“Sing
ye praises with understanding”
Psalm 46:7 (LXX)
Glory
to God for His mercy.
This
book contains musical settings of English versions of texts of the
invariable service and the weekly cycle needed for the choral
performance of Saturday Vespers.
As
God allows, this book is the first in a series. Preparation of like
volumes for Matins and the Divine Liturgy is in progress. Others
concerning Feasts and the Paschal cycle are also planned. The entire
effort is for the support of Orthodox Christian congregations where
worship in English takes place.
This
introduction contains didactic material, the purpose of which is to
inform an audience that very likely includes those with little or no
prior knowledge of the subject. It
is the desire of the editor that these and all who use this work come
to the knowledge they need so that they may serve God well through
music in His holy temple.
All
titles in the body of the book are in English according to the
translations used. In this introduction, Russian words are
transliterated according to a slightly modified version of the method
used in The New Shorter Oxford
English Dictionary published in 1993 by Oxford University at the
Clarendon Press. This method seems to require the least explanation to
those for whom English is their only language.
I.
The Musical Sources
Five
sources were used for the music of this volume.
1.
Sputnik Psalomshchika, Novgorod, 1911, referred to
as Sputnik
2.
Obikhod
Notnago Pyenia, Moscow, 1909, referred to as Obikhod
3.
Tserkovno Pyevcheski Sbornik, St. Petersburg, 1903,
referred to as Sbornik
4.
Notni Sbornik Pravoslanago Russkago Tserkovnago Pyenia
- Vsyenochnoya Bdyenia, London, 1962, referred to as the London
Book
5.
Oral
Tradition or unprinted manuscript sources, referred to as Traditional
As
the list below indicates, a rich and diverse group of “families”
of chant melodies as well as free compositions and composers’
arrangements are represented in the book.
Diversity was not sought for its own sake.
It naturally occurs from the attempt to fairly represent a
common general practice, even at a basic level. The list below is of
the entire contents broken out by chant group. The assignment of a
piece to a chant group comes from one of the sources listed above. The
phrase “Common Chant” may simply mean “frequently used,” and
in that connection often is used to identify melodies of a more
specific derivation. In the list below, both the indicator of frequent
usage and the derivation are included.
The chant designation refers to the melody only, not to its
harmonic setting.
Znamenny
Chant (including the Abbreviated designation)
The
evening prokeimenons - Sputnik
The
second setting of “O Theotokos and Virgin” - London
Book
The
first setting of “Blessed be the name of the Lord” - Sputnik
Kievan
Chant (including the Abbreviated designation)
All
the Litanies - Obikhod
& Sputnik
The
first setting of “Blessed is the man” - Obikhod
The
stichera on “Lord, I have cried” & the Aposticha of tones 1
& 3 through 8 - Sputnik
The
stichera on “Lord, I have cried” & the “Aposticha” of
the 2nd tone - Obikhod
The
“Stichi” or psalm verses of “Lord, I have cried” and the
“Aposticha” of tones 1 through 4 & 8 - Sputnik
The
“Stichi” or psalm verses of “Lord, I have cried” and the
“Aposticha” of tones 5 through 7 - Traditional
The
Sunday Dismissal Troparia & Theotokia of the 5th & the 8th
tones - Sputnik
The
second setting of “O Gentle Light” in the second tone -
Traditional
Greek
Chant (comprehending also the Abbreviated and Common chant
designations
The
first setting of “Bless the Lord” - Sbornik
The
first setting of “O Theotokos and Virgin” - Traditional
The
third setting of “O Theotokos and Virgin” - London
Book
The
Sunday Dismissal Troparia & Theotokia of the 1st & 3rd
tones - Sputnik
The
Sunday Dismissal Troparion & Theotokion of the 4th
tone - Traditional
Abbreviated
Bulgarian Chant
The
Sunday Dismissal Troparion & Theotokion of the 6th
tone - Sputnik
The
Sunday Dismissal Troparia & Theotokia of the 2nd
& 7th tones - Traditional
Trinity-St.
Sergius Lavra Chant
The
second setting of “Bless the Lord” - Traditional
Common
Chant - Traditional
The
second & third settings of “Blessed is the man”
The
second setting of “Blessed be the name of the Lord”
The
Ending and “Many Years” of the Dismissal II section
Free
Compositions (without reference to a chant melody)
The
second setting of “O Gentle Light” – Sbornik
The fourth setting of “O Gentle Light”
The
fourth setting of “O Theotokos and Virgin” - from
a manuscript copy
The
editor has aimed for this collection to represent just one example of
general practice. No attempt has been made to include all the possible
ways that the concept of general practice might manifest. Neither is
there any desire to advance this representation to the exclusion of
any other. This is one reason why the book’s title, “A Church
Singer’s Companion,” begins with the indefinite article, “a.”
It is a source of regret that more of the available literature could
not be included because of considerations of practicality and the
criteria which were the impetus for making the book. These criteria
are described in the next section.
II.
The Musical Selection Criteria
All
but a few of the selections represent general practice as it can be
found among the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia
(ROCOR). This criterion recognizes that among the likely recipients
and users of this collection are: 1) the growing number of
congregations within that body whose primary language of worship is
English; and 2) those for whom English may not be their usual language
of worship, but for whatever reason, find themselves either directing
or singing in English. It was thought best, therefore, to create a
collection which is faithful in content to the general musical usage
of ROCOR congregations worshipping primarily in Church Slavonic. It is
hoped also that other Orthodox musicians may find herein material
which is useful for adorning their worship as well. Selections that
are not in general use are always accompanied by more commonly used
alternatives.
