St. John Chrysostomos

Archives

Singers Home | Members Page | Recent Concerts

7 p.m.
Sunday, June 20, 2004
All Saints’ Memorial Church
674 Westminster Street
Providence, Rhode Island

Notes about the concert

Vladimir Morosan:

  Sergei Rachmaninoff’s
  Divine Liturgy of
  St. John Chrysostom

Sergei Rachmaninoff

The
Divine Liturgy
of
St. John Chrysostom

Opus 31

Andrew Clark
Resident Conductor

Andrew Clark conducting

The Providence Singers

Paul Scharf, tenor chants
Wayne Wilkins, bass chants

Texts in translation (performed in the original Church Slavonic)

1. From The Great Litany

Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
For unto Thee are due all glory, honor, and worship: to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

2. Bless the Lord, O My Soul

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 his benefits:
   Who forgives all your iniquities,
   Who redeems your life from destruction,
   Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies,
   Who satisfies you with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord executes mercy and justice for all who are oppressed.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.
Glory to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

3. Glory to the Father / Only Begotten Son

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

Only begotten Son, and Word of God:
who art immortal and didst will for our salvation to be incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,
who without change didst become man, and wast crucified, O Christ God, trampling down death by death,
who art one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
save us.

4. In Thy Kingdom

In Thy Kingdom remember us, O Lord, when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil
against you falsely for my sake.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

5. Come, Let Us Worship

Wisdom, let us be attentive!
Come, let us worship, and fall down before Christ!
Save us, O Son of God, who art risen from the dead, save us, who sing to Thee:
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

6. O Lord, Save / Holy God

For holy art Thou, O our God, and unto Thee we render glory:
To the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever.
O Lord, save the pious and hear us!
0 Lord, save the pious and hear us!
... and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Holy God! Holy Mighty! Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Wisdom! Let us be attentive! Let us listen to the Holy Gospel.
Peace be unto all!
And to your spirit.
The reading from the Holy Gospel.
Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!
Let us be attentive.
Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!

8. The Cherubic Hymn

Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the life-creating Trinity,
now lay aside all cares of this life, that we may receive the King of All, who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic host.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

9. Father, Son ...

Let us love one another that with one mind we may confess:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit! The Trinity, one in essence, and undivided!

10. The Creed

The doors! The doors! In wisdom, let us attend!
I believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten, begotten of the Father before all ages.
Light of Light; true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were made;
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man.
And He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead; whose Kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father;
Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets.
In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
Amen.

11. A Mercy of Peace

Let us stand aright! Let us stand with fear!
Let us attend, that we may offer the Holy Oblation in peace.
A mercy of peace! A sacrifice of praise!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ the love of God the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
And with your spirit.
Let us lift up our hearts.
We lift them up unto the Lord.
Let us give thanks unto the Lord.
It is fitting and right to bow down to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit:
Singing the triumphant hymn, shouting, proclaiming, and saying:
Holy! Holy! Holy! Lord of Sabaoth!
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory!
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest!

12. We Hymn Thee

We hymn Thee, we bless Thee, we give thanks to Thee, O Lord, and we pray unto Thee, O our God.

13. It Is Truly Fitting

Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.
It is truly fitting to bless you, 0 Theotokos, ever-blessed and most pure and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim:
Without defilement you gave birth to God the Word:
True Theotokos, we magnify you.

14. Our Father

And count us worthy, Master, that with confidence and without condemnation we may dare to call Thee, the God of Heaven, “Father78221; and say:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name.
Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.
For Thine are the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages.
Amen.

16. Praise the Lord from the Heavens

Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him in the highest! Alleluia!

17. Blessed Is He and We Have Seen

In the fear of God, and with faith, draw near!
Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord! The Lord is God, and has revealed Himself to us!
O God, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance!
We have seen the true Light!
We have received the heavenly Spirit!
We have found the true faith, worshipping the undivided Trinity, who has saved us.

18. Let Our Mouths Be Filled

Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord, that we may sing of Thy glory;
For Thou hast made us worthy to partake of Thy holy, divine, immortal, and life-creating Mysteries.
Keep us in Thy holiness, that all the day we may meditate upon Thy righteousness.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

19. Blessed Be the Name of the Lord

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, henceforth and forevermore.

Sergei Rachmaninoff
1873 - 1943

Rachmaninoff’s Liturgy stands out as a crowning achievement

Sergei Rachmaninoff’s most active years as a composer coincided with the great flowering of sacred music that swept across Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. As a student at the Moscow Conservatory, young Rachmaninoff heard the marvelous Moscow Synodal Choir – 50 boys and 30 men – sing church services and concerts of sacred music, and he attended lectures on ancient Russian chants given by Stepan Smolensky (1848–1909), the eminent historian and chant scholar.

Composing a musical setting for the Orthodox Divine Liturgy is a bit antithetical to the spirit of Orthodox worship. The word “liturgy” connotes a common labor of the whole community, not the unique creative expression of a single individual. Yet composers could not resist. Tchaikovsky’s own Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 41 (1878), stirred up controversy and debate – the director of the Imperial Chapel had attempted to block its publication and ban its use in church – that persisted through Rachmaninoff’s time.

When Rachmaninoff’s Liturgy was premiered in 1910, critics did not give it the enthusiastic reception they would accord the Vespers five years later. Nevertheless, among original new compositions in this genre, Rachmaninoff’s Liturgy stands out as a crowning achievement: No other setting of this service surpassed it in terms of musical content, formal breadth, and the sheer beauty of the choral writing.

Rachmaninoff never indicated whether he intended his Liturgy to be performed in the context of a church service or in a concert setting. When it was premiered on the concert stage by the Moscow Synodal Choir, only selected major hymns were performed. Even today, including all the liturgical elements is not always practical or appropriate in performance.

If there is any personal “theme” which emerges from Rachmaninoff’s setting of the Eucharistic Liturgy, it is the relationship between God and man – God’s merciful condescension from glory and man’s grateful response. The composer’s most introspective music is reserved for those moments when the worshipper is called upon to meditate upon and enter into this intimate personal relationship.

Another central theme is God’s majesty and man’s attempt, however humble and unworthy, to offer praise by artistic means. This is expressed in the musical grandeur of movement No. 3, in the closing doxologies of movements No. 2 and 4, and in the rhythmic intensity and ostinato-like motives of No. 6 and No. 16, which echo the unceasing angelic praise described by the Prophet Isaaiah.

However personal and individualized Rachmaninoff’s musical setting might appear to be, it masterfully captures and communicates the vision of “things to come,” transporting the listener into a mystical, spiritual realm, “where the song of those who feast is unceasing, and the joy of those who behold the face of God is unending!” (from an Orthodox post-Communion prayer).

Vladimir Morosan is the editor of Sergei Rachmaninoff – The Complete Sacred Choral Works
(Musica Russica, 1995), and general editor of the Monuments of Russian Sacred Music series.