tempo. For Old Believers, the church chant also has an educational function: one has to sing in such a way that the sound astonishes the ear and the truth, being enveloped in the chants, penetrates the heart. Znamenny performance practice excludes classical vocal training. Singers perform with their natural voice, sometimes in a style reminiscent of folk music. Znamenny Chant does not have any pauses or rests, and all chants are performed fluently. Ideally, singers will sing in such a way that their voices become united in one single voice. Originally, the Znamenny Chant was performed only by men but today, on account of the small number of people able to sing at church services and the evolution of the tradition, it is usually performed by both male and female voices. References Bibliography Further reading Reynolds, Steven. "Carpatho-Rusyn American", Vol. II (1979), No. 3. Carpatho-Rusyn Research Society. Вургафт С.Г., Ушаков И.А. Старообрядчество. Лица, события, предметы и символы. Опыт энциклопедического словаря, Москва 1996 / Vurgaft S.G., Ušakov I.A. Staroobrjadčestvo. Lica, sobytija, predmety i simvoly. Opyt ėnciklopedičeskogo slovarja, Moskva 1996. External links Explanation and History of Znamenny Chant Traditional Eastern Orthodox Chant Documentation Project – a lot of information and notes. (English) Observations on the Early Russian Collections of the Library of Congress – references to Znamenny Chant The History of Plain Chant Christian chants Russian liturgical music Ukrainian music Musical notation Musicology Old Believer movement