Another
criterion for inclusion of an item was its adaptability to English.
Two cautions were kept ever in mind, namely: avoid doing violence to
the English text, and, avoid doing violence to the music. If, in the
opinion of the editor, either of these pitfalls could not be avoided,
then an item was not included. Since the built-in capacity to handle
the needs of prose is a prominent feature of much of traditional
chant, that body of music is therefore easily adaptable. This is less
true of the class of free compositions.
This is one reason why settings based on traditional chant
predominate.
Another
condition for inclusion was that the item should not be of more than
moderate difficulty. Some settings may present a greater challenge,
but most of the music will be found to be quite easy to learn, once
the basic principles in play are understood and practiced. It is often
the case in newer congregations that there are those approaching choir
singing with very limited prior musical experience. The complete
spectrum of skill levels has been represented in the singers of the
choirs at St John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Cathedral in
Washington, D.C. and at Holy Apostles Orthodox Church in suburban
Maryland. The utility of this music has been proven by thorough
“field testing” in these venues, some of it for seventeen years.
Obviously, the ability to read music is assumed for the optimal use of
this book, and this basic skill should be acquired as soon as
possible, at least by some of the choir members. It has been our
experience that it is possible to bring others along if a core group
can read. Without this ability, the capacity for growth in
comprehension of the musical task to be undertaken will remain
limited.
A
featured element of this book is the setting out in full of all the
Saturday Vespers stichera. So as not to go past the limits of
practicality, alternative settings are kept to a minimum.
III.
The Musical Format
In
the material that follows, musical technical terminology is used. It
is hoped that the references to well known music may be helpful in
connecting these terms to common knowledge. These simple reminders,
however, are in no way intended to supply a working knowledge of music
theory. While it is our conviction that such knowledge is useful and
directly applicable to the task which this book supports, a sufficient
exposition is outside the scope of this book. Therefore, the reader is
referred to Basic Materials in Music Theory, Harder and Steinke, 7th Edition,
Allyn & Bacon, Boston 1991. This excellent text is used by the
Summer Choir School at Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, New
York. Its subtitle indicates its format as a programmed course
suitable for individual study.
IIIa.
The Vocal Distribution
All the music in this book is
set for a four part mixed choir made up of soprano, alto, tenor and
bass (SATB). This layout assumes the generally accepted compliment in
a Russian Orthodox parish choir. This layout does not prevent the book
from being used by fewer resources if necessary or desirable. Any
manner of performance, of course, needs to feature the melody. The
four parts uniformly appear distributed over a two line staff made up
of a treble, or G, clef to hold the soprano and alto parts and a bass,
or F, clef to hold the tenor and bass parts.
In most cases, the chant melody is found in the soprano or top
part. There are a few exceptions: the second setting of “Bless the
Lord,” the second and third settings of “O Gentle Light,” the
three settings of the simple 4th tone troparion melody, and the second
setting of “O Theotokos and Virgin,” which all have the melody in
the alto voice; and the second setting of “Blessed is the Man,” in
which the melody alternates between the soprano and bass parts when
the verses alternate.
In some cases, a common practice of doubling the bass part at
the lower octave is printed out. An example is the first setting of
“Bless the Lord.” Either
or both of the doubled notes may be sung as available capabilities
allow.
In two cases, there are non-doubling divisions of one voice
part. The first instance is found in the first setting of “Bless the
Lord” on the word “Lord” at the end of the second line of music.
The alto part divides into two notes, middle C and the F above. If is
it impossible to sing both, the C should be sung. The second instance
is found in the second setting of “O Gentle Light” in the last
line of music, beginning on the word “glorify” in the bass part
(p. 232). If it is impossible to sing both, the bottom part should be
sung.
IIIb.
The Harmonic Structure
Except for the settings attached to composers’ names, the way
in which the music in this book is harmonized is uniform and is shared
among all manifestations of general practice where harmony is used. In
this structure, each part is known by its function. Only one of these
functions is indelibly connected to a certain voice part.
The Melody
The “melody” part carries the traditional chant melody. As
mentioned above, the melody function is commonly carried in SATB
settings by the soprano, or top, voice. In settings for only either
men’s or women’s voices, the chant melody is most commonly carried
in the second voice. The practice of placing the melody in other than
the top voice is familiar in American music in the popular choral and
small group activity known as “Barbershop” quartet singing and has
ample historical precedent going back as far as harmony to be
described as such is found. Again, as mentioned above, this book
contains a few instances where the melody function is not carried by
the soprano part in the SATB context.
The
Descant
The second part of the standard structure is called the
“descant.” The term is borrowed from a practice, most recently
encountered in Protestant “hymnbook” hymnody, of superimposing a
decorative vocal line above the hymn melody. The term itself, in the
form “discantus,” goes back to the application of highly
ornamental melodic layers over the chant melodies of the Roman Church
in the late Middle Ages and Renaissance.
As applied in our current usage, the descant part moves parallel
to the chant melody at the interval of a third. In all but one case,
the descant is a third above. The one exception is the third tone
sticheron melody where the descant is in the alto, a third below the
soprano melody.
There are two types of “thirds”, major and minor. The major
third is illustrated in the carol, “Hark! The herald an-gels sing,” being the interval between the notes sung to the
syllables “an-gels.” The
minor third is illustrated in the carol, “Silent
night,” being the interval between the notes sung to the
syllables “lent
night.” The interval
between the melody and descant may also be a sixth, which is the
inversion of a third. The relation between the melody and the descant
is “turned upside down” like this when the tenor carries the
descant and the melody is in the soprano. Like its inverse, a sixth
appears in both major and minor forms. The carol that begins, “O
little town of Bethle-hem, how still we see thee
lie” illustrates both forms. The interval between the notes for
“le-hem” is a minor
sixth. The interval between the notes for “thee
lie” is a major sixth.
