Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences: On the Structural - Formula Method of Researching Ancient Russian Chants as Musical - Written Art

Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences / On the Structural - Formula Method of Researching Ancient Russian Chants as Musical - Written Art

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Issue: Journal of Siberian Federal University. Humanities & Social Sciences. 2008 1 (3)
Authors: Parfentjev, Nikolaj P.; Parfentjeva, Natalya V.
Contact information: Nikolaj P.Parfentjev, Natalya V.Parfentjeva: South-Ural State University, 76 Lenin’s pr., Chelyabinsk, 454080 Russia, e-mail:
Keywords: chants of ancient Russian music; author’s creativity; formula variation; formula-by-formula methods of analyses and decoding
Abstract: Developing a method of researching the general and individual creative principles of masters of various regional schools in Ancient-Russian musical – written art is of great importance. The authors of this paper present a structural method of researching Ancient-Russian chants which: reveals the formula structure of the chants; reconstructs missing tracings or divorces of formula on written sources; gives a formula-by-formula synchronous comparison of singsongs (“raspevs”) of different lists and authors (since that the same formula can be written down in many different ways), as tracings, or as the simple signs forming divorces, simplifying the melodic maintenance of formulae; decodes and analyzes the formula -intonation maintenance of church chanting; reveals the basis of figurative-semantic connections of the hymnography text and singsong “raspev”. The creative principles of ancient Russian composers, embodied in their chants, are revealed through the structural-formula method. Numerous religious chants, including the best scale cycles of the most outstanding masters, are deciphered and analyzed. Receptions of revealing of compound neumes and formulae (named “popevka”, “litso”, “fita”) in ancient chants, definitions of regional and author’s features of their divorces and drawing up of summary information tables are developed. This enables research to be done on the chants of the best masters (Theodor Krestjanin, Varlaam Rogov, Ivan Lukoshkov, Loggin Shishelov, etc.), of the theory of ancient Russian musical-written art. This field of comparative research on the diverse creative processes in art promotes a deeper understanding of these processes and corresponds to a modern level of developing a science.
Pages: 385-390
Paper at repository of SibFU: https://elib.sfu-kras.ru/handle/2311/798

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