Unmercenary Sacred Music Russian and Kievan Chant

Russian and Kievan chant is common to the Russian Orthodox Church, the Bialarusyn Orthodox Church, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and those churches that have their roots in the Moscow Patriarchate, e.g., the Orthodox Church in America. Russian traditions include many different styles. The term Obikhod is often connected to Russian chant. However, Obkihod chant is not actually a chant style, but rather, a collection of chant styles from the regions anciently known as Rus'.  These chants come from various Russian chants, including Znamenny, Bulgarski (so-called Bulgarian), Grecheski (so-called Greek), and from Eastern Ukrainian chants such as Kievan.

Resources for Standard SVOTS/OCA Usage

• Download Troparion/Samoglas Guide: Obikhod Lvov-Bakhmetev Settings for SATB Choir (PDF-Size 188 Kb) Now with an added appendix of prokeimon tones. September 6, 2016 - includes a small correction to the tone four samoglas.
• Online Troparion Tone Patterns and Pitching with Audio Samples November 11, 2015
• Download Troparion/Samoglas Guide: Obikhod Lvov-Bakhmetev Settings for Male Voices (PDF-Size 109 Kb)

Resources Based on New Variations of Russian/Kievan Arrangements

• Kievan Psalm 104 for Great Vespers
• Znamenny Come Let Us Worship for Great Vespers or Vigil (PDF-Size 96) March 31, 2004

Please note that the original Divine Liturgy and Obikhod Tones Guide has been finally removed since one needs to be totally reworked and the other has been essentially replaced by the simpler SVS version noted above.

<Go Back to the Home Page>