THE CHIME TO THE 9<sup>TH</sup> SONG OF THE CANON: WHAT DOES IT REFER TO?
This article for the rst time raises a topical issue in the practice of church bell ringing, namely the reference of the chime to the 9<sup>th</sup> song of the canon. The object of the study is the chime which in most churches is performed as nine measured strikes on one of the bigger bells after the deacon proclaims “Let us glorify the Theotokos and the Mother of Light in a song” or after a festive verse. It continues during the singing of the song of the Theotokos “My soul glori es the Lord” or of the 9<sup>th</sup> song of the canon. The chime to the 9<sup>th</sup> song was chosen not randomly, because in contemporary guidelines on bell ringing, as well as in the bell ringing practice, the question of its reference remains unanswered, and the relation to the 9<sup>th</sup> song or to the song of the Theotokos does not seems persuasive. In the comparative analysis of various charters of bell ringing, starting from the mid-19<sup>th</sup> century up to the present, it has been found that there is no unity in explaining the reference of this chime. In order to clarify the historical signi cance of the chime to the 9<sup>th</sup> song, the author used the Regulations (“Chinovniki”) of Moscow Assumption Cathedral, published with a foreword and index by Professor A. P. Golubtsov. These re ect the practice of worship and bell ringing in the 17<sup>th</sup> - early 18<sup>th</sup> centuries. On the basis of the Regulations, we can con rm that the chime to the 9<sup>th</sup> song was performed to gather the clergy and prepare for the subsequent procession on the Glori cation. Later, this procession was lost in liturgical practice. Thus, it can be concluded that the chime to the 9<sup>th</sup> song has lost its practical signi cance, and the issue arises about the necessity to perform it now.