Abstract

Old Kiev Orthodox chant was developing in cathedral and monastery centres. It is based on eight church (modal) modes and its well-known centre of development was Kiev Pechersk Lavra (the Kiev Monastery of the Caves). The chant has the elements of Byzantine, Bulgarian and local eastern orthodox church melodies. Among the names of the precursors of this chant are: St. Theodosius of Kiev (Theodosius of the Caves) and monks: St. Stephen and St. George have to be mentioned. The oldest divine services based on Kiev melodies are "Służby Boże" in praise of St. Boris and Gleb, St. Olga of Kiev and St. Vladimir the Great. Old-Kiev chants were noted with the use of special notation called the Stolp notation (which uses Kryuki). In later period the chant was fostered in so called "brackie schools" in second half of 16th c. The "kijewskoje znamia" or mensular notations, similar to western notation were then introduced. On the basis of the Kiev chant the polyphonic style was created under the name of Partesny singing. It has been competing with the Roman-Catholich Church singing since the second half of the 17th c. Starting from the second half of the 17th c. The singing is taken to Moscow ground and later to Petersburg by singers and conductors going there from Kiev lands. The Partesny singing was composed mostly in Kiev-Mohyla Academy basing on "A grammar of musical song" (Грамматика муcикийского пения) by Nikolay Diletsky. Kiev Eastern Orthodox Church chant – monodic and polyphonic – remains one of the basic types of liturgical singing of Eastern Orthodox Church and, by its beauty and profound dignity, has always captivated and captivates still the attention of the believers.