DEMESTVENNY CHANT

DEMESTVENNY CHANT – One of the monophonic chants of the Russian Orthodox Church; first mentioned in a source dating from 1441, it flourished in the 17th c. Hymns performed in Demestvenny Chant primarily belonged to solemn feast-day services and were marked by complexity of rhythm and freedom of melodic stucture. The hymns of Demestvenny Chant did not follow the system of Eight Tones, which led some composers of the late 19th c., e. g. N. Kompaneisky, to apply the term “demestvenny” to sacred musical works intended for concert, as opposed to liturgical, performance.