Sacred Music & Hymnography
Slavic/Russian Church Music
The Russian tradition developed polyphonic choral music (from the 17th century onward): a departure from Byzantine monophony. Great composers: Bortniansky, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff (All-Night Vigil, 1915), Chesnokov. The rich choral tradition of the Russian Church is world-renowned.
Sources
- Rachmaninoff, All-Night Vigil Op. 37 (Vespers): pinnacle of Russian Orthodox choral tradition
- Octoechos (Eight Tones: the modal foundation of all Slavic liturgical chant) OCA, the services
- Typikon of the Russian Orthodox Church (chant guidelines) OCA, the services
- St. John of Damascus, compositions in the Octoechos (origin of the eight-mode system) OCA, the services