Why is singing necessary in church?
So why is singing necessary in the temple? Because a temple is a house of prayer, and prayer is the highest expression of the human spirit on earth. And therefore, as accurately noted in the book “Art and Orthodoxy” by Alexander Khudozhin, “prayer often strives to embody itself in harmonious musical sounds, which not only serve as beautiful clothing for it, but are also wings that lift it to heaven.” That is, singing makes prayer more sublime.
The article by Archpriest I. Voznesensky “On the high dignity and beneficial influence of church singing on people” says that singing reveals “the deepest spiritual states, the most noble, sublime and holy feelings better than words, facial features and gestures.” the delight of our spirit (that is, both the singers and the parishioners - author’s note) the fire of noble animation.”
John Chrysostom has a conversation on the 41st Psalm (which, by the way, we love to sing in a special, monastic tune), where the saint answers the question: what is church singing used for? And he gives the following explanation: “ God , seeing that many people are careless, are burdened by reading spiritual scriptures and reluctantly take on this work, and wanting to make this work desirable and destroy the feeling of fatigue, combined the melody with the prophecies. In fact, nothing elevates so much and does not inspire the soul, does not separate it from the earth, does not deliver it from the bonds of the body, does not dispose it to philosophize and despise everything worldly, like consonant singing and a harmoniously composed divine song.”
Another important reason for singing in the temple
There is another important reason for singing in the temple. The earthly Church is a reflection and image of the Heavenly Church. And in the Heavenly Church, angels continuously glorify the Lord with jubilant singing. (The thought involuntarily comes to mind that the Lord created our earth round so that the earthly Church would not interrupt its services 24 hours a day, because there are Orthodox churches in every time zone of the globe, in one place the service ends, and in another just starting and so on). In the Holy Scriptures, in the lives of saints and in the testimonies of pious people, we repeatedly encounter the appearance of angels singing praises to the triune God.
The Old Testament prophet Isaiah says that he saw the seraphim surrounding the throne of the Lord and exclaiming to each other: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory." The interpretation of this passage in the Bible says that, apparently, the seraphim were divided into two faces and choirs, which alternately (and therefore antiphonally) proclaimed praise to God.
The New Testament seer, Evangelist John the Theologian, in various places of his Apocalypse, mentions the singing of the blessed celestial beings surrounding the throne of the Lord: cherubim, angels, a host of holy men of all tribes and tongues, who in different expressions with the refrain “Alleluia” sang the praises of God and the Lamb.
Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer saw angels chanting the Holy Trinity with alternating songs - and he introduced this image of antiphonal singing into the Antiochian Church. In our large monasteries, to this day, monks sing antiphonally (this is very impressive, as an image of the continuous angelic glorification of God). And individual liturgical chants are called antiphons, although they are sung by one choir or choir.
Ordinary people also had the honor of hearing angelic singing. I will give only the most famous examples. In 439, during an earthquake in Constantinople, the youth, caught up in the air, heard angels singing “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal”; people repeated these words, adding “have mercy on us,” and the earthquake stopped. Since that time, the Trisagion has been established to be sung or read at every Orthodox service.
And who does not know that the Bethlehem shepherds saw and heard many angels praising God and singing in honor of the birth of Christ the Savior: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” These words are now also sung or read at the beginning of each Matins before the Six Psalms.
A collection of church hymns with their translation into Russian
1 voice
Song 1.
Your victorious right hand | He became famous in the fortress: | ta bo Immortal, | like the omnipotent, the nasty erase, || The Israeli path of depth is newly created.
Your, O Immortal, all-conquering right hand revealed divine power and glory: it, as omnipotent, crushed the enemies (Egyptians), and for the Israelites made a new path along the deep (sea) bottom.
Song 3.
The One Who Knows the human being's weakness | and mercifully in not imagining, | gird me with strength from on high, | cry out to You, Holy One: || animated in the temple of Thy ineffable glory, Lover of mankind.
You alone, who know the weakness of human nature and, in Your mercy, have taken it upon Yourself, clothe (strengthen) me with strength from above to exclaim to You: holy, animated temple of Your ineffable glory, Lover of mankind!
3 songs each - small litany.
Song 4.
Mount Thee, overshadowed by the grace of God | the perspicacious Habakkuk saw Ochima, | from You come forth to the Holy One of Israel, || for our salvation and renewal.
Habakkuk, having seen You (Mother of God) with a prophetic gaze under the guise of a mountain overshadowed by Divine grace, predicted that from You would come the Holy One of Israel for our salvation and renewal.
Song 5.
Enlightened by the radiance of Your coming, O Christ, | and illuminating the ends of the world with Your cross, | enlighten your hearts with the light of Your God-Mind, || Orthodox singing Tya.
Christ, who illuminated the light of Your coming and illuminated the limits of the world with Your cross! Illuminate the hearts of those who Orthodoxy sing You with the light of Your knowledge of God.
Song 6.
Everyday life is the last abyss, | there is no deliverance, | We are counted as sheep of the slaughter, | save Thy people, our God: || You are the strength of the weak and the correction.
A terrible abyss surrounded us; there is no deliverer, and we become like sheep doomed to the slaughter. Save Your people, our God; for You are the strength and restoration of the weak.
6 songs each - small litany.
Kontakion.
Thou art risen like God from the grave in glory, | and you have resurrected the world, | and human nature glorifies Thee like God, | and death disappeared: | Adam rejoices, Master, | Eve, now delivered from her bonds, rejoices calling: || You are the one who gives resurrection to everyone, O Christ.
You are the Lord, like God, resurrected from the grave in glory and resurrected the world with You; the human race has glorified You as God; death has disappeared; Adam triumphs; Eve, now freed from her shackles, rejoices, exclaiming: You are the One who gives resurrection to everyone, O Christ!
Song 7.
A clever cave for you, Mother of God | Let's look at the returns; | like the three youths of the Savior, Exalted One, | renew the world completely in Your womb, || God, praised by the fathers, is glorified.
We believers recognize You, Mother of God, as a spiritual oven; for just as the Exalted (Lord) saved the three youths (in the cave), (so) He renewed the whole world by His birth from You, praised and glorified God of (our) fathers!
