The document discusses the variable hymns Troparia and Kontakia sung in Orthodox Christian liturgy. Troparia come before Kontakia and honor God or a saint of the day. Both hymns originated from Hebrew sources and psalmody, but began to take poetic forms in the 3rd-7th centuries composed by monks and clergy. Authors like Romanos the Melodist and those from the Melodist school developed the poetic structure and theological content of these hymns to instruct and inspire believers.

1. Historical
Prospective of the Liturgy
THE VARIABLE HYMNS:
TROPARIA & KONTAKIA
ipodiakonos zoran j. bobic

2. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• Cantors hymns of the day:
• Troparion;
• Kontakion;
• Theotokion (sometimes);
• Proper in any following:
• The patron of the Church;
• The day of the week;
• The saint of the day;
• The dead:
• A special intention;

3. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• “Troparia” comes before the “Kontakia”
• If we have “theotokion” then “kontakia” is last;
• “Troparia” = honor of our Lord = always first;
• “Kontakia” = follows the same order as Troparia;
• “Troparia” & “Kontakia” = are both hymns;
• They are both from Hebrew sources;
• Inspiration is from OT, from Psalter;

4. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• When the number of Gentiles converts increased to Christianity, new types of hymns
modeled on Hellenistic poetry began to appear;
• First 2 centuries: Church favored free composition of hymns;
• In 3rd century original compositions were discouraged, due to heretical ideas;
• They were inconsistent with Christian dogma;
• They spread heretical beliefs;
• In A.D. 363 Council of Laodicea forbid singing of private “psalms”;
• If the hymn was not based on some scriptural passage it was excluded;

5. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• After 3rd century antiphonal technique came to be developed;
• The refrains gradually expended into complete stanza or “troparion”;
• Hymnographers prepared a series of different textual stanza to be sung according to
the melody of the first stanza = “hirmos”;
• They were composed by monks and clergy;
• Complete series of stanzas = “Ode”;
• Next step = drop most of the psalm and retain only enough of the original text;
• This text must correspond with the “stanza” (“Troparia”);
• Biblical canticles disappeared = replaced with short “stikhoi”; = poetical canon;

6. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• Poetical canon (verse) = Troparia
• 5th century = they were composed in strophic form, and much longer;
• They were sung between last 3, 4, 5 or 6 verses of a psalm;
• 6th century = evidence of Troparia sung in Canonical Hours;
• First authors: (no documents survived)
• Anthimus the Poet; (author of “All-night Vigils”)
• Timocles the Monophysite;
• Auxentius (the only preserved Troparia in his “Vita”)
• All above were inspired by Hebrew poetry;

7. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• Poetical form of hymn = “kontakion”;
• Consists 18, 30 or more structural stanzas;
• 6th century evidence that they used “kontakion”;
• First written evidence occurs in 9th century;
• Romanos = inventor of the “kontakion”; (6th-7th centuries);
• Melodoi – beginning of 8th century;
• Some could originated from Syriac liturgical poetry;

8. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• ½ of the 7th century = begins the 3rd period of Byzantine hymnography;
• It begins in school called “Melodoi”;
• Some of the writers were:
• Andrew of Crete;
• John Damascene;
• Cosmas of Jerusalem;
• Joseph of Thessalonica;
• Heguman Theodore;
• Theophanes (759-c 842);
• Theodorus;
• St Methodius Patriarch of Constantinople;

9. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• “Melodoi” = created “canon” = as introduction to “Orthos”;
• “Orthos” = Morning Service;
• “Canon” = 9 Odes (songs);
• Each song has several tropariars (stanzas);
• 1st troparion of each Ode is called “hirmos”;
• Depending on their position in Ode, Troparia are also called:
• Kontakion;
• Ikhos;
• Katabasia;

10. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• Some of these tropariars were incorporated as variables into Liturgy;
• Original position was Divine Office and NOT Liturgy;
• They were introduced to Liturgy;
• To instruct the faithful …;
• To urge them to imitate the virtues of Christ…;
• To imitate His Mother and/or saint(s) …;
• Authors in “Melodoi” were pre-eminently theologians;
• They were expressing dogmatic truth in poetic form;

11. The Variable Hymns: Troparia & Kontakia
• The technique was:
• To produce in listeners a religious mood;
• Which was intensified by both the solemn ritual;
• And the visual richness of the icons;
• In Canons the mood is often joyful & eschatological;
• Dogmatic content is beautifully expressed;
• Repeating the same idea over and over again…