Glossary of Liturgical Terms: K - O

Kanon Back to Top
a hymn that consists most often of eight or nine, and more rarely, of four, three or two odes, pertaining to the occasion or saint that is being commemorated. Each ode consists of several stanzas or troparia; in the practice of the Russian Church, the first of these troparia, the heirmos, is sung, while the others are usually read. Each of the nine odes is patterned after a canticle from the Holy Scriptures, which relates to an Old Testament event that served as a type of a New Testament event. Full k.'s, as a rule, had nine odes, but the second ode soon fell from use. An incomplete k. is termed a tetraodion, triodion, or diodion, depending on whether it consists of four, three, or two odes.

Kant (pl. kanty or kanti) Back to Top
a type of polyphonic extra-liturgical song, which was widespread in Russia, the Ukraine, and Byelorussia in the 17th-18th centuries. Originally, k. were composed on religious texts (sacred or spiritual k.); in the 18th c., the subject matter came to include patriotic, everyday, and romantic themes. In musical terms, the k. is characterized by a 3-part texture, with parallel motion of the top two voices and a bass voice providing a harmonic foundation; and a four-square phrase structure, consisting, as a rule, of two to four lines of text with cadences between them; there are also 4-voice k. Some k. were adapted from Polish songs known as "kantyczki," from which the term "kant" is derived.

katabasia (katavasia) Back to Top
the repetition of the heirmos of a given ode of the kanon or the singing of an heirmos from another kanon (according to the Typikon) after the last troparion of a given ode. The Greek word vkatabasia, which means "coming together" or "going down," refers to the joining of the two choirs in the center of the church to perform these hymns.

Kathisma (pl. kathismata or kathismas) Back to Top
a division of the Psalter, originating in Palestinian usage: there are 20 k., each subdivided into three so-called antiphons. The prescriptions in the Typikon to read k. at designated moments of Vespers, Matins, and during Lent, at the Hours as well, reflect a predominantely monastic use.

Kathisma hymn (sessional hymn, sedalen) Back to Top
a hymn sung immediately before or after readings during which one may sit, i. e., kathismata of the Psalter and various interpretations of Holy Scripture, lives of saints, histories of feasts (known as synaxaria)

Kievan chant Back to Top
one of the liturgical chants of the Russian Orthodox Church, which first developed in the southwestern region of Rus' as a variant of znamenny chant, and then spread to Muscovite Russia in the 17th c. Melodies of K. c. tend to be shorter and simpler rhythmically than znamenny melodies; distinctions between recitative-like and melismatic passages are more pronounced; and certain phrases of text are repeated, something that does not occur in the znamenny chants of Novgorodian and Muscovite singing masters. The melodies of K. c., for the most part, served as the basis for the so-called "Common" chant.

Kievan notation Back to Top
see square notation

kliros (also krilos) (pl. klirosi) Back to Top
(1) special areas, usually elevated, to the right and left sides of the iconostasis, where singers stand during the liturgy; (2) an ensemble of singers on the kliros (see choir)

Koinonikon Back to Top
see Communion Hymn

Kondakar' Back to Top
an early Russian liturgical chant book, which contained kontakia and other hymns notated in kontakarian notation and performed in the style of kondakarian singing. Five such k. have survived, dating from the early 12th to the early 13th centuries.

Kondakarian notation Back to Top
one of the oldest types of musical notation in Kievan Rus', imported from Byzantium at the time Christianity was received. K. n. is found in collections of kontakia, known as Kondakari, from which it derives its name. K. n. is ideographic by nature, and consists of two rows of neumes above the line of text.

Kondakarian Singing Back to Top
one of the types of liturgical singing that arose in Kievan Rus' following Byzantine models. K. s. was by nature quite melismatic and was performed in solo fashion by virtuoso singers, while the congregation sang refrains. It was used to perform kontakia, Communion Hymns, and select verses from the Psalms. K. s. and its notation fell from use in the 14th c., although some scholars, e. g., J. von Gardner, believe that certain elements of it survived in the demestvenny chant.