Song 8.
The children of Israel are in the cave, | as in the crucible of the kindness of piety | shining purer than gold, saying: | bless all the works of the Lord, Lord || sing and exalt forever.
The children of Israel in the oven, as if in a crucible
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brighter than gold they took off the beauty of their piety, exclaiming: all the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord, sing praises and exalt Him to all ages.
Song 9.
The image of Your pure Nativity, | the burning bush of the display is not scorched; | and now we pray to extinguish the furious misfortunes of the furnace, || Yes, Theotokos, we continually magnify You.
The burning but not consumed bush represented the image of Your immaculate Nativity; and now we pray to You, Mother of God, to quench the furnace of temptations that has become bitter against us, so that we may continually glorify You.
Voice 2.
Song 1.
In the depths of the bed sometimes | pharaonic all-army pre-armed force; | the incarnate word consumed all-evil sin, || Glorified Lord, gloriously glorified.
The once supernatural (irresistible) Force struck
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in the (sea) depths all the army of Pharaoh;
the incarnate Word - the glorified Lord - destroyed (destroyed) all-destroying sin; for He was solemnly glorified. Song 3.
The desert has flourished like the Lord, | pagan barren church, | by Your coming, || my heart will be established in her.
With Your coming, Lord, the desert blossomed like a lily - this is a barren pagan church (community): in it (in the church) my heart was established (I live with my heart).
Song 4.
You came from the Virgin, | not an intercessor, nor an angel, | but Himself, Lord, became incarnate, | and you saved me, just a man. | So I call Ti: || glory to your power, O Lord.
You came not as a messenger, not as an Angel, but as yourself, having become incarnate from the Virgin, Lord, and saved all my human nature. Therefore I exclaim to Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Song 5.
You were an intercessor for God and man, O Christ God; | By You, Master, to Your Father, the Chief of Light | from the night of ignorance || bringing imams.
You, Christ God, have become a mediator between God and people; for through You, Lord, from the darkness of ignorance we have gained access to the source of light, Your Father.
Song 6.
Lying in the abyss of sin, | I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy mercy: || Raise me from aphids, O God.
Immersed in the abyss of sin, I call on the endless abyss of Your mercy: God, deliver me from destruction!
Kontakion.
Thou art risen from the grave, O omnipotent Savior, | and hell, having seen the miracle, was horrified, | and the death of the rise. | The creature, seeing it, rejoices at You | and Adam will rejoice, || and the world, my Savior, sings praises to You.
You, Almighty Savior, have risen from the grave; hell, seeing this miracle, was horrified, and the dead rose; the creature, seeing this, rejoices together with You, Adam rejoices, and the world unceasingly glorifies You, my Savior.
Song 7.
Godless command | lawless tormentor | high the flame has ascended; | Christ spread spiritual dew to the Godly youth, || He is blessed and glorified.
The ungodly command (order) of the lawless ruler (Nebuchadnezzar) kindled a high flame (in the furnace); Christ, blessed and glorified, spread the dew of the spirit over the pious youths.
Song 8.
Furnace sometimes fiery in Babylon | actions separated, | By God's command, Chaldea is scorching, | the faithful watering, singing: || bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
Once upon a time in Babylon, a fiery furnace, according to Divine command, performed various actions: it scorched (burned) the Chaldeans, and brought down dew (served as coolness) on the believers (youths), who sang: all the creations of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Song 9.
Beginningless Parent Son God and Lord, | incarnate from the Virgin appearing to us, | darkened enlightenment, | fellow squandered; || thus we magnify the all-sung Mother of God.
The Son of the beginningless Parent, God and Lord, incarnated from the Virgin, came to us to enlighten those in darkness and gather the scattered. That is why we magnify the all-sung (glorified) Mother of God.
Voice 3.
Song 1.
Waters of old, mania for the Divine, | in one congregation having joined together and divided the sea | Israeli people, | This is our God | glorified is. || Let's give it to the only one who has become famous.
Once
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By His divine gesture, He who gathered the waters into one container and divided the sea for the people of Israel—This is our glorified God.
Let us sing to Him alone, for He is glorified. Song
3. All brought from those who bear, | created by the word, | accomplished by the Spirit, | Almighty Almighty, || Strengthen me in Your love.
Almighty Almighty, who brought from non-existence into existence everything created by (Your) Word and quickened by the Spirit! Confirm me in love for You.
Song 4.
Thou hast laid down steadfast love for us, O Lord, | You gave Your only begotten Son to die for us. | We also call You with gratitude: || Glory to Your power, O Lord!
You, Lord, have shown great love for us, for for our sake you gave up your only begotten Son to death. Therefore, in gratitude we exclaim to Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Song 5.
To You, the morning Creator of all, | who has all the wisdom of the world, | hall the light of Thy commandment, || Instruct me in these things.
To You, the Creator of all, who bestows peace that surpasses all understanding, I dedicate the morning (I say morning prayer), for Your commandments are light, and guide me with them.
Song 6.
The final abyss of my daily sins, | and my spirit disappears; | but simple, Lord, Your high muscle, || Like Peter, save me, Steward.
The greatest abyss of sins has surrounded me, so that my spirit is exhausted; but You, Master, stretch out Your mighty hand and, good Pilot, like Peter, save me!
Kontakion.
Thou art risen today from the grave, Generous, | and you have raised us up from the gates of mortals. | Today Adam rejoices and Eve rejoices, | together, the prophets and patriarchs sing unceasingly || Divine power of Thy power.
Now You have risen from the grave, O Merciful One, and brought us out of the gates of death. Now Adam rejoices and Eve rejoices; together (with them) the prophets and patriarchs constantly glorify the Divine power of Your power.
Song 7.
Like the pious three youths of old you watered | in the flames of Haldeistem, | illuminate us with the bright fire of the Divine, | Blessed are you who cry, O God of our father.
Just as in ancient times You sent down dew to the three pious youths cast into the Chaldean oven, so illuminate the Divinities and us with luminous fire, exclaiming: Blessed are You, God of our fathers!
Song 8.
