Post-Communial Sticheron in the Byzantine-Slavic Liturgical Formularies: Musical and Liturgical Aspects

Proceedings of the 10th WSEAS International Conference on ACOUSTICS & MUSIC: THEORY & APPLICATIONS Post-Communial Sticheron in the Byzantine-Slavic Liturgical Formularies: Musical and Liturgical Aspects ŠIMON MARINČÁK ‘Michael Lacko’ Center of Spirituality East-West University of Trnava Komenského 14, 04001 Košice SLOVAKIA [email protected] Abstract: – Liturgical formularies of the Byzantine (or Constantinopolitan) tradition have undergone many intercalations and omissions that have modified its actual cursus during the centuries. Post-Communial Sticheron ‘We have seen the true light’ belongs to more recent additions and have not been explained satisfactorily yet. This chant has not been a stable part of the liturgical formulary before 17th century and its insertion and stabilization after the Communion rites is still quite obscure. Interesting is its musical mutation from the original Octoechal modal musical system to a system of a free composition is some cultural traditions, again, not explained satisfactorily yet. This paper will bring the historical overview that will set into chronological table the process of accession of this sticheron into the Byzantine liturgical formularies, as well as the comparison of various musical models both Octoechal and compositional. Key Words: – Music, Liturgy, Byzantine, Chant, Rite, Eucharistic Formulary. 1 Introduction of the Little Vespers or Lord, I have cried of the Byzantine Church as direct descendant of the pure Great Vespers on Saturday evening before the Constantinopolitan tradition [1] uses three feast of Pentecost (eighth Sunday after the Pascha) principal liturgical formularies: liturgy of St Basil [3]. It is inserted into Byzantine liturgies of CHR the Great (henceforth the BAS), liturgy of St John and BAS and is performed right after the Chrysostom (henceforth the CHR), and liturgy of communion rites. It follows immediately the the Presanctified Gifts of St Gregory the Dialogos celebrant’s (i.e. priest’s or bishop’s) exclamation (henceforth the PRES). Each of these three “Save your people, O God, and bless your formularies has long and turbulent history of inheritance” [4]. development. Some of their parts have evolved as In the present paper, we shall leave out the a response to various ecclesiastical and political PRES and will discuss formularies BAS and CHR. events, other as response to popular piety and the satisfaction of popular devotion. The liturgical practice as such was by no means uniform in the 2 Sources whole Church, and often the formulary differed There is no mention of either the celebrant’s significantly in single places. New intercalations exclamation or the popular response in the became regular part of the formulary usually after liturgical sources before the 13th century. On this a reform, or other ecclesiastical circumstances and agree the oldest Greek liturgical manuscripts, it usually started to spread from the mother center starting with the 8th century euchologion towards smaller centers with the speed depending Barberini gr. 336, which contains neither the on the popularity of the intercalated unit. exclamation, nor the answer (folios 21-22) [5]. In the present paper, we will discuss the Post- The same practice is traceable in the later sources, Communial sticheron [2] “We have seen the true for example the 10th century manuscript light,” which became indispensable part of the euchologion Sevastianov 474 (folio 24) [6], then Byzantine-Slavic liturgical formularies from 17th the 10th-11th century archieratikon of BAS the century onward. This sticheron preexisted the 17th Pyromalus Codex (folio 65) [7], and finally the century and its original place is at the Aposticha ISSN: 1790-5095 74 ISBN: 978-960-474-061-1 Proceedings of the 10th WSEAS International Conference on ACOUSTICS & MUSIC: THEORY & APPLICATIONS 12th-13th centuries manuscript edited by Jacob famous liturgicon of 1655 (page 364), reformed Goar (folio 67) [8]. after the Greek books [11]. Since this edition, the We find the words of exclamation for the first response Εις πολλα ετη δεσποτα with the time in the 13th century source again edited by sticheron follow the exclamation until the 1667, Jacob Goar (folio undisclosed) [9]. The words are when the practice split: the response Εις πολλα read silently and have no response yet. A ετη δεσποτα remained the stable part at the comparison with other sources points to the fact pontifical liturgy, and the sticheron itself that the practice of the exclamation was not remained the response at liturgy celebrated by a customary everywhere. While the above priest. mentioned 13th century source does contain it, the Ruthenian sources start with the liturgicon 14th century Greek manuscript no. 279 of the published in Torgovišče (Romania) in 1508, Moscow Synodal library (folios 141, and 152) has which contains exclamation aloud with no answer neither the exclamation, nor the response. (folio 51). Venetian Slavic editions, of which first However, later in the 14th