Glossary of Liturgical Terms: U - Z

Ustav
a special type of handwriting used in ancient manuscripts, which consisted of straight, angular characters, approximating printed ones

Vespers
the evening service of the Orthodox Catholic Church, which includes the singing and reading of psalms, hymns, stichera, and troparia, as well as litanies and various prayers (see also All-Night Vigil)

Vigil
see All-Night Vigil

There are currently no terms under the section "W"

There are currently no terms under the section "X"

There are currently no terms under the section "Y"

Zadostoynik
see festal Hymn to the Theotokos

Zaprichasten
see sacred concerto

Zautrenia
see Paschal midnight service

Znamenny Chant
one of the basic types of liturgical chant in the Russian Church from the time of its founding. Initially z. c. was monophonic, performed in unison; beginning with the mid-16th c. there is evidence for polyphonic performance of z. c., although only one voice continued to be notated in the MSS. The 17th c. saw the appearance of notated znamenny polyphony, in 2, 3, and 4 parts, written in score format in znamenny notation. In terms of melodic structure, z. c. is comprised of melodic formulae (popevki) -- kokizy, litsa, and fity -- which are organized according to Eight Tones.

Znamenny Notation (Stolp Notation, Neumatic Notation)
one of the basic chant notations used in the Russian Orthodox Church from the time of its origins. While in its initial form it was borrowed from Byzantium, z. n. underwent an evolutionary process in Ancient Rus', and towards the 15th-16th centuries lost its connection with Byzantine notations. Z. n. is ideographic in nature, i. e., it expresses the movement of the melody in terms of symbolic signs (znamyona, kriuki -- neumes) the meaning of which must be known to the singer in advance. In the course of the 17th c., z. n. was gradually displaced by square notation in the official Russian Orthodox Church, but continued to be used by the Old Ritualists.