Ms.
Gr. 929, ff. 17v-18r) The earliest sources with heirmoi were the tropologion (
Georgian ,
Armenian ) which organised hymns of different genres with modal signatures according to the calendar, beginning with the Christmas and Theophany cycle. The book irmologion developed not earlier than during the 10th century (
GR-AOml Ms.
β.32 is probably the oldest fully notated irmologion). Within the Irmologion, the new chant book of the
Stoudites' reform, the irmoi are usually arranged according to the
eight tones of
Byzantine chant either according to the odes (order of the odes, OdO, divided into eight parts according to the echoi, but within each echos all odes are ordered beginning with all first odes of each canon, all second or third odes etc.) or according to the
canon (canon order, KaO, divided into eight parts according to the echoi, but the odes within each echos are organised according to the canon of each irmos). As example for the ode order (OdO), one might study the earlier irmologia of the Greek collection at the library of Saint Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mount Sinai: the manuscripts
929 and
1258 are organised, that the first, second, third, etc. odes are together. Since the second ode is only sung during Lent, there were much less second odes than first or third odes. As example for the canon order (KaO), one might study the very early fully notated manuscript of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos (
GR-AOml Ms.
β.32 written about 1000 with Chartres notation), the standard example for Coislin notation (
F-Pn Ms.
Coislin 220), or the later manuscripts of the Sinai collection (ET-MSsc Sin. gr.) such as Ms.
1256 and the first half of
1257. Here each ode has an ode number, such as ωδ α᾽ for the first ode, usually followed by a modal signature corresponding to the echos section. The next ode is mostly ωδ γ᾽ for the third ode, because according to the more common canon the second one is left out. Thus, one canon follows the preceding one until the order is fulfilled. These canons usually follow within each echos section according to the calendaric order. There is no real chronology between both orders, both existed already in the oldest heirmologia and they persisted until the current print editions. It also seems that the earlier manuscripts which still numbered the canons within the canon order, sorted them according to ascribed authors, Ms.
Coislin 220 has also more or less concrete descriptions of the festive occasion, and still provides a choice of several canons in different echoi and composed by different authors for the very same feast. The number of canons is higher than in the later heirmologia of the 14th century, and it should be mentioned that certain schools like the one of
Germanus I of Constantinople had been completely abandoned in the current print editions of the Orthodox church. Concerning the Slavonic reception, first by Cyril and Methodius' students around
Clement of Ohrid and
Constantine of Preslav, the translators did not very close translations of the Greek hymns, they rather tried to preserve the sophisticated system of the melodic models such as avtomela and irmoi without changing the melodies. Within Slavonic manuscripts, the separation between Irmolog and the Oktoich and other books of the sticherarion was less common, usually the Oktoich books were so voluminous, since they included the irmoi (similar to the composition of the older tropologia which persisted until the 12th century), that they were separated into two volumes—one for Glas I-IV (the authentic modes) and a second for Glas V-VIII (the plagal modes). But there are irmologs provided with znamennaya notation since the 12th century—the Irmolog preserved at the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts (RUS-Mda / ргада fond 381 Ms.
150), for instance. All Old Church Slavonic irmologs are organised in ode order. Today the Irmologion is often replaced by another chant book which is called "Anthology of the Orthros" ( or ) which replaced the earlier Akolouthiai used since the 14th century. Some of these Anthologies do also contain the odes of the canon, but also many other hymns of the
Psalterion (especially the more elaborated compositions the Polyeleos psalms) and of the book
Octoechos which are sung during the morning service (Orthros, Utrenna). Already Codex sinaiticus graecus
1257 dating back to 1332, has a second part dedicated to the recitation of psalm verses (psalmody) during Orthros and Hesperinos, including the Polyeleoi. These additional hymns sung during Orthros are: • Antiphons () which should not be confused with the Latin
Antiphon (even if they are often reduced today to a few short troparia which were once sung as a refrain), since it is a rather elaborated form, usually organised in three sections (they usually follow the Great Ectenia at the beginning of the Divine Liturgy and of the Orthros) •
Dogmatica, hymns in honour of the Mother of God (
Theotokos) which are also chanted during the
Little Entrance of
Vespers • Theotokia, troparia in honour of the Mother of God, but not as specific as the Dogmatica • Orthros psalm "Theos
kyrios" () (Ps. 117:27a) three times and Evlogetaria Anastasima in Echos Plagios Protos (, Ps. 118:12) •
Troparia of the
Resurrection in the
eight tones • The full text of the
Polyeleos (
Psalms 134 and 135; also Psalm 136, which is used during the
Pre-Lenten Season), which is chanted at Matins on Sundays and
feast days • Songs of praise for feasts and saints •
Anabathmoi, or "Hymns of Ascent", based upon Psalms 119–133 •
Prokeimena preceding the Gospel • Doxologiai () and
Germanus (
RUS-Mim Ms.
Sin. 166, f.57r) ==History==