Articles
Below are articles submitted by the Department of Sacred Music
St. Romanos the Melodist
Saint Romanos the Melodist, A Syrian Poet
Michael G. Farrow, Ph.D.
Vice Chairman, Dept. Sacred Music
“The hymnologists of the Orthodox Church are Christians of virtue and great faith, having been endowed with musical talent as well as the power of religious inspiration. Their creations have enriched our worship services and have helped turn our souls towards God. Perhaps the greatest of all hymnologists is St. Romanos the Melodist. Many other hymnologists have written ecclesiastical hymns, but none of them inspired the Christians as much as St. Romanos.” This statement, issued by the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians concisely states the reverence, appreciation and feeling all Orthodox Christians have for St. Romanos. Romanos’ Background Romanos a Syrian Christian, born in Edessa (Homs), Syria, lived in the beginning of the 6th century. Relying on scanty information about Romanos’ life, and based on the fact that his work contains a large segment of Semitic expressions, the fact that he never attacks Jews, and on a later anonymous kontakion stating that as “God’s Orator” he is “from the race of Hebrews”, it is generally thought by most scholars that he was a convert from Judaism. However, other scholars (R.J. Schork, 1995) believe that this may not be true. Schork states that his Semitic expressions are similar to those prevalent in the Syriac Christianity of that period, his anti-Jewish polemic such as “lawless one” in his hymns of passion week may be due to prejudice or the exaggerated zeal of a recent convert, and the fact that the “Hebrew” reference in the later kontakion merely refers to the fact that he was non-Greek or a Syrian. Topping states that although a late tradition makes him a Jew and a convert, it is more likely that he belonged to a Christian family of Semitic origin. Romanos was ordained a deacon and served in the Church of the Resurrection in Berytus (Beirut). Most sources agree that he went to Constantinople during the reign of the Emperor Anastasius I (491-518). Church Legend Church legend has it that during this time, Romanos’ voice was quite harsh and rasping and he was also tone deaf. It is said that the congregation cringed at hearing his voice. It was in the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Blachernae quarter of Constantinople, that he received the gift of sacred poetry. After a religious retreat there, in his sleep on Christmas eve, he saw a vision of the Most Holy Theotokos who told him not to despair. Blessing him with her right hand, she held forth a scroll with her left hand, saying, “Take the scroll and eat it”. The saint, in his dream, opened his mouth and swallowed the parchment. It was Christmas Day, and immediately he awakened and marveled and glorified God. According to an account by Poulos, the service commenced as usual and when it came time for the voice of Romanos to be heard, the participants braced themselves for the accustomed cacophony that would ensue. Then, mounting the pulpit in the church, Romanos began the strains of his kontakion: Today the Virgin gives birth to the one who is above all living things. But when the tone rolled across the church like the sound of a heavenly angel, the stunned listeners stood transfixed. When he had finished, the confused priest signaled him to continue and once again the resonant voice reverberated in the house of God. Then it dawned on one and all that a miracle had occurred. He was now hailed as the “Melodist”. Hymn Writing His talent was great. Unlike others, he wrote his hymns in simple language and produced a pleasant meter in the verse by the way he accented words. Most scholars agree that he wrote in the colloquial idiom (common language) of his time. The hymns he composed appealed to the hearts of the people, and are still sung today. Romanos has been called "Sweet Singer" (Glykophonos), "Melodist" (Melodos), and "Righteous Chanter" (Psaltis Dhikeosinis). There is no evidence that he was ever ordained to the priesthood or served in a monastery or ever held an official appointment in the Emperor’s court. Kontakia Style Hymns Romanos wrote many hymns celebrating the mystery of the Incarnation, the Passion, the Resurrection, and the living of a Christian life. Until the 12th century his Christmas Kontakion was performed by a double choir (from Hagia Sophia and the Church of the Holy Apostles) at the Imperial banquet on that feast day. Kontakia consist of 25 strophes (troparia), usually of 21 verses each, with a refrain. Dramatic and pathetic dialogue play a great part in the structure. Romanos’ works are essentially long metrical homilies, arranged in stanza form, set to music and designed to be sung after the reading of the scriptures as part of the morning prayers. They were most probably chanted in urban churches and not monasteries, and are essentially sung sermons. The Greek word for this type of literary form is kontakion derived from the Greek word kontax, the rod or staff around which the parchment scroll containing the text was originally wound. The works are a metrical