Singing realization of the 103rd psalm in Grebenshchikov old believers’ community in Riga

Abstract

The Old Believers successfully preserved the tradition of psalmody in their milieu. They still to this day chant psalter hymns in their divine services. One of the most important centers of Old Believer chant is the Riga Grebenshchikov Old Believer community, whose singing is considered exemplary by many. The kliros (choir) of the right side used to sing the 103rd psalm as noted in a special notebook it kept, but recently it has changed to a collection in which, in addition to the theoretical guide, hymns of various services are given, including hymns of the all-night vigil. The hymns of the all-night Vigil were copied in facsimile from the book Obikhodnik (song book) of the Preobrazhensky Seal of 1911. The singers of the left kliros have always used the Song Book for Every Day of the Preobrazhensky Seal. Thus, the 103rd psalm has been being reproduced in the Riga community as shown in the Song Book for Everyday edited by the Preobrazhensky press for a considerable period of time. By comparing the written version of the chant with the way it is chanted in the Riga community, we noted discrepancies which prompted us to study other manuscripts in order to clarify some fragments of the chant that are of interest to us. An analysis of handwritten sources shows that the performance of Psalm 103 in the Riga community reflects not only the 1911 Obikhod, but also other handwritten Obikhods (song books).