An example of Znamenny notation with so-called "red marks", Russia, 1884. "Thy Cross we honour, oh Lord, and Thy holy Resurrection we praise."

Znamenny Chant (Russian: Знаменное пение, знаменный распев) is a singing tradition used in the Russian Orthodox Church. Znamenny Chant is unison, melismatic liturgical singing that has its own specific notation, called Kryuki (Russian: крюки) or Znamena (Russian: знамена). Znamenny melodies are part of a system, consisting of Eight Modes (intonation structures); the melodies are characterized by fluency and well-balancedness. There exist several types of Znamenny Chant: the so-called Stolpovoy, Malyj (Little) and Bolshoy (Great) Znamenny Chant.

[edit] Notation

Znamenny Chants are not written with notes (the so-called linear notation), but with special signs, called Znamena (archaic Russian for "marks", "signs", "flags") or Kryuki ("hooks"), as some shapes of these signs resemble hooks. Each sign may include the following components: a large black hook or a black stroke, several smaller black 'points' and 'commas' and lines near the hook or crossing the hook. Some signs may mean only one note, some 2 to 4 notes, and some a whole melody of more than 10 notes with a complicated rhythmic structure.

A hand-drawn lubok featuring 'hook and banner notation'.

The system of signs is a Russian refinement of the Byzantine neumatic musical notation.

The most notable feature of this notation system is that it records transitions of the melody, rather than notes. The signs also represent a mood and a gradation of how this part of melody is to be sung (tempo, strength, devotion, meekness, etc.) Every sign has its own name and also features as a spiritual symbol. For example, there is a specific sign, called "little dove" (Russian: голубчик (galubchik)), which represents two rising sounds, but which is also a symbol of the Holy Ghost.

Gradually the system became more and more complicated. This system was also ambiguous, so that almost no one, except the most trained and educated singers, could sing an unknown melody at sight. The signs only helped to reproduce the melody, not coding it in an unambiguous way.

Because of the complexity of the system, a simplification was developed in the 16th century, called "red marks" (Russian: киноварные знаки (kinovarnye znaki)), which consisted of small letters in red and which were placed before each Znamenny sign. These indicate the highest note of the sign it stands before. This is generally regarded as the first step towards a certain simplification of the system.

The use and evolution of the system stopped in the middle of the 17th century, after the church reforms by Patriarch Nikon. From that time Western music started to penetrate into Russian culture, and the Russian-Orthodox Church introduced a "Latin", polyphonic way of singing, based on Polish, German and Italian harmonies. The term "Latin" however was considered derogatory, since it also referred to "heretical Latin faith".

Currently Znamenny signs continue to be used by the Russian Old Believers, mostly in combination with the above-mentioned "red marks", as shown in the first illustration. In the 19th century Edinovertsy, particularly outside Russia, have tried to move to the modern neume form of notation that tries to capture exact relations between pitches; and they currently use a standard linear notation.

[edit] Performing Practice

Because Znamenny Chant requires a specific manner of performance, the so-called Chant Books contain several instructions as to dynamics and tempo. For the Old Believers church chant also has an educational function: one has to sing in such a way that the sound astonishes the ear and the truth, enclosed in the chants, penetrates the heart. Znamenny performance practice excludes classical vocal training. Singers perform with their own, natural voices, sometimes in a style reminiscent of folklore. Znamenny Chant does not have any pauses or rests, and all chants are performed fluently. Ideally, singers will sing in such a way that their voices become united in one single voice. Originally Znamenny Chant was performed only by male voices. Today, due to a significant decay in the traditions and the small number of people able to sing at church services, it is usually performed by both by male and female voices.

[edit] References

• Вургафт С.Г., Ушаков И.А. Старообрядчество. Лица, события, предметы и символы. Опыт энциклопедического словаря, Москва 1996 / Vurgaft S.G., Ušakov I.A. Staroobrjadčestvo. Lica, sobytija, predmety i simvoly. Opyt ėnciklopedičeskogo slovarja, Moskva 1996

[edit] External links

• Explanation and History of Znamenny Chant
• Traditional Eastern Orthodox Chant Documentation Project - a lot of information and notes. (English)
• Observations on the Early Russian Collections of the Library of Congress^{[dead link]} - references to Znamenny Chant
• The Intonation of the Eight Tones Byzantine notation
• Free scores of Znamenny Chant in the Choral Public Domain Library (ChoralWiki)