Sunday, August 2, A.D. 2009

Fecioara Curata

Knowing my love for “O Pure Virgin,” my friend Andrew sent me several links to the hymn in various languages. It is lovely to hear the inspired song by Saint Nectarius in so many tongues.

My favorite version that he sent is the Romanian—“Fecioară Curată”; the choir is magnificent.

These Romanian men do justice to the hymn. I imagine that eternity sounds a little bit like their music. I often think such about works that elevate the soul.

As a related tangent, I wish to encourage you to read Tolkien’s Ainulindalë from The Silmarillion. For it is about eternity expressed in music. In Tolkien’s myth, the world’s creation happens through musical composition. As the cosmos is the expression of that which is beyond being, it seems as though Tolkien understood how fitting an image harmony is as a reflection—or echo—of the eternal and divine.

What a beautiful man; his mind’s eye beheld the world well. May his memory be eternal!

Getting back to our hymn, Andrew was particularly impressed by the Korean version. I do not know much about East Asian music, but I can tell that traditional Oriental music, as in language, differs considerably from that west of the rising sun. Even so, setting the hymn to Korean seems to work well. The video features pictures of a Korean liturgy, which is itself rather interesting.

Below are the other versions that Andrew sent:

English:

It is funny how unfamiliar translations often bother me. The choir sings “bride unwedded,” while I am used to “unwedded bride.” It just sounds wrong.

Greek:

Arabic:

Slavonic:

Serbian:

Hungarian:

Which do you find the most beautiful?

Posted by Joseph on Sunday, August 2, Anno Domini 2009
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Sunday, June 28, A.D. 2009

Bless the Lord, O My Soul

I love the first and second antiphons of the divine liturgy. Below you may hear the first antiphon beautifully sung in Slavonic.

The first antiphon is Psalm 102 (103 in the Masoretic numbering).

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all that He hath done for thee, Who is gracious unto all thine iniquities, Who healeth all thine infirmities, Who redeemeth thy life from corruption, Who crowneth thee with mercy and compassion, Who fulfilleth thy desire with good things; thy youth shall be renewed as the eagle’s. The Lord performeth deeds of mercy, and executeth judgement for all them that are wronged. He hath made His ways known unto Moses, unto the sons of Israel the things that He hath willed. Compassionate and merciful is the Lord, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy; not unto the end will He be angered, neither unto eternity will He be wroth. Not according to our iniquities hath He dealt with us, neither according to our sins hath He rewarded us. For according to the height of heaven from the earth, the Lord hath made His mercy to prevail over them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our iniquities from us. Like as a father hath compassion upon his sons, so hath the Lord had compassion upon them that fear Him; for He knoweth whereof we are made, He hath remembered that we are dust. As for man, his days are as the grass; as a flower of the field, so shall he blossom forth. For when the wind is passed over it, then it shall be gone, and no longer will it know the place thereof. But the mercy of the Lord is from eternity, even unto eternity, upon them that fear Him. And His righteousness is upon sons of sons, upon them that keep His testament and remember His commandments to do them. The Lord in heaven hath prepared His throne, and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, all ye His angels, mighty in strength, that perform His word, to hear the voice of His words. Bless the Lord, all ye His hosts, His ministers that do His will. Bless the Lord, all ye His works, in every place of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Posted by Joseph on Sunday, June 28, Anno Domini 2009
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Thursday, April 23, A.D. 2009

Let God Arise

Along with “The Angel Cried,” I love the hymn “Let God Arise” of the Paschal Verses.

The Paschal Stichera:

Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered!

A sacred Pascha today hath been shown unto us:
a Pascha new and holy,
a Pascha mystical,
a Pascha all venerable,
a Pascha that is Christ the Redeemer;
a Pascha immaculate, a great Pascha;
a Pascha of the faithful;
a Pascha that hath opened the gates of Paradise unto us;
a Pascha that doth sanctify all the faithful.

As smoke vanisheth so let them vanish!

Come from the vision, O ye women, bearers of good tidings, and say ye unto Sion: receive from us the good tidings of the Resurrection of Christ; adorn thyself, exult, and rejoice, O Jerusalem, for thou hast seen Christ the King come forth from the tomb like a bridegroom in procession.

So let sinners perish at the presence of God and let the righteous be glad!

The myrrh-bearing women in the deep dawn stood before the tomb of the Giver of life; they found an angel sitting upon the stone, and he, speaking to them, said thus: Why seek ye the living among the dead? Why mourn ye the incorruptible amid corruption? Go, proclaim unto His disciples.

This is the day which the Lord hath made; let us rejoice and be glad therein!

