Actualisation of the hymns from the Irmologion by Stefan Hlobchastyi in modern liturgical practice

Statement of the problem. The article addresses the issue of safeguarding tradition and purifying church singing from foreign stylistic influences by employing the closest historical sources, which intonationally link the contemporary church community with previous generations of Christians. The manuscript staff-notated Irmologion by Stefan Hlobchastyi documents the historical state of the singing tradition as it existed in Kharkiv at the beginning of the 19th century. Its distinctive feature lies in the existence and transformation of monodic chant within an environment that had largely become accustomed to choral polyphony. There is a need to develop scientifically grounded forms for the use of these chants in contemporary Orthodox worship. Objectives, methods, and novelty of the research. The purpose of the study is to identify principles for the harmonisation of monodic chants, particularly those contained in Stefan Hlobchastyi’s Irmologion, to enable their historical restoration and integration into modern polyphonic liturgical practice. The research is based on a historical approach to the manuscript text. A comparative method allows the chants to be juxtaposed with examples of other origins. The central tool of the study is an experimental practice of restoring the chants into four-voice harmonisations and their implementation in liturgical services. The results of the experiment is analyzed from the perspective of worship practice. The novelty of the research lies in introducing the concept of four-part chant restoration, defined as the notated or immediately performed the four-part arrangement of monodical chants, utilizing historically established voice-leading models from liturgical singing, considering the functional roles of individual choral parts, and preserving the authentic principles of their harmonic combination. This approach significantly differs from school harmonisation, particularly in the functional distribution of voices and the approach to voice leading. Research results and conclusions. Comparison of the manuscript chants with corresponding examples of the Kyiv-Pechersk chant tradition revealed both close affinities and distinct divergences. This made it possible to apply the harmonic principles of the “Notated Obikhod of the Kyiv-Pechersk Dormition Lavra” for four-part chant restoration. The restored four-part chants are now used in the services of the Annunciation Cathedral in Kharkiv. The study demonstrated the feasibility and practical value of revitalizing the chants from Stefan Hlobchastyi’s Irmologion for contemporary worship and educational purposes. The example of restoring sacred chant in honour of Virgin Mary named “dogmaticos” suggests the potential for similar work with other chants from the manuscript. Systematic incorporation of ancient and restored neumatic chant examples into modern Orthodox worship and their regular performance will contribute to the revival and popular assimilation of the Octoechos tradition.