The professional musical art in the russian Monasteries in the 16th — 17th centuries

Abstract

Preservation and development of the ancient church singing as the high musical art occupied an
important place in the spiritual life of Russian monasteries in the 16th – 17th centuries. On the basis
of the documents the author reveals the activities of the monastic choirs, their composition and
structure, information about the peculiarities of the chanting repertoire, the system of salaries for the
singers and their service and off-duty employment. The researcher also presented the most outstanding
monastic chanting masters’ creative works of their authorship which have gained recognition
among their contemporaries