Intergenred Diffusion in Orthodox Hymnography (On The Example of Canticles of The Troparion Subsystem)

Abstract

A complex and multifaceted characterization of the phenomenon of intergenre diffusion on the material of the troparion subsystem songs is carried out. A number of general scientific and special methods and approaches have been applied, in particular musicological (comparative and analytical), culturological, historical, philological, liturgical, theological. The method of analysis of individual hymns by eight genre features (developed by Olena Shevchuk on the basis of research by other musicologists, in particular Johann von Gardner and Iryna Bezuglova) was tested. For the first time in Ukrainian medieval music studies, rare troparion genres were involved in comparative studios — triadika, martyrika, thanatika, doxastika, eisodika and apolytykia. The problem of genre typology and genre hierarchy in hymnography, interrelation of liturgical genres with homiletic, euchographic and biblical ones is outlined in a new way. Several interrelated levels of intergenre diffusion have been identified in troparia, kathismata, hypakoi, monostrophic kontakiа and other related chants. Three main ones have been singled out: sources of poetic texts, genre names, common poetic-musical models. It is noted that the sources of verbal texts of troparion songs were often proimions and ikos of polystrophic kondaks of St. Romanos Melodos, which could act as selfsimilar to the hymns of the troparion subsystem. It has been proved that the change of genre names (troparion — kathisma — hypakoe — kondak — stichera) is connected both with different regional origin of names (Constantinople, Jerusalem) and with the historical development of liturgical genres and the whole genre system. Other common attributes in the hymns of the troparia group are determined — the theological content of the verbal text (contemplative, didactic, historical, dogmatic), genre styles and chants (in the Stoudios period — papadikon in Byzantium, kontakarion in Kyivan Rus, in Jerusalem — Bulgarian), forms (one-segment, two-segment, stanzas with codes, rondo type), methods of performance (hymnody, antiphonal, responsory). It was found that special troparia genres — triadika and thanatika — were sung in eight voices, but there were no special self-similar ones.