Unbearable fire united, | Piety of the upcoming young man, | with the flame of non-harm, I sing the Divine song: | bless all the works of the Lord Lord || and exalt to all ages.
Representatives of God-worship - young men, engulfed in the all-consuming flame and remaining unharmed (from it), sang the Divine song: all the creations of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt to all ages!
Song 9.
New miracle and Divine! | Maiden's door closed | the Lord is passing by | naked at the entrance, | and the flesh-bearer appeared at the exodus, God, | and the door remains shut. || We magnify this indescribably like the Mother of God.
An extraordinary and Divine miracle! The Lord (God) clearly passes through the enclosed door of the Virgin; He was disembodied at the time of entry, but appeared clothed with flesh at the time of exit, and the door remains closed. – We indescribably magnify her (the Virgin) as the Mother of God.
Voice 4.
Song 1.
Seas of the Black Deep | wet feet | ancient traveling Israel, | cross-shaped arm of Moses || He defeated the power of Amalek in the desert.
Ancient Israel, having passed through the depths (bottom) of the Red Sea with unwetted (dry) feet, with the help of the cross-shaped hands of Moses in the desert, put the army of the Amalekites to flight.
Song 3.
Your Church rejoices in You, Christ, calling: | You are my strength, Lord, || and refuge and affirmation.
Your Church rejoices (filled with joy) in You, Christ, and exclaims: You, Lord, are my strength, refuge and stronghold (support).
Song 4.
You were lifted up, having seen the Church on the cross, | The righteous sun, a hundred in its rank, | worthily calling out: || glory to your power, O Lord.
The Church, having seen You, the Sun of Truth, ascended to the cross, stopped in its place during its course
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Worthy (justly) exclaiming: Glory to Your power, O Lord!
Song 5.
You, my Lord, are light | you came into the world, | Holy light, turn | from gloomy ignorance, || praising Thee with faith.
You, my Lord, came into the world as a light for it, a holy light, turning away from the darkness of ignorance those who glorify You with faith.
Song 6.
I will devour You with a voice of praise, O Lord, | The Church cries out to Ti, | cleansed from demonic blood | for mercy from Your side || bleeding.
“With songs of praise I will offer sacrifices to You, O Lord,” the Church exclaims to You, having been cleansed of demonic blood
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by that Blood which, in Thy mercy, flowed from Thy side (Heb. 13:15).
Kontakion.
My Savior and Deliverer | from the grave like God has risen | from earthly bonds, | and crush the gates of hell, || and as the Lord is risen for three days.
My Savior and Deliverer from the grave, like God, raised earth-born from their shackles, crushed the gates of hell and, like the Lord, rose again on the third day.
Song 7.
In the cave of Abrahamstia, the youths of Persia, | love of piety rather than being scorched by flames, crying out: || blessed art thou in the temple of thy glory, O Lord.
In the Persian oven, the descendants of Abraham, kindled by love (jealousy) for piety more than by flame, exclaimed: Blessed are You in the temple of Your glory, O Lord!
Song 8.
Daniel spread his hand, | gaping lions in the ditch of the prison, | extinguished the fiery power, | girded with virtue, | pious zealous youths, crying out: || bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord.
Daniel in the ditch, with outstretched hands (in prayer), blocked the open mouths of the lions; and the zealots of piety - the youths, girded (clothed) with virtue, extinguished the strong flame of the furnace, exclaiming: all the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord!
Song 9.
Uncut stone | from the uninfested mountain to you, O Virgin, | cornerstone cut off, | Christ, the aggregator of the dispersed nature. || Thus, having fun, we magnify You, Mother of God.
From You, Virgo, the unmovable mountain, without the help of (human) hands I was cut off
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The cornerstone is Christ, Who united in Himself the divided natures (Divine and human).
Therefore, we magnify You with joy, Mother of God. Voice 5.
Song 1.
Horse and rider in the Chermnoye Sea, | crushing battles | high muscle, | Christ shook, –| You saved Israel, || singing a victory song.
Christ, crushing enemies with His mighty arm, plunged horses and riders into the Red Sea and saved the Israelites, who were singing a victory song.
Song 3.
Who set up the ground on nothing by Thy commandment | and hanging irresistibly gravitating, | on the immovable, Christ, the stone of Your commandments || Establish Thy Church, the only One who is Blessed and Lover of Mankind.
By your command, having established the heavy earth on nothing and hanging it irresistibly, O Christ, establish Thy Church on the unshakable rock of Thy commandments, the only good and Lover of mankind (Job 26:7).
Song 4.
Thy Divine, understanding exhaustion | Habakkuk, O Christ, shrewdly cried out to You: | for the salvation of Your people, || Thou hast come to save Thy anointed ones.
Habakkuk, having seen with a prophetic gaze Your Divine humiliation (suffering on the cross), Christ, exclaimed to You in awe: for the salvation of Your people You came to save those chosen by You (Hab. 3:13).
Song 5.
Dress yourself in light like a robe, | I call to You in the morning and to You: | Enlighten my darkened soul, Christ, || as if only one is good-natured.
Clothed in light as in clothing! From the early dawn I turn (in prayer) to You and exclaim to You: enlighten my darkened soul, Christ, as the only merciful one!
Song 6.
Raging Storm | choked, Lord Christ, | tame the sea of passions || and raise me up from aphids, for I am blessed.
Lord - Christ! Calm the raging (disturbed) deadly (detrimental to the soul) storm of the sea of passions and deliver me from corruption (from destruction), like a merciful one.
Kontakion.
To hell, my Savior, have you descended, | and he who crushes the gates is like omnipotent, | the dead, as if the Creator had resurrected them, | and you crushed the sting of death, | and Adam was quickly delivered from the oath, Lover of mankind. || We also call everyone: save us, Lord!
You, my Savior, descended into hell, as the Almighty - you destroyed its gates, and as the Creator - you raised the dead with You and destroyed the sting of death, and Adam was delivered (by You) from the curse, O Lover of Mankind. Therefore, we all exclaim to You: Lord save us!
Song 7.
Exalted Lord of the Fathers | extinguish the flame, irrigate the youths, | according to the singer: || God, blessed are you.