scheme in which there is a pattern of conforming stressed and unstressed syllables in each line. This pattern of stress is determined by the pronounced and written accent. Classical poets like St. Gregory of Nazianzus who composed the Presanctified Liturgy based their writings on the quantity of time (long or short) needed to pronounce each syllable. There is no complete edition of Romanos’ kontakia. Although the Synaxarion states that Romanos wrote “more than a thousand” hymns, Toppings feels that this is an exaggeration, a metaphor for the poet’s generous gift of hymnody to the church. Some 59 genuine hymns have been identified from medieval Byzantium, the remaining being lost. Unfortunately none of the music accompanying them survives. His most famous kontakia are those of Christmas, Pascha, and the Passion. St. Romanos is also said to have composed the Akathistos Hymnos, a kontakion which we still chant during the Friday evening services of Great Lent. This literary form reached its highest development in Romanos’ kontakia with their elaborate metrical system and vigourous dialogues. Unfortunately the form degenerated in the following centuries. Romanos borrows heavily from earlier Greek sermons and other sources, though it is not certain whether he also depends on St. Ephram the Syrian. His masterpieces presented dignified diction and elaborate metrical patterns. He aimed not only to preach but to please. He seemed to be well trained before arriving in Constantinople and probably was well educated in one of the last schools of rhetoric still flourishing in 6th century Syria. Romanos’ Death Romanos died in peace on October 1st and is buried in the Church of the Theotokos, in Constantinople, where his feast is still celebrated. The exact year of his death is not precisely known. Many scholars set it as 555 AD, based on an Imperial document of 551 and his apparent mention of violent earthquakes that shook the Near East in 552, 554, and 555 AD. He was a productive genius and artist, writing and accenting many kontakia. He has been called the patron saint of all who sing for the Church. Others say he is the leader in the world of religious hymnology. Within a few decades after his death, Romanos was canonized and venerated in Byzantium and Armenia and after the 9th century, in Russia. His icon pictures him in the white robes of a young deacon. The only authority for the life and date of this greatest of Orthodox hymnographers is the account in the Menaion for October (Feast Day, October 1). Beyond the description in the Menaion, there are only two mentions of St. Romanos’ name, one by the 8th Century poet, St. Germanos, and one by Suidas who calls him “Romanos the melode”. None of the Byzantine writers on hymnography allude to him; his fame was practically extinguished by the newer school of hymn-writers which flourished in the 8th and 9th centuries. Krumbacher has made it fairly certain, by a number of critical arguments, that the emperor named in the Menaion as reigning when Romanos came to the capital, Constantinople, is Anastasius I (A.D. 491-518) and not Anastasius II (A.D. 713-716); Pitra and Stevenson are of the same opinion. Probably, then, he lived through the reign of Justinian (A.D. 527-565), who was himself a hymn-writer; this would make Romanos a contemporary with two other Byzantine hymnographers, Anastasios and Kyriakos. “In poetic talent, fire of inspiration, depth of feeling, and elevation of language, he far surpasses all the other melodists. The literary history of the future will perhaps acclaim Romanos for the greatest ecclesiastical poet of all ages”, say Krumbacher. All the other critics of Byzantine poetry subscribe to his enthusiastic praise. The following primary and secondary sources were used for this article: Phillimore, J.S., transcribed by Herman F. Holbrook in The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. XIII, Robert Appleton CO., p. 154 (1912) which cites the following references: Bouvy, Poetes et Melodes (Nimes, 1886) Idem, Studien zu Romanos (Munich, 1899) Idem, Umarbeitung bei Romanos (Munich, 1899) Pitra, Hymnographie de l’Eglise grecque (Rome 1867) Jacobi, Zur Geschichte des griechischen Kirchen liedes in Briegers Zeitschrift fur Kirchengeschichte (1882), V, 177-250) Krumbacher, Gesch d. byz. Literatur, Munich 312-318; Poulos, George, Orthodox Saints: Spiritual Profiles for Modern Man, Oct 1 to December 31, Holy Cross Orthodox Press, Brookline, MA (1992) Mitsaki, K., The language of Romanos the Melodist, C.H. Beck’she Verlagsbuchhandlung (Munich, 1967) National Forum of Greek Orthodox Musicians (no date) Schork, R.J., Sacred Song form the Byzantine Pulpit: Romanos the Melodist, University Press of Florida (1995) Topping, Eva C., St. Romanos the Melodos: Prince of Byzantine Poets, Greek Orthodox Theological Review, 24:65-75, Spring, (1979) Legend for the icon of St. Romanos which is to accompany this article: Icon of St. Romanos by Matthew Garrett. The saint is shown clothed in the white robes of a deacon and directing an antiphonal choir of men, on one side, and women on the other. Laminated copies of this icon are available from the Archdiocesan Bookstore.
