Monk Hristofor

Main article: Music history in Russia

Hristofor is the monk of Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, the author of one of the earliest in Russia of the musical and theoretical managements - "A znamenny key" (1604), mentioned by descendants as "the most valuable monument to an Old Russian scientific-theoretical thought". Among many benefits of this sort it is selected with abundance of data, completeness and symmetry of statement, and in the scientific relation, according to specialists, "it is invaluable material for a research and understanding of a znamenny system of the end of XVI - the beginning of the 17th century".

Biography

Year of birth of the monk Hristofor is still unknown, year of death - presumably the 1627th. Postrizhennik of Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery probably after 1600, is the Muscovite, in monastic documents it hereinafter is referred to simple "kryloshaniny", i.e. the chorister.

It is possible to add to the poor information about him that, apparently, he came from rather poor estate. About it it is possible to judge by two of its deposits to Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery: "the first - written to them in 1602 stikhirar, the second - the modest money deposit on decoration of an icon made by it in 1611". Stikhirar has a text: "Gave a contribution to Kirilov the monastery kryloshenin the aged man Hristofor". Concerning the second deposit in the monastic document it is written: "The clergyman aged man Hristofor Kirilova of the monastery gave on a salary the Prechisty Virgin the 20th three-copecks piece".

In 1601 monastic brotherhood there were in Kirillovy monastery about 136 people, among them 20 kryloshan.

On monastic obedience, besides, he was a copyist of books, having great handwriting and art of a highly artistic execution of books. Many the books rewritten by it, mostly not yotirovanny are known, these are office Minei, Triodions, the Sensible Gospel and so forth. From the singing manuscripts created by Hristofor it is nowadays known only two: stikhirar a traveling singsong of 1602, stored in the State Historical Museum, and the collection with "A znamenny key" of 1604.

1602: Stikhirar acceptable (singing book)

The singing book, stikhirar acceptable, written by the monk Hristofor in 1602, has to a dung: "This book is written by a hand... that monastery of a postrizhenik of chernets of Hristoforishka-kliroshanin, pupil aged man Pimin Homutina". Researchers did not come to the general opinion yet, the Belozersk aged man Pimen, the former "cross priest the" of the prince Mikhail Vorotynsky who died in 1573 was a spiritual or musical director of Hristofor.

Stikhirar is acceptable, written by Hristofor in 1602 as well as the collection considered below with "A znamenny key", is unique. He contains traveling options of chants of the main singing books of that time.

1604: The collection with "A znamenny key"

In the preface to the collection of 1604 Hristofor wrote: "This book, glagolemy stikhorar, is written... works and a potshchaniye mnogogreshnago both indecent, and a hedgehog if stands till the end the monk zeatisya, tokmo on an external image, on internal a vsyakiya sewage also is nasty grekhovnyya ispolnenago. Ustydekhsya and the napisata name, a ponezha not by the name of life styazha... You are sovereigns of a velitsya fathers, bogoizbranniya muzhy, hristoimenity herd, tsarsky to the svyashcheena, svyaty language, lyudy updates by blood of the Christ's New Testament if who from you uchnt this book you pass or will become that spisyvat, and Ljubo if in it obryashcht that is uncorrected, and you, Misters for the sake of, do not podivit on my hudy mind, but yourself will correct, and to exchange guilty do not curse, the ponezha was written by a hand Bernina (transitory) and the person skvernen. But it is more, about fathers of a chestniya, a pomyanaita to exchange sad in sacred prayers that the pony poorly your sacred prayers got favor from the Almighty Boga in day of just court it".

It is necessary to notice what Hristofor in translation from Greek means - Hristonosets. From here clear is in lips of the monk a phrase: "not by the name of life styazha".

"Key znamenny" monk Hristofor. 1604 (RNB. Cyrus. - It is white. No. 665/922. L. 1001)

The collection consisting "A znamenny key" consists from stikhirarya, an oktoikha on eight voices, stichera of the Evangelical big and normal singsong, an irmologiya, Triodions fast, chants of the All-night vigil, a liturgy and so forth.

According to M. Brazhnikov, "the collection includes almost all chants known at that time to a znamenny chant, and, besides, the musical and theoretical management of versatile contents". The collection arose not accidentally, but was conceived in such structure by the originator that confirm researches. Hristofor took musical material for Key from this the collection made by it, following traditions of znamenny singing alphabets.