The glorified Lord of (our) fathers extinguished the flame (in the furnace) and watered the youths who unanimously chanted: God, blessed are You!
Song 8.
To you, the Almighty, in the caves of the youths, | worldwide face of gossip, poyahu: | all things, sing to the Lord || and exalt to all ages.
The youths, having formed a worldwide rejoicing in the oven (a choir from the whole world), sang to You, the Creator of everything: all creations, glorify the Lord and exalt Him to all ages!
Song 9.
Isaiah, rejoice! Virgo | in my womb | and give birth to a son, Immanuel, | God and man, | East is His name: | It’s great for him, || Let's please the virgin.
Isaiah, rejoice! The Virgin conceived in her womb and gave birth to a Son, Emmanuel! He is God and man; His name is East. By magnifying Him, we glorify the Virgin. '
Voice 6.
Song 1.
As Israel traveled on dry land | footsteps along the abyss, | persecutor of Pharaoh, | seeing being sunk, | to God | victory song || let's drink, screaming.
Israel, with their feet walking along the depths of the sea (along the seabed), as if on dry land, and seeing the Pharaoh who was chasing him drowning (in the sea), exclaimed: let us sing a victorious song to God!
Song 3.
Nothing is holy, | like You, Lord my God, | the exalted horn of Thy faithful, O Blessed One, | and established us on the stone || Your confession.
There is no one so holy as You, O Lord my God! You have elevated the dignity of those who believe in You, O Good One, and have strengthened in us the power to confess You before everyone.
Song 4.
Christ is my strength, | God and Lord, | honest Church, | Godfully sings invoking, | pure of meaning || celebrating in the Lord.
“Christ is my strength, my God and Lord,” p. reverently, the Holy Church sings loudly from a pure heart (from a clear consciousness), triumphant in the Lord.
Song 5.
God's | by Thy light, O Blessed One, | morning souls | lovingly illuminate, I pray, | Lead you, the Word of God, | true God, || crying out from the darkness of sin.
With Your Divine light, O Good One, enlighten the souls from the early dawn of those who turn to You, I fervently pray, to know You, God’s Word, the true God, calling us (to Himself) from the darkness of sins.
Song 6.
Sea of Life | erected in vain by the storm of misfortunes, | the cry of Ti flowed to Your quiet refuge: | raise my belly from aphids, || Much merciful.
Seeing the sea of life overwhelmed by waves of temptation, I resorted to Your quiet refuge and appealed to You: deliver my life (soul) from corruption (destruction), O Most Merciful.
Kontakion.
Life-giving hand | dead from gloomy pleasures, | The Giver of Life, having resurrected everyone, Christ God, | resurrection given to the human race: | there is a Savior for all, || resurrection and life and God of all.
The Life-Giver Christ God, with His life-giving hand, having raised all the dead from the dark abysses (hell), granted resurrection to human nature, for He is the Savior of all, resurrection, life and God of all.
Song 7.
Rosodatelnu ubo cave | made by Angel | venerable youth, | The Chaldeans are the scorching command of God | exhorting the tormentor to cry out: || Blessed be the God of our father.
The Angel made the oven dew-bearing for the pious youths, and the will of God, which burned the Chaldeans, forced the persecutor himself (Nebuchadnezzar) to exclaim: Blessed are You, the God of our fathers (Dan. 3:48–50, 95)!
Song 8.
From the flames of the saints you poured out dew, | and you burned the righteous sacrifice with water: | Do everything, Christ, just as you want. || We extol You forever.
You poured out dew from the flame for the pious (youths) and burned with water the sacrifice of the righteous (the prophet Elijah and Nehemiah. 2 Mac. 1:18). For You, Christ, do everything by Your sole will. We exalt You throughout all ages.
Song 9.
God | impossible to see by a person, | The Angels do not dare to look at Him: | By you, O All-Pure One, appearing as a man | The Word is incarnate. | It is majestic to him, | with heavenly warriors || Let's please you.
God, whom the ranks of Angels do not dare to look upon, is impossible for people to see; but through You, All-Pure One, the incarnate Word appeared to people. By glorifying Him, together with the heavenly armies, we please You.
Voice 7.
Song 1.
Maniam of Thy | transform yourself into an earthly image | formerly digestible | watery nature, Lord. | In the same way, Israel walked slowly || sings a song of victory to you.
By Thy wave, O Lord, the water, which by nature had previously flowed easily, (as it were) turned into solid earth. Therefore, Israel, who passed through it as on dry land, sings a song of victory to You.
Song 3.
In the beginning of heaven | Establish Thy all-powerful Word, O Lord the Savior, | and by the omnipotent and God's Spirit all their power | on the immovable stone || confirm Thy confession.
Lord Savior! In the beginning You, by Your omnipotent word and omnipotent and Divine Spirit, established the heavens and all their power, establish (strengthen) me on the unshakable rock of Your confession (give me the firmness of faith).
Song 4.
The Father has not forsaken the bosom | and descended to earth, O Christ God, | the mystery of hearing Thy glance || and glorified Thee, the only Lover of Mankind.
Christ God, who descended to earth, but did not leave the bosom of His Father! I heard the secret of Your economy
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(industry) and glorified You, the only Lover of Mankind.
Song 5.
The night is dark for the infidels, O Christ, | the faithful are enlightened in the sweetness of Your words; | for this reason to come to you in the morning || and I glorify Your Divinity.
The night is dark for those who do not believe in You, Christ, but for those who believe there is light in Your delightful teaching; Therefore, in the morning I turn to You and glorify Your Divinity.
Song 6.
Floating in word of mouth | worldly cares, | with the ship sinking sins | and swept away to the strangled beast, | Like Jonah, Christ, I cry to You: || Raise me from the deadly depths.
Me, floating in the waves of everyday worries, drowned by the sins that accompany me and cast down to the soul-destroying beast, lead me out of the deadly abyss, Christ, I cry to You like Jonah.
Kontakion.
No mortal power can hold people: | Christ came down, crushing and ruining her powers. | We are bound by hell, | the prophets rejoice in agreement; | presenting, saying, Savior | existing in faith, || come forth, O return, into the resurrection.
