where things come from ... thanks for those posts.
I actually love all the differences ... and I love music theory and if i ever have time will perfect my knowledge of Byzantine Musical notation - (more free form - more freedom for the cantor to do what he can with the melody and to make it sound "Byzantine")
Last edited by haydukovich; 08/22/13 10:18 AM.
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Makes sense even if one doesn't consider history, just what is now: most of Galician or Ruthenian chanting is maximum homophonic (latter mostly monophonic) and not polyphonic so cannot really be the source of that in Russian liturgical singing. According to Gardner (writing in the 1920s), while the singing of the Sub-Carpathian Rus' was congregational and monadic, sung from memory and led by cantors, the people did add their own folk harmonies, while those who could not sing "reinforced the base line"--indicating, I think, that Prostopinje must have had something like an ison. It should also be noted that in churches with a high ceiling, the echo and reverberation of monadic singing tends to create its own harmonies. Yeah, high ceiling, as well as a church that longer than it is wide would help, too, since there are some high-ceilinged Churches that just look like they are wider than they are longer, and leaving me with that claustrophobic feeling where I feel I can't chant as freely.
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