PSALOM
Traditional Eastern Orthodox Chant Documentation Project
Hymnography: Traditional Chant Genres

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HYMNOGRAPHY

Introduction: Traditional Melodic Genres

1. Psalmodic or Stichologic Genre

2. Sticheraric Genre
The 3 Classes of Melodic Forms for Stichera:
Idiomela (Samoglasny)
Automela (Samopodobny)
Prosomoia (Podobny)

3. Hiermologic Genre

4. Canonarchal/Responsorial Genre

5. Papadic Genre

6. Common Chants

7. Anomalistic Chants

8. Ecphonesis

9. Paraliturgical Singing

Sources for Chant Melodies


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7. Anomalistic Chants

For the Russian Znamenny tradition:
In addition to some of the Common Chants, this genre includes:
a) all the rest of the music for the Divine Liturgy (such as the Anaphora),
b) the entire body of Put' Chant melodies (used for Magnifications and various solemn liturgical moments during the vigil),
c) and the entire body of Demestvenny Chant (used for heirarchical liturgies and other festal occasions).


This genre of hymns consists of all other selections of melodic repertoir which cannot be classified in the other categories. These anomalous hymns are the "exceptions that break the rules", including hybrid genres, formal chants outside the 8-Tone system, and everything else that defies classification.

1) Byzantine Chant Tradition (etc.):

[information coming soon]

2) Russian Znamenny Tradition (etc.):

In addition to some of the Common Chants, this genre includes all the rest of the music for the Divine Liturgy (such as the Anaphora), the entire body of Put' Chant melodies (used for Magnifications and various solemn liturgical moments during the vigil), and the entire body of Demestvenny Chant (used for heirarchical liturgies and other festal occasions). None of the hymn melodies of this genre seem to be directly derived from Byzantine Chant, and the Put' and Demestvenny repertoires each have their own unique neumatic notations (which are known by only a small percentage of Old Believers and musicologists today).

[Are Akathists best placed in this genre?]