visiting Shanghai, In The Russian Colony reb, 28.
'Monday, March 7, marks the beginning of Russian Great Lent It lasts for seven weeks and terminates with Russian Paskhe, (Easter) which this year falls on April 24. During {the Great Lent—and especially during' the first, fourth and seventh weeks—Bolsterous merriment falls into the category of things "not done;" the opera, theatre and ballet close their doors, and their place is taken by church concerts.
When religion came to Russia from Byzantium, church singing came with it The first church singers, probably Bulgarians, were brought to Kiev by Prince St." Vladimir, and with 'Traritsa Anna, Russia received her frst Grecian choir. As far back' Jas in those days the osmoglasia system "eight vocal parts, started in the Eastern Church by John the Silver tongued in the fourth century, and perfected by John of Damascus in the eighth was already in vogue. Religious ireless in ancient Russia were well acquainted with church singing. and in the twelfth century came melodies. composed in Russia by Russians. The art of singing was taught in special schools, and on solemn occasions the people themselves took part Later, peace was disturbed by arguments in the higher circles of the church—arguments on whether to continue singing as their grandfathers sang before them, oF to bring in innovations. At last Tear Ivan the Terrible, who hhimselt was a lover of church singing, and was not altogether ignorant the composer's art, told the Conclave 1851 {o reduce the length of services. and increase the amount of singing, and to open theological schools with compulsory courses in singing. those days there were many talented masters of church singing, Traditional Methods The following are the traditional methods of singing in the Russian Orthodox Church: the znamenny (banner) method, and the Kiev, Grecian, The sunny method is the oldest Bulgarian and Gerasimevsky" methods.
and richest in its melody and inner contents. 'The struggle between the 'South-Russian. Church and the' Roman "Catholic one, brought into being polyvocalism, hitherto alien Orthodox singing. "In contrast to the deep throbbing of the organ favoured by the Roman Church—and that attracted the faint hearts among the Orthodex—harmony singing was started in the seventeenth century, propagated by Patriarch Nikon and patronized by Tsar Alexei Mi hailoviteh. In 1682 a choir from Kiew achieved great popularity in Moscow, fand soon Moscow, herself began pro-rieing composers and theer of this improved method.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.