Historical Aspects of the Development of Russian Sacred Music in the Light of Aesthetic Thought

This article examines Russian sacred music in a historical context from ancient Russian singing art to the work of modern Russian composers. Russian sacred music is presented from the perspective of a wide range of phenomena: from canonical liturgical practice to concert works on religious texts, spiritual themes of broad content, and biblical stories. The author shows the paths of formation of Russian sacred music and its development in the light of the aesthetic thought of Russian religious philosophers. The article highlights and analyzes some of the signs, features, and differences of church singing art of a particular era. The continuity of musical aesthetics is shown in such categories as beauty and sublimity. The author also cites the reasoning of religious philosophers about the benefits of liturgical music for the human soul.