In the course of parallel motion between the chant melody and
its descant, there is constant alternation between major and minor
intervals because of the changing relation between any pair of notes
which make up the interval. For instance, see the first response of
the Abbreviated Kievan Chant setting of the Great Litany (p. 15). The
melody is in the Soprano and the descant is in the Tenor. The interval
between them is a minor sixth on the word “Lord;” it changes to a
major sixth for the next two syllables, “have mer,” returning to
the initial minor sixth on the syllable “cy.” These changes in
interval arise from the parts using the notes or pitches that make up
the key of the piece, in this case, F major. While the melody and
descant alone imply a key, the key is “cemented” or set in the ear
by the presence of the next part in the structure.
The Bass
The
bass part provides the foundation of the harmony; a natural outgrowth
of being on the bottom of the structure. This foundation function is
filled by stating the root of the harmony or chord, the term
“root” referring to the note or pitch for which the chord is
named. For instance, in the Kievan Chant Great Litany, the first
harmony is an F chord and the bass sings the note F. The bass does not
always have to state the root of the chord, but, in this context,
always does at the beginning and ending of every phrase or piece.
Unlike
the melody and descant, the bass part does not generally move in
smooth, step-wise motion. Since the bass often moves from the root of
one chord to another and these roots are often more than one step
apart, the resulting movement is often angular and full of leaps.
Again, noting the Kievan Chant Great Litany, the first two harmonies
are the F and C chords of which the bass states the root in each case.
This results in the downward leap of the interval of a fourth, the
distance covered going from F down to C. Since this movement can be in
either direction, the inverse of a fourth, a fifth, will also often be
found. From all this it follows that the bass part is more difficult
to sing than either of the other previous parts until the function
becomes familiar to the ear.
Referring
again to a familiar carol, in “O come,
all ye faith-ful” the interval of a fourth occurs between the notes for
the words “come, all”
and its inverse, a fifth, occurs between the notes of the syllables of
“faith-ful.”
The
Filler
As
the name implies, the “filler” part is assigned to complete the
harmony when a member of a chord is missing. Again referring to the
Kievan Chant Great Litany, the first chord is structured with the
first three described parts distributed thus: melody (soprano) has F,
descant (tenor) has A (the major third above, or, in this case the
minor sixth below), bass has F (the root of the F major chord). The
basic F major chord has 3 members. A chord in this form is called a
triad. The F major triad consists of F, A and C. None of the three
other parts is singing the C, so this missing note is “filled” in
by the fourth filler part.
This
part is both last and least regarding its independent character. By
itself it suggests little. For instance, in our much cited example of
the Kievan Chant Great Litany, in the first response, the filler part
is in the alto and consists of four repetitions of middle C. In fact,
it is possible for most of these settings to survive without it. The
filler cannot stand alone. However, the lack or presence of the filler
spells the difference between a merely adequate sound and a sound that
is full and complete, at least to our modern ears. It is instructive
that two of the greatest musicians, Bach and Mozart, both preferred to
play viola when playing in a string ensemble. The viola often occupies
a position in a string ensemble analogous to this filler function. (Pacem,
violists.)
In
the standard SATB format and in most of the settings in this book, the
filler responsibility falls to the alto voice. Since it derives its
content exclusively from the harmonic implications of the context, the
part can be the most difficult of execution. The singer has to have
this context, so to say, “in the ear,” since the part is scarcely
coherent of itself. It has been my experience that, when stichera are
improvised, if there are enough independent singers present, the most
adept are called upon to provide filler because the less adept can’t
pick it up.
IIIc.
Pitch
The
pitch of composed settings not of the editor’s arranging is from the
composers. For the rest, care was taken, especially in stichera
settings, to avoid strain for average amateur voices, particularly the
tenors. As a result, the keys of the stichera settings are lower for
most of the tones than in other collections. Since this music is not
performed with any kind of fixed-pitch requirement, it would be easy
to obtain added brightness as desired by simply raising the pitch. For
most of the tones, the bass part is doubled at the lower octave, and
this lower note should be used to avoid strain if the pitch is raised
very much from that which is printed.
Alternatively, since the lower note in the bass can be
uncomfortable for those of lighter or younger voices, it may be left
out altogether. As in all
cases in this book, octave doublings in the bass are completely
optional.
It
is perhaps not out of place to express here a conviction that the
desire for brilliance or any other sort of choral or vocal display
pursued purely for its own sake can be antithetical to the spirit of
the activity of singing in Church services. We do not, of course,
refer to the proper fruits of careful preparation: good ensemble,
intonation and articulation of the texts. These foundational
techniques provide strong and beautiful support for commending the
truths of our Faith to those who would hear them.
IV.
The Texts
Since
the primary intended audience is a body of congregations within the
Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, the translations used in this
book were all created under the auspices of the ROCOR. Psalm texts are
from The Psalter According to
the Seventy, Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, 1974.
Texts for fixed portions of the service and the dismissal troparia are
from The Unabbreviated
Horologion, Rassophor-monk Laurence, ed., Holy Trinity Monastery,
Jordanville, NY, 1995. Most of the texts from the Octoechos are from The Sunday Octoechos, Reader Isaac Lambertson, translator, The St.
