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Orthodox music of Eastern Christians
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In the Orthodox temples and monasteries
of Eastern Christians, liturgies and other religious
gatherings hold special spiritual songs with
extraordinary beauty and grandeur
. On the one hand , they are solo songs of
priests, to whom congregational singing
corresponds to the congregation of believers or monks. Musical
instruments (except bells) are not used in Orthodox temples - the
Orthodox Church is of the opinion that the best
"instrument" for glorifying God is the human
voice .
After all: "In the beginning was the wordand
the word was with God and the Word was God, "he says in the
introduction to the Gospel of John; tones emitted by musical
instruments affects human emotions that are not controlled by
reason and are doing so from a spiritual reflection of God's
word.
The
impressive traits of Orthodox liturgical chants are extremely deep
bass . They evoke the depth and mystery of God's nature.
Orthodox spiritual songs traditionally sung mostly in církevně-
Old Slavonic language *), hereinafter referred
to as Greek, sometimes in Arabic. currently in Orthodox worship
are increasingly used translated texts in the local vernacular
- Orthodox churches in individual countries are autocephalous
(independent).
*) Old Slavonic was about the 9th century.
common language of all Slavs. When the individual national
languages developed, Old Slavonic remained a liturgical
language (similar to Latin in the Western Church until the
Second Vatican Council).
Orthodoxy - Historical Development
To shed light on the specific nature of Orthodox
music and spirituality , it may be interesting to
briefly recapitulate the origins and historical
development of Orthodoxy . Christianity
, whose central legend described in the New Testament
is the work and teachings of Jesus Christ , his crucifixion
and resurrection , originated in the Far East -
Palestine. Earlier legends about the religious history of the
nation of Israel, forming the content of the Old
Testament , also come from the same area . Under the
influence of the apostles Peter and Paul, the Christian religion
spread from the Far East to Greece and to Rome
. In the Roman Empire, Christianity was initially persecuted - it
was the consolation of the oppressed and humiliated. During the
first three centuries, however, Christianity spread unstoppably.
It was attractive both in its message of overcoming death by
resurrection, in its humanistic and progressive
ideas, and in its moral code. The idea of equality for
all people was truly revolutionary at the time!
Christianity has ceased to be persecuted since 311, when Emperor
Constantine issued an edict of tolerance. The head of the
Christian church became the bishop of Rome (original word episcopate
= overseer ), later called the pope ( papa
= father), The Holy Father - considered to be
"infallible" successor of St. Peter ....
Emperator Konstantin , who accepted the
Christian faith, was built in the eastern Greek part of the Roman
Empire - the Byzantine Empire - the new capital
of Constantinople (Constantinople, today's
Turkish Istanbul), which at that time became the largest and most
cultural city in the world (apart from the then unknown cities in
Europe in China).
Over the next decades and centuries, the divisions
between the two centers - Rome and Constantinople - deepened. As
a result, the Roman Empire and the Christian Church gradually
split both linguistically and geographically - into
Latin-speaking Rome in the west and Greek-speaking Constantinople
in the east. The real causes of the controversy were undoubtedly
powerful, but the pretext was some belief disputes about the
nature of the Holy Trinity ("filioque" - the Holy
Spirit comes not only from God the Father but also from the Son),
or the worship of holy images (iconoclasm - iconoclasm, versus
iconography - painting and worship of holy images).
A serious rift occurred in 1054, when the Pope of Rome
and the Patriarch of Constantinople excommunicated each other.
This rift was definitively sealed by the barbaric invasion of
Constantinople by crusader troops in 1204, during which papal
"Christians" often treated the Orthodox brethren worse
than Muslim enemies. Since then, the Roman Catholic Church in the
west and the Orthodox Church in the East have separated and
developed independently. Name Orthodox or Orthodox
( Orthodoxia : Gr. Ortho = correct, true, doxa =
learning, opinion, belief ) comes from the fact that the
Eastern Church tried to keep traditional beliefs
based on the Gospels and did not accept some additions and
changes promoted by the Church of Rome, including the institution
of the Pope *). The violent penetration of Islam, which
culminated in the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, led to the
collapse of the Byzantine Empire; the focus of Orthodox
Christianity has shifted to the Slavic countries of
Eastern Europe and also to some countries of Southern
Europe - Greece (Athos is significant), Bulgaria, Yugoslavia
.....