Kontakion (kondakion) (pl. kontakia) Back to Top
in its original form, a hymn that consisted of a long homiletic series of stanzas called oikoi, usually numbering 24 (the length of the Greek alphabet). Each stanza ended with the same refrain. The greater number of the most ancient k. are ascribed to St. Roman the Melodist. In modern usage, for each liturgical occasion only the first stanza and a single oikos remain, sung after the sixth ode of the kanon at Matins, and occasionally after the third as well; in this abridged form the k. is also sung at the Divine Liturgy after the appointed troparia.

Kontsert Back to Top
see sacred concerto

Krestobogorodichen Back to Top
see stavrotheotokion

Kriuk notation Back to Top
see neumatic notation

Leave-Taking of a Feast Back to Top
the last day of the post-feast, on which the Typikon sometimes prescribes serving essentially the same service as on the first day of the feast

Lenten Triodion Back to Top
one of the basic liturgical books of the Orthodox Church, which contains hymns and prayers proper to the period of Lent and Passion Week; the L. T. begins with the fourth Sunday before Lent -- the "Sunday of the Publican and the Pharisee" -- and concludes with Holy Saturday. There are two types of L. T.: a reader's version, which contains only texts, and a singer's version, in which the texts are supplied with musical notation. The earliest notated versions of the L. T. in the Russian Church arose in the 12th c., as part of the so-called "Triodic Sticherarion." The first printed edition of a notated L. T. in Russia, entitled "Triodion, sirech' Tripesnets," was published in square notation in 1772. The name Triodion stems from the fact that many of the kanons in it contain only three odes.

Litany Back to Top
any of a series of petitions said by the priest or deacon to which is sung in response a short prayer such as "Lord, have mercy" or "Grant it, O Lord" or "To Thee, O Lord." The Great Litany or Litany of Peace, which has approximately 10 petitions, is very ancient and represents the common prayer of all the faithful; the Little Litany, which consists of 3 petitions, is used primarily as a link between various hymns; the Augmented Litany is so called because of its oft-repeated threefold "Lord, have mercy"; the Litany of Supplication includes "Grant it, O Lord" as a response. There are also l.'s for the Departed, which include special petitions for the deceased, and various adaptations of the above for different occasions. L.'s are sung at the All-Night Vigil, the Divine Liturgy, and at various occasional services, such as memorials, weddings, baptisms, funerals, etc.

Little Entrance Back to Top
a procession with the Gospel book during the first part of the Divine Liturgy, which begins during the third antiphon and concludes during the entrance hymn "Come, let us worship"

Little Znamenny Chant Back to Top
one of the varieties of znamenny chant, characterized by brevity of melodic development and prevalence of recitative (see also great znamenny chant)

Liturgy Back to Top
a word derived from the Greek word for "public service" or "common service." In a general sense, this term refers to any public Christian worship service. In the Orthodox Church it most frequently is used, in capitalized form, in reference to the Eucharist.

Lity (litiya) Back to Top
(1) a festive procession to the narthex, accompanied by common penitential prayers with "Lord, have mercy" sung many times over. The l. is commonly served in the latter half of Great Vespers on the eve of great feasts. During the procession special stichera at the Lity are sung, which pertain to the occasion being celebrated. (2) a brief form of the Memorial Service, which consists of the Trisagion and troparia for the departed

Matins Back to Top
the morning service of the Orthodox Catholic Church, which consists of sung and read troparia, psalms, kanons, stichera, and other hymns, as well as litanies (see also All-Night Vigil)

Melody Back to Top
a term that refers to specific tunes or categories of tunes within a chant system, e. g., a "Solovetsk Monastery melody" or the "Greek chant troparion melody in the 1st Tone" (see also chant)

Memorial Service (Panikhida, Parastas) Back to Top
a service commemorating the departed, which consists essentially of the Trisagion, troparia, and a kanon (usually in abridged form), as well as special prayers and litanies; structurally, it resembles the Matins service

Menaion Back to Top
a liturgical book that contains services for every day of the liturgical year; usually comprises 12 volumes, one for each month. There is also a General Menaion, which contains services for various categories of saints, e. g., apostles, martyrs, hierarchs, etc. The M. exists in two forms: a reader's version, which contains only texts, and a singer's version, which also contains musical notation.

