FEATURES OF THE MUSICAL ETHOS OF THE MONOPHONIC LITURGY OF JOHN CHRYSOSTOM FROM THE PEREMYSHL MANUSCRIPT OF THE MID-17TH CENTURY

Abstract

The article presents a philosophical and musical research of the ethos of certain parts of the monophonic Liturgy of John Chrysostom from the Peremyshl manuscript of the mid-seventeenth century, namely: The Cherubic Song, the Eucharistic Canon, and the Song of Praise in honor of the Saint Mary «Axion estin» by analyzing the elements of their complex musical structures. The author describes a number of musical forms of these structures. Through them the ethos of the monophonic Liturgy is revealed. It is found that the work uses all types of modes that Plato and Aristotle called ethical. The connection between semantic and musical structures is revealed. Musical phrases corresponding to certain word-symbols reflect the spirit expressed by the ethos of musical modes. It has been determined that the interweaving of the Doric (1, 1, ½) masculine with the Lydian (½, 1, 1) mournful feminine mode in the form of "question" and "answer" takes the form of a series of binary oppositions. It is also found that the last phrase of the Cherubic Song ends with a joyful (according to Plato) Phrygian mode (1, ½, 1), which carries purification and expresses the state of an «ecstatically excited soul» (according to Aristotle). The functions of musical forms are emphasized in view of the conceptual principles of classification of the musical ethos of Plato and Aristotle. The main elements of the complex structure are distinguished: Lydian, Phrygian, Dorian modes, which harmoniously are combined with each other. It is noted that, given the prospects of combining the achievements of the classics of ancient philosophy with the latest methodological approaches, further research should be aimed at establishing deeper interconnections between the doctrine of musical ethos and modern musicological and musicological-philosophical concepts. Based on the study of the musical text of the monophonic liturgy, it is concluded that the method of structural analysis of musical forms is a promising approach for the philosophical and musical comprehension of the ethos of sacred compositions.