Can you interpret this?

[MrJim]

For Christmas I ordered a gift basket from Holy Cross Monastery. There was a CD in it "Christ is Born": Orthodox Hynms for the Nativity of Christ.

Listed are 28 chants/hymns/etc

The words I'm curious about are:
1. Aposticha
2. Troparion
3. Sticheron
4. Heirmos
5. Kondakion

The CD is done by the Holy Cross monks-and they are Russian Orthodox but the words seem Greek, though I don't profess to know languages.

Thanks

[RobNJ]

I don't know all of them, but if you copy/paste them into the seach window here:
http://www2.orthodoxwiki.org/Main_Page

You'll find them!

[MrJim]

Orthowiki says they are names of hymns done at different cycles of the day (vespers/matins/etc). So I take it that these are pretty much monastery-exclusive sort of hymns?

[choirfiend]

No, they're done in standard services. Matins, Vespers, Liturgy, etc...

Heirmos (Irmos) is the first part of each ode (Stanza?) of a canon, which is long prayer separated into sections. There is no ode 2, and ode 9 is always directed towards the topic of the Theotokos.

There are daily Troparia and Kontakia, and they are the prayers that change noticeably in the Liturgy week by week, often having more than one as special saints are commemorated with Troparia and Kontakia that describe their lives.

Etc, etc, etc. If you start studying Orthodox worship forms, chant traditions, and liturgical rubrics, you will find the specific meter, methods of composition, and such that differentiate the above listed...Unless you are doing so, there's not a whole lot of reason to seek differences--just understand that they are part of services.

[rusmeister]

No. Troparions are read/sung at every Liturgy - there are different ones for different occasions.
Eirmos are read with certain canons (prayers).

I recognize the other terms, but haven't learned them all yet.

[Oblio]

The Apostika is a short hymn (usually 3 verses or stikhera) separated by two Psalm verses (Unto thee have I lifted up my eyes ... as a maid looks unto her handmaiden ...; Exceedingly are we filled with contempt O Lord ...). They are the final verses sung prior to the Prayer of St. Symeon (Lord now lettest thy servent depart in peace ...) and the dismissal Troparia during Vespers. The Kontakion is a short hymn sung after the third ode of Matins and also with the Troparion of the Day during the Divine Liturgy, it is topical. Sticherion are simply short stanzas inserted between Psalm verses, the best known of which are the Lord I call ... verses which begin with the Psalm: Set O Lord a gaurd over my mouth and a watch over my lips ... The final 10 (on Sunday and Feasts) or 6 (weekdays without a feast) Psalm verses are interspersed with the sticherion verses to commemorate both the day, the Saint(s), and if appropriate, the feast. On Sundays (Sat eve) there are usually 6 for the Resurrection and 4 for the Saint, weekdays have 3 for the Saint and 3 for the day (e.g. Apostles if Wed eve [Thursday] ), in that order.

[Oblio]

Also, the Troparia and Kontakia of the day are sung/chanted during the Hours (3rd and 6th). In Russian parish practice this would proceed the Divine Liturgy if no Matins was served prior.

[MrJim]

"whew"

Thanks all--are they Greek words?

[Yiannis550]

yes they are Greek words, more Ancient Greek actually.

[MrJim]

yes they are Greek words, more Ancient Greek actually.

Thanks-I took some Greek many years ago and they sort of looked like Greek words but since it was a Russian monastery I guess I would have assumed they would use Russian musical terms.