Akathist (in Greek - “unsaddled singing”) is a form of church poetry. The Akathist consists of 25 stanzas, each two of which (kontakion and ikos) form a semantic link. The akathist kontakia (except for the first) end with the exclamation “Alleluia”; Ikos contain twelve greetings each beginning with the word “Rejoice.” The last, twenty-fifth stanza of the akathist (13th kontakion) is a prayerful appeal to the glorified and is read three times.
Alleluia (from the Hebrew “praise God”) is a song in honor of the Triune God. Most often, this song is sung or read during worship three times, with the addition of praise to God: “Glory to Thee, O God!”
Theotokos - a chant addressed to the Most Holy Theotokos. The Theotokos are placed at the end of a series of hymns - for example, the troparions of the canon.
Great Compline see Compline.
Magnification is a short church chant glorifying the Lord, the Mother of God or the saints.
Voice is a melody in church voice music. There are 8 voices in total (a symbol of eternity: the number 7 contains the present time, according to the days of creation, and the eighth day will be after the resurrection of the dead). Each voice has its own shade in the modulation of the voice and is aimed at expressing and awakening in Christians worthy feelings towards God. The complex system of church voices has been modified at different times and in different countries, but the main thing—the prayerful mood, which is conveyed by the musical structure of the voice—has been preserved to this day. A parishioner who is inexperienced in church singing should at least know that the same voice means one melody for troparions, another for stichera, another for irmos, etc.
The Twelfth Feasts are the twelve greatest (after Easter) holidays of the Church: 1) Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8/21); 2) Exaltation of the Precious Cross of the Lord (September 14/27); 3) Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary into the church (November 21/December 4); 4) Christmas (December 25/January 7); 5) Epiphany (Epiphany) (January 6/19); 6) Presentation of the Lord (February 2/15); 7) Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary (March 25/April 7); 8) Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (a week before Easter); 9) Ascension of the Lord (40th day after Easter, Thursday); 10) Day of the Holy Trinity (Pentecost) (50th day after Easter); 11) Transfiguration of the Lord (August 6/19); 12) Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15/28).
The Eucharist (in Greek - “Thanksgiving”) is the Sacrament of the Church, the basis of the Liturgy: the offering of the great sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ, performed at the Divine Liturgy, as well as this sacrifice itself - the Body and Blood of Christ.
Zadostoynik is the irmos of the 9th song of the canon, which is sung on the twelfth holidays and their after-feasts at the Divine Liturgy instead of “It is worthy...” (for “It is worthy”). During the period of singing of the saint (before the celebration of the holiday), they are supposed to replace the prayer “It is worthy to eat...” also in the cell rule (morning and evening prayers).
Ikos - 1. Church chant, containing the glorification of a holy or celebrated event. Ikos is similar in content and presentation to kontakion (kontakion and ikos, read from the 6th song of the canon, usually end with the same words), but is broader than kontakion. 2. Akathist stanza (along with kontakia).
Ipakoi (in Greek - “attention”, “obedience”) is a short chant that is sung or read at Sunday matins (before the antiphons), at festive matins for the holidays of the Nativity of Christ, Epiphany, Easter, etc. (after the third song of the canon), as well as as part of the Easter hours.
Irmos (in Greek - “connection, connection”) is the first in a series of troparia that make up the song of the canon. Irmos is the model on which the rest of the troparia of this song are compiled. In modern practice, the irmos is sung, and the rest of the troparia are read (in ancient times, all the troparia of the canon were sung).
Kathisma (kathisma) (in Greek - “seat”, “sedal”) is one of the 20 sections of the Psalter. Each kathisma is divided into 3 parts, or “Glory,” since after reading each such part of the kathisma it is read: “Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God” (three times). You can sit while reading the kathismas, but you must stand up during the short doxology.
Kontakion - 1. A short song containing a statement of the essence of the holiday. Kontakion and ikos, which is similar in content and form, are sung or read after the 6th song of the canon; the same kontakion is also read on the clock. 2. Akathist stanza (along with ikos).
The Greek word "kontakion" literally means "peg", "roller" - a wooden roller on which the scroll was wound; this meaning easily transferred to the scroll itself. The original kontakion is a genre of Byzantine hymnography created by the Venerable Roman the Sweet Singer (the first kontakion was the kontakion of the Nativity of Christ - “Today the Virgin gives birth to the Most Essential...”) and gained enormous popularity until it was forced out of the service by the canon. It was a hymn consisting of a large number of stanza-ikos, identical in the number of verses and their rhythmic organization. The current kontakion and ikos, performed after the 6th song of the canon, are all that remains from the ancient kontakion.
The canon of the canon begins with the irmos, followed by troparia composed in its likeness. The content of each song of the canon (primarily the irmos, which sets the tone) is based on certain passages of Holy Scripture. The content of the songs of the canon is discussed in detail in this book on p. 121-136.
Post-feast - days that continue the great holiday. The number of days of post-feast varies (depending on subsequent holidays or days of fasting - from one to eight; for Easter - forty). The last day of the post-feast is called the day of the celebration of the holiday and differs from other days of the post-feast by the greater solemnity of the divine service. In cell prayers on the days of the post-feast, it is advisable to include the troparion and kontakion of the holiday and (instead of “It is worthy to eat”) the deserving man.
Church holidays are divided into great, medium and small. The great holidays include Easter, the Twelve Feasts, as well as the following holidays: the Circumcision of the Lord (January 1/14), the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary (October 1/14), the Nativity of John the Baptist (June 24/July 7), the day of the holy chief apostles Peter and Paul (June 29/July 12), the Beheading of John the Baptist (August 29/September 11). Middle and small holidays are divided according to the degree of solemnity and the corresponding features of the service.
Forefeast is the day (or days) preceding a great holiday, when the Church, along with prayers and hymns to the remembered saints, offers prayers in honor of the upcoming holiday, preparing believers for its worthy meeting. The twelfth holidays have one forefeast day each, with the exception of the Nativity of Christ (5 days) and Epiphany (4 days).
The chorus of the canon is the verse that precedes the troparia of the canon. For the canons of the Lord's feasts, the chorus is: “Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee”, the Theotokos - “Most Holy Theotokos, save us”, the chorus of the Sunday canons is “Glory, Lord, to Thy Holy Resurrection”, the canons of the Cross - “Glory, Lord, to Thy Honest Cross and Resurrection”. In the canon for Holy Communion there are special refrains: verses of the 50th Psalm. In some canons there is a special chorus to the 1st troparion of the 1st canto (so in the canon to the Guardian Angel), a Trinity chorus in the 8th canto (in the canon to Holy Communion). On the 9th song of the canon of great holidays there are special choruses - sometimes a whole series of choruses, as in the Easter canon or, for example, the canon of the Presentation of the Lord.
The Psalter is a book of David's psalms. The Psalter contains 150 psalms, which are divided into 20 sections, or kathismas.
A verse is a short saying or song, selected from the Psalter or other books of Holy Scripture, preceding singing, reading and some prayers.
Stichera (in Greek - “what is written in verse, a poem”) is a church chant that tells about the celebrated event...
Trinity is a troparion dedicated to the glorification of the Most Holy Trinity and the teaching about Her.