Znamenny chant is a monophonic, unmetered church singing that took root in Kyivan Rus after the baptism of 988, on the basis of the Byzantine tradition enriched with local melos. The name comes from the ancient musical signs — znamena (or “kryuki”), with which the chants were notated long before the appearance of staff notation.
The melody of znamenny chant is smooth, contemplative, subordinate to the word of prayer and the system of eight tones (modes). It is the most prayerful, most ascetic layer of our musical antiquity, which for centuries sounded in the churches of Rus-Ukraine. Znamenny chant became the foundation on which the splendid Baroque forms later grew — partes singing and the sacred concerto; today its authentic sound is being revived by researchers of early Ukrainian music.