*) Like the Roman Catholic Church, the
Orthodox Church has a hierarchical structure .
Unlike the authoritarian and "infallible" pope, the
Orthodox patriarch is considered only the " first
among equals ."
Orthodoxy
in our country
In our country Enlightened brothers were brought to our lands by
the enlightened brothers Prophet Cyril ( Constantine
) and Methodius from
Thessaloniki-Byzantine-Greece during their famous mission in 863
to the Great Moravian Empire. These Eastern heralds did not come
with a "fire and sword," spreading violence, misery,
and suffering (as missionaries from the West often did), but with
an education and culture humbly passed on to
their disciples and the people of the Slavic lands.
Even before that, priests from the west
, especially from Bavaria, sporadically penetrated us . However,
they were often not so much concerned with spreading the true
Christian faith as with subjugation of power our
countries under the influence of the German emperors
(evangelization with "fire and sword"). Prince
Rastislav was acutely aware of this danger and asked the
Byzantine Empire (with a message sent to the Byzantine Emperor
Michael III) to send Christian preachers and
bishops to evangelize the people of the Great Moravian Empire in
their Slavic language and in the spirit of true
Christian faith, without lateral power-political intentions. The
Byzantine emperor complied and entrusted this task to the
educated and enlightened brothers Cyril and Methodius, who, in
addition to their other excellent abilities, knew the Slavic
language well. Cyril, who was a very erudite philologist, created
(based on the Greek alphabet) a new alphabet for the needs of
Slavic languages ( Glagolitic , Cyrillic),
which very well reflected the pronunciation used in the Slavic
languages.
The mission of Cyril and Methodius was very
successful . However, after the death of Methodius in
885 (Cyril no longer lived at that time) , when his successor became an educated and enlightened Gorazd
, the power forces from Germany and Rome decided to use the
situation to destroy the results of the Cyril
and Methodius Mission and establish their dominion
. They used the infamous treacherous bishop of Wiching in Nitra,
whose ambition was to obtain the archbishop's throne. He used
intrigues to overthrow Gorazd and, with the help of German
soldiers , imprison all the disciples and
followers of Cyril and Methodius , cruelly torture them, and
finally expel them from the country.. Some of
them then worked in the countries of south-eastern Europe (eg St.
Clement in Bulgaria), where they were highly valued due to their
education and decisively contributed to the
evangelization of these countries in the Orthodox
spirit. Thanks to these violence , our countries
eventually came under the influence of the Western
Catholic Church .
The Slavic (Old Slavic) language was then used only
sporadically in the liturgy. It was, for example, in the Sázava
Monastery founded by the enlightened abbot St. Procopius in the
1930s. and then during the time of Charles IV in the Emmaus
Monastery in Slovany. However, it never lasted long - in the end
the arrogance and intolerance of the Catholic Church prevailed
and the Slavic monks were expelled. However, the admirable work
of Cyril and Methodius was not forgotten, lived
in Slavic hearts (in our country it was again vividly remembered
during the National Revival). This led in 1880 to their
recognition and canonization by the Catholic
Church; in 1981 they were (together with St. Benedict) declared
"co-patrons of Europe".
Under the
influence of the National Revival in the 19th
century, many enlightened people gradually realized where our
true roots are.and began to take a keen interest in
Orthodoxy. However, the Germanic and right-wing ruling circles of
the time did not allow more extensive activities of this kind, as
they feared the spread of Pan-Slavism. Only a very modest
operation of the Orthodox Discussion and the Czechoslovak
Orthodox Community was possible. The Orthodox Church could begin
to officially operate in our country only after 1918, when our
nations emerged from the domination and oppression of German
rule, and under the influence of universally proclaimed freedom
and democracy, a free religious life could begin
. In 1921, the first Czech Orthodox bishop, Gorazd
(originally named Matěj Pavlík), was ordained for Moravia in
Belgrade, Yugoslavia . He took the name Gorazd
as a symbol of continuity with the Cyril and Methodius
tradition- Gorazd was the first Slavic bishop as the
successor of St. Methods (+885), as mentioned above. In 1924,
Bishop Gorazd and the faithful Orthodox formed an Orthodox
eparchy under Serbian jurisdiction based in Prague.