John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, 1997. The versions of the texts
of the Dogmatic Theotokia for tones 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 and 8 originate with
this book. These versions are centos arranged with the idea of
supporting the Znamenny melodies. Their accuracy was validated by a
committee of clergy and people known to the compiler. It is thought
that at some future time these great melodies might be made available
to English speaking congregations and that, since they were carefully
constructed to set the text, it might be worth some little trouble to
craft versions to match, if it were possible to do so in fluid
English.
These
translations all use as their model the English of the Bible of 1611,
commonly called the King James Version in the United States, or, in
places influenced by British tradition, the Authorized Version. While
it is understood that this model embodies elements which have passed
out of common use, most notably the familiar form of the second person
singular (thee, thou) and its dependencies, these elements do not
impede comprehension. Indeed, the depth of our prayer is enhanced as
we familiarly address Him to Whom we owe all with these ancient
pronouns of endearment; and thereby, we rekindle that spirit of sonship,
enjoined on us by the Holy Apostle, “whereby we cry Abba, Father.”
It has been said that we should not use this older level of the
language because we do not commonly speak this way. In every
department of our life, even if we live and work alone, it is
necessary for us to become conversant in many ways of using our
language. We adapt to all these necessities without thought or
question. It must not be that in this, the most exalted purpose for
which we would “open our lips,” we would cut off as refuse the
richest manifestation of our language, especially as we have in the
1611 Bible a model for our foundation and striving to which there is
no superior in prayerful dignity and stateliness of expression.
The
core of Orthodox hymnody rests on Greek originals. Many of these Greek
texts are governed by poetic metrical schemes. To illustrate the point
yet once more from familiar carols, we will show the number of
syllables per line in the first stanza of Phillips Brooks’ hymn to
indicate its metrical scheme:
O little town of Bethlehem,
8
How still we see thee lie.
6
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
8
The silent stars go by.
6
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
7
The Ever-lasting Light;
6
The hopes and fears of all the years
8
Are met in thee tonight.
6
The pattern for the hymn is a stanza of 8 lines with the scheme
of 8, 6, 8, 6, 7, 6, 8, 6, governing the number of syllables per line.
With knowledge that this meter is close to a commonly used meter, and
under the poem’s inspiration, Bishop Brooks’ choir master, Mr.
Redner, directly and apparently effortlessly set down the tune by
which it is sung today. The carol is known as much by its melody as by
its words. Because it is so well known, it is entirely possible, if we
disregard the disturbance of associations, to sing other words in the
same meter to this melody by only saying, “to the tune of ‘O
little town of Bethlehem’.” This capacity to replace words under a
tune in like meter is at the root of the concept of “Prosomion,”
“Podoben” or “Special Melody” as the term is commonly rendered
in our English books. The structure of Greek hymnody is generally more
varied and complex than the above scheme, but the principle remains
the same. A text constructed according to a pattern, together with a
melody that follows that pattern, creates a framework of familiarity
that eases learning and retention.
A
practice arose in the Russian Church in the transition from Greek to
Slavonic of translating Greek poetic texts into Slavonic prose texts
without regard for the meter of the original. This practice reflected
the idea of the translators that conveying exactness of meaning is
more important than keeping the poetic framework. We are familiar with
prose translations of sacred poetic texts in the common renderings of
the Psalms, including the Psalter which we use. The problems of
metrical translations are illustrated by these examples, starting with
this from the King James Version’s literal rendering of the Hebrew
of Psalm 100 (99 in the Septuagint numbering):
Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.
Serve the Lord with gladness: come before His presence with
singing.
And, a metrical rendering of the Hebrew, found in the Psalter of
the (Presbyterian) Church of Scotland of 1664:
All people that on earth do dwell,
Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice.
Him serve with mirth, His praise forth tell,
Come ye before Him and rejoice.
Of
this famous lyric it is difficult to make an objective assessment
since it is loved among those conversant with hymns of this type. The
rhyme-supporting syntactical inversions are unambiguous and do not
adversely affect translation, but the metrical requirements force the
translator to pad the text with words not reflecting the original. In
other cases, the poetic result is not as fortunate; this from (KVJ)
Psalm 69 (68 LXX):
Save me, O God; for the waters are come in, even unto my soul.
And,
from the Scottish Psalter in meter:
Save me, O God, because the floods
do so environ me,
That ev’n unto my very soul
come in the waters be.
English
is not enriched, and one wonders if the meaning of the second clause
could be determined if the verse from the prose translation were not
known. The following is a cautionary example. The author is
Christopher Tye, a midRenaissance British composer who, in the
fervor of his new conversion, produced for domestic consumption a
metrical version with music of the first 14 chapters of the Acts of
the Apostles! The fourth chapter begins:
When that the people taught they had,
There came to them doubtless
Priests and rulers as men nigh mad
And eke the Sadducees.
Although
some translators have made valiant efforts at metrical translation of
Orthodox hymns to preserve for use in English the beauties of
Byzantine Chant, the resulting renderings are plagued with the same
problems of text padding and ambiguous syntactical disorder.
The ancient Slavic translators avoided these problems. Our
translators, following the Russian practice, have opted to preserve
and convey as much as possible of the meaning of the originals in
English prose; replete with exalted and poetic imagery it may be, but
it is none the less prose.
Having
abandoned the meter of the original, the music of the original must
also be abandoned. We will see in the course of what follows how this
vacuum is filled. First, however, we will consider the subject of
rhythm in relation to English prose.
V.
