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Russian Divine Liturgy

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Russian Divine Liturgy Novospassky Choir; Igumen Mitrofan Church music is a significant and extensive part of Russian national culture. The history of its...

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Russian Divine Liturgy

Novospassky Choir; Igumen Mitrofan

Church music is a significant and extensive part of Russian national culture. The history of its appearance, its life and development, embraces many centuries, beginning with the introduction of Christianity up to the present time. In particular there was a remarkable flourishing of Russian church music at the end of the nineteenth century and in the first twenty years of the next century. It was a period when many talented and widely known composers renewed and enriched church repertoire. The present recording offers the music from the Russian Divine Liturgy, celebrated by a Bishop.

1. Meeting and Vesting of the Bishop (L'vov)

When the Bishop enters the church, all the clergy, bearing crosses and a censer, meet him. They then vest the Bishop and he starts the Entrance Prayers, bowing to the holy icons of Our Saviour and of Theotokos, the Blessed Virgin.

The Bishop blesses the people and moves forward to his place in the centre of the church. Here the clergy remove the Bishop's outer vestment, leaving him dressed in a simple robe, to remind people of Our Saviour, who came to earth in humble simplicity. Then they start vesting the Bishop in his liturgical robes.

From the Rising of the Sun

From the rising to the setting of the Sun, the name of Lord is to be praised!

Blessed be the name of the Lord, henceforth, and for evermore!

The Hymn to the Theotokos

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos,

ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of Our God.

More honorable than the Cherubim

And more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,

Without defilement you gave birth to God the Word.

True Theotokos, we magnify you.

Your Soul Shall Rejoice

Your Soul shall rejoice in the Lord,

For He has clothed you with the garment of salvation;

And with the robe of gladness has He encompassed you:

As a bridegroom He has set a crown on you;

And as a bride, He has adorned you with arrayment.

2. Eis polla eti, Despota (L'vov)

Eis polla eti, Despota (Many years to you, Master) is an Old-Greek prayer for the Bishop. The choir sings the prayer when the Bishop blesses the people, turning to the four sides with the two special candlesticks, and the people bow to him.

3. Great Litany (Smolensky)

Litanies consist of a series of invocations and supplications, chanted by the deacon, to which the choir sings the refrain in response, Lord have mercy. This litany asks God for peace from on high and for the salvation of our souls, for the peace of the whole world and for the welfare of the Holy Church where the Divine Liturgy is being celebrated, for our deliverance from all affliction, wrath, danger and necessity. We also pray to God for our Patriarch, now Alexis II, Holy Patriarch of Moscow and of All Russia. We also ask Our Lady, the Mother of God and ever-virgin Mary, to help us, protect us and pray for us before God.

4. The First Antiphon: Psalm CII (Znamenn�y chant)

Bless the Lord, O my soul is based on Psalm CII.

The choir sings it to the znamenn�y chant. In this psalm the people of God are taught to praise Him for His great benevolence, which is proclaimed by Christ's banishing of sin and by the glory of His Resurrection.

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Blessed art thou, O Lord!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

And all that is within me, bless His Holy Name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

And forget not all His benefits!

Who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases!

The Lord is compassionate

and merciful, long-suffering and of great goodness!

Bless the Lord, O my soul!

Blessed art thou, O Lord!

5. The Only-begotten Son (Grechaninov)

The Greek Emperor Justinian wrote the text of The Only-begotten Son in the sixth century.

Although it is rather short, it nevertheless summarises the central dogma of Christianity.

Only-begotten Son and immortal word of God,

who for our salvation

didst will to be incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary,

who without change didst become man

and wast crucified,

who art one of the Holy Trinity,

glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

O Christ Our God,

trampling down death by death, Save us!

6. Introit

Come, let us worship is the Entrance Hymn that is heard during the Little Entrance, as the Holy Gospel is brought from the altar and the clergy come back into the sanctuary through the Royal Doors.

