The foundation of the Orthodox service is the singing of hymns. It is this singing - particularly of ancient chants - which vests in a form that is easily comprehensible to us the character of each service: the prayerful restraint of regular services, the triumphant celebration of feast days, the slow gentleness and penitent sorrow of lenten chants, the fast and joyous singing of the paschal cycle.

Church hymns are a precious attribute of the Orthodox service and embody its spiritual beauty, and are also conducive to the main purpose of church services - the teaching of faith and the nurturing of it. The melodic execution of the sticheras (canticles) composed specifically for festive days and in commemoration of sacred events from the history of Christianity constitutes the spiritual treasure of the Church. From church singing the faithful derive instruction in the major dogmas of the Christian Church.