Glossary of Liturgical Terms: P - T

Panikhida (Parastas) Back to Top
see Memorial Service

Partesny Singing (Partesny Polyphony) Back to Top
a style of polyphonic singing, based on the Western European system of harmony and counterpoint, which arose in the early 17th c. in the Ukraine and in the mid-17th c. spread to Muscovite Russia. The leading theoretician and composer of that period, Nikolai Diletsky, distinguished two types of polyphony in p. s.: "natural" ("prostoyestestvennoye"), in which all the voices sang continuously and pronounced the words simultaneously, and "concerted" ("boritel'noye" or "kontsertovoye"), in which different groups of voices or different choirs sang in alternation and the imitative treatment of motives caused the text to be pronounced at different times. Works in the style of p. s. were composed on all manner of liturgical and non-liturgical (and in some instances, secular) texts, for vocal complements ranging from three voices (e. g., kanty) to polychoral concertos for 8, 12, 16, 24 (and in one known case -- 48) voices. The style of p. s. endured until the end of the 18th c.

Paschal Midnight Service Back to Top
the complex of offices served on the first day of the Holy Pasch (Resurrection). The P. m. s. is preceded by the Paschal Nocturns, after which, at midnight, the Paschal procession of the Cross takes place; this is followed by Paschal Matins, Paschal Hours, and the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

Passion Service Back to Top
an evening service, particularly widespread in the Ukraine and Byelorussia, served on Fridays of Lent, at which the Gospel accounts of Christ's suffering are read

Pattern Melody [technique] (Prosomoion, Podoben) Back to Top
a compositional technique whereby several metrically identical strophes are performed to the same basic "pattern" melody. This device was used prominently in the kontakia of St. Romanos Melodos, in which subsequent stanzas were sung to the melody of the first kontakion; afterwards, certain hymns began to be used as metric and melodic models and were designated as "prosomoia," i. e., pattern melodies to which new hymns were to be performed. Although the Russians adopted both the principle of p. m.'s and the designations of specific models from the Greek Church, the disruption of metric patterns that resulted when the Greek texts were translated into Church Slavonic made it necessary for Russian composers to create their own indigenous p. m.'s, which were more recitative-like in character and capable of accommodating texts of varying syllabic structure. (see also avtomelon; idiomelon)

Pentecostarion Back to Top
see Festal Triodion

Podoben Back to Top
see pattern melody

Polyeleion Back to Top
a hymn performed at Matins comprised of verses of Psalm 134 [135] and 135 [136] with the refrain "Alleluia." The term is derived from the Greek words poly" -- many and eleo" -- mercy, in view of the multifold repetition of the phrase "for His mercy endures forever." During the singing of the p. the clergy process to the middle of the church and all the lights in the temple are lit.

Popevka (pl. Popevki) Back to Top
consistent melodic turns or formulae in early Russian church singing, which serve as the building blocks for melodies of znamenny and other chants. P. are classified according to Tones; each Tone is distinguished by p. that occur in it more frequently than in other Tones; some Tones have more p. than others. The basic p. of znamenny chant were collected in azbuki, known as kokizniki. There are also other categories of p. -- litsa and fity -- which were used as melodic ornaments in chants, but did not constitute their essential components.

Post-feast (Afterfeast) Back to Top
a period of one to seven days (in case of the Pasch -- 40 days) following a greatfeast, which in some respects constitutes a continuation of the feast. During the p.-f. certain festal hymns continue to be sung.

Prayer Service (Moleben) Back to Top
a service offered in response to a individual need or special occasion, e. g., illness, thanksgiving, the beginning of some task. The structure of the P. S. resembles Matins: essentially, it consists of the Trisagion, troparia, a Gospel reading, special prayers and litanies, and a kanon (usually in abridged form). Sometimes a P. S. is combined with a procession of the Cross.

Prazdniki Back to Top
see Festal Menaion

Pre-feast Back to Top
a period of one or several days prior to a great feast, which serves as a preparation for the celebration; during the p.-f. special hymns and prayers are prescribed.

