Chants in honour of the Great Martyr Prince Lazar of Serbia in the old Russian notated manuscripts

Abstract

The manuscript containing the service of St. Lazar Hrebeljanovic was presented to the Russian Tsar in 1550 by the abbot of the Hilandar monastery Paisius. We currently know only two manuscripts containing hymns to the Saint Lazar: RNB, Kir.-Bel. 586/843 (eighth decade of the 16th century) and RBB, f. 379 ? 66 (mid- 17th century). The older source is more complete. It includes stichera of Small and Great Vespers (on Lord I have cried and aposticha), stichera at the Litya, stichera at the end of Psalm 50, aposticha of Matins, as well as exapostilarion and theotokion. In addition, there are indications that two canons have been performed (a total of 31 hymns). In the younger source the chanting repertoire is much smaller - there are only doxastika and , stichera at the end of Psalm 50 (a total of 6 songs). The doxastika presented in these manuscripts have different musical variants.