"Wallachian” Greek-language megalynarion Axion Estin in Ukrainian musical manuscripts of 17th and 18th centuries: Kyivan exegesis

Abstract

The goal of the research. The hymn Axion Estin is one of the most famous prayers to the Mother of God. In Ukrainian staff-notated manuscripts of the 17th and 18th centuries called Heirmologia, it was represented by many melodic versions: Slavonic- and Greek-language. The object of our work is the Greek-language megalynarion Axion Estin, which was called “Wallachian” in the manuscripts of the Great Manyava Skete of the years 1675— 1676, 1684, 1731—1733 and of the mid-18th century. The goal of our research is to find out its origin and to present this work in the context of Ukrainian, Greek-Byzantine and Moldavian-Wallachian church chant traditions. Methodology. A comparative method of studying Greek-Byzantine, Moldavian and Ukrainian musical manuscripts was used. Scientific novelty. In the Kyiv-Mezhyhiria Heirmologion of the 1640s the same work was written with the name “Axion Estin Greek”. Other Ukrainian Heirmologia also contain this chant without specifying its origin. As a result of our comparative research, the Greek source of this chant, namely the anonymous Axion Estin of the second mode was discovered. This work demonstrates the common features (the mode and melodic pattern) with Gregorios Protopsaltes’ Axion Estin, known with the name “usual” (το συνηθισμένον), which has been performed at the services of the Greek Orthodox Church until now. The note “Wallachian” which showed up in the Manyava manuscripts, testifies to the strong contacts of the Great Skete with Wallachian and Moldavian monasteries. However, in the Anthologies of the 16th-century Putna School of Music, this Greek-language Axion Estin was not represented. Conclusions. The studied work was rendered in Middle Byzantine notation in the Greek manusripts and in five-line Kyiv notation in the Ukrainian Heirmologia. The Middle Byzantine notation was decoded by the five-line Kyiv one. The exegesis (ἐξήγησις), the performance realization of the Greek Axion Estin of the second mode was written in Ukrainian manuscripts.