ЖІНКА В ЦЕРКОВНОМУ ХОРІ: ІСТОРІЯ ТА ТРАДИЦІЯ

The publication reflects the importance of church singing for the Orthodox Church. Special attention is paid to the role of women in church choirs. The available sources and literature are considered, with the help of which the duration of the historical tradition of women’s participation in church rites and, in particular, singing in the choir, as well as the prohibitions and prejudices associated with this, is reproduced. An important article published in the ‘The choir and choirmasters’ affairs’ magazine for 1915, from which we learn that in the ‘Epistles of the Lord’ to the Holy Apostles, women were not forbidden to pray in churches. Obviously, the first restrictions began to be introduced from the year 400 and were explained by the fact that women were the embodiment of temptation and sinfulness. Over time, church restrictions were relaxed and women gradually began to participate in the sacred rites – reading ‘The Holy Scriptures’ and singing at worship services. There were only a few remarks on the women’s appearance or behavior who joined the divine service. Mixed choirs with the participation of women began to appear in the 19th century, at first in small parish churches in cities and villages, where there were not enough male singers, but over time in large city churches and cathedrals. The exception was the Metropolitan choir – it was formed only from men and boys. In the 20th century, a period of church persecution and a decrease in the number of the male population as a result of the two World Wars, there are certain weakening of the strictness of the Orthodox Church regarding the participation of women in sacred rites, including the reading of ‘The Holy Scriptures’ and singing at divine services. After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resumption of the activities of churches, women taught prayers, read in churches, sang in church choirs, and even led them. Today, no one is surprised by the female church choir or the female choirmaster. Especially in parish churches. The most common tradition has become: the husband is a priest, and his wife is the leader of the choir or its members.