Presanctified Gifts, Liturgy of the Back to Top
a communion service joined to Vespers which is served on the Wednesdays and Fridays of Great Lent and on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of Passion Week; so called because the Holy Gifts for these communion services are consecrated at the Divine Liturgy of the preceding Sunday.

Procession of the Cross Back to Top
a solemn procession of clergy and laity, at the head of which is carried the Holy Cross, banners, icons, etc. C. p. always occur at the end of the Matins of Holy Saturday (the "Burial of Christ") and on the Holy Pasch (Resurrection) at the beginning of the Paschal Midnight Service; besides those occasions, they are held on parish feast-days and on other solemn occasions, as determined by the priest-in-charge.

Processional Back to Top
see entrance hymn

Prokeimenon (Prokimenon) (pl. Prokeimena) Back to Top
a form of responsorial singing consisting of a psalm-verse refrain and, by extension -- the entire psalm and refrain; so called because in ancient Constantinopolitan usage the psalm-verse refrain was given before (pro) the text (keimenon) of the psalm. In the liturgy the p. can stand alone, as at Vespers, or be used in conjunction with readings from Scripture, where its original function was that of a prayerful and didactic respite from the rigors of attentive listening to Scripture. P. are sung on special melodies according to the Tones: after the reader intones the verse, the p. is repeated in sung fashion; then one or several other verses are chanted, and the p. is repeated after each one. Finally, half of the p. verse is read, while the singers conclude the second half, and the Scripture reading begins.

Prosomoion Back to Top
see pattern melody [technique]

Psalm Back to Top
an ancient Hebraic hymn that has, in various instances, a doxological, penitential, didactic, or messianic content. In many respects, psalms served as models for the composition of new Christian hymns, and also came to be incorporated as important elements into all forms of the Christian liturgy. Following Hebraic antecedents, the Christians developed various styles of performing psalms: psalmodic chanting by one or several singers, antiphonal singing by two singers or groups, and responsorially -- when a single singer chanted the verses of a p. and the congregation responded with a refrain. Some p.'s (or select verses) constitute hymns of the Ordinary in Orthodox services; others are hymns of the Proper for specific feasts.

Psalms of Typika Back to Top
psalms 102 [103] and 145 [146], which, together with the Beatitudes, constitute the first part of Typika, a brief service of monastic origin. In current Russian practice Typika is served before the Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts, and the p. of T. and the Beatitudes generally replace the first, second, and third antiphons at Divine Liturgy.

Psalter Back to Top
the book of the Bible that contains the 150 psalms, including the psalms of David, Moses, Asaph, the Levitic psalms, and others.

Put' (putevoy) chant Back to Top
a variant of znamenny chant, found in MSS from the last quarter of the 15th c. onward. By the early 17th c. all categories of singers' books had been set in p. c.

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

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

Sacred Concerto Back to Top
a piece of sacred music composed on a text that may be liturgical or non-liturgical (e. g., from the Psalms), which was sung after the Communion Hymn during the communion of the clergy at the Divine Liturgy. Sometimes hymns from other services, e. g., the All-Night Vigil, are sung as s. c.'s.

Samoglasen Back to Top
see idiomelon

Samopodoben Back to Top
see avtomelon

Sedalen Back to Top
see kathisma hymn

Sessional hymn Back to Top
see kathisma hymn

Six Psalms (Hexapsalmos) Back to Top
the suite of six psalms read at the start of Matins: 3, 37 [38], 62 [63], 87 [88], 102 [103], and 142 [143]

Slavnik Back to Top
see doxastikon

Square Notation (Square-Note Notation, Square Notes) Back to Top
a five-line staff notation that replaced medieval neumatic notation in Russian church singing of the the second half of the 17th c. In its essential details, s. n. resembles the staff notation used in Western European sacred and secular music of the 16th-17th c. In the Russian Church, s. n. was first used in western Ukrainian Heirmologia written at the turn of the 17th c. Completely replacing staffless notation, s. n. was used in the printed liturgical chant books that began to be published by the Holy Synod in 1772, and continued to be used in chant books until 1917. In contrast to modern-day (round-note) musical notation, the notes of s. n. are square- and diamond-shaped and are written, as a rule, in alto clef.

