Hymn Study

"The canonical hymns of the Church provide another means for us to hear the voice of Christ, transforming the deepest places of our hearts, accessible through music. - Archimandrite Sergius, Acquiring the Mind of Christ

2025-26 School Year Hymn Study - Festal Troparia:

Troparia are short verses that serve to commemorate or celebrate specific events, saints, or aspects of the faith, offering a concise poetic expression of their meaning. As such, they are a great way to introduce or remind our children of the importance of the feasts.

The specific troparia we recommend for this year are: 

Term 1A: Transfiguration (commemorated on August 6)

Term 1B: Nativity of the Theotokos (commemorated on September 8)

Term 2A: Nativity of the Lord (commemorated on December 25)

Term 2B: Theophany (commemorated on January 6)

Term 3A: Palm Sunday (variable dates)

Term 3B: Ascension (variable dates, 40 days after Pascha)

For more information on doing hymn study, visit Matushka Natalia Wooten's blog. She also has available a booklet with all the links for sheet music and videos (in the Russian style) as well as pages with notes for parents on theological themes to highlight for purchase in her Etsy shop (purchases there support the web hosting of this Nourishing Souls site.)

2024-25 School Year Hymn Study:

In common Orthodox usage, a kontakion is a short hymn in honor of a saint or of the departed. However, in a larger sense, kontakia are not just single verses that are sung after the troparia for any given day, but are actually longer poems of 18 to 24 metrically identical stanzas, often ending in the same single-line refrain, all of which are preceded by a short prelude.

The specific kontakia we recommend for this year are: 

Term 1A: Kontakion for the Elevation of the Cross (September 14)

Term 1B: Kontakion for the Entrance of the Theotokos (November 21)

Term 2A: Kontakion for the Nativity of the Lord (December 25)

Term 2B: Kontakion for the Annunciation (March 25)

Term 3A: Kontakion for Matins of Holy Saturday, which is usually served on Holy Friday evening (variable dates)

Term 3B: Kontakion for Pentecost

For more information on doing hymn study, visit Matushka Natalia Wooten's blog. She also has available a booklet with all the links for sheet music and videos (in the Russian style) as well as pages with notes for parents on theological themes to highlight for purchase in her Etsy shop.

2023-24 School Year Hymn Study:

The hymns to study will work with any Orthodox tradition, but the Memory Aids will only match with the Obikhod / Common Chant Russian tones.

Weeks 1-4: Tone 1 Resurrectional Troparion and the Troparion for Theophany as a Memory Aid (1st feast of the 1st month of the calendar year)

Weeks 5-8: Tone 2 Resurrectional Troparion and the Troparion for the Myrrhbearing Women (which begins “The angel came to the myrrhbearing women…”) (they walked on TWO legs TO the TOmb)

Weeks 9-12: Tone 3 Resurrectional Troparion and the Kontakion for the Nativity of Christ as the Memory Aid (the magi brought THREE gifts)

Weeks 13-16: Tone 4 Resurrectional Troparion and the Kontakion for St. John of the Ladder as the Memory Aid (4th commemorated Sunday during Lent)

Weeks 17-20: Tone 5 Resurrectional Troparion and the Troparion for the Beheading of John the Baptist as the Memory Aid

Weeks 21-24: Tone 6 Resurrectional Troparion and the Kontakion for Ascension  as the Memory Aid (it falls during the 6th week after Pascha)

Weeks 25-28: Tone 7 Resurrectional Troparion and the Troparion for the Transfiguration as the Memory Aid (the number seven tilted on its side looks like a mountain)

Weeks 29-32: Tone 8 Resurrectional Troparion and the Kontakion for Pentecost as the Memory Aid (based on the words of the Kontakion and the shape of the number 8 - an eight looks like two tongues and it also can be divided equally. )

Weeks 33-36: Review of all Previous Troparia / Kontakia

For more information on doing hymn study, visit Matushka Natalia Wooten's blog. She also has available a booklet with all the links for sheet music and videos (in the Russian style) as well as pages with hand motions and explanations for the memory aid hymns for purchase in her Etsy shop.