Angel Singing as the Basis of Choral Singing of the East Slavic Tradition and Choral Heritage of K. Pigrov

Abstract

The purpose of the research is to identify the cult (angelic) genesis of the art of choral singing in the East Slavic cultural and historical space, including in the activities of K. Pigrov. The methodology of the work has a complex nature and is based on a combination of the principles of hermeneutic, art history, historical-typological, etymological, aesthetic, and musical-intonation research. The scientific novelty of the article is determined by its research perspective, which takes into account not only the uniqueness and originality of the choral technique of K. Pigrov, which is the background of the Odesa Choir School, but also its rootedness in the concept of angeloglass as the basis of choral singing in the East Slavic cultural and historical tradition. Conclusions. The concept of angelic singing, described in Dionysius the Areopagite's treatise "On the Heavenly Hierarchy", laid the foundations for the formation of religious and ethical guidelines for liturgical and singing art, the principles of the spiritual being of a person, as well as the further development of academic choral art. The conducting and choral activity of K. Pigrov, his innovative methodology, which became the basis of the Odesa Choir School, is not only an essential page of his creative biography, but also summarises the most important spiritual and meaningful aspects of the national choral culture, formed on the basis of centuries-old church singing practice and spiritual-ethical guidelines for angelic singing. The latter affected the principles of K. Pigrov's work on purity of intonation, musical structure, ensemble and principled avoidance of forced dynamics, which collectively contributed to the formation of a special "sound culture". Involvement in them, their research allows to deeply understand those processes in the culture of the past and the present, which reveal through artistic creativity the profound transformations of the human essence and its spiritual being.
 Keywords: angeloglassya, angel singing, church-singing routine, choir, choral technique of K. Pigrov, Odesa Choir School.