The power of death will henceforth be powerless to hold people in its power; for Christ descended and destroyed her power. connected; The prophets unanimously rejoice, exclaiming: the Savior has appeared to those who continued in faith - come out, believers, for the resurrection.
Song 7.
The youth's cave is fiery | since ancient times I have shown the dew, | praising the one God and saying: || God, exalted by the fathers, is glorified.
In ancient times, for the youths, the furnace blazing with fire turned out to be dew-bearing (completely cool); in it they sang praises to the one God and exclaimed: exalted God of the fathers and glorified!
Song 8.
Unscorched by fire | in Sinai the communion bush of God will appear | slow-tongued and booming Moiseov, | and the youths are the zeal of God, three insurmountable in the fires of the singers of the show: | sing all the works of the Lord to the Lord || and exalt to all ages.
The fireproof bush on Sinai showed God to the tongue-tied and slurred Moses; and zeal for God did. three youths with singers unburnt in fire: all the creations of the Lord, sing praises to the Lord and exalt them to all ages!
Song 9.
Who gave birth to incorruption through temptation | and the flesh that gave to the trickster of all, | Unskilled Mother, Virgin Mary; | friend of the insufferable, | village inconceivable || We magnify You, Your Creator.
Never experienced corruption at birth
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and having given flesh to the all-creating Word, unmarried Mother, Virgin Theotokos, (You have become) the receptacle of the Incontainable, the abode of Your infinite Creator!
We glorify you. Voice 8.
Song 1.
Load Pharaoh's chariot driver | sometimes work miracles | The rod of Moses, struck in a cross shape, | and dividing the sea, | – Israel saved the fugitive pedestrian, || the song of God is glorified.
The once miraculous rod of Moses, dividing the Red Sea with a cross-shaped blow, drowned Pharaoh, who was chasing (the Jews) in chariots, in it, but saved the pedestrian who had fled - Israel, who was singing a song to God.
Song 3.
Establish heaven in the beginning with your mind | and founded the earth on the waters, | establish me on the rock, O Christ, Thy commandments | like nothing is holy || more than You, the only Lover of Mankind.
You, Christ, who in the beginning wisely established the heavens and set the earth on the waters, establish me on the rock of Your commandments, for there is no saint except You, the only Lover of mankind.
Song 4.
You are my strength, Lord, | You are my strength, | You are my God, You are my joy, | do not forsake the bosom of the Father | and visiting our poverty. | To those with the prophet Habakkuk I call Ti: || Glory to Your power, Lover of mankind.
You are my fortress, You are my strength. You are my God, You are my joy, Lord, who did not leave the Fatherly bosom and looked upon our misery. Therefore, with the prophet Habakkuk, I exclaim to You: glory to Your Power, O Lover of Mankind!
Song 5.
You have rejected me | from Thy presence, Unstoppable Light, | and the alien darkness of the accursed one covered me? | but turn me to the light of Your commandments || Guide my path, I pray.
Why did You reject (remove) me from Your presence, Unstoppable Light, and alien (disastrous) darkness covered me, unfortunate? But turn me, I pray Thee, and direct my paths to the light of Thy commandments.
Song 6.
Cleanse me, Savior, | My iniquities are many, | and bring me up from the depths of evil, I pray: for I have cried out to You, and hear me, || God of my salvation.
Cleanse me, Savior; - my sins are numerous; - and bring me out of the depths of troubles, I pray to You; I have cried to You, and You hear me, O God of my salvation.
Kontakion.
You rose from the grave, you raised up the dead | and you raised Adam, | and Eve rejoices in Your resurrection, | and the ends of the world triumph || hedgehog from the dead by Thy rise, O Most Merciful.
Rising from the grave, You raised up the dead and resurrected Adam; Eve rejoices at Your resurrection, and the ends of the world rejoice at Your rising from the dead, O Most Merciful.
Song 7.
God's condescension | fire was ashamed in Babylon sometimes; | For this reason, the boys in the cave with a happy foot, | Like in a flower bed, I’m swaying in jubilation: || Blessed are you, O God of our father.
Once upon a time in Babylon the fire lost its power before the Divine descent; Therefore, the youths in the red-hot furnace, as if on a meadow covered with flowers, jumped with joyful feet and sang: Blessed are You, God of our fathers!
Song 8.
Sevenfold cave | Chaldean Tormentor | Furiously kindle the godly, | having seen this, they were saved by better power, | Crying to the Creator and Deliverer: | boys, bless, | priests, sing, || people, exalt to all ages.
The Chaldean tormentor, in a frenzy, lit the furnace seven times for the pious (youths); but, seeing them saved by a higher power, he exclaimed to the Creator and Savior: youths, bless, priests, sing, people exalt (Him) to all ages!
Song 9.
Terrified of this heaven, | and the ends of the earth were surprised, | for God appeared as a man carnally, | and Your womb was the most spacious of the heavens. | To Theotokos || Angels and people are called officials.
The sky was horrified, and the ends of the earth were surprised that God appeared to people in the flesh, and Your womb became more spacious than the heavens; Therefore, the ranks of Angels and men magnify You, Mother of God.
Church singing is not arbitrary
Many more examples can be given, but it is enough to note that in our Orthodox Church, singing is sanctified by the examples of the Lord himself and the Mother of God, established by the apostles, multiplied and ordered by the holy fathers.
In the 26th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, we read that, having celebrated the last Easter supper in his earthly life and giving it a special, new meaning - the first Christian service in connection with the establishment of the sacrament of the Eucharist - Christ ascended with his disciples to the Mount of Olives. In a conversation on this Gospel story, John Chrysostom says: “The Savior sang that we should sing in the same way.” In another conversation (on the 2nd Epistle to the Corinthians), the saint emphasizes that by singing hymns to God, people become associates of the heavenly powers, imitate and become like them.
The holy apostles consolidated the example set by the Savior. In the book of the Acts of the Apostles we read that after the ascension of the Lord, devoting the 3rd, 6th, 9th and midnight hours to prayer, they accompanied the prayer with psalmody. While spreading the teachings of Christ, they made sure that believers did not forget about singing in their prayer meetings (see, for example, the letter of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians). In the book of the Apostolic Constitutions we find rules that indicate that the apostles not only encouraged liturgical singing, but also legitimized its obligatory nature.