7. The Trisagion (L'vovsky)

The Trisagion calls people to repent of their sins and ask God for mercy. It is also called the Song of Angels because invisible angels are singing it together with the people in the church.

Holy God! Holy mighty! Holy immortal! Have mercy on us! (Repeated three times)

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

now and for ever and from age to age, Amen.

Holy immortal, have mercy on us.

Holy God! Holy mighty! Holy immortal! Have mercy on us!

8. Prokeimenon (Kastal'sky)

The Prokeimenon is a verse taken from the Psalms. It is chanted before the reading of the Epistle.

9. Alleluia

After the Epistle the reader chants the two Alleluia verses. After each one the choir repeats the Alleluia and the deacon censes.

10. Cherubic Hymn (Turchaninov)

The choir sings the Cherubic Hymn also known as the Great Entrance Hymn, during the Great Entrance. The Bishop carries the chalice and paten with the holy gifts of wine and bread. Preceded by the clergy he makes the Great Entrance, bringing our gifts to the altar. During the Entrance he prays for all members of the Church.

Let us who mystically represent the Cherubim,

and who sing the thrice-holy hymn to the Life-Creating Trinity,

now lay aside all earthly cares.

Amen.

That we may receive the King of All,

who comes invisibly upborne by the angelic hosts.

Alleluia!

11. The Nicene Creed (Arkhangel'sky)

The Nicene Creed was adopted at the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325 and expanded at the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381. It is used at baptisms, in the Divine Liturgy and in daily personal prayers.

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth,

and of all things visible and invisible;

and in one Lord Jesus Christ

the Son of God, the Only-Begotten,

begotten of the Father before all worlds,

light of light, very God of very God,

begotten not made, of one essence

with the Father, by whom all things were made;

who for us men and for our

salvation came down from Heaven

and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and

the Virgin Mary and was made man;

and was crucified also for us

under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;

the third day He

rose again, according to the scriptures,

and ascended into Heaven, and sits

at the right hand of the Father;

and He shall come again with glory to judge

the living and the dead;

whose kingdom shall have no end.

And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father,

who with the Father and the Son together

is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.

And I believe in one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.

I look for the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come.

Amen.

12. A mercy of peace! A sacrifice of praise! (arr. Archimandrite Matthew)

A Mercy of Peace is a prayer that is the most important part of the Divine Liturgy because it is heard during the Eucharist, when bread on the paten is transformed into the Body of Christ and wine in the chalice into the Blood of Christ. This sacrament, which only faith can comprehend, is so important that some Holy Fathers say that Earth will exist as long as at least one Divine Liturgy is celebrated there.

13. The Hymn to the Theotokos (Simonovsky)

After the Eucharist the choir sings the Hymn to the Holy Virgin It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos... remembering her important role in the mystery of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos,

ever-blessed and most pure, and the Mother of Our God.

More honorable than the Cherubim,

and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim;

without defilement you gave birth to God the Word;

true Theotokos, we magnify you.

14. The Communion Verse (Ledkovsky)

The choir sings this Communion Verse on Sunday.

Praise the Lord from the Heavens!

Praise him in the highest!

Alleluia!

15. Psalm CXX (Mironisitsky)

The soul praises God as The Saviour and asks the Lord to preserve him from all evil.

I will lift up my eyes to the hills,

from whence comes my help?

My help comes from the Lord,

who made Heaven and earth...

16. The Hymns after Communion (Arkhangel'sky)

The Royal Doors are opened. The Priest takes the chalice and offers Communion to those who are prepared to receive the Mystery. The choir sings Blessed is He that comes... After the Communion the choir sings the sticheron of Pentecost: We have seen the true Light..., which summarises the central meaning of the Communion. The Priest takes once more the chalice in his right hand and says as he faces the people: Blessed is our God After that the choir sings the Hymn of Thanksgiving Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise.

Blessed is He that comes

in the name of the Lord!

God is the Lord

and has revealed Himself to u,!

