STICHERARION

MS 1797
MS Short Title STICHERARION
Text STICHERARION: THE FESTAL HYMNS OF THE BIRTH OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, THE ELEVATION OF THE HOLY CROSS, THE PRESENTATION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD TO THE TEMPLE, THE ROYAL HOURS ON CHRISTMAS EVE, AND THE OFFICE OF THE NATIVITY, EPIPHANY, THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE, ANNUNCIATION, PALM SUNDAY, THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST, PENTECOST, THE TRANSFIGURATION, AND THE DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD
Description MS in Russian Church Slavonic on paper, Russia, mid 17th c., 141 ff. (complete), 20x15 cm, single column, (14x10 cm), 16-18 lines in Cyrillic half-uncial, staffless diastematic (heightened) Old Russian neumes with pomety in red, headings, initials and marginal flourish at opening of text in red, a full-page illuminated miniature of the Annunciation pasted onto f.1, with the Virgin enthroned in a Byzantine room with Gabriel appearing from the left, painted in soft browns, greens, red, blue, highlighted with gold.
Binding Russia, 17th c., blindstamped calf gilt over wooden boards in Western European style, sewn on 3 cords.
Provenance 1. Ignaty, son of the priest Nikita, Village of Veden'ya; 2. The Paul M. Fekula Collection, New York, MS 626, and F-XVII (until 1990); 3. Sotheby's 29.11.1990:78; 4. Sam Fogg Rare Books Ltd., London.
Commentary The present MS exemplifies the archaic style of singing, known as khomoniya or razdel'norechie, retaining the reduced vowels of Church Slavonic. This style of singing was shortly to be abolished in the Orthodox Church in the latter part of the 17th c., but is retained by some Old Believer communities to this day. The pomety (marks indicating pitch) corresponds to the normal pronunciation of Church Slavonic, instead of the archaic singing tradition. .
Place of origin Russia
Dates mid 17c AD