The Rhythm of Prose
The
most daunting task confronting the newcomer to Russian Church music is
mastery of singing in free rhythm, that is, the varying rhythm of
prose. The rhythm of prose is simply the rhythm of speech, that
sequence of stresses and releases within individual words and phrases,
those stretches and compactions, those inflections which make up the
pattern of our talking. We are not often made conscious of this
rhythm, except by its absence. When, for example, we hear monotonous,
uninflected or over-uniform speech, we know that, 1) the speech is not
from a human, or, 2) if from a person, it is in jest or from disorder.
But under normal circumstances, because we learned everything about
our language before we were conscious in the adult manner, we just
perform the requirements of speech at that same, unreflective level of
consciousness. However, so that we might become effective singers of
speech, we need to make ourselves quite conscious of its rhythmic
dimension.
To come to a more conscious apprehension of the subject, we will
examine in some depth the text of “O Gentle Light” and build up a
graphic representation, to the extent possible, of its spoken rhythm.
As a first step, we will insert hyphens to represent each pronounced
syllable as a unit, and indicate all the stresses of word and phrase
that might occur by inserting a inverse apostrophe before each stress.
O ‘gen-tle ‘light of the ‘ho-ly ‘glo-ry of the
im-‘mor-tal, ‘heav-en-ly,
‘ho-ly, ‘bless-ed
‘Fa-ther, O ‘Je-sus ‘Christ;
‘hav-ing
‘come to the ‘set-ting of the ‘sun,
‘hav-ing be- ‘held the ‘even-ing ‘light,
we ‘praise the ‘Fa-ther, the ‘Son, and the ‘Ho-ly
‘Spi-rit: ‘God.
‘Meet it ‘is for Thee at ‘all ‘times to be ‘hymned
with ‘rev’-rent
‘voic-es,
O ‘Son of ‘God, ‘Giv-er of ‘life.
‘Where-fore, the ‘world doth ‘glo-ri-fy ‘Thee.
Next, we will equate each syllable with an arbitrary unit of
time, for instance, 1/4 of a second. Calculate this value from
observing and tapping 4 times per click t of the second hand on an
analog time piece. If a metronome is available, to hear a 1/4 second
pulse, set it to 120 and tap twice for each beat of the metronome to
obtain the pulse. Then, turn the metronome off and put it away. Any kind of mechanical,
clock-like rendering is to be studiously avoided. Not only does such a
thing reflect inadequate speech, but an inadequate understanding of
music as well. The metronome should be used to set and check, not to
maintain, the pace or tempo.
Our
pronunciation is often imprecise because of variations in dialect and
other reasons. We should therefore make an effort in this next part of
the exercise, to recite the text from the above copy at about the
speed of the 1/4 second pulse, with all the pronounced parts sounding
as prescribed by the dictionary, with a slight break after each clause
(at each blank line), but resuming the same 1/4 second pace when
reciting, all the while making slight stresses according to the above
scheme. It may be profitable to practice this the first time alone,
but, if a group of singers is going to sing together for church, then
as soon as possible, this exercise should be done in the group.
Having
done this, you may have found it difficult to both correctly
articulate the words and keep the pace without a sense of artificially
crowding the words. One reason is because all syllables are not
“created equal.” Some possess features that may require more time
to allow them to fully sound. Following is a list of some of the words
from our example with their complexities.
light
the voiced consonant “L,” and the long “I,” a diphthong
made up of “ah” and “ee”
glory
(first syllable) 2 voiced consonants, “G” and “L,”
produced in
glorify
different parts of the mouth
bless-ed (first
syllable) 2 voiced consonants, “B” and “L” and the double
“S”
When this word is used, as here, as an adjective, it is pronounced with
two syllables. It is said in one syllable if used as a verb. When
writers collapse the adjectival form for poetic reasons, they
generally change the “ed” to a “t.”
Christ
another long “I” surrounded by consonants produced in
different parts of the mouth and the voiced, open “R”
come
the voiced ending consonant “M” needs time to clearly
articulate because the lips
are closed
sun
the voiced ending consonant “N” likewise needs time because
Son
the tongue pressed to the hard palate creates a closure as in
“M”
beheld
(second syllable) 2 voiced ending consonants, “L” and
“D”
praise
the voiced consonant “R,” the long “A,” a diphthong
made up of “eh” and “ee,” and the voiced ending “S” (as
“Z”)
God
the vowel is surrounded by two voiced consonants, “G” and
“D,” produced in different parts of the mouth
all
the voiced ending consonant
times
the long vowel and 2 voiced ending consonants, the closed
“M” and the open “S” (as “Z”)
hymned 3 voiced
consonants, 2 closed and 1 open
voices
(first syllable) the voiced consonant “V” followed by two
vowels “O” (“Aw”) and short “I” (“ee”).
life
the voiced “L,” the long “I” and the voiceless “F”
which requires time to push through enough air for clear articulation
world
4 voiced consonants, “W”, “R”, “L” and “D”
From
this selection, we learn that the following elements can extend the
time it takes to properly articulate a syllable:
1.
Complex vowels
- diphthongs, vowels elided together, or multiple vowel sounds when
open voiced consonants are neighboring a vowel,
2.
Consonant
combinations including voiced consonants, and,
3.
Consonants at
the ends of words.
The
obvious element of language for which we pause, therefore add time,
when reciting is punctuation. Significant punctuation has been
accounted for in our breakup of the text into clauses. There is
generally no ambiguity about the treatment of half stops (colons,
semicolons) and full stops (periods, question or exclamation marks).
