Sticheron
Encyclopedia
A sticheron is a particular kind of hymn
used in the Divine Liturgy
, acolouthia
(Daily office) or other services of the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite
.
Stichera are usually sung in alternation with psalm verses or other scriptural verses. These verses are known as stichoi (sing: stichos).
A sticherarion is a book containing the stichera for the morning and evening services throughout the year. Stichera are also found in other liturgical book
s. A sticheron must be distinguished from a troparion
which is chanted to a different melody, and occurs in different places in the liturgy.
contexts.
Examples of liturgical books containing stichera include:
Examples of liturgical contexts where stichera are commonly used include:
.
A sticheron that is dedicated to the Theotokos
is called a Theotokion
. Theotokia normally follow the words, "Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages amen." The Theotokion that comes at the end of "Lord, I Have Cried" at Vespers
on Saturday night, Friday night and the eves of most Feast Days is called a Dogmatikon, because it deals with the dogma of the Incarnation
.
The Aposticha
are a type of stichera which differ from the norm in that they precede their stichos (psalm verse) rather than follow.
, or a variation on those modes known as an automelon (Slavonic: samoglasen, podoben)
Composed settings of stichera are frequently found in recordings of Orthodox liturgical music, some by well known composer
s.
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
used in the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches. Armenian Christians, both of the Armenian Apostolic Church and of the Armenian Catholic Church, use the same term...
, acolouthia
Acolouthia
Acolouthia, in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches, signifies the arrangement of the Divine Services , perhaps because the parts are closely connected and follow in order...
(Daily office) or other services of the Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite
Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, sometimes called the Rite of Constantinople or Constantinopolitan Rite is the liturgical rite used currently by all the Eastern Orthodox Churches, by the Greek Catholic Churches , and by the Protestant Ukrainian Lutheran Church...
.
Stichera are usually sung in alternation with psalm verses or other scriptural verses. These verses are known as stichoi (sing: stichos).
A sticherarion is a book containing the stichera for the morning and evening services throughout the year. Stichera are also found in other liturgical book
Liturgical book
A liturgical book is a book published by the authority of a church, that contains the text and directions for the liturgy of its official religious services.-Roman Catholic:...
s. A sticheron must be distinguished from a troparion
Troparion
A troparion in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos...
which is chanted to a different melody, and occurs in different places in the liturgy.
Cycles
Stichera are commonly written in cycles, on particular themes, and for use in particular liturgicalLiturgy
Liturgy is either the customary public worship done by a specific religious group, according to its particular traditions or a more precise term that distinguishes between those religious groups who believe their ritual requires the "people" to do the "work" of responding to the priest, and those...
contexts.
Examples of liturgical books containing stichera include:
- MenaionMenaionThe Menaion refers to the annual fixed cycle of services in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic Churches. Commemorations in the Menaion are tied to the day of the calendar year.-Service books:...
(hymns to particular saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s commemorated according to the calendar day of the year) - OctoechosOctoechos (liturgy)The Octoechos —literally, the book "of the Eight Tones"—contains an eight-week cycle, providing texts to be chanted for every day at Vespers, Matins, the Divine Liturgy, Compline and the Midnight Office...
(hymns for each day of the week, set to the eight tonesOctoechosOktōēchos is the name of the eight mode system used for the composition of religious chant in Syrian, Coptic, Byzantine, Armenian, Latin and Slavic churches since the middle ages...
. Using one tone each week, the entire cycle takes two months to complete) - TriodionTriodionThe Triodion , also called the Lenten Triodion , is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches of Byzantine rite during Great Lent, the three preparatory weeks leading up to it, and during Holy Week.Many canons in the Triodion contain only three odes or...
(hymns chanted during Great LentGreat LentGreat Lent, or the Great Fast, is the most important fasting season in the church year in Eastern Christianity, which prepares Christians for the greatest feast of the church year, Pascha . In many ways Great Lent is similar to Lent in Western Christianity...
) - PentecostarionPentecostarionThe Pentecostarion is the liturgical book used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite during the Paschal Season which extends from Pascha to the Sunday following All Saints Sunday The Pentecostarion (Greek: Πεντηκοστάριον, Pentekostárion; Slavonic:...
(hymns chanted during the Paschal SeasonPaschal cycleThe Paschal cycle in the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches, is the cycle of the moveable feasts built around Pascha . The cycle consists of approximately ten weeks before and seven weeks after Pascha. The ten weeks before Pascha are known as the period of the Triodion...
Examples of liturgical contexts where stichera are commonly used include:
- VespersVespersVespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
(the evening office of the Canonical HoursCanonical hoursCanonical hours are divisions of time which serve as increments between the prescribed prayers of the daily round. A Book of Hours contains such a set of prayers....
)- Lord, I Have Cried (introducing the themes being celebrated that day)
- The LitiyLitiyThe Litiy or Litiyá is a procession, followed by intercessions, which takes place during the All-Night Vigil in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite. Whenever there is a Litiy there is also an Artoklasia...
(procession on Sundays and feast days) - The apostichaApostichaThe Aposticha are a set of hymns accompanied by psalm verses that are chanted towards the end of Vespers and Matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite....
- MatinsMatinsMatins is the early morning or night prayer service in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Eastern Orthodox liturgies of the canonical hours. The term is also used in some Protestant denominations to describe morning services.The name "Matins" originally referred to the morning office also...
(the morning office)- The Praises (on Sundays and Feast Days)
- The apostichaApostichaThe Aposticha are a set of hymns accompanied by psalm verses that are chanted towards the end of Vespers and Matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite....
(on simple weekdays)
Types of Stichera
A sticheron that follows the words, "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit" is called a DoxastichonDoxastichon
A Doxastikon —plural: doxastika— is a type of hymn found in the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches which follow the Byzantine Rite....
.
A sticheron that is dedicated to the Theotokos
Theotokos
Theotokos is the Greek title of Mary, the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches. Its literal English translations include God-bearer and the one who gives birth to God. Less literal translations include Mother of God...
is called a Theotokion
Theotokion
A Theotokion is a hymn to Mary, the Theotokos , which is read or chanted during the Divine Services of the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches....
. Theotokia normally follow the words, "Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages amen." The Theotokion that comes at the end of "Lord, I Have Cried" at Vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
on Saturday night, Friday night and the eves of most Feast Days is called a Dogmatikon, because it deals with the dogma of the Incarnation
Incarnation
Incarnation literally means embodied in flesh or taking on flesh. It refers to the conception and birth of a sentient creature who is the material manifestation of an entity, god or force whose original nature is immaterial....
.
The Aposticha
Aposticha
The Aposticha are a set of hymns accompanied by psalm verses that are chanted towards the end of Vespers and Matins in the Eastern Orthodox Church and those Eastern Catholic Churches that follow the Byzantine Rite....
are a type of stichera which differ from the norm in that they precede their stichos (psalm verse) rather than follow.
Musical settings
Each Sticheron is written to be chanted in one of the eight liturgical modesOctoechos
Oktōēchos is the name of the eight mode system used for the composition of religious chant in Syrian, Coptic, Byzantine, Armenian, Latin and Slavic churches since the middle ages...
, or a variation on those modes known as an automelon (Slavonic: samoglasen, podoben)
Composed settings of stichera are frequently found in recordings of Orthodox liturgical music, some by well known composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s.
External links
- A detailed definition can be found in the "Psalm" Glossary of Orthodox terms.