The XVII century was a turning point for Russian liturgical singing. Side by side, with Znamenny chant traditional for old Russia and with Unison chants of the XVI century -Demestvenny, Putevoy and Great Znamenny, polyphonic singing became usual in ecclesiastical music.
Early polyphonic music was the earliest kind of polyphonic liturgical singing in Russia. It was first mentioned in the 1540. One can find it in the Service book of the Holy Wisdom Cathedral in Novgorod, where it was performed at the liturgy for the first time. Early polyphonic chant was written with Demestvenny notation. The main voice, which was a core of the whole early polyphonic score, was called in Russian ‘Put’ and it means ‘the way’, the lower voice was called ‘Bottom’, and then the upper voice – ‘Top’. A little bit later the fourth voice ‘Demestvo’ was added to original three voices and it was performed above the Top. The pattern of interlacing of voices in early polyphonic score reminds the interlacing of architectural forms and stone design (patterns) in tent-shaped architecture, that flourished in second half of the XVI century.
In 1652 Nikon, Metropolitan of Novgorod, was enthroned the Patriarch. Attempting to adorn divine services and to make them festive and more beautiful, Patriarch Nikon introduced sweet-sounding polyphonic singing of choir schools of south-western Russia to ‘Obikhod’ of Moscow Russia. Singers from Kiev were regularly invited to Moscow since 1652 and the royal and patriarchal official clerks gave them places in choirs. Thanks to its geographical position, South-Western Russia always had tight spiritual relations with the Balkans and Greece. Kievan chant reigned here, which was one of the variants of Znamenny chant. Also the Greek and Bulgarian chants arose here, which differed significantly from the ecclesiastical singing in Greece and Bulgaria. These chants laid down the basis of polyphonic hymns for a new-harmony system in Moscow Russia. They were written in old Znamenny notation, so this type of polyphonic singing was later called Znamenny polyphonic singing.
‘Partes’ arrangement of Znamenny and Demestvenny chants arose in the 1670‘s. The majority of the chants were created in St Kyrill of Belozersk and Solovetsky monasteries. These hymns were already written in West-European five-lined notation. Russian tsar Peter the Great was the last Russian tsar who sang in a church choir together with cantors. Being educated in the old Moscow style of life, he knew Znamenny, Demestvenny, Early polyphonic, and polyphonic singing. The Tsar himself sang the most complicated polyphonic bass part when he went to pilgrimage to Solovetsky monastery.
The singing system created in the XVII century combined harmoniously unison and polyphonic chants. Unfortunately, this beautiful and well-balanced singing system existed not long. On the boundary of the XVII and XVIII centuries, the principles of the Russian society changed sharply which transformed church life radically. As a result, the next generations of cantors, according to the expression of that time; ‘dressed polyphonic singing’ entertaining audience with new choral ‘delicacy’, came to be what was practiced. The Russian liturgical singing tradition, as one can imagine like the epic town Kitezh, hid itself from the sons of the XVIII and XIX centuries. And only now it is gradually again re-opening its face to us.