Editing Musical notation (section)

===Russia===
{{further|Znamenny chant}}
[[File:Example of hooks and banners notation.PNG|thumb|right|An example of Znamenny notation with so-called "red marks", Russia, 1884. "Thy [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Cross]] we honour, oh Lord, and Thy holy Resurrection we praise."]]
[[File:Kryuki.jpg|thumb|Hand-drawn [[lubok]] featuring 'hook and banner notation']]
Znamenny Chant is a singing tradition used in the [[Russian Orthodox Church]] which uses a "hook and banner" notation. Znamenny Chant is [[unison]], [[melisma]]tic [[liturgy|liturgical]] singing that has its own specific notation, called the ''stolp'' notation. The symbols used in the stolp notation are called ''{{Transliteration|ru|kryuki|links=no}}'' ({{langx|ru|крюки|links=no}}, 'hooks') or ''{{Transliteration|ru|znamyona}}'' ({{langx|ru|знамёна|links=no}}, 'banners'). Often the names of the signs are used to refer to the stolp notation. Znamenny melodies are part of a system, consisting of Eight Modes (intonation structures; called glasy); the melodies are characterized by fluency and well-balancedness.{{sfn|Kholopov|2003|loc=192}} There exist several types of Znamenny Chant: the so-called ''Stolpovoy'', ''Malyj'' (Little) and ''Bolshoy'' (Great) Znamenny Chant. Ruthenian Chant ([[Prostopinije]]) is sometimes considered a sub-division of the Znamenny Chant tradition, with the [[Grand Duchy of Moscow|Muscovite]] Chant (Znamenny Chant proper) being the second branch of the same musical continuum.

Znamenny Chants are not written with notes (the so-called linear notation), but with special signs, called ''Znamëna'' (Russian for "marks", "banners") or ''Kryuki'' ("hooks"), as some shapes of these signs resemble hooks. Each sign may include the following components: a large black hook or a black stroke, several smaller black 'points' and 'commas' and lines near the hook or crossing the hook. Some signs may mean only one note, some 2 to 4 notes, and some a whole melody of more than 10 notes with a complicated rhythmic structure. The stolp notation was developed in [[Kievan Rus']] as an [[East Slavs|East Slavic]] refinement of the [[Byzantine music|Byzantine]] [[neumatic]] musical notation.

The most notable feature of this notation system is that it records transitions of the melody, rather than [[Musical note|note]]s. The signs also represent a mood and a gradation of how this part of melody is to be sung (tempo, strength, devotion, meekness, etc.) Every sign has its own name and also features as a spiritual symbol. For example, there is a specific sign, called "little dove" (Russian: голубчик ''(golubchik)''), which represents two rising sounds, but which is also a symbol of the [[Holy Ghost]]. Gradually the system became more and more complicated. This system was also ambiguous, so that almost no one, except the most trained and educated singers, could sing an unknown melody at sight. The signs only helped to reproduce the melody, not coding it in an unambiguous way.
(See [[#Byzantine Empire|Byzantine Empire]])