Glossary of Liturgical Terms: F - J

Festal Hymn to the Theotokos (Zadostoynik) Back to Top
a hymn in honor of the Theotokos sung at the Divine Liturgy in place of "It is truly fitting" on the twelve great feasts and certain other feasts. Usually the ninth heirmos of the festal kanon is used for this purpose. The Liturgy of St. Basil the Great has its own special H. to the T., "All creation rejoices in You."

Festal Menaion Back to Top
one of the liturgical chant books used in the Russian Orthodox Church, which contains the hymns of the Proper for the immovable great feasts. In the Russian Church the F. M. arose in the latter half of the 15th-early 16th centuries; the first printed edition of the F. M. with musical notation -- the "Prazdniki notnago peniya" -- was published in 1772 in square notation.

Festal Triodion (Pentecostarion) Back to Top
one of the basic liturgical books of the Orthodox Church, which contains the hymns and prayers for the period from the Holy Pasch (Resurrection) through the Sunday of All Saints (the first Sunday after Pentecost). There are two types of F. T.: a reader's version, which contains only texts, and a singer's version, in which the texts are supplied with musical notation. The earliest notated versions of the F. T. in the Russian Church arose in the 12th c., as part of the so-called "Triodic Sticherarion." The first Russian printed edition of the F. T. with musical notation -- the "Pentikostarion, sirech' Piatidesiatnitsa" -- was published in 1772 in square notation.

Funeral Service Back to Top
a service for the burial of the departed, which essentially consists of the Memorial Service with the addition of a Gospel reading, special stichera on the Beatitudes and certain other stichera.

Glas Back to Top
see Tone

Golovshchik Back to Top
the singer in an early Russian church singing ensemble whose role consisted of performing solo verses or the initial phrases of hymns.

Gospel stichera Back to Top
see stichera, Gospel

Great Entrance Back to Top
the solemn procession during the singing of the Cherubic Hymn at Divine Liturgy, in which the bread and wine are transferred from the Table of Preparation to the Holy Table. (see Cherubic Hymn)

Great Znamenny Chant Back to Top
one of the varieties of znamenny chant which is characterized by richness of melodic content and an abundance of melismas. In the system of Russian church musical aesthetics, melodies of g. z. c. were used primarily at particularly solemn moments of the liturgy and on feast days. (see also little znamenny chant)

Greek Chant Back to Top
one of the liturgical chants of the Russian Orthodox Church, which became known in Muscovite Russia in the mid-17th c. The melodies of G. c. are characterized by syllabic structure, symmetry of rhythm and phrase construction, a strong tonal center, and the exact repetition of melodic phrases. The exact relationship of Russian G. c. to the singing of the Greek Church of that time has not yet been determined; some of its melodies resemble those of other Eastern Orthodox Churches (e.g., the Romanian). G. c. does not contain melodies for all categories of liturgical hymns.

Heirmologion or Irmologion Back to Top
one of the basic liturgical books of the Orthodox Church, which contains the heirmoi for the entire year. There are two types of H.: a reader's version, which contains only texts, and a singer's version, in which the texts are supplied with musical notation. In the western Ukrainian and Byelorussian branches of the Orthodox Church the H. was a book that, in addition to heirmoi, contained the hymns of the Ordinary of Vespers, Matins, and Divine Liturgy, as well as hymns from the Octoechos and various feast-day hymns. The first printed edition of a notated H. in Russia -- the "Irmologiy notnago peniya," in square notation, was published in 1772.

Heirmos or Irmos (pl. Heirmoi, Irmosi) Back to Top
a hymn that stands as the first troparion in each ode of a kanon and serves as a thematic link between the Scriptural canticles and the feast being celebrated. In the Greek originals, the h. established the melodic and metric model used in subsequent stanzas of each ode.

Hexapsalmos Back to Top
see Six Psalms

Hours Back to Top
the shortest services in the daily cycle of Orthodox worship, which consist of the Trisagion, three psalms, the troparion and kontakion of the day and several additional prayers. First Hour is generally served as part of the All-Night Vigil, immediately after Matins; Third Hour is commonly served before the Divine Liturgy or, if the latter is not served, is read separately, around 9 o'clock in the morning; Sixth Hour is commonly served immediately after Third Hour before Divine Liturgy or, if the latter is not served, is read separately around midday; Ninth Hour is served at approximately 3 p. m. or directly before Vespers. The H. also take on several special forms: the so-called Royal Hours are served on the eves of the Nativity of Christ and the Theophany and Holy Friday, and comprise the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours in sequence with the addition of readings from Scripture; Lenten Hours, in which some extra prayers are added to the usual format; and Paschal Hours, which are sung before the beginning of the Paschal Divine Liturgy and consist of a number of sung troparia without psalms.

Hymn Back to Top
in a general sense, any poetic song performed in the context of the liturgy; hymns may offerpraise or prayer to God, or may express dogmas and moral precepts, as well as describe and reflect upon historical and liturgical events. (2) specific doxological or devotional songs, e. g., the Thrice-Holy Hymn "Holy God," the "Cherubic Hymn," the evening hymn "Gladsome Light"

Hymn of degrees Back to Top
see antiphon, gradual

Hymns of the Ordinary Back to Top
hymns that do not change depending on the occasion being celebrated and thus constitute the fixed format of a given service (see All-Night Vigil, Divine Liturgy)

Hymns of the Proper Back to Top
hymns that change depending on the day of the week or day of the year, i. e., troparia, kontakia, hypakoe, stichera, gradual antiphons, kathisma hymns, kanons, exapostilaria, prokeimena, and others. In the practice of the Russian Church, h. of the P. are for the most part performed "according to the Tones," i. e., using the melodies from one of the liturgical chants: znamenny, Kievan, Greek, Bulgarian or "Common."

Hypakoë or ypakoë Back to Top
a term probably of Palestinian origin that suggests a response and hence the formal and functional equivalent of Constantinople's troparion. H. are performed: (1) at Sunday Compline; (2) at Sunday Nocturns; (3) at Sunday Matins before the gradual antiphons and the reading of the Gospel; and (4) sometimes after the 3rd ode of the kanon, in place of the kathisma hymn.

Idiomelon (samoglasen) Back to Top
a hymn that is not patterned on any other hymn in terms of either meter, content, or melody

Ikos Back to Top
see oikos

Introductory psalm Back to Top
Psalm 103 [104], "Bless the Lord, O my soul," which begins Vespers and, thereby, the liturgical cycle of each new day

Introit Back to Top
see entrance hymn

Irmologiy (Irmolog, Irmoloy) Back to Top
see Heirmologion

Irmos Back to Top
see heirmos

There are currently no terms under the section "J" Back to Top