Orthodox believers in Bohemia and Moravia then built more than
ten new churches from their own resources (the enlightened
archimandrite Andrej V. Kolomacký, in a decisive way,
contributed to this, both with his architectural designs and
artistic design, and with his own hands during the
construction!).
The successfully
developing Orthodox Church in our country was tragically
affected by World War II. Due to the patriotic and
Slavic-oriented spirit of Orthodoxy, fascist persecution
manifested itself here in full. Bishop Gorazd ahundreds
of other Orthodox believers were murdered , and large
numbers were imprisoned in concentration camps.
After the war, the
Orthodox Church was able to develop again in our country. There
were about 20,000 Orthodox believers from Gorazd's Czech and
Moravian-Silesian eparchy, who were significantly strengthened
when about 19,000 Czechs, mostly of Orthodox faith, returned to
Czechoslovakia from Volhynia in 1947 (they were descendants of
Czechs who emigrated to Russia in 2 . mid-19th century for
economic reasons). Immediately after the war, the Orthodox Church
in Czechoslovakia came under the jurisdiction of the Moscow
Patriarchate, but only for a short time - in 1951, the Russian
Orthodox Church granted the Orthodox Church in Czechoslovakia autocephality
(independence).
Orthodox spirituality
Orthodox Christianity has most of its beliefs in common with the
Catholic and Protestant faiths. Certain differences of faith and considerable
differences in the liturgy , in the practice of the
faith and in the organization of the Church, stem from the nearly
1,000-year-old separation and independent development of Eastern
and Western Christianity. As mentioned above, the Orthodox Church
adhered more to traditional beliefs based on the
early Christian interpretation of the Gospels and did not accept
the amendments and reforms promoted by the Roman Church. It does
not recognize the authority of the Pope of Rome (whom the Catholic Church claims to be the
"infallible" successor of St. Peter) and does not demand the celibacy of priests. The
Orthodox layout of the church year is still governed by the Julian
calendar(introduced in the time of Emperor Gaius Julius
Caesar), which, due to the Western Gregorian calendar, leads to
certain time shifts of Christian holidays -
Christmas, Easter and holidays derived from them.
The Orthodox liturgy is entirely based on spiritual
singing , in which all believers participate in the
congregational passages. And without the use of musical
instruments - Christians praise God in a "living voice"
carrying the word, not inanimate instruments. Together with Jesus
Christ, Mary also enjoys immense respect in the Orthodox Church,
and is called "the Blessed Virgin "
here.
Orthodox cross
The symbol of most Christian churches is the cross,
pointing out according to legend to the cruel way of Christ's
death by crucifixion. The Orthodox cross evolved from the
Byzantine double patriarchal cross. It has three logs:
The upper short beam of the double
cross represents a table with the inscription "Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews" in Greek, Latin and Hebrew.
Pilate had this sign nailed to the cross of Christ, according to
the custom of the time, to show the guilt of the convicts. The
middle long beam is on the outstretched hand, for which
Christ was nailed to the cross. The lower short
crossbar of the Orthodox cross (otherwise serving as a footrest)
is turned obliquely, diagonal. It symbolizes a
kind of "signpost". The raised end points to heaven,
where Christ and also one of the criminals crucified with Christ
on the right side - the one who repented and Christ granted him
the grace of forgiveness and invited him to the kingdom of
heaven. The second - lowered - end of the crossbar points to
hell, where the second criminal (crucified from the left), who
did not show remorse, went.
Orthodox
Icons
Besides contemplation and spiritual singing is an important part
of Orthodox spirituality and reverence for icons
(ie. Ikonolatrie or iconodule ). Icon
*) is a stylized allegorical (symbolic) depiction of Christ, St.
