Musicology Annotation << Back On the Issue of the Existence of the Labor Refrain «Hod-Vodom» in the Nizhny Novgorod Region Kharlov Andrey The article examines the labor refrain «hod-water», which is found in the artel songs of boatmen and loggers, common in the northern regions of the Nizhny Novgorod region. The appeal to the genre of labor songs of Nizhny Novgorod region is relevant due to the small number of musicological publications on this topic and the lack of information about the continuation of the existence of this refrain in diverse local samples. The author relies on research materials from the 60s by A.A. Banin, V.N. Morokhin, V.I. Kharkiv and others, considering them in interdependence with the actual data obtained within the framework of folklore and ethnographic expeditions of the 1990s – 2000s. The novelty of the article is manifested in the documentary confi rmation of the continuation of the active existence of the chorus in the north of Nizhny Novgorod region. The lack of information about its use by loggers from other regions allows us to conclude about the uniqueness of the songs, which include the chorus «hod-water» as the second couplet. The correlation of the rhythmic accents of chorus words in the recorded samples of the 1990s with the "burlatsky step" is highlighted, which confi rms their use in the past as an organizing factor rhythmically coordinating the efforts of «lamblers» and loggers. The article proposes the differentiation of Nizhny Novgorod songs containing the chorus "hod-water" into plot-related large single-use vessels (belyan) along local rivers and samples of different genres that are incompatible with the logging industry. The result of the evolutionary movement of the chorus can be considered the loss of a polyphonic texture and the formation of a melodic relief based on one of the previously existing voices. Keywords: labor chorus "hod-vodom", Nizhny Novgorod folklore, boatmen and loggers, traditional artel songs. DOI: 10.25791/musicology.2.2024.1360 Pp. 08-15.