I will not overload our readers with information proving that liturgical singing did not appear in our Church by chance, was not the fruit of human passion or weakness, is not something arbitrary from a canonical point of view, but, on the contrary, was sanctified by the Savior himself, approved by the labors of the apostles and exists in the Church from its first days as an integral condition of public prayer. In addition, liturgical singing goes back to angelic singing itself, for for the first time a song of praise to God was sung by the Ethereal Heavenly forces.
Singing is an elevated state of mind
In general, the ability to sing is a distinctive property only of angels and people, and singing serves as both a means of expressing the high feelings of worship inherent in their nature. Singing is an elevated state of mind. I think this is why representatives of hard rock and rap style, whose screams and tongue twisters are often heard on the radio waves, cannot sing (in the literal sense of the word). That is why demons cannot sing and never sing, we will not find any evidence of this anywhere, the former angels have forever lost their high feelings. A priest talks about this when he comments on a young man’s tape recording of the singing of angels on Mount Athos today (this recording can be found on the Internet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18im76TsOZA).
Holy Mount Athos, skete of Agia Anna (Holy Righteous Anna, mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary, founded in the 14th century)
This is a real miracle. It is no coincidence that it became the property of many people, and that this happened precisely in Greece, the country that longest preserved the traditions of ancient Byzantine singing, but today in many Greek temples it is replaced by partes (polyphonic) singing. It has been established that the angels on the Athos recording sing the Cherubic Hymn of the ancient Byzantine chant. The priest is convinced that angels do nothing for nothing. Since there is a process of secularization, the secularization of church culture, the purpose of the appearance of angels and their unhidden singing was probably the desire to influence the consciousness of modern people.
In our Orthodox churches, unfortunately, they use predominantly partes (polyphonic) singing, which by its nature is not suitable for describing the phenomena of the spiritual world, but is suitable only for describing bodily, worldly phenomena, for expressing passions, for the play of feelings.
Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul
August 30, 2021 Part 1
What kind of singing should be in the temple - partes or one-voice, znamenny? These disputes are eternal, and they are all resolved depending on one’s own tastes, capabilities and education.
Of course, speaking strictly, we must recognize the “palm of primacy” for unison, znamenny singing with the festive addition of ison. Only this form of liturgical singing can be called church, patristic. It elevates the soul, helps a person to pray, and not to have fun at the service, and joins the worshiper to the centuries-old tradition of patristic prayer in sounds.
But are people who seek consolation and sometimes entertainment in the temple ready for this? According to my observations, these are the majority of people in churches now. Not from a good life, of course, so it’s not worth throwing “sanctified stones” at them. But it is also necessary to take into account their real state, and not the desired one.
On the other hand, I, like many of us, grew up on the partes, and although I can safely say that it is extremely difficult to pray to it, I must admit that this musical form is more familiar to us and many cannot imagine worship without polyphonic singing.
Again, there is a strong opinion that it is important how to perform the chant, and not what to perform. Although, I think, each regent can offhand name several works that, no matter how you perform them, you don’t feel like praying to them. It is possible to be moved, but it is difficult to pray.
A tearful minor, and even well presented by the choir, is not yet a prayer. Partes is the music of moods, which should not be confused with prayer, which is dispassionate by definition. Therefore, the passionate partes must be filtered and interspersed with ancient chants in at least several temples in the city. Only in this case will everyone in the temple have the opportunity to pray “in their own way.”
And discussions about the “integrity” of the Liturgy, which can be torn by the use of works of different styles, should not be reduced to aesthetics. A change in style draws attention to the next part of the service, although excessive “leapfrog” in styles is inappropriate. But this is again a matter of taste of the regent.
Again, I believe that a single-voice Easter matins is appropriate only in a remote monastery or in parishes where there is only one singer. The celebration should be full of voices, but on weekdays you can and should sing simpler. Although, if 50 people, or even the entire temple, sing with one voice, and people pray at the same time, and are not “bought” at the local theater, then all holidays can be spent this way. But I have never met such monasteries and parishes.
Again, along with the Znamenny chant, the desire to subtract everything “by ass” somehow imperceptibly comes to the choir and readings, without any understanding of the meaning of the text. And this is fertile ground for all sorts of superstitions and disorder in the parish. A spirit of choir pride appears, a false sense of completeness - everything, they say, has been read, everything has been fulfilled, we don’t need anything more. As if there were commandments “blessed ones who sang the canon on 14, for these are the Kingdom of Heaven” or “blessed ones who fulfilled the statutory requirements of the Typikon, for they will see God”...
Part 2
It seems to me that there is an obvious forgery in the discussions about the “holiness” of Znamenny chant and the “sinfulness” of the author’s chants. It turns out that the znamenny chant was sung directly by the holy fathers or even angels, and all original chants are by their nature sinful and anti-church. Both the first and second seem far-fetched to me.
Firstly, very few saints shone in the choir. We can count the regents glorified by the Church on the fingers of one hand.
Secondly, every song was once sung for the first time, which means it has an author. Moreover, not necessarily a saint. It is strange to imagine a situation in which an old man came up from the desert onto the choir, “sang something” and left, leaving the sinful singers to repeat in bewilderment what was not composed by them. As the Greeks say, there are no living saints. Therefore, it is obvious that the liturgical circle was sung by saints who had not yet been glorified and certainly not by angels. And the developed complex system of the Znamenny liturgical circle, at least chant, presupposes not only monasteries with a more or less inherent patristic tradition of piety, but also cathedrals and large parish churches. What tradition of piety can we talk about here? After all, it is known what passions the parish choirs feed.
From this it is clearly seen that the author’s creativity has the right to exist. Take, for example, the famous “It is Worthy to Eat” by Tsar Theodore. The whole question is in what tradition and culture the author draws the source of his inspiration. It’s easier to say how church-going the author is (even if he is a clergyman!). And this is decided by the singers who sing (or not sing) the author’s chants, and not by the author himself.