In normal speech, these require a break in sound. However, responses
to commas should distinguish between list delimiting and sense
delimiting. For example, for the commas in the list of adjectives in
the first clause (“immortal, heavenly, holy,” etc,) we should
scarcely impede the flow, in any case, we should not put in a break in
the sound; whereas, for the comma after “sun” at the end of the
second clause, we should.
There
is another factor which conditions the effect of individual elements
of articulation. This is the relation of the individual word or
syllable to its context. Consider, for example, the case of
“sun”/”Son.” There being a pause at the end of the second
clause, “sun” stands alone and therefore, time is needed to
properly articulate the “n”. “Son” in the list of the persons
of the Trinity is followed by the “short” comma discussed above
which should entail no break in sound but perhaps a slight broadening
of the “n.” “Son” as in “Son of God,” however, is elided
to the following “o” in “of” with no impediment.
This makes the “n” to function, not as an ending, but as a
beginning consonant. The articulation of beginning consonants is, as
it were, impelled in the act of getting the rest of the word out.
For
this part of the exercise, in the representation below, we will
underline the words that, as we have found in the above process, take
more time to properly articulate. Other words are underlined, however,
in the fifth clause beginning “Meet it is,” because of editorial
interpretation. The writer conceives a need to linger on the two
syllables, “is” and “Thee,” to add emphasis to the thought and
to provide balance against the emphatic monosyllables “all,”
“times,” and “hymned.” Recite the text again at about the 1/4
second-per-syllable pace, observing everything done in the first
recitation, and adding a slight elastic broadening for the underlined
syllables. By “elastic” is meant that, once you have taken time to
articulate, snap back into the pace.
O ‘gen-tle ‘light of the ‘ho-ly ‘glo-ry
of the im-‘mor-tal, ‘heav-en-ly,
‘ho-ly, ‘bless-ed
‘Fa-ther, O ‘Je-sus ‘Christ;
‘hav-ing ‘come to the ‘set-ting of the ‘sun,
‘hav-ing be- ‘held the ‘even-ing ‘light,
we ‘praise the ‘Fa-ther, the ‘Son, and the
‘Ho-ly ‘Spi-rit: ‘God.
‘Meet it ‘is for ‘Thee at ‘all ‘times
to be ‘hymned with
‘rev’-rent
‘voic-es,
O ‘Son of ‘God, ‘Giv-er of ‘life.
‘Where-fore, the ‘world doth ‘glo-ri-fy
‘Thee.
To
conclude the exercise, we will take the last and largest step of
connecting what we have learned to a musical setting. Recite the text
exactly as before, at the pace of 1/4 second per syllable, emphasizing
for stress, broadening for underlined syllables, but this time, hold
the syllables in bold type for the number of quarter-seconds shown
just before them. This may seem very artificial, so repeat this until
you are accustomed to it.
O ‘ gen- tle ‘ light of the ‘
ho-ly ‘
glo-ry of the im-‘
mor-tal,
‘
heav-en-ly, ‘
ho-ly, ‘
bless-ed ‘
Fa-ther, O ‘ 2 Je- 2 sus
‘4 Christ;
‘
hav-ing ‘
come to the ‘
set-ting of the ‘
sun,
‘
hav-ing be- ‘
held the ‘
even- ing ‘4 light,
we
‘ praise the ‘
Fa-ther, the ‘
Son, and the ‘
Ho-ly ‘
Spi-rit: ‘4 God.
‘
Meet it ‘
is for ‘
Thee at ‘
all ‘
times to be ‘
hymned with
‘
rev’-rent ‘
2 voic-2
es,
O ‘
Son of ‘
God, ‘
Giv-er of ‘4
life.
‘
Where-fore, the ‘ world doth ‘ 1
glo- 1
ri- 2 fy ‘4 Thee.
Next,
equating our 1/4 second to a quarter note, turn to page 233 in this
book and sing “O Gentle Light” exactly in the now much-practiced
manner of recitation, adding the pitches of the setting (if alone,
sing your accustomed part). If you find the pace of recitation to have
slowed from the 1/4 second pace, try to trim from your vocal execution
any mannerism, such as vibrato, which will tend to slow you down. If
necessary, return to unpitched recitation until the prescribed pace is
restored, then sing it again. Repeat this procedure until it feels
natural to sing with correct articulation at the 1/4 second pace. When
it does, you have arrived at the practice of musical recitation of
spoken rhythm.
VI.
Sticheron and Troparion Melodies
Commonly,
a term borrowed from Italian Opera is used to refer to that which we
have been practicing: recitative (recheetahTEEVE). It is popularly
known about in solo manifestation because of frequent repetition of
Handel’s masterwork, “Messiah.” Recitative by the choir is the
essence of the singing of stichera.
Sticheron
melodies accommodate recitative by containing in each phrase a pitch
on which a varying number of words may be recited. We will call this
the reciting note. This reciting note, while central to the effort, is
commonly represented and recognized by its absence. Looking at the
example of “O Gentle Light” that we used in the previous exercise,
we see that, in the first line of music, there is a quarter note,
followed by nothing visible for quite a stretch, except words, until
we come to another quarter note at the end of the line. It is
understood that the words with no visible notation are to be sung to
the first pitches, continuing at the pace of the first note value,
until a different pitch and value is encountered. As we just labored
to establish in the previous section, the basic unit of pace, in this
case the quarter note, is maintained throughout, but elastically, with
liberal allowances for the requirements of the text.
In
addition to the reciting note, each phrase of a sticheron melody
contains at least one melodic “stress." It may contain two.