Mary, apostles and other saints, or biblical scenes. The design
of the icon is characterized by flatness
(spatiality, absence of the usual perspective - "board"
image, sometimes even an inverted perspective), sobriety and static
- the supernaturalness of God and the spirituality of saints is
emphasized by flatness, a certain geometrization and
ornamentalism. The depicted motif is not set in a realistic
landscape, but in a stylized background. The aim is to focus
attention on the main theme, which is torn from ordinary reality
and is as if set in the plane of "aboveground",
spiritual. According to Orthodox terminology, icons are not
painted, but "written" - iconographersthey
are not considered painters in the usual artistic sense; they are
often priests and monks in Orthodox monasteries. The icon is
usually made as a board image without a frame.
Some icons are decorated with gems and metal wrought ornaments
(sometimes gold).
*) The Greek word eikon
originally referred to an image in a
general sense. Later, this concept narrowed its meaning to an
idealized depiction carrying religious content. In a similar
narrow sense, the word icon is now used for symbolic
shapes in computer graphics.
The icon does not serve as an artistic
image, but as a spiritual object, depicting the gospel message.
The symbolism of the icon goes deeper than the usual image.
Rather than the plot, a certain one is displayed spiritual
idea . The icon is not a representation of this world,
it is a kind of "window" to the spiritual dimensions,
to eternity. A stylized face surrounded by a halo emerges from a
neutral abstract background depicting the eternity and infinity
of celestial spaces. The light is dim and seems to radiate from
within. According to early Christian spirituality, with the
coming of Christ, space and time melt into infinity - the
temporary and the final are replaced by the absolute.
Furthermore, the icons usually show
certain attributes of the saint (book, sword,
branch, etc.) and sometimes an illuminated text inscription. A
cross is inscribed in the halo around the head of Christ
(pantokratos - omniscient), the three arms of which are provided
with large Greek letters with symbolic meaning (see the left
picture below): O mega - "being, being who
is"; O mikron - "he who is to
come"; H - "has already arrived";
together they form the word "omn" - general .
Orthodox Christians believe that the icon
is a sacred image - that the saint in question
is spiritually present in the icon . Orthodox
churches and monasteries preserve a number of historically and
artistically valuable icons, to whom local traditions attribute
miraculous works. Respect for the icons is manifested by bowing,
lighting candles in front of them, sometimes even kissing **).
**) In the early history of the Eastern Byzantine Church,
however, there were transitional periods (especially in the years
726-843) of the so-called iconoclasm
(iconoclasm) - rejection of icons and their
destruction. It was argued that reverence for icons is idolatry,
which God forbids (through Moses' mouth) in the Old Testament.
Many artistically valuable icons were destroyed during the
iconoclasm period.
After all, there have been many sharp
ideological and theological disputes in the
history of the Eastern and Western Churches , which today seem to
us to be pointless, difficult to understand and absurd. It was,
for example, a dispute between monophysitism (according
to which Christ had only a divine nature, not a human one) and Nestorianism
(attributing to Christ two persons - divine and human, with Mary
being the mother of only the human part of Christ). Another was
the controversy over the nature of the Holy Trinity, called filioque
- the question of whether the Holy Spirit comes not only from God
the Father, but also from the Son - from Christ. ..?.
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| Icons Of Jesus Christ And The Blessed Virgin Mary Iconostasis |
The central architectural element in the
Orthodox church is the so-called iconostasis - a
wall with three entrances decorated with icons. It separates the
altar space for priests ( apse - symbolizes the kingdom
of heaven) from the main nave ( solei ) for believers (probably has its origin in the temple curtain,
separating according to the Old Testament in the Jerusalem hut a
"sacred" place for sacrifices from the rest of the
space) . In the altar space behind the
iconostasis, there is a sacred prestol in the
middle - the main sacrificial table on which the ceremony of
transforming bread and wine takes place. There is also a side
sacred table of jokes , on which bread and wine are
prepared for the liturgy (see below) .
The side passages in the iconostasis serve
for deacons or deacons assisting in the liturgy, the middle
(" tsarist ") entrance for the chief celebrant
and for the procession of bread and wine for the Eucharist. On
the iconostasis there are a number of icons, which depict mainly
Christ and Mary, the apostles, the Last Supper, the saint to whom
the temple is dedicated, angels and more.
Statues of Christ and
saints, so common in Catholic churches and public spaces, are not
used by the Orthodox Church - they emphasize the physical
side with their three dimensions , while flat icons
emphasize the spiritual side .