and 15th centuries the appeared in 1519, show the same practice (folio practice of exclamation became more and more 37). Later Venetian editions were exact reprints of common in the liturgical sources, which still the first one with the same foliation. However, the recommend saying it silently, as one can observe most important sources for the research are in the 15th century manuscripts, such as printed liturgical books of Ruthenian provenience, manuscript euchologion no. 280 of the Moscow of which the most important and influential are Synodal library (folio 38), and manuscript typikon editions connected with names of bishop Gedeon no. 381 of the Moscow Synodal library (folio 31). Balaban (reigned 1569-1607) and metropolitan By 16th and 17th centuries, Greek sources slowly Peter Mohyla (1596-1646). The Balaban’s edition change their practice towards more frequent use published in Strjatyň in 1604 is a bit confusing. of both the exclamation and the response. It is While it gives no answer on the priest’s witnessed by the manuscript edited by Goar (folio exclamation aloud at the CHR on page 206, it 181) [10], which gives the exclamation aloud with gives popular response of the Εις πολλα ετη the response Εις πολλα ετη δεσποτα, while the δεσποτα both in Greek and translated to Slavic at liturgicon published in Venice in 1566 (folio 24) the BAS on page 340. The edition of Peter says the exclamation aloud, but gives no response Mohyla (1620 and, more important, 1629) even to it. The same practice shows Greek euchologion exceeds in importance and influence Balaban’s published in 1647, which also gives no response edition. It gives just Εις πολλα ετη δεσποτα to the exclamation (page 58). response after the exclamation, and so does the Russian sources give the exclamation (yet next edition of 1629 (page 94), which became the silent) without the response for the first time in model edition for almost all next Ruthenian the 15th century, as given by the manuscript no. editions. In the 18th century, the Ruthenian 216 of the Holy Trinity and Sergey monastery liturgical books started to add the sticheron “We (folio 36), and aloud in the same era, as given in have seen the true light” following the Εις πολλα the manuscript euchologion no. 281 of the ετη δεσποτα, as witnessed by the liturgicon Moscow Synodal library (folio 52) with no published in Lvov in 1759 (folio 101) and editions response as well. The exclamation aloud followed that follow, up to 1905, when the new edition of by the response Εις πολλα ετη δεσποτα can be metropolitan Andrei Šeptickij appeared [12]. found already in the 16th century manuscript no. Since these sources give the Εις πολλα ετη 218 of the Holy Trinity and Sergey monastery δεσποτα both transliterated and translated into the (folio 87). The same says the manuscript no. 403 Slavic, it is not clear from the context, whether the of the Rumjancev museum (folio 56), and original Greek version or the translated one was to manuscript no. 225 of the Holy Trinity and Sergey be read. Liturgicon published in Vilna in 1692 monastery (folio undisclosed). Definitive place of edited by bishop Cyprian Žochovskij, shows a bit the sticheron in the liturgical formularies in the diverse practice. As for the response for the Slavic tradition, however, was given by patriarch exclamation, it prescribes verse “God is the Lord” Nikon (1605-1681), who included it into his and the sticheron “We have sent the true light” of ISSN: 1790-5095 75 ISBN: 978-960-474-061-1 Proceedings of the 10th WSEAS International Conference on ACOUSTICS & MUSIC: THEORY & APPLICATIONS the mode 1 (folio 97). The same says liturgicon linking musical formulas one after another, in the published in Počajev in 1735, but gives correct length that satisfies textual demand. Formulas are mode 2 for the sticheron (folio 32-33). Počajev further organized into the modes, known as ‘glas’ editions did not change their practice even until (i.e. ‘voice’) in Slavic. Of course, the formulas are the 1840 edition (cf. page 341). Towards 19th linked together only within single mode, never century, the Εις πολλα ετη δεσποτα disappear across the modes. For example, mode 1 (or any from the priestly liturgy also in the Ruthenian other mode) has initial formula A, then the editions, as witnessed by liturgicon published in recitative formula B, medium cadence C and final 1882 (folio 106) [13], although some Churches F. The melody thus may be described as still maintain the tradition to sing both Εις πολλα ABCBCBF or ABF scheme for instance, or any ετη δεσποτα and the sticheron at every liturgy, other mixture of these patterns. It always depends whether celebrated by a bishop, or by a priest. on the length of the liturgical text. The formulas may never be mixed up cross mode, i.e. pattern A of the mode 1 with pattern B of the mode 4, etc. 3 Musical and Liturgical Aspects This system is the most apparent in the Greek The reason ‘why’ the sticheron was introduced chant, while Slavic countries have obscured it into the Liturgy is still shrouded.

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