By the end of the 16th century the znamenny chant so became complicated that practical use saved up in "singing art of material went beyond opportunities of the most part of contractors in this connection there was a need for creation of more detailed musical and theoretical managements what "The znamenny key" of the monk Hristofor is. The author, apparently, aimed to help with studying of singsongs, "understanding of not clear or difficult places in the chants which were constantly performed by choristers" practically. Therefore Key was also created on specific singing material of previously made collection.

To the collection Hristofor writes in the preface that verses and "slavnik" of his selection "to dobra very much a banner and transfers kind", i.e. are operational, written precisely and good editions. Also he tells it not in a praise to himself as "not bo that about itself (from itself) sostavy, but chose transfers of husbands wise... hedgehog customs imams of a zvata golovshchik". Brazhnikov notes here modesty of the author as "his collection detects in him knowledge, worthy any golovshchik".

In the research of the specified document G. Nikishov notes: "Having written voluminous singing books, and with obviously creative relation to material, Hristofor proved the expert on znamenny culture, and the expert not surface. It is obvious that it purchased such deep knowledge not at once and by the time of writing of the work had to have solid practical experience, creatively comprehend the singing skills purchased by it. Hristofor had to study at someone... High art and singing culture in which atmosphere the monk Hristofor lived and worked had significant effect on him. The Proniknutost this culture clearly is reflected in the books written, more right created by Hristofor... The creative relation to process of writing of the book, high-class edged skill, and in singing collections famous to us - judgment and deep understanding of musical material".

The hand of the master is felt both in musical, and in verbal lines of the considered collection which, despite "a ceremonial, highly artistic design, nevertheless is a sample of the working manuscript which was constantly used in daily singing practice". Masterly owning style of the letter "semi-charter", the monk Hristofor had handwriting "unique on beauty", selected among handwritings of the time "as one of the best". "With not smaller gloss also znamenny record in which nature are already tended, developed in later singing manuscripts is executed".

In general in "A znamenny key" elements and separate acceptances which will gain development in the musical and theoretical managements considerably later are detected, i.e. Hristofor to some extent anticipated the nature of further development of a system of a znamenny chant. M. Brazhnikov notices that, perhaps, "A znamenny key" Hristofora served to a certain extent as a sample for the musical and theoretical management written (or edited) half a century later Alexander Mezents, known under the name "Notification on the Most Concordant Dung".

To art of a znamenny chant to Hristofor was at whom to study - being a Muscovite, he some time in the middle of the 1580th years was as the singer in Chudovo the monastery where the well-known Login Shishelov was a golovshchik of chorus those years. It is possible that exactly there he learned also art of a knigopisaniye, than at that time Chudov the monastery especially was famous. And, of course, Chudovo kryloshanin Hristofor heard and saw Fedor Hristianin and sang his "transfers". Was at whom to study in the monk Hristofor and on Lake Beloye, except pilot kirillovsky golovshchik of that time whose names were already told above he communicated there also with such outstanding master of a znamenny chant as the abbot Varlaam (Vasily Rogov).

About it M. Brazhnikov writes: "There are all bases to assume that the abbot Varlaam and the monk Hristofor not only met in monastery as the abbot and the ordinary monk (differently and could not be), but also worked on improvement of a znamenny chant in the monastery. The abbot and musician Varlaam by one provision had to penetrate deeply into questions of setting and development of singing on choirs of the monastery subordinated to it. Perhaps, and writing of the collection was undertaken by Hristofor not without Varlaam's influence and begun at it though it was performed after his death. All this allows to consider Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery not only as the largest center of Old Russian singing art, but also as the center of development of the Russian musical theory connected with names of outstanding Russian raspevshchik".

"The znamenny key" consists of several sections where enter the general description of a system of a znamenny notation of the time with transfer of names of banners and some fitny outlines, a kokiznik (popevochnik) with examples of popevka from collection chants, comparison of traveling and stolpovy notations, the list of traveling banners which are absent in a stolpovy notation, examples of stains of the different fitny outlines placed in collection chants and so forth.

On the volume and typicalness of examples "The znamenny key" of the monk Hristofor "has no analogs among the previous samples of the musical and theoretical managements", striking with "the extraordinary width of a scope of funds of znamenny singing culture".

According to M. Brazhnikov, "Hristofor, undoubtedly, summed up and integrated in the work of achievement of the musical theory of a znamenny chant of earlier time, it is possible - all the 16th century... At the same time its alphabet has some features, demonstrative not for XVI, and for the 17th century".

