Chants for services honoring the “new Wonderworkers” by the Old Russian master Markel Bezborody (16th century)

Abstract

A study of the work of the Novgorod master Markel Bezborody has revealed that he was not only an outstanding hymnographer but also a chanter, who composed music for a number of ser vices to the “new” Wonderworkers elevated to the rank of all-Russian saints in the 16th century. Based on the results of already conducted research and indications of the author’s name in the acrostics of the Canons, three services are accurately attributed to Markel Bezborody – to Nikita of Novgorod, Varlaam and Ioasaph, and Nikita of Pereyaslavl. Moreover, the assump tion that this hymnographer composed the Service to Savva Storozhevsky has been substantiated in science. Finally, a number of works consider the possibility of Markel’s involvement in the creation and editing of the Service to Macariy of Kalyazin. This article attempts to identify the master’s original works within these services based on a study of their manuscripts from the second half of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The differences in the composition and con tent of the manuscripts are explained by the specifics of their creation and purpose. Different re gions, monasteries, and even churches developed their own liturgical traditions for the perfor mance of these services and the hymns under study. This work primarily utilizes textual methods of art historical research.