Old Russian neumes
Sticherarion, with other material, in Church Slavonic, illuminated musical manuscript on paper [Russia, early 17th century]
A complete early 17th-century manuscript in Church Slavonic with old Russian neumes, in its contemporary binding.

148 x 85mm. i + 170 + ii leaves, complete, collation: 1-17¹⁰, modern pencil foliation 1-169 followed here, 13 lines written in brown ink in a compressed Cyrillic semi-uncial hand, staffless adiastematic (heightened) old Russian neumes, with occasional pomety in red, headings and initials in red, one full-page miniature of the Crucifixion within full border in gold, illuminated opening page with the first few words written in burnished gold and surmounted by an ornate foliate headpiece (a little staining towards the end, slight flaking and loss of pigment to the miniature, else in fine condition). Contemporary binding of blind-stamped calf over boards (rebacked, clasps repaired, gauffered edges).

Provenance:
(1) The watermarks (visible on ff.31, 33 and 40) are indistinct, but the chain- and laid-lines are of a type found at the end of the 16th century. The inclusion of St Demetrius of Uglich (canonised in 1606) and the exclusion of St Philip (canonised 1652) among the hierarchs gives us a terminus post and ante quem.

(2) 19th?-century inventory number 'N.127' on inside front cover.

(3) Paul M. Fekula (1905-1982): his MS.603, published in The Paul M. Fekula Collection, New York, 1988 and Slavic Manuscripts from the Fekula Collection, no XIV, 1983. His sale at Sotheby's, Russian Manuscripts from the Fourteenth to the Nineteenth Century From the Paul M. Fekula Collection, 29 November 1990, lot 75.

(4) Schøyen Collection, MS 1757.

Text and music:
Theotokia for the eight tones ff.1-11; selection of theotokia, also arranged according to the tones ff.11-16v; Dostoyno est' (Axion esti) and another hymn to the Mother of God, ff.16v-17v; Troparia for Sundays ff.17v-19v; the Axion esti and other hymns to the Mother of God, some in more than one setting ff.19v-27v; Stichera and other material for Good Friday and Easter Eve ff.27v-35v; Sticherarion ff.36-125; Penitential stichera ff.126-145v; Theotokia ff.146-151v; and Heirmoi for Christmas, Palm Sunday and two canons to Our Lord ff.152-169.

The manuscript exemplifies the archaic style of singing known as khomoniya or razdel'norechie, retaining the reduced vowels of Church Slavonic which had ceased to be pronounced long before for all other purposes. This style of singing was shortly to be abolished in the Orthodox Church in the latter part of the 17th century, but is retained by some Old Believer communities to this day. At the end of the 16th century and during the 17th, two reforms were instituted to facilitate the reading of the neumes. The first is associated with the name of Ivan Shaidur (c.1600), who is credited with the introduction of additional signs (pomety, or pomyety). Pomety are present in this manuscript only on ff.49v-51, 131v-132 and 137-138v.

The Paul M. Fekula Collection, New York, 1988, no 603.
M. Matejic, Slavic Manuscripts from the Fekula Collection, 1983, no XIV.