Psalmodiia

(psalmody), in early Russian oktoechos, a unique method of singing the psalms, characterized by serene, even declamation in the middle register of the voice. Among the characteristics of psalmodiia were the coordination of syntactic and musical accents and the close connection between musical phrasing and versification. Thus, it was similar to Gregorian chant and to Byzantine psalmody, which had its origins in Jewish psalmody.