Sacred church hymns, performed during religious holidays, were composed long ago, in the days of the first Christians. Subsequently, their composition was enriched by the creations of talented clergy, endowed with a deep, sincere faith in the Lord and a poetic gift.
Introduction to Kondaks
Let's figure it out, kontakion - what is it? So called in Greece, more precisely in the Byzantine Empire, solemn hymns dedicated to the Mother of God, the feast of the Nativity of Christ, various saints. Church songs were, as a rule, sublime, pathetic content and glorified the clergyman in question. Thus, kontakion - what is it? Laudatory song of 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, so that it would be easier and more convenient to sing. The stanzas were supposed to contain teachings and instructions for the flock. The priest spoke them from the pulpit. And the chorus (refrain) was sung by the chorus of singers and the people present in the church.
From the history of the term
On how the genre originatedkontakion, what it is, we learn from an ancient Christian legend. Once in Constantinople (5th-6th centuries), a God-fearing, sincerely believing 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 a hearing nor a voice, the patriarch asked him to serve on the kliros during solemn 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 gift for poetry. Inspiration descended on the servant of God, and he composed the first kontakion in spiritual literature. You will understand what it is by reading the well-known lines of the solemn hymn in honor of Christmas, which begins with these words: “The Virgin today gives birth to the Most Substantial…” Translated into the languages of all peoples who professed Christianity, the kontakion became a model of hymn creation. And Roman himself received the nickname of the Sweet Singer, under that name and went down in history.
Kontakion today
Hymns, composed in Orthodoxy according to the patterns of St. Roman, were of paramount importance until the 8th century. They were long, each with about 20-30 stanzas, separated by refrains. Their execution during the services took a lot of time, which created some inconvenience. Therefore, around the 8th century, the kontakion as a genre was replaced by the canon. However, this does not mean that hymns have ceased to sound in churches, temples and cathedrals. They're still the sameperformed an important function of glorifying and honoring the holiday for which they were written. It just happened to be a genre change. The meaning of the word "kontakion" in modern worship is as follows: these are 2 stanzas of solemn hymns, performed together with the ikos after the canons. The same term is used to refer to the stanzas of akathists. Now they usually sing a full kontakion, only for the burial of persons of the 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 celebrated on April 7th. Church services on this day are especially joyful, upbeat, the parishioners in the temples have enlightened faces, and the kontakion of the Annunciation in honor of the Virgin sounds from the kliros with truly angelic voices. It is called "The Chosen Governor …" and is distinguished by touching beauty and tenderness before the Great Sacrament. The words of the kontakion are filled with rejoicing and reverence, sincere hope, in which the request of the people to the Most Pure One to intercede for us sinners sounds. In addition to the religious, works of this genre have an important literary and artistic value.