Melodic stresses are at the ends of phrases, enclosing the reciting
note. They may be characterized by broadened note values, melismas or
multiple note values per syllable, or a simple change of pitch. There
may be other characteristic turns of melody which build toward or
recede from the stress. These we will call “flex.” To aid in the
conceptualization of all this as it relates to each tone, the texts of
all stichera are pointed, or marked, with indicative type style
alterations. Every syllable which is associated with a stress is set
in bold type. Every
syllable which is associated with a flex is set in italic
type. Once the melodies of the tones are learned and the associations
are established, they may be recognized by this “typographical
shadow.” In future volumes of this collection, since the emphasis
will shift away from the learning of stichera, these type faces will
be used without musical notation where stichera to these melodies are
called for.
This
is the place to state the rationale for the setting out of music in
full for all the stichera in this book. The explanation is needed
because the practice is somewhat unusual. Consultations were held with
some of those who are likely to be the users. A desire was expressed
to have more examples of the melodies fully set out than had been
previously available. In this book, all thirteen possible examples of
each tone are completely set out. The need is there, also, because the
cultural framework in which the simpler methods were sufficient is,
for many of our intended audience, simply not there. From this
realization came the desire to include as much as could be contained
within the covers of this book, consistant with practical size, if a
helpful use was perceived.
Another
main feature of sticheron melodies is the open-ended rotational
principle. Every melody contains a set of melodic phrases which are
used in rotation for successive text phrases through the second to
last text phrase, then a designated ending melodic phrase is used for
the last text phrase. The rotation set is used in order, but the
sequence may be stopped after any phrase of the set, and the ending
phrase is directly approached from the rotation phrase last used.
There is no element of fixity in the number of phrases.
This is the freest possible template for treatment of texts.
Variations on the structure of sticheron melodies may also include
preceding the rotation set with a set of phrases used only once, and
truncation of a phrase in the rotation set after its first occurence.
Brief instructions explaining the structure of the sticheron melody of
each tone precede the first presentation of the melody in “Lord, I
have cried.” They are
also gathered together here with a few other comments.
The
melody for tone 4 has six phrases.
Phrases 1 and 2 are used for the first two phrases of text.
Phrases 3 through 5 are used in rotation as the test requires.
When phrase 3 recurs after phrase 5, it begins on the reciting
note. See this illustrated
in the Dogmatic Theotokion (p. 118).
Care must be taken not to stretch too much the melismatic
flourish in phrase 5. It's
rendering should convey a sense of sweep.
The
melody for tone 5 has four phrases.
Phrases 1 through 3 are used in rotation as the text requires.
Phrase 4 is used for the last phrase of text.
As with tone 4, do not over-stretch the melismatic flourish in
phrase 3.
The
melody for tone 6 has four phrases.
Phrases 1 through 3 are used in rotation as the text requires.
Phrase 2 ends with a descent if it is used for the
second-to-last phrase of text. See
this illustrated in the phrase "when I cry unto Thee" (p.
159.) Phrase 4 is used for
the last phrase of text. As
with tones 4 and 5, beware of dragging the flourish in phrase 3.
The
melody for tone 7 has three phrases.
Phrases 1 and 2 are used in alternation as the text requires.
Phrase 3 is used for the last phrase of text.
As with tone 3, the simplicity of this melody sets in relief
some common characteristic features.
It is the least used of the sticheron melodies.
The
melody for tone 8 has four phrases.
Phrases 1 through 3 are used in rotation as the text requires.
When phrase 1 recurs after phrase 3, it begins on the reciting
note. See this illustrated
in the phrase "attend to the voice" (p. 205.)
Phrase 4 is used for the last phrase of text
The
numbers in the phrases throughout the music of the stichera correspond
to the numbers used in the above discussion.
In the section containing the stichera for “Lord, I have
cried,” between the sections containing the first seven stichera for
all tones and the Dogmatic Theotokia for all tones, the 10 psalm
verses for all tones are gathered for ease of use with other stichera.
Both within the stichera and in the psalm verse section, the
verses are numbered in reverse to correspond to the typical references
in the liturgical service books, where the number of stichera to be
sung is referred to as “on 10” or “on 8,” meaning “10” or
“8” Psalm verses from the end (not including “Glory” or
“Both now”.)
Troparion
melodies, of which there are at least two examples for each tone,
share the open-endedness of sticheron melodies to large degree.
However, they have varying structural principles, some of which set
certain conditions on the text setting.
The
troparion melodies for tones one, two, six and seven all consist of a
pair of phrases repeated as the text requires.
This structure requires texts to be divided into an even number
of phrases. In tones two and seven, the second phrase of the final
pair is varied.
The
troparion melody for the third tone uses the sticheron rotation
principle in a unique way. The rotation set of phrases is used as a
once-only beginning set by leaving out the middle phrase (pp. 327
& 328).
The
troparion melody for tone four consists of a
pair of melodic phrases, repeated as the text requires.
The second phrase of the pair is set to the second to last text
phrase, and a third phrase is set to the last text phrase. Texts in
this tone must be divided into an odd number of phrases not less than
three to keep the integrity of the melody.
For
troparion texts in the fifth tone, the sticheron melody is used.
The
troparion melody for the eighth tone consists of one phrase repeated
as needed. Care should be used in dividing a text so the phrases are
not too short. A sort of nursery-see-saw effect will result. In fact,
particular care in the execution of this melody should be taken in
order to avoid this problem.
Note
to the Revised Edition
This
book contains the revised edition of the Vespers volume of “A Church
Singer’s Companion.” Some
changes have been made of necessity, but the main reason for the
revision is the enhancement of its practicality and usefulness.
Since the appearance of the book, many comments and suggestions have
been received. All ideas
for changes have been studiously considered, and it is hoped that the
current revision profits by them.
