“Greek questions” in the works of prince V. F. Odoevsky on church singing and the neumatic anthology from his collection

Abstract

The article reviews in a new perspective the little-known data related to the works of V.F. Odoevsky in the field of history and theory of church singing. The «Greek questions» opened in connection with this were studied by him, first of all, in the context of comparative observations concerning the modal organization of chants of different traditions. Important information on this subject contains, in addition to the works of the outstanding musicologist-theorist, a variety of archival materials related to the circle of his scientific communication – Bishop Porfiry (Uspensky), D.V. Razumovsky, V.V. Stasov, Yu.K. Arnold, P.I. Sevastyanov and others. In addition, the problem of studying of the Octoechos (the eight-mode system or «Osmoglasie»), a central theme in Odoevsky’s works, was also reflected in the selection of primary sources on the theory and practice of church singing, which were specially acquired for scientific purposes, both for personal use and to replenish the collections of the St. Petersburg Public Library and the Moscow Rumyantsev Museum. Thus, it is quite natural that the remarkable Greek Anthology (RSL. F. 210. No. 27), created in Smyrna by the scribe Christodoulos in 1792, appeared in Odoevsky’s superbly selected collection of church-singing manuscripts. As a result of its paleographic and codicological study, it was possible to establish important details and the context of its existence. Undoubtedly, it vividly reflected not only the final period of the Greek manuscript culture, but also the flourishing of the local (Smyrna) church singing tradition that began in the 2nd half of the 18th century.