Though Key makes a little more than three percent of all singing collection, during its research "the huge volume of the singing material, richest in the art and historical relation" comes to light. The collection is also of considerable interest to scientists. "Undoubtedly, - G. Nikishov writes, - that the collection research in its complete volume will discover new layers of musical material of great scientific value and substantially will enrich our knowledge of the field of Old Russian singing art".

Both stikhirarya, the 1602nd and 1604, "kind of supplement each other and can be united in one general book". The examples of a traveling singsong placed in Key focus the reader on stikhirar 1602. At last, the traveling alphabet in Key "purchases practical sense only in the context of a traveling stikhirarya". Placing it in the collection of 1604, the monk Hristofor, apparently, wanted "complement stikhirar 1602 with necessary theoretical data". It was continuation of a subject of a traveling singsong which expert was a monk Hristofor. The special style of a znamenny chant, the traveling singsong which developed from normal stolpovy gained the greatest distribution to that historical period when there lived the monk Hristofor, and in Kirillo-Belozersk and Solovki monasteries. It is the style of the severe and laconic Russian North which found also reflection in an iconography, architecture and other arts - cold gloss of the White Sea, powerful stone blocks of fortifications of Solovetsky Monastery with heavy stocky towers, severe simplicity and greatness.

According to G. Pozhidayeva, "is one of the few singsongs where the emfaticheski the neutral prosody giving effect of detachment and asceticism of sounding dominates".

Becomes clear why lord Varlaam, being already the metropolitan Rostovsky, lasted soul in Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, continuing to make a rich contribution money and things there - an old venerable golovshchika-raspevshchik probably the high creative atmosphere of the Kirillovy monastery which collected in the walls of masters and enthusiasts of a znamenny chant which names and works we still, perhaps, learn in the future attracted.

1605: Loss Psalters

In one of hand-written books by Kirillov of the monastery the addition of 1605 is detected: "Month February a knigokhranitel Eli's aged man told the treasurer Evstafyyu: Davydova's psalms were given... to a kryloshanin to Hristofor, the pupil Piminov, and that kryloshanin Hristofor lost those psalms". After that it seems kryloshanin Hristofor had from the treasurer Evstafiya grief not to Mull. And to lose the Psalter an opportunity always was, especially, if accompanied which of seniors on a trip on the three of borzois to the neighboring monastery and dropped somewhere on jolty potholes. The shorny case which is well delivered in the monastery does not allow to doubt that in those days dashing horses were found in Kirillov.

1612: A contribution of the Gospel rewritten by it to Goritsky convent

In several versts from Kirillovy monastery at the Ivetsky lake the Goritsky maiden Resurrection Monastery (it is based in the middle of the 16th century), for which Hristofor in 1612 rewrote the Sensible Gospel which is stored nowadays in the State Historical Museum, having a text is located: "Chernets Hristofor, a postrizhennik of the monastery of Kirilov of the Belozersk wonder-worker gave a deposit, the clergyman and the servant of a sacred altar, in Goritsky Monastery are moskvitin, on a rank... gospodynyam to sacred staritsa. And me, guilty, in the sacred prayers of a pominata not tokmo at my stomach, but also on death".

In 1612 during storm of the monastery by the Polish groups Hristofor probably was in the ranks of his defenders and prepared for death. Assume that it rewrote one more manuscript in 1619.

Creativity researches

The name of the monk Hristofor as the person who entered a considerable contribution to development of the Russian znamenny chant was brought out of centuries-old oblivion by M. Brazhnikov who detected it "A znamenny key" in one of the Kirillo-Belozersky's manuscripts of a meeting.

M. Brazhnikov stated scientific assessment of this monument and the musical and paleographic overview of its contents in the context of the general research of znamenny alphabets and musical and theoretical managements of the 15-18th centuries in the monograph "Old Russian Theory of Music".

"The znamenny key" or as it was called by M. Brazhnikov, "The alphabet of the monk Hristofor", treating the dopometny period of development of a znamenny notation, is extremely valuable benefit for those who deal with a problem of interpretation of a bespometny notation, this with one of the most essential problems of a domestic musical mediyevistika.

"The znamenny key" after M. Brazhnikov's death by G.A. Nikishov in 1983 with comments and researches in the "Monuments of the Russian Musical Art" series under the name "Hristofor was published. Key of znamenny. 1604"^[1]

Notes