The characteristic features of Orthodox
spirituality include a certain inwardness, joy and
unpretentiousness. Even in the Middle Ages, the Orthodox Church
was not tainted by such shameful crimes and distortions as the
inquisition processes associated with the burning of
"heretics," holiness, greed, and the aggressive use of
power that were characteristic of the Western Catholic Church.
Another peculiar feature of Orthodoxy - the consistent observance
of traditions , including the oldest of early
Christianity, may now appear to be an anachronism. Paradoxically,
however, it is in the modern world, characterized by rapid
dynamics, twists and value relativism, where people lack
grounding in more permanent and universal values
, this feature of immutability and continents
of Orthodoxy canto be attractive to many people.
Literary, Orthodox spirituality is
reflected in a number of works - for example, in the first two
chapters of "The Brothers Karamazov" by F.M. Dostoevsky
(the figure of old Zosima), or in the story "On Holy
Night" by A.P.Cechov (after all, his
personal life experience resonates to some extent with ferryman
Andrej ...) .
The style of the
Orthodox liturgy and music
Orthodox music is most often used directly in
temples, where it forms not only a part, but often also the content
of the Orthodox liturgy . Virtually the entire liturgy
served in Orthodox churches is sung (the spoken
word is used only in sermons) - both the solo singing of
the celebrating priest and the choir singing of
believers and monks (usually 8 voices and more). The classical
Byzantine Eastern liturgy of this kind is the " Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom " (Greek : Chrysostomos=golden
mouthed) , dating from the 6th century
(following the early Christian liturgy written by Basil the
Great ). It consists of three parts :
Proskomidia
These are preparatory ceremonies before the liturgy itself, in
which the faithful do not take part, but the priests perform them
in the altar space behind a closed iconostasis. Bread and
wine for the Eucharist are prepared on the sacred table
(" joke ") . Fermented bread is used
here ( "Christ is the leaven of all spiritual life"
), called prosfor . The part in the shape of a lamb
(symbolizing Christ) and then other parts in memory of the Virgin
Mary, saints, as well as deceased believers and living Orthodox
Christians, are cut out of it . The bread is placed on a
liturgical plate with a base ( disco), the other parts
are in the middle of the lamb and around. Red wine and water are
poured into the chalice.
The liturgy of
catechumens
is the first public part of the service. The name comes from the
fact that the words of the gospel and ecclesiastical doctrine are
communicated to believers preparing for baptism ( catechumens
). It begins with the singing "Blessed be the kingdom of the
Father and the Son ..." (see below), then ectenia,
antiphons. The priest brings out a large book of the Gospel
from the small entrance , singing tropars and condaks (short
hymns), a tridental song, excerpts from the Gospel.
The Eucharist
or communion is the culmination of the liturgy.
After the Cherubín Song, a ceremony called the great
entrance takes place, in which the servants of the clergy
emerge from the iconostasis through the side door and carry
" venerable gifts " - bread and wine
(bread for discos and wine in a chalice, previously prepared for
a joke during a proskomidia ). They walk around
the iconostasis or across the whole temple and, after solemn
prayers, enter back through the central entrance of the
iconostasis back to the altar space; they lay bread and wine on
the holy table . The ceremony of the great entrance
symbolizes the path of Jesus Christ with the cross on Golgotha
??and his crucifixion. The following is a confession of
faith in the Nice-Constantinople version. During the Eucharistic canonthe priest sings
the message of Christ at the Last Supper "Take and eat
..." (see below), raising the bread and wine with the
invocation ( epiclesis ) of the Holy Spirit to descend
and spiritually transform the gifts presented into
the body and blood of Christ . The lamb and other pieces
of bread are then crushed and placed in a goblet of wine. This
spiritually transformed bread and wine is first received by the
priests in the altar, then the priests come out of it through the
" holy entrance " and carry the chalice from
which they distribute communion to the faithful. Receiving Both
Kinds - the body and blood of Christ - the bread and
wine that is served on spoons to believers. Only baptized
Orthodox Christians who have prepared for fasting, prayer and
confession may take part in the Eucharist. Christians believe
that through holy communion they connect spiritually with Christ,
help them free themselves from selfishness and other negative
desires and sin, and lead them on a path of
"deification."
