Canon (hymnography)
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A canon (
The roots of this type of hymn go as far back as the 5th century, reaching maturity in the
Over time the canon came to replace the kontakion, a vestigial form of which is still used on several occasions and which has been incorporated into the performance of the canon. Each canon develops a specific theme, such as repentance or honouring a particular saint. Sometimes more than one canon can be chanted together, as frequently happens at Matins.
Biblical canticles and origins
The nine biblical canticles are:
- The Ode of Moses in Exodus (Exodus 15:1–19)
- The Ode of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 32:1–43) (Note: this is sung only on Tuesdays in Lent)
- The Prayer of Anna the mother of Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 2:1–10)
- The Prayer of Habakkuk the Prophet (Habakkuk 3:2–19)
- The Prayer of Isaiah the Prophet (Isaiah 26:9–20)
- The Prayer of Jonah the Prophet (Jonah 2:3–10)
- The Prayer of the Three Holy Children (Daniel3:26-56)*
- The Song of the Three Holy Children (The Benedicite, Daniel 3:57-88)*
- The Song of the Benedictus, Luke 1:68–79)
- *These odes are found only in the Septuagint. Verse numberings according to Psalter, which differs from Brenton.
These biblical canticles are normally found in the back of the Psalter used by Orthodox churches, where they are often printed with markings to indicate where to begin inserting the irmos and troparia of the canons. Nowadays, however, the canticles are only sung in large monasteries or, in Russian practice, with the triode on the weekdays of Lent.
20th century scholarship generally agreed that the canon was invented in the late 7th century by Andrew of Crete, a view supported by prominent
Performance
As with all other Orthodox church music, a canon is sung by a
Nearly all canons have only eight odes, the second ode generally being omitted since its canticle is quite penitential and so used only on the triode of the Tuesdays of Great Lent as well as in a few canons of an archaic style such as the aforementioned Great Canon.
Because a canon is composed of nine odes, it can be conveniently divided into three sections. Between Ode III and Ode IV, a is to be chanted in conjunction with a canon, it is inserted after Ode VI.
The typical order for a full canon, as currently, in most places, chanted at matins is as follows:
- Ode I
- Ode III
- Little Litany
- Kathisma Hymn
- Ode IV
- Ode V
- Ode VI
- Little Litany
- Kathisma Hymn
- (Synaxarion)
- Ode VII
- Ode VIII
- Magnificat
- Ode IX
- Little Litany
- Exapostilarion
Modern arrangement
As detailed above, the Biblical canticles are now rarely used, each ode beginning with the irmos, save for the ninth ode where the Magnificat, which forms half of its canticle, is sung in its entirety before the irmos, except on certain major feasts when that ode has a special structure. Following the irmos, each troparion has a brief refrain, determined by the subject matter of the canon, replacing the verse of canticle.
The total number of troparia is determined by local usage. Theoretically, each ode has fourteen (or occasionally sixteen), with some troparia repeated if the service books do not provide enough of them and some conjoined if there are too many. This makes the canon too lengthy for typical parish use, so fewer are sung or in Russian practice, read.
Usage
Canons are used most notably at
Abbreviated canons
Sometimes abbreviated canons are used. A canon consisting of only four odes is called a tetraode; a canon consisting of only three odes is called a triode. In both of these types of canons, the last two odes are always the VIIIth and IXth. The preceding odes may vary with the day of the week. For instance, during
Poetic and musical structure
The Biblical odes are not identical in
This structure is now generally lacking in more recently composed canons, especially when the canons are composed in languages other than Greek to some setting other than
Texts
The irmoi and katabasia for various occasions are found gathered together in the Irmologion, one of the standard service books of the Orthodox Church.
Complete canons (irmoi with their troparia) are found in the Menaion, Octoechos and Horologion used throughout the year, and in the seasonal service books the Triodion and the Pentecostarion.
Various collections of canons can also be found, as well as publications of individual canons in pamphlet form.
See also
Notes
- ^ For clarity, this article will use the term "canticle" to refer to the original biblical text, and "ode" to refer to the composed liturgical hymns.
References
- OCLC 913488612.
- OCLC 1047578356.)
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link - ^ Frøyshov, Stig Simeon. "[Hymnography of the] Rite of Jerusalem". Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology.
Bibliography
- Brenton, Sir Lancelot C.L. (1986). The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English (reprint). Hendrickson Publishers. ISBN 0-913573-44-2.
- Conomos, Dimitri (1996). Orthodox Byzantine Music. Retrieved December 31, 2005.
- Archimandrite Ephrem (2005). Canons. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
- Fekula, Peter and Williams, Matthew (1997). The Order of Divine Services according to the usage of the Russian Orthodox Church (2nd ed.). Liberty: Saint John of Kronstadt Press. ISBN 0-912927-90-9.
- Gardner, Johann von (1980). Russian Church Singing, Volume 1. Morosan, Vladimir (tr.). Crestwood: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 0-913836-59-1.
- Rassaphore monk Laurence (1997). The Unabbreviated Horologion (2nd ed. 2nd printing with corrections). Jordanville: Holy Trinity Monastery.
- Mother Mary and Ware, Kallistos (Tr.)(1998). The Festal Menaion (reprint). South Canaan: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press. ISBN 1-878997-00-9.
- Psalter According to the Seventy, The (1987). Boston: Holy Transfiguration Monastery. ISBN 0-943405-00-9.
External links
- The Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete
- The Iambic Canon of Pentecost with notes, an example of a canon giving both original meter and acrostic.
- The Paschal Canon with extensive notes