We have seen the true Light!

We, have received the heavenly Spirit!

We have found the true Faith!

Worshipping the undivided Trinity,

who has saved us.

Blessed is our God

Always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Let our mouths be filled with Thy praise, O Lord,

that we may sing of Thy glory;

for Thou hast made us worthy to partake

of Thy holy, divine immortal, and life-creating Mysteries.

Keep us in Thy holiness,

that all the day we may meditate upon Thy righteousness.

Alleluia!

17. Great Doxology (Strumsky)

The Great Doxology is part of Great Matins. It proclaims the mystery of the incarnation of Jesus Christ to the whole world. Christians thank God for His sacrifice and ask Him to forgive their sins and to accept their prayer.

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

good will towards men.

We praise Thee! We bless Thee!

We worship Thee! We glorify Thee!...

The Novospassky Monastery Male Choir

Igumen Mitrofan

A winner of the International Choir Competitions in Hungary in 1991 and in Poland in 1994, the Novospassky Monastery Choir has aroused great admiration in its public appearances at home and abroad. The eighteen professional singers are led by Igumen Mitrofan, who has developed and brought the choir to its high artistic level, directing the choir outside its monastic setting in concerts abroad that introduce audiences to the fine tradition of music of the Russian Orthodox Church. The choir performs regularly during official ceremonies at the Patriarch's Residence and has appeared at the White House and the Kremlin. The repertoire of the choir ranges from early monastic music to sacred compositions of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

THE NOVOSPASSKY MONASTERY

A characteristic fifteenth century fortified monastery, with an eighteenth century bell-tower and other more recent additions, and among the oldest church structures in Moscow, the Novospassky Monastery was founded on the site of the Kremlin, later moved to a hill by the Moskva river providing it with the name 'Novospassky' (Saviour on a New Place - The New Saviour). The Monastery has hosted Russian princes, Tsars and their families. From the earliest days of the Romanov dynasty, a special sepulchre housed the Romanovs and their ancestors. Performing many functions, it served as a fort, was used by the Communists as a concentration camp, a prison for women, and later housed KGB archives. In 1991 the Monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church.

Disc 1

Meeting and vesting of Bishop

(more info)

Composed by: Alexey Fyodoroovich Lvov
Conducted by: Igumen Mitrofan

Meeting And Vesting Of Bishop - 10:17
Eis polla eti, Despota - 1:04
Great Litany - 3:21
Bless The Lord, O My Soul - 1:31
The Only Begotten Son - 2:00
Come, Let Us Worship And Fall Down Before Christ - 0:59
The Trisagion - 2:12
Prokeimenon - 1:30
Alleluia - 1:34
Cherubic Hymn - 8:11
The Nicene Creed - 5:26
A Mercy Of Peace - 6:52
The Hymn To The Theotokos - 2:49
Praise The Lord From The Heavens! - 3:22
Psalm CXX - 3:41
Blessed By The Name Of The Lord, Henceforth And For Ever More - 1:54

Great Doxology

(more info)

Composed by: Strumsky
Conducted by: Igumen Mitrofan

Great Doxology - 9:33

Reviews

Write a review

Excellent! (Dec 11, 2007)
Reviewer:mark
This Russian Divine liturgy is highly recommended for everyone, wheter he is a Christian or not, it touches the deep soul of our "human-being". Listen to these songs, they are deeply spiritual!

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Flash 9 required. Click to download.

Composer(s):
Lvov, Alexey Fyodoroovich; Strumsky

Conductor(s):
Mitrofan, Igumen

Label: Naxos Classics
UPC: 636943415023
Item Number: 8554150
Release Date: Feb 1, 2001

Russian Divine Liturgy

BACH, J.S.: Bass Cantatas, BWV 56, 82, 158

LISZT: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 / Totentanz

Guitar Recital: Jason Vieaux

ELGAR: Orchestral Miniatures

Russian Divine Liturgy

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