Moleben Back to Top
see Prayer Service

Neumatic Notation Back to Top
a general term used with reference to staffless musical notations (in Russia -- the znamenny, demestvenny, and put'), which were used to notate hymns by means of special ideographic signs (neumes), written above the verbal text

Nocturns Back to Top
one of the lesser services in the daily cycle of Orthodox services, which is served before Matins; there are several varieties of N.: daily, Saturday, Sunday, and Paschal

Obikhod Back to Top
one of the liturgical chant books of the Russian Orthodox Church, which developed in the second half of the 15th-early 16th centuries, and which contains the hymns of the Ordinary for Vespers, Matins, and Divine Liturgy, as well as the main hymns of the Proper from the Octoechos, Heirmologion, and Festal Menaion. The first printed edition of the O., the "Obikhod notnago peniya," in square notation, was published in 1772. In the western Ukrainian branch of the Orthodox Church chant books having the contents of the O. were called "Irmologi."

Obychniy Chant Back to Top
see "Common" chant

Octoechos Back to Top
one of the basic liturgical books of the Orthodox Church, of Palestinian origin, which contains the hymns of Vespers, Matins, and Divine Liturgy that follow the eight-week-long cycle connected with the system of Eight Tones. These include: various sets of stichera (at "Lord, I call," aposticha, at the "Praises"), dismissal troparia, kontakia, kathisma hymns, prokeimena, and other elements of Sunday and daily services. The O. exists in two forms: a reader's version, which contains only the texts, and a singer's version, which also contains musical notation; the singer's O. contains only the hymns for resurrectional (Sunday) services and is, therefore, considerably shorter than the reader's O. In the Russian Church the singer's O. developed in the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries; the first printed edition of the latter, the "Oktoikh notnago peniya, sirech' Osmoglasnik," in square notation, was published in 1772. It contains the aforementioned hymns in znamenny chant, as well as pattern melodies (prosomoia, podobny) that belong to each of the Eight Tones.

Ode Back to Top
one of the component parts of a kanon, which consists of the heirmos and the troparia that follow it

Office of Holy Friday Matins Back to Top
the service at which are read 12 Gospel readings relating the events of Christ's Passion, from the Mystical Supper to His death and burial; also known as the "service of the 12 Gospels"

Oikos or Ikos Back to Top
a specially constructed stanza, in honor of a particular feast, which is sung, together with the kontakion,after the 6th ode of the kanon. The o. develops the ideas expressed in the kontakion and, as a rule, concludes with the same words as the kontakion.

Oktoikh (Osmoglasnik, Oktay) Back to Top
see Octoechos

Old Ritualists (Old Believers) Back to Top
a faction of clergy and laity of the Russian Orthodox Church that did not accept the church reforms instituted by Patriarch Nikon in the 1650s, and also protested against innovations in the customs and civic life of Russia. As a result of severe persecution, the O. R.'s settled in the frontier regions and also fled abroad. They may be divided into two major categories -- those having a hierarchy and a priesthood (popovtsy) and those that are priestless (bezpopovtsy); both groups comprise numerous factions and subgroups. For the most part, the O. R.'s did not embrace either polyphony or staff notation, but have continued to preserve the unison chants notated in staffless neumatic notation to this day.

Order of Service Back to Top
the order for a given office, as prescribed in the Typikon; the ordo. In some cases -- the actual prayer and hymns that comprise a particular service, e. g., the "Order of Service for the Burial of a Priest"

Osmoglasiye Back to Top
see Eight Tones

Osmoglasnik Back to Top
(1) see Octoechos (2) a sticheron in which the modes or melodic formulae of all Eight Tones are used in succession, creating a type of melodic modulation