Znamenny Chant

This blog has attempted from time to time to bring forth the importance of Sacred Music.  Even though I mostly focus on the West, I am growing in appreciation of the traditions of the East (I plan on going to my first Divine Liturgy on July 5th!)  One of these traditions come by the way of Russia in the form of Znamenny Chant.  This form of chant was quite prevalent in Russia until the unfortunate reforms of the Patriarch Nikon in the seventeenth century when he viciously attacked the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church by reforming the liturgy to Greek sensibilities.  One of the things that was lost in these reforms was Znamenny Chant.  Now mostly utilized by Old Believers, the video below shows its noble simplicity.

24 June 2015
Feast of the Nativity of the Forerunner