PSALOM
Traditional Eastern Orthodox Chant Documentation Project
Regional Chant Systems: Russian Court Chant

I. HISTORICAL OVERVIEW (also discussing historical periods and any significant regional traditions)

II. MUSIC THEORY AND NOTATIONAL SYSTEMS

III. BIBLIOGRAPHY

a. PRIMARY SOURCES (Chant Books and Manuscripts)
b. BOOKS AND ARTICLES DISCUSSING THE CHANT
c. DISCOGRAPHY OF RECORDINGS

IV. LINKS

a. ARTICLES
b. MUSICAL SCORES
c. SOUND FILES

"Common" Chant
— Stephen Reynolds

The "Common Chant" is, as Gardner says, "composed of an unsystematic conglomeration of greatly simplified and abbreviated melodies from various other chants, including some melodies of unknown origin." The melodies for stichera and their verses are mostly from the Kievan chant, for example, while those for troparia are mostly from the Greek chant, several, I believe, from the Bulgarian chant, and in one case--Tone 5--the sticheron melody is used for troparia also (sometimes this is done in Tone 6). So one cannot expect much unity within a given tone.

—Peter Fekula

There are 5 melodies for each tone in the current Russian practice. The melodies are for:

1) Stichera
2) Stichera refrains (the brief psalm verses that precede stichera at Lord I have cried, Aposticha and Praises)
3) Troparia/Kontakia/Dismissal Theotokia
4) Prokimena/Let every breath/Holy is the Lord our God
5) The Heirmoi (Irmosy) for the Odes of the Canons

Within a given tone, these melodies generally have no similarity/relationship to each other. In other words, the 3rd tone sticheron tune sounds nothing like the 3rd tone troparion tune, which sounds nothing like the 3rd tone prokimenon tune. Also, different chant families have differing (but at times similar) melodies. In other words, the so-called "Greek" chant tune for Tone 4 troparia differs markedly from the Kievan chant tune for the same texts. The Kiev Caves chant tune is similar to the Kievan chant tune. The Znamenny chant tune is different, again, although the peculiarity of Znamenny versus the other chants (Kievan primarily) is most pronounced in the stichera and canon tunes. (There are also special melodies [automelon/podoben], but that's another topic.)

"The Eight Tones: A Selection of Introductory Phrases" (St. John of Kronstadt Press)