One set of revisions arises from necessity.
In the years since the book’s appearance, changes have been
made to the translations used in it.
These changes have been incorporated in the revision, and the
music has been re-set accordingly.
Suggestions were taken and applied with regard to the form of some of
the melodies of the tones and, in fewer cases, the harmonization.
These changes were made to bring the book more in line with the
wider practice. It is
hoped that those who have been using the book will not be too much
discommoded by these changes; and it is further hoped that those
coming to use the book for the first time will not likewise be
discommoded by too great changes from what they may be used to.
A suggestion was made that the pitch at which the hymns are set should
generally be raised so as to be consistent with some earlier standard
compilations and for the sake of sonority.
Here is a list of pieces that were raised in pitch:
“Bless the Lord” - Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra Chant
D minor to E minor
“Lord, I have Cried” Tone 3
C major to D major
“Lord, I have Cried” Tone 5
F major to G major
“Lord, I have Cried” Tone 8
G major to A major
Sunday Evening Prokeimenon
G major to B-flat major
Monday Evening Prokeimenon
F major to G major
Tuesday Evening Prokeimenon
G major to A major
Wednesday Evening Prokeimenon
G major to B-flat major
It was suggested that more needed to be raised, and to a greater
degree. To do more would
have been to forego a governing principle of the book; namely, that
the pitch at which hymns are set should not cause strain for amateur,
untrained voices. Adherence
to this principle is especially important in the setting of stichera,
the music of which is frequently and uninterruptedly repeated for long
stretches in the service. While
the traditionally prescribed method of antiphonal singing of stichera
can mitigate the potential strain, it must be admitted that the
resources are not often available to apply this practice.
Also on the other side of the question, comments about the
pitch settings by the users of the book have been very favorable, thus
demonstrating the utility of the principle.
One common element in the traditional application of harmony to the
melodies of the tones is the presence of a part that moves in parallel
thirds (sixths) with the chant melody. The parallel part is called the
“descant” in the main introduction.
This practice was strictly adhered to in the initial edition
and the practice is retained in its entirety in this revision.
Mention of this arises because of a point made in the comments,
which is, that in the cases of a few tones. in mixed choir situations,
where the soprano has the melody and the tenor has the descant, the
descant is occasionally adjusted from the strict parallel motion for
the sake of sonority and, to a lesser extent, considerations of voice
leading. These
considerations are over-ridden by yet another guiding principle of the
book, which is, immediate adaptability to multiple choir
configurations. Again, it
was reasoned that the intended users of the book would welcome
adherence to this principle, and this has been borne out by their
favorable responses.
The main feature of this revision is the rearrangement of the contents
of the book. This
rearrangement means that, in the course of its use in Vespers, one
will never have to turn back to a previous page.
This result was arrived at by re-grouping the sections
containing stichera and troparia.
The main framework is that all the stichera (or troparia) for
all tones precede all the theotokia for all tones.
For example, in ‘Lord, I have cried,’ in the first edition,
the stichera for Tone 1 with the appropriate verses were followed by
the psalm verses by themselves for Tone 1, followed by the Dogmatic
Theotokion for tone 1, followed by the stichera for Tone 2, etc.
In this revision, Tone 1 stichera are followed by Tone 2
stichera,...followed by tone 8 stichera, followed by the psalm verses
for all Tones, followed by the Dogmatic Theotokia for all Tones.
The psalm verse section is so configured that all the melodies
of the tones for each verse of text are presented on facing pages.
For example, all the melodies, tones 1 through 8, for “Bring
my soul out of prison....” are on facing pages, 1-4 on the left, 5-8
on the right.
The psalm verse reconfiguration just described, and the removal of
items of limited utility resulted in a significant space-saving.
This was welcomed because it was noted that the book in its
first edition presses the boundaries of practicability because of its
size. Advantage was taken
of the regained space, however, to insert a few items that did not
appear before that are either intrinsically lovely or very useful
under special circumstances and fit well into the scheme of the book,
but were earlier left out for lack of space.
These are the Kedrov setting of “Blessed is the Man,” a
setting of “O Gentle Light” by the same composer, a coupled
setting of “O Gentle Light” and “The Lord is King” composed
for a complement of singers without tenors, and two additional
settings of “O Theotokos and Virgin” by Smirnov and Strokhin.
The main introduction is almost intact except for some corrections and
changes to reflect changed circumstances.
It remains only to mention those without whose help the book would not
have been produced. Locally,
Claire Mendis, Natalia Mulligan, and Mary Baumann contributed greatly
to the editing and physical preparation of the book.
Dr. Vladimir Morosan and Dr. Nicholas Schidlovsky, recognized
experts in the field of Russian Liturgical music, provided much
helpful comment and encouragement
The Liturgical Music Advisory Board of the Russian Orthodox
Church Outside of Russia, under the prayerful nurture and blessing of
Metropolitan Laurus, are here gratefully acknowledged for their
contribution. Reader
Nicholas Park came up with the idea of how to arrange the material for
the greatest usefulness. Last,
but really first because it is for whom the effort is made, the choir
members who have been the ground for testing and proving the material
must be held up in gratitude for all they have done (not to say, put
up with) down the years.
This book is offered to help fulfill a long-standing desire: that God
may be more fittingly glorified by those who worship in English.
Please remember on occasion in your prayers, the compiler and
his family and flock.
Priest George Johnson
Holy Apostles Orthodox Church, Beltsville, Maryland
May
26 / June 8, 2003, Sunday of the Holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical
Council