Why do I think it’s difficult to pray under the partes? This is V.I.’s idea that is close to me. Martynov - a unison melody “holds” the attention of the person praying, and the chord, by its nature, does not allow one to identify with itself the internal prayerful, by definition, single, movement of a person, without “splitting” it into the voices of the chord.
But even here it can be noted that when selecting melodies for the octoechus, the fathers chose the most dispassionate melodies from their Greek point of view. Have you heard the second and sixth Greek voices? From the point of view of a Russian person, they are not at all dispassionate. It's all Scheherazade and 1001 Nights. Personally, I like it; I often sing such melodies myself using Greek notes during services. But many Russian people, brought up on traditional European culture, hearing Greek singing, are tempted and begin to compose themselves and believe absurd fables about the borrowing of Turkish melodies by the Greeks for liturgical use! As if the nomadic Turks were capable of independently creating a comprehensive musical culture and even influencing the centuries-old singing liturgical tradition of Byzantium! The absurdity of this statement is obvious. Over the many centuries of the yoke, the Russian Church did not accept the tunes of the Tatar-Mongol occupiers, either for liturgical use or for secular songs!
It is also important WHO performs the Znamenny chant. As a type of liturgical singing that directly affects the human soul, it conveys the spiritual state of the singers with greater success than classical partes. But what is this spiritual state? After all, this is sometimes the CHARM of people who consider themselves bearers of the great mission of proclaiming to the people the only true way of liturgical singing!!!! Isn’t it more humble to think in terms of expediency rather than messianism?
And in this sense, partes is more spiritually expedient - nonbelievers or spiritually disordered people can sing it, and believers can listen to it, sincerely and piously replacing the dispassion of prayer with emotions. Again, in my opinion, this is not good. But this directly depends on the elementary spiritual illiteracy or indifference of people and their shepherds. And for me, the question here is not who is to blame, and at whom to throw what size stone, but how to fix everything.
And if we want to instill in people true spirituality, and not our homemade counterfeits of it, we need to ask the question: is it possible to “dispassionately” perform the Znamenny chant to people who have no idea of dispassion and who do not have serious ascetic skills? Will they not be turned away from monophonic singing by their mannerisms, toneless bleating, and a certain deliberate “spirituality” of performance?
It’s easier to say, if we are discussing which music is “more spiritual”, it is worth clarifying what we mean by spirituality, and whether singers are able to introduce us to this spirituality.
As can be seen from this formulation of the question, despite the obvious advantages of Znamenny chant, it does not become a panacea for the lack of spirituality of our generation and is not able to “force” people who do not have the correct idea about prayer to pray.
***
“People who are brought to church by a thirst for entertainment, by habit or by the desire to follow fashion, strive for an appropriate style of church singing, as superficial and meaningless as their inner life.”
Indeed, is everyone who comes to church always and always driven by yearning for the Kingdom of God? But the question is not so simple when we talk about “fashion”. Judging by the statements of some visitors to the site of Znamenny chant lovers, Znamenny chant may become such a fashion. For the sake of its return to churches, site visitors talk about the need for parishioners to control the priests, the need to “force” the priests to come to terms with the banner just because one or two singers in the church suddenly liked it, etc. Isn’t it obvious that these external forms are not contribute to the goal of the Church - the transformation of man, if for the sake of their implementation a person is ready to use violence in any form?
“In other words, external forms are poor in internal content or completely devoid of it”
I’m afraid to say, but it seems to me that in this case we are faced with a different, refined thirst for especially intellectual and spiritual entertainment, a desire to follow a recently emerging fashion that transforms inner life to no more extent than the notorious Bortnyansky. In the end, everything again comes down to banal partisanship, a sublime sense of being chosen, being involved in a special world of “zealots,” etc.
“Isn’t the choice of the “church fathers” and other responsible people exclusively in favor of partes a bet to attract as many people as possible to the church due to the external attractiveness of this type of singing?”
I don’t know... Maybe it is. But is Znamenny chant known to everyone, is it popular, and does the priest have this very choice? The vast majority of clergy and laity are simply not familiar with this type of singing. And even if they heard something on recordings or in the form of separate works, they did not like it. Will we blame them or try to understand why this happened?
The question of cultivating the tastes of parishioners is a pastoral one. Of course, this needs to be done carefully and not radically. But in any case, it is first necessary to cultivate basic trust in the community in each other and in the priest, and the question of the form of singing is resolved in this case simply. If everyone is satisfied with the partes, God help us, we pray as best we can. If the community has “grown up” to patristic singing, thank God. The main thing is that the question of forms does not become the cause of schisms and divisions in the church and on the choir, which, unfortunately, is not uncommon today.
“If partes has outlived its usefulness and is spiritually bankrupt, then why is the transition period from partes to Znamenny singing delayed?”
- Conservatism, the habit of singing partes. Over the past three centuries, “building on the third” has become part of the blood of the people. This is especially noticeable in our rural parishes, where voice guidance is automatically distributed into two, three, four voices, without any knowledge of musical notation.
Singing in polyphony has become a sign of civilization, involvement in spiritual centers, and, accordingly, involvement in shrines. “This is how they sing in the Lavra...” Old parishioners used to quietly ask me to sing “Repentance” by Vedel, “Soul” by Bortnyansky, something else “with a twist”, to which they were almost ready to sing along with tears, and were sincerely perplexed when I refused do it. This is the generation of “forty years of wandering” in the atheistic desert. Longing for “Partes meat pots.”
Hence Znamenny chant is perceived by many (almost all) of my acquaintances and parishioners as an unnecessary innovation, “Old Believers,” “Renovationism” (a paradox, but a fact!) or generally as a form of elite singing, far from popular aspirations.
When I try to explain to parishioners I know the deep relationship between patristic singing and Orthodox worship, something in people’s views changes, but not radically. In words they understand, but in practice they get confused and bored, as they admit. Most likely, it’s just indifference to the forms of singing and, of course, my incompetent performance of the Znamenny chant.
But something is changing, maybe even in our lifetime, at least the general attitude towards Znamenny chant will change.
