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Sacred church hymns, performed during religious holidays, were composed long ago, during the time of the first Christians. Subsequently, their composition was enriched by the works of talented clergy, endowed with deep, sincere faith in the Lord and a poetic gift.

Introduction to Kontakia

Let's figure it out, kontakion - what is it? That's what they called it in Greece, more precisely in Byzantine Empire, solemn hymns dedicated to the Mother of God, the feast of the Nativity of Christ, and various saints. Church songs were, as a rule, of sublime, pathetic content and glorified the clergyman in question. So, what is kontakion? A song of praise with religious content. It was created according to certain rules and had a strictly regulated form of execution. The first authors used the syllabic system of versification, achieving a clear rhythm in the poetic text to make it easier and more convenient to sing. The stanzas were supposed to contain teachings and instructions for the flock. They were pronounced from the pulpit by the priest. And the chorus (refrain) was sung by the choir of singers and the people present in the church.

From the history of the term

We learn about how the kontakion genre arose and what it is from an ancient Christian legend. Once upon a time in Constantinople (5th-6th centuries), a God-fearing, sincerely religious man named Roman served at the Church of Our Lady. He was a true righteous man, which earned him the respect and goodwill of the then Patriarch Euthymius. And although Roman had neither hearing nor a voice, the patriarch asked him to serve him in the choir during ceremonial services. Envious people tried to disgrace the humble pastor. However, he humbly prayed to the Lord and the Mother of God, and a miracle happened. The Holy Virgin appeared to Roman and endowed him with a delightful voice and the gift of poetry. Inspiration descended on the servant of God, and he composed the first kontakion. You will understand what this is by reading the well-known lines of the solemn hymn in honor of Christmas, which begins with these words: “Today a virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...” Translated into the languages ​​of all peoples who professed Christianity, the kontakion became a model of hymn-making. And Roman himself received the nickname of the Sweet Singer, and under this name he went down in history.

Kontakion today

Hymns composed in Orthodoxy according to the models of St. Romanus were of primary character until the 8th century. They were long, each with about 20-30 stanzas, separated by choruses. Performing them during services took a large number of time, which created some inconvenience. Therefore, from about the 8th century, the kontakion as a genre was replaced by the canon. However, this does not mean that hymns have ceased to be heard in cathedrals. They still performed the important function of glorifying and honoring the holiday for which they were written. There was just some modification of the genre. The meaning of the word “kontakion” in modern worship is as follows: these are 2 stanzas of solemn chant, performed together with ikos after the canons. The same term is used to refer to stanzas of akathists. Nowadays they usually sing the full kontakion only during funeral services for clergy. In other cases, they are limited to its truncated, shortened forms.

good news

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the most revered in Orthodoxy. It is noted Church services on this day they pass especially joyfully, elatedly, the parishioners in the churches have illuminated faces, and the kontakion of the Annunciation in honor of the Mother of God sounds from the choir with truly angelic voices. It is called “The Chosen Voivode...” and is distinguished by its touching beauty and tenderness before the Great Sacrament. The words of the kontakion are filled with jubilation and respect, sincere hope, in which people’s request to the Most Pure Mother is heard to intercede for us sinners. In addition to religious, works of this genre have important literary and artistic significance.

Ancient kontakia are multi-stanza (about 20-30 stanzas) poems. The stanzas were united by a single refrain and a single metrical addition based on isosyllabism. The first stanza was an introduction, the last was a generalization of an edifying nature. The canonarch read the verses, the people sang the refrain. Since the 8th century, kontakion as a genre has been replaced by canon. The number of stanzas in the kontakion is reduced.

Kontakia are also called smaller stanzas (in contrast to ikos) of the akathist.

The regulation on the singing of troparions and kontakions is contained in the Typikon (chapter 52, as well as chapters 23, 4, 5, 12, 13, 15).

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See what “Kondak” is in other dictionaries:

- (new Greek, from kantakion, from kontos short). A short church song containing praise I. to Christ, the Mother of God, the Saint or the content of the holiday. Dictionary foreign words, included in the Russian language. Chudinov A.N., 1910. KONDAC... ... Dictionary of foreign words of the Russian language

Modern encyclopedia

- (from Greek kontakion) 1) genre of early Byzantine church poetry and music, a type of hymn poem religious plot. It is characterized by dialogical dramatization of the narrative, strophic division, the presence of a refrain and an acrostic, syllabic... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

KONDAK, kondak, husband. (Greek kontakion) (church). A short church hymn. Dictionary Ushakova. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 … Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

Male, church short song to the glory of the Savior, the Mother of God or a saint. Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary. IN AND. Dahl. 1863 1866 … Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 1 chants (42) ASIS Dictionary of Synonyms. V.N. Trishin. 2013… Synonym dictionary

- (kondakia, kontakia) the actual parchment sheet or scroll, written on both sides. Subsequently, the word K. began to denote special group church hymns, the peculiarity of which is that in the rites in honor of one or another... ... Encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron

- (Greek lit. wooden roller on which a scroll is wound, metaphorically the scroll itself) a genre of early Byzantine hymnography that arose in the 5th–6th centuries. and in the 8th century. ousted from worship by the canon. Title "K." appears only in the 9th century; before… … Encyclopedia of Cultural Studies

Kontakion- (from the Greek kontakion), a genre of early Byzantine church poetry and music, a type of hymn poem on a religious subject. After its heyday in the 6th century. was supplanted in the 8th and 9th centuries. a new genre of hymnography canon. In later worship, certain... Illustrated Encyclopedic Dictionary

Kontakion- (Greek “a stick around which a parchment scroll was wound”) a genre of church Byzantine hymnography. The founder is St. Roman the Sweet Singer (Melod) (1st half of the 6th century), unsurpassed author of most kontakia. Ancient kontakia -... Orthodoxy. Dictionary-reference book

Books

• Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos in honor of the Pochaev Icon. Cants of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra (2CD), . To You, O Most Holy Mother, I dare to raise my voice, washing my face with tears: “Hear me in this mournful hour". The fraternal choir of the Holy Dormition Pochaev Lavra under the direction of the protodeacon...