Activity of the russian main choirs’ singers as the court service class people in 16th—17th centuries

Аннотация

In Moscow of the 16th—17th centuries there were two closely related centers of professional
musical art. They were the choir at the Tsar’s court and the choir at the court of the metropolitan
(since 1589 — patriarch) of Moscow and all Russia, which united the best creative powers of the
country. According to the author, the study of historical data on the life and activities of the Tsar’s
and patriarchal singers indicates that they belonged to the category of court service class people.
Directions of their activities have often expanded. This was determined not only by the fact that the
singers were literate, and sometimes had a high level of education, but also by the lack of a clear dif-
ferentiation of services in the developing state apparatus, which made it possible to use the singers in
various services — from file clerk to military. The findings are based on an analysis of a wide range
of diverse archival documents and other sources. The obtained results allow us to clarify the social
status of masters, who are often referred to the clergy class by researchers.