- the transition to canonical forms of worship is possible only in conjunction with a return to Eucharistic theology , to a fairly easily understood Church Slavonic service (people need to return not only the melody, but also the text), genuine iconography, etc. That is, this is largely a pastoral task . But are pastors and pastoral candidates ready for this?
For example, I, as regent, am forced to teach the partes with my students, because not a single seminary will support a student who sang the “banner.” The student will be forced to learn a standard singing program limited to Znamenny dogmatists. If I sing the Znamenny chant constantly, my students will be less prepared to enter any seminary.
- This does not mean that there is no need to study patristic dogma, correct incomprehensible texts, sing the “banner” and paint icons, but this places a special responsibility on those who, in the name of church antiquity, reform and renew the sad reality. Responsibility in the vision of the main and secondary implies the maximum increase in the level of one’s church education. And then I remember the Gospel parable about the upper room, swept and carpeted for the worst of the first demons.
So, I don’t sing all the services in Znamenny chant because:
- I do not consider Znamenny chant a panacea for the disorder that reigns in our choir. As I already said, I see healing in a set of measures , the first of which is the transformation of the inner person in me In other words, first of all, I must take care of personal salvation, and if I unhypocritically follow this path, parishioners will share my views on singing, icons, dogma, etc.
- I don’t know hooks, believing that there is no difference in recording what still needs to be learned by ear. And the hooks and notes are a reminder. Hence my significant incompetence in this matter. I don’t have a tradition of performing Znamenny chant. At the Moscow Theological Seminary there was a ZR circle led by Archdeacon Roman (Tamberg) (May the Kingdom of Heaven be his!). They sang so hard that you didn’t want to listen to it all, let alone pray. Only a theoretical understanding of the correctness of ancient singing did not discourage love for it at all.
- In the service I limit myself to dogmatism, prokeimna and stichera “in unison,” especially during Great Lent. As a rule, I sing znamenny chants alone, because our modern students read the Church Slavonic text with an incredible number of completely unexpected errors. There is simply no unanimity in such singing, and “carrying” the entire choir with me is already difficult and pointless. Therefore, we either sing partes - it’s not so important who sang what, or I sing antiphonally myself with one of the singers.
More often I sing Ison, Byzantine chants. For some reason, it’s closer to the soul and the students are more interested in it; there were even fans of Ison and Byzantium. I agree, element of entertainment. I agree, it's not good. But these are our realities. Among my singers at the moment there are not even partes lovers. The guys are good, pious in their own way, but they are not used to singing. I’m working, bringing to mind their “glorious ancestors,” but so far with little results.
- I am, after all, a practitioner. I need the singers to at least learn to pronounce and understand the text, and gain the skills to love the temple and worship. And they grew up in a chanson-thieves environment, they look for entertainment in the service, they are bored by the process itself, etc. That is, they behave like all student youth at all times.
I don’t, and for ten years there was practically not a single student who, with sparkling eyes, asked to sing something with the banner (unlike my classmates at the Moscow Seminary). My love for the fifth tone was not supported by anyone. So, polite singing along. The form of singing is not interesting to them, they don’t even think about the theoretical merits (what they think about is a topic for a separate and sad conversation). They don’t like unison; they sing outrageously out of tune (as opposed to a chord) and don’t understand its meaning.
It’s sad, but judging by the statements of teachers from other places and personal observations, this is a common fact for most educational institutions of the Russian Church.
- And there is also a very vile and effective argument: “parishioners will not understand.” And obedience to the abbot has nothing to do with it. After all, after the host of self-glorified “elders” and “blessed ones,” neither the abbot nor the Patriarch himself is no longer an authority for many. And we have such people in our parish, but, thank God, they are few. If parishioners of other churches do not understand something, they usually go to the bishop with complaints. So it’s better for the parishioners to understand first...
***
Regarding my previous thoughts about liturgical singing, a question was asked: what do I consider the “impassionality” of prayer?
I understand the dispassion of prayer as the absence of substitution .
Firstly, substitution of the One to whom you turn in prayer. Often a person “invents” God for himself, based on his vague feelings, guesses or misunderstood texts from church books. When it is convenient for us, then God is Good. When not - Terrible Judge, etc.
Secondly, - substitution as a replacement during prayer (in church or at home) of a person’s healthy attraction to God by “begging” for any “needs”. At the same time, there is no sincere attitude towards God - there is only endless pity for “yourself, your beloved”, for your “failed” fate (this is the so-called “repentant prayer”), joy from a successful and favorable combination of circumstances (this is the so-called "doxifying" prayer). The so-called “petitionary prayer” is often dictated by selfishness, the desire to get God to fulfill one’s, sometimes very unrighteous, desires. At the same time, the Personality of God is indifferent to the “prayer”; it is only important that what is asked is fulfilled.
Need I say how far all this is from genuine glorification (possible even in “close circumstances”) and repentance, inspired by love and thirst for communication with God, possible without sad eyes and tears about oneself, invariably ostentatious, even if no one sees them ?! Do we need to clarify that ask for “the only thing we need”, and the rest will be given to us?!
Naturally, under these conditions, prayer as a dialogue with God cannot take place, because during such prayer a person essentially talks with himself, with his fantasies. There is not enough silence in his soul to hear the true voice of God, like “a thin breath of cold.”
Metropolitan Anthony (Bloom) said that when going to prayer, one must take off all masks and remain before God in the utmost nakedness of the soul. In other words, prayer is absolute sincerity and calmness - “In peace (that is, in a state of spiritual peace) let us pray to the Lord.” Peace is the complete feeling that everything is in God’s hands. With such calmness, both repentance and joy are possible, but they will be dispassionate if we are ready, like Abraham, to sacrifice everything, even our son, for the sake of God.
It 's cruel. Gesture about co. But this is the martyrdom of the modern Christian. These are the labors by which the Kingdom of God is “ learned .” And one thing is an exception to this rule: after all, we are all human, and it is pointless to always expect angelic dispassion from us. But it’s another matter when we call the exception the rule, we call the passionate urges of the soul noble impulses, and we take cheap feelings evoked by the sweet singing of the choir as prayer.
Let's be honest with ourselves and God! After all, this is the path of salvation.