The liturgy ends with the final blessing
and release of the believers in peace.
The Orthodox liturgical "ordinarium" (which is similar in structure to the Catholic one in some respects) generally consists of a number of sung parts from a musical point of view :
Orthodox spiritual songs often have an anthemic
character, reinforcing the very meaning of the words. The charm
of Orthodox sacred music stands out especially during the liturgy
in the Orthodox Church , where it is enhanced by
a mysterious space lit by the flickering light of a large number
of candles, the scent of incense, icons radiating spiritual
messages, beautiful liturgical robes and singing alternating from
different parts of the temple.
Along with the basic liturgical songs, the
Orthodox spirituality also includes beautiful spiritual
songs , such as " Kolokolčik
", "Klášterní legenda", " Večernij
zvon ".... In these tklivých spiritual songs next to
the inner Christian faith reflects the charm and poetry of vast
horizons and the Russian steppes, reflected a sensitive and
poetic Slavic soul.
On the eve of major holidays (especially
Easter) with evening vespers and early matutina sometimes combine
to the so-called All-night vigil - Orthodox vigil
................... ...................... -fill
in
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Sound library : |  |
P.Cesnokov: Liturgy of St. Jan Chrisostom
Sings: Moscow Choir of the Nativity of the
Blessed
Virgin, Directed by:
Nikolaj Georgievskij, Tenor: Arkady Leontjev Voskresno jutrněje - Serbian
Orthodox Easter night vigil
Sings by: choir of Mokana Mokrjanace, Directed by: Peter Vitovec,
Solo singing: D.Ž.Todorovič, M.Ilič
Ektenie - st.Petrohradské litanie Sings
: priests and choir of the Spaso-Preobrezno
Cathedral in St. Petersburg
Tikhvin North Russian
monastery - spiritual
and liturgical songs
Sings: male ensemble Valaam, Directed by: Igor Ušakov
Old Russian all-night vigil
Sings: State Academic Russian Choir
of the USSR, Director
The Great Orthodox Liturgy of Alexander Nevsky
Basilica in Sofia
Sings: choir "Svetoslav Obretenov", Conducted
by: Georgui Robev
Russian choral spiritual compositions
Sings by: male chamber ensemble Akafist, Conducted by:
Andrei V. Malutin
God is my light - Russian
spiritual songs
Sung by: ensemble Blagovest , manages Galina Kolcová
liturgical chants
sung: male choir St. Petersburg, Controls: V.Afanasjev
V.Vasilenko and
Maxim Berezovsky: Eucharistic and liturgical songs
sung by: chamber choir Vidrodženija, Controls:
Mstislav Jurčenko
D.S.Bortňanskij: 35 Orthodox vocal concerts
sings: Russian State Symphony Choir, Conducted by: Valery
Polyansky
"And the Life of the Next Century ..." -catholic and orthodox music
Sings: Lina Mkrtčyjan and Leningrad Chamber Choir,
Directed by: N.Korněv
Orthodox Songs
Sings: choir of Don Cossacks "Bolshoi Don",
Directed by: Petja Houdjakov
Liturgy of St. Jan Zlatoústý
Sings: Greek Byzantine Choir, Directed by: Likurgos
Angelopulos
Liturgy of St. Jan Zlatoústý
Sings: Romanian ensemble Psalmodia, Directed by: Sebastian
Barbo Bukura
Příčesne - Romanian
liturgical prosodic songs of the Ison style
Sings: Kristian Pomonači and ensemble Theofilos
Morning liturgical songs from Mount Athos
Sings: ensemble Psalmodia, Directed by: Sebastian Barbo
Bukura
Evening liturgical songs from
Sings: Psalmodia ensemble, Directed by: Sebastian Barbo
Bukura
Byzantine chant in Arabic version
Sings: Maria Keyrouz - nun of the Order of the Basel
Sisters
Melchite Marian Anthem
Sings: Maria Keyrouz - nun of the Order of the Sisters of
Basel
Roman-Byzantine Easter Liturgy from the 7th-8th century
Sings: Ensemble Organum, Directed by: Marcel Peréz
.. ...........
............ - will be supplemented
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