International congress of byzantine studies belgrade, 22 27 august 2016

Galina Alekseeva
Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russian Federation; 
[e-mail]
Theotokion “Ten Pankosmion Doxan” in the Byzantine, 
Russian and Korean Traditions of the Christian Singing: 
Experience of Comparative Study of the Adaptation Process
Patristic texts influenced to the genre of Theotokion, since each of the samples should convey 
a certain dogma set forth by the Fathers of the Church. Singing Hymnography, being in subjection, 
should convey the essence of homiletics and patristic text.
These rules have become fundamental to maintain texts in hymnography transmission 
to other lands, from Byzantium into ancient Rus’ and the Latin West, and then into other lands 
who took Christianity. At the same time, in the each of the states, taking Christianity, have been 
create for Hymnography features characteristic of its own tradition of reading, singing, mental 
comprehension.

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One of these countries, which embraced Christianity and now are develops it in the Asia-Pacif-
ic region 
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Korea. According to statistics from 2015, 55.1% of Korea’s people preaches Christianity.
In this connection, the adaptation mechanisms of textual structure and singing tradition of 
Theotokion in different traditions have great interest to researchers. Recorded late Byzantine notation, 
the Theotokion of the first Echos, by the author of this work with help Emanuel Gianopoulos in the 
manuscript of the New Anastasimatarion was found, published in Bucharest by Peter of Ephesus in 
1820. In the preface to this publication the name Gregory Lampadariy, was specified, and therefore 
are likely to be considered, that the Theotokion transmits musical style as Gregory Protopsalt and 
Three schoolteachers of music in general.
At the same time, 16 manuscripts of the Theotokion in the Russian znamen tradition of XVI-
XIX centuries were analyzed. Author has found (with help of friend Olga Rapovka) Korean staff 
notation of Theotokion and made an audio recording of Theotokion singing in the Korean language.
It is important that the laws of homiletics and patristic laid down in the text, and led to the 
vicinity of the musical content. Comparative analysis of the Russian melodies of the Theotokion in 
deciphering of the manuscripts of XVIII-XIX centuries from the Russian National Library, from the 
Russian State Library (National Library of Russia, the QI number 188, Russian State Library, F. 210 
number 19) and Korean records of Theotokion reflects similar patterns of creation and repetition of 
musical formulas, as well as Modal structure proximity. It is unlikely that these results are random. 
Certainly, they reflect the canonical principles of Christian singing of traditional culture, which has 
the national diversity, but maintains the fundamental principles of the preaching of the text and its 
theological basis.
Cultural interaction processes are evident from these examples. In the congress author will be 
show full comparative partiture of the Theotokion translate text in different traditions. It is clear that 
the promotion of the Theotokion notation and to this day retains vestiges of the desire for tracing 
endings. Byzantine first line completes the duo apostrofos with klasma; Russian version of the first 
line terminates Khamila, close in shape. Different mentality leads to different internal melodic 
singing lines, but it is clear the desire to preserve the inclination of Song Mode in all versions (the 
end of the first line on the D, closes ambitus lines (especially Greek and Korean) and emphasizes the 
zone of culmination in the same homiletics fragments in transmitted text.
Paradigms of the theological text, created by John of Damascus, in different countries are 
decorated across the Homily of the text on the almost the same principles. Musical options offer 
brighten the uniqueness of each singing culture, keeping the Metatext of a Hymn structure as 
immutable canon of the Christian tradition.

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