Pascha the beautiful, Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha, the Pascha all-venerable hath dawned upon us. Pascha, with joy let us embrace one another. O Pascha! Ransom from sorrow, for from the tomb today, as from a bridal chamber hath Christ shone forth, and hath filled the women with joy, saying: proclaim unto the apostles.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

It is the day of Resurrection, let us be radiant for the feast, and let us embrace one another. Let us say: Brethren, even to them that hate us, let us forgive all things on the Resurrection, and thus let us cry out:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, And on those in the tombs bestowing life.

Here is an example of “Let God Arise” sung in English by Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Kansas City.

Here are the Paschal Stichera beautifully sung by the Sretensky Monastery Choir of Moscow.

I love this song! There are so many good parts, but I think that I appreciate the angel’s response best: “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why do you mourn the incorrupt among corruption? Go proclaim the glad tidings to the apostles.”

Posted by Joseph on Thursday, April 23, Anno Domini 2009
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Monday, April 20, A.D. 2009

The Angel Cried

One of my favorite paschal hymns, as well as one of my favorite hymns to the Theotokos, is the “The Angel Cried” near the end of the Paschal Canon.

The Angel cried to the Lady full of grace,
Rejoice! Rejoice! O pure Virgin!
Again, I say rejoice!
Thy son is risen from His three days in the tomb!
With Himself He has raised all the dead.
Rejoice, rejoice, O ye people!
Shine! Shine! Shine, O new Jerusalem!
The glory of the Lord has shown on thee.
Exult now, exult and be glad, O Sion.
Be radiant, O pure Theotokos,
In the Resurrection, the Resurrection of thy Son.

Here it is sung in Slavonic by the monks of Valaam:

For an example of the hymn in English, you can listen to “The Angel Cried” sung by Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Kansas City.

Posted by Joseph on Monday, April 20, Anno Domini 2009
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Sunday, February 15, A.D. 2009

The Prayer of Saint Simeon

On this Feast of the Meeting of Our Lord (the second of February on the Julian calendar), let us remember Simeon the Elder and Anna the Prophetess. Like the Theotokos and John the Baptist, they are human ties that bind the old and new covenants together. Some Orthodox theologians like to call them the last saints of the Old Covenant.

The Prayer or Canticle of Saint Simeon the Elder is one of many memorable supplications in Holy Writ. Simeon the Elder and Anna the Prophetess awaited the Messiah, and they lived to see the infant Jesus dedicated in the Temple:

And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said,

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace,
according to thy word:
For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;
A light to lighten the Gentiles,
and the glory of thy people Israel.

The Gospel of Luke, 2:25-32

The prayer is a much beloved part of the Orthodox vespers service, and it has also played an important part in Western worship known as “Nunc dimittis”—Latin for “Now let depart.”

When Sergei Rachmaninov composed his setting for vespers, he transformed the words of the righteous Simeon into one of the world’s most beautiful songs. Rachmaninov’s settings for the divine liturgy and vespers are both lovely, but his “Nyne otpushchayeshi” from vespers alone should place him among the greatest composers.

I generally do not care for modern musical compositions in the services, but I was fortunate enough to attend a vespers service in Saint Petersburg that used Rachmaninov’s settings. It was amazing. Sergei Rachmaninov, memory eternal!

Posted by Joseph on Sunday, February 15, Anno Domini 2009
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Thursday, November 20, A.D. 2008

Anonymous 4

In high school, when I first began to explore pre-modern music outside of church services, I became a fan of the women’s chant and polyphony group, Anonymous 4. If you are not familiar with medieval or Renaissance Western music, you will still find them somewhat familiar due, I think, to Christmas and hymnal traditions that have preserved a bit of that sound in our contemporary culture. Anonymous 4’s work is astoundingly beautiful. English speakers frequently abuse the adjective “angelic” but it suits the music of Anonymous 4 very well.

I highly recommend their albums. I love them all, but if I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Miracles of Sant’iago: Music from the Codex Calistinus. On Harmonia Mundi’s web site, you can listen to samples of their recordings.

Here is “Congaudeant Catholici” from their Miracles of Compostela:

If you like Anonymous 4, you may wish to explore other medieval and Renaissance works, as well. You ought then to consider the works of William du Fay, Josquin des Prez, and Giovanni da Palestrina, which are relatively easy to find and quite remarkable. Below is “Ave Maris Stella” by William du Fay.

The West has its splendor. I wonder if it can retain it.

Posted by Joseph on Thursday, November 20, Anno Domini 2008
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Sunday, October 26, A.D. 2008

O Pure Virgin

One of my favorite liturgical pieces is Αγνή Παρθένε, “O Pure Virgin,” by Saint Nectarius of Aegina:

Sublime.

Posted by Joseph on Sunday, October 26, Anno Domini 2008
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