Stavrotheotokion Back to Top
a type of sticheron in which the Mother of God is described standing before the Cross and lamenting the suffering of Jesus Christ

Sticheron (pl. Stichera) Back to Top
a term of Palestinian origin signifying a hymn of several (usually 8 to 12) lines, written (in the Greek original) in a specific meter. S., as a rule, are written in cycles devoted to a particular occasion or saint, and are performed in alternation with verses of various psalms. In liturgical books s. have a designation of Tone, and sometimes, a pattern melody, to which they are to be sung. The following cycles of s. may be identified: stichera on the Beatitudes, which are actually troparia taken from the 3rd and 6th odes of kanons, sung in alternation with the verses from the Gospel of St. Matthew (5:3-12); stichera at "Lord, I call", which are sung at Vespers following the initial verses of Psalm 140 [141], and are inserted after verses of Psalms 141 [142], 129 [130], or 116 [117], depending on the number of s. (between 4 and 10) specified in the Typikon; stichera at the Lity, which are sung during the procession of the clergy from the altar to the narthex and do not have any psalm verses associated with them; stichera aposticha, which are sung at Vespers following verses selected in accordance with the occasion being celebrated, and also at daily Matins after verses 16-18 of Psalm 88 [89]; stichera at the Praises, between 4 and 6 s., which are sung at the end of Matins, after Psalms 148, 149, and 150. There is also a special cycle of Resurrectional Gospel stichera, which correspond to the cycle of 11 Gospel readings at Sunday Matins and are sung after "Glory" following the stichera at the Praises. Besides s. that form specific cycles, there are also s. that stand alone at various services, e. g., stichera after Psalm 50, sung at Matins of the twelve major feasts, and other individual s. that take their name from their content: theotokia, in honor of the Theotokos; theotokia dogmatica, honoring the Theotokos and relating the dogma of Christ's two natures; anastasima, honoring the Resurrection, stavrotheotokia, which speak of the Theotokos at the Cross of Jesus; stavroanastasima, which speak of the Cross and the Resurrection; triadika, in honor of the Trinity; nekrosima, in honor of the departed; martyrika, in honor of martyrs.

Sticherarion Back to Top
a liturgical chant book of the Orthodox Church, which contains stichera and other hymns of the Proper from the yearly cycle. S. varied in content: some contained only stichera of the twelve major feasts, others -- stichera from the Lenten and Festal Triodia, the Octoechos, or the Menaia. In time, the contents of the S. were distributed among other liturgical chant books; in Russia, only handwritten s. have survived. (119R)

Stolp Notation Back to Top
see znamenny notation, neumatic notation

Strochny Singing Back to Top
a type of polyphonic singing that developed in the Russian Orthodox Church in the 16th and 17th centuries. The polyphonic texture in s. s. is formed by the addition of a vocal line either above the basic chant, or below it, but most frequently, both above and below, forming a 3-voiced texture; the basic melody is termed the put', the melody above it -- the verkh, and the melody below -- the niz. There are also examples of 4-part s. s., in which the fourth voice is called the demestvo. In the history of Russian church singing, two basic types of s. s. developed: (1) znamenny polyphony, in which the movement of the voices basically follows the put', and (2) demestvenny polyphony, in which the voices have greater independence and variety of movement than in znamenny polyphony.

Svetilen Back to Top
see exapostilarion

Theotokos (lit. God-Bearer) Back to Top
the term used by the Orthodox Church for the Virgin Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ

Theotokion (pl. Theotokia) Back to Top
a hymn in honor of the Theotokos that usually concludes a cycle of stichera or troparia. There are several categories of t.: resurrectional theotokia, which are sung after "Glory...now and ever" at the end of the stichera aposticha; theotokia dogmatica, which are sung after "Both now and ever" at the end of the stichera at "Lord, I call" and contain dogmatic teaching concerning the incarnation and dual nature of Christ; and dismissal theotokia, daily and resurrectional, sung at the end of the dismissal troparia at the end of Vespers and at Matins after "The Lord is God."

