Eastern Orthodox Liturgical Chant

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Music has been a part of my life ever since I was a little child, a significant witness to the passing of the years. I can still remember. Whether it was listening to the Divine Liturgy, which Mother would play on her treasured vinyl records (LPs), or to the easy listening stations at the Reno Café, where the old Philips radio was forever on. And later by choice, when I was older, music would accompany me everywhere from the city across the ocean and into the desert. Whatever the condition of the heart, as King David one of the authors of the Psalms well knew, there is consolation in music. But I have even from my childhood noted a difference between what we might call sacred and secular music.[1] It seemed the natural distinction to make. And the manifest difference between the two? In very simple terms, sacred music relates to God, to ‘the divine’, whereas secular music will typically relate to the human, ‘to the earthly’. Sacred music as well, has a tradition of being accepted as a music genre set apart for worship by a large group of a believing community. It is conventionally in the form of a chant (“a rhythmic speaking or singing”).[2] Another difference between the sacred and the secular is that the former is text confirmed in scripture and liturgical texts, and does not stimulate or arouse violence or wickedness,[3] which secular music can do.

This is a tremendous topic and one which can stimulate much discussion, especially when it comes to definitions and to people’s biases of what actually constitutes the sacred.[4] It could be as difficult as trying to get behind Dostoyevsky’s enigmatic “[b]eauty will save the world” spoken by the Christ-like figure the epileptic Prince Myshkin. But technically, at least, chant, is one of the signature characteristics of sacred music together with its connection to ritual and cultic practices. I can be moved to tears, for example, when I listen to Kris Kristofferson’s country gospel “Why Me, Lord?”[5] Or Barbara Streisand’s haunting rendition of “Avinu Malkeinu”.[6] Where would musicologists place these songs in a canon of religious music? I know they swell up an enduring gratitude in my own heart. The spine-tingling Christos Anesti sung by Irene Papas [7] which was adapted by Vangelis from the traditional hymn is another piece of music which can test the boundaries for the definition of a music style or form. Nor as a Christian, is the magnificent Azan from Sheikh Abdul majeed,[8] or listening to Cantor Moishe Oysher,[9] something which does not deeply touch and act upon my spirit. Gregorian chant synonymous with the Roman Catholic Church plays a part in my devotions, as do the inspiring chants of the Taizé community. From the masters of classical music there is an impressive list of great requiems in the dramatic tradition of the concert oratorio. The purpose behind sacred music, or at least that music which is specifically set aside for worship, is to lead to interior reflection and spiritual growth.

“Nothing elevates the soul,” writes Saint John Chrysostom, “nothing gives it wings as a liturgical hymn does.” In modern terms this could be transliterated into Hunter S. Thompson’s poetics on music as “energy” and “fuel”.

The intention behind this little introduction was to share some paragons of the sacred music from my own community of worship, the Eastern Orthodox Church. Outwardly traceable to the classical age of the Greeks but strongly influenced by the “Jewish Synagogue chant and psalmody”, eastern liturgical chant in its present recognizable form was developed in the earliest years of the Byzantine Empire.[10] Below are samples of the chant which is not to be confused with the Byzantine music of the courtly ceremonials.[11]  If you do not have time to listen to all the pieces, then might I suggest the cantor who is considered the principal of his generation, Theodoros Vasilikos, and the angelic Cherubic Hymn from the Novospassky Monastery Choir:

Vladimir Vavilov’s Ave Maria

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Newtown, Sydney

I was delighted the upload of Simon and Garfunkel’s The Sound of Silence resonated with you. It was touching to read from one young person that listening to the spoken lyrics by Leonard Cohen helped him during some difficult days. And to hear from my dear friend, the country and western singer Sand Sheff himself, who emailed to say the song also holds a special place in his heart. Music is indeed, the universal language. It is the common space, the hearth, where we have met for thousands of years to “speak” though we might not have understood each other’s tongue.

Encouraged by this warm response I share with you another beautiful song from my “soundtrack”. This time it is an aria (an expressive melody) from the Russian guitarist and composer Vladimir Vavilov (1925-1973),[1] the enrapturing Ave Maria.[2] The composer recorded it and published it himself on the Melodiya label ascribing it to “Anonymous”.[3] It is dated to 1970.[4] Since the death of Vavilov it has often been incorrectly attributed in one of the great musical hoaxes, to the late Renaissance composer and instrumentalist Giulio Caccini.[5] It is distinct from the more well-known Schubert and J.S. Bach/ Charles Gounod versions.

There are grand pieces of ART which transcend cultures and creeds. They are profound creations which resonate throughout the ages. And this melody which speaks to us of the great grace of the Mother of our Lord, and indeed of the love and benevolence of mothers everywhere, is one of these grand pieces. One does not have to be religious to appreciate the overwhelming beauty of this song, any more than one has to be atheist to have compassion for the suffering and philosophical insights of a Friedrich Nietzsche.

Of interest the text has only the two words… the Ave Maria.   

It is a spiritual mantra, or a prayer of the heart.

Any attempts to find cynical or political influences in Vavilov’s composition have yielded no results. The composer died in poverty suffering from pancreatic cancer, at the early age of 48.

The aria became known to a wider audience when it was performed by Inese Galante and then released in her debut album Debut in 1995. The composition gained even more recognition and worldwide interest four years later in 1999 when Andrea Bocelli performed it and released it in his Sacred Arias. Also of note is the incredible performance of the counter-tenor, the Korean David DQ Lee. There are now many covers here as well. The very best of these performances given the high calibre singer who will attempt the aria (normally the classical female singing voice of a mezzo-soprano) are often referred to as performances of “effortless perfection”. Below I have selected the singers which have specifically appealed to me. Each of the performances is truly moving and magnificent in their own right. And yet if you only have time to listen to just one, then please let that be the “irreproachable” Irina Arkhipova.

Irina Arkhipova, Andrea Bocelli, Inese Galante, Denyce Graves, Ewa Izykowska, Sumi Jo, Elisabeth Kulman, David DQ Lee, Olga Pyatigorskaya

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Vavilov_(composer)

[2] Ave Maria (Hail Mary) also referred to as “The Angelical Salutation”, is the traditional and most familiar prayer in the Roman Catholic Church in honour of the Blessed Lady. It is inspired by the angel’s salutation of the Blessed Virgin (Lk 1:28).

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ave_Maria_(Vavilov)

[4] Ibid.

[5] http://www.origenmusic.com/ave-maria-vavilov.html