Thrice-Holy Back to Top
see Trisagion

Tone Back to Top
a term that refers to either the sum total of melodic formulae (popevki) performed within a particular trichord or tetrachord of the ecclesiatical gamut (scale), or to a characteristic pattern of melodic phrases, within the framework of which a given church hymn is performed. The system of Orthodox church singing has eight such groupings, which form the system of Eight Tones.

Triodion Back to Top
an incomplete kanon, which consists of three odes. The odes of a t. are based on the same 9 canticles of Scripture as those of a full kanon. The t. always includes the 8th and 9th odes, but these are preceded by one more ode: the 1st on Monday, the 2nd on Tuesday, the 3rd on Wednesday, the 4th on Thursday, the 5th on Friday, and the 6th and 7th on Saturday, forming a tetraodion. The t. are sung and read during the weekdays of Lent at Matins, during the period from Easter to Pentecost at Compline, and also during the pre-feasts of Christmas, Theophany, and Transfiguration.

Trisagion Back to Top
(1) the hymn "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us," which is sung at Divine Liturgy before the reading of the Apostle and Gospel. On certain feasts the T. is replaced by the verse "As many as have been baptized into Christ..." or "Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master...." (2) the cycle of prayers that begins with the above words and includes the prayer "O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us..." and other brief sentences before the Lord's Prayer. In this form the T. is read at all the services of the daily cycle: Vespers, Compline, Nocturns, Matins, and Hours, as well as at the beginning of private morning and evening prayers.

Troparion (pl. troparia) Back to Top
a term of Constantinopolitan origin indicating a refrain (and thus the equivalent of the Palestinian hypakoe and the Roman antiphon), in the form of a poetic composition, as opposed to a Scriptural text. Originally, t. served as responses to psalm verses sung by the chanter, i. e., as antiphons. This basic function still holds today, but the term is commonly used with reference to the following three types of t.: (1) dismissal troparia (apolytikia, otpustitel'ny), i. e., resurrectional troparia, troparia of the feast, troparia of the day -- hymns that keynote the main theme of the occasion being celebrated on a given day, first sung before the dismissal at Vespers and then repeated throughout the services of the day -- at Matins, Compline, Hours, and at the Divine Liturgy after the little entrance; (2) troparia evlogitaria -- sets of several t., each preceded by the refrain "Blessed art Thou, O Lord," sung at ResurrectionalMatins after the 17th Kathisma and at the Matins of Holy Saturday; and (3) troparia of the kanon -- brief verses that follow the heirmos in each ode of the kanon. The verses read at the Matins of Holy Saturday with the verses of Psalm 118 [119] are also called t.

Twelve Great Feasts Back to Top
after the Pasch (the "feast of feasts") the most important feasts of the Orthodox liturgical year. The t. g. f. are divided into movable feasts: the Entrance of the Lord into Jerusalem (the Sunday before the Pasch), the Ascension of the Lord (40 days after the Pasch), and Pentecost (the Descent of the Holy Spirit) (50 days after the Pasch); and immovable feasts: the Nativity of the Theotokos (8/21 Sept.), the Elevation of the Cross (14/27 Sept.), the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (21 Nov./4 Dec.), the Nativity of Christ (25 Dec./Jan. 7), the Theophany (the Baptism of Christ) (6/19 Jan.), the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple (2/15 Feb.), the Annunciation (25 Mar./7 April), the Transfigurguration (6/19 Aug.); and the Dormition of the Theotokos (15/28 Aug.).

Typikon Back to Top
a book that contains various rules of the monastic life, including instructions for celebrating divine services in the Orthodox Church throughout the entire year.