Volunteerism or Stewardship
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By Christopher Holwey I would like to offer a few words here concerning the difference between volunteerism and stewardship, and how it correctly pertains to our life in the Church. Over the years, I have seen many of us in the church struggle to get more and more people to participate and “volunteer” to do what needs to be done to keep our churches going. Whether it be helping out once a year at the annual whatever, or being a part of the weekly and monthly life in the Church, we always seem to find ourselves, sooner or later, lamenting the fact that we do not have enough people “volunteering” to do all of the tasks and fill all of the roles that need to be done and filled. Well, I propose to you that one of the difficulties that I see in all of this is our focus. Are we really looking for “volunteers” to do a project, or are we looking for stewards to As each new liturgical year roles around in September, we find ourselves looking for parishioners to teach in our Church School, sing in our choir, serve in the altar, oversee our Youth Ministry, join the organizations, usher, chant, cook, clean, plan for the future, pay the bills, make the necessary decisions, and so on, ad infinitum. Then, we look at them all and call them such wonderfully “dedicated volunteers,” and try to be ever so careful not to put too many demands on them, or expect too much from them, because they are simply “volunteers.” Well, enough of that word and mentality! May I humbly, yet boldly, say we are NOT volunteers. We are stewards! Our Archdiocese does not have a Department of Volunteerism, but rather a Department of Stewardship. Some might say: “What’s the difference? What’s in a name? We’re all working for the church anyway and trying to get the job done. Who cares what you call it!” Well, my friends, and brothers and sisters in Christ, there really is a big difference, and I feel that a name can make all the difference in the world, especially when that world is dealing with, and is, God’s kingdom. Let us, first of all, take a look at the definitions of each word and see how they present themselves. The word voluntary (as taken from the Random House Dictionary) means “done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one’s own accord or by free choice; of, pertaining to, or acting in accord with the will.” A volunteer is defined as “a person who voluntarily offers himself or herself for a service or undertaking; a person who performs a service willingly and without pay.” Honestly, I have no problem with the word itself, since as you can see, we must all come to do what needs to be done in the Church out of our own free will. Even St. Paul says in 2 Corinthians: “Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (9:7). Furthermore, none of us, I believe, would ever expect to be paid by the church for singing in the choir or teaching Church School. But, is there not much more to our life in the Church than simply doing something freely and without pay? Well, let’s look at stewardship. A steward is defined as “a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others; a person who has charge of the household of another, buying or obtaining food, directing the servants.” As you can see, the focus is much different. As stewards, we are not simply coming of our own free will to accomplish a task, but more importantly, we are taking care of that which has been given to us by God. This is His World, His Church, His Property, and we are His Children and Stewards who have been entrusted with the care of it all. “The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Furthermore, as we look at the pamphlet put out by our own Archdiocese’s Department of Stewardship “Standing Ready to Serve,” we read: “Life is a gift from God. All that we have in this life is part of that gift. Stewardship reinforces this belief and reminds us that our time, talents, and resources are the gifts through which we show our love and appreciation to God.” So, as the Lord Jesus Himself said to us, “Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions” (Luke 12:42-44). As faithful stewards of God’s holy House, we have a sacred obligation and responsibility not simply to volunteer a few extra moments, but rather to humbly and joyfully offer our time, our talents, and our resources back to God in the management and care of that which He has given to us. And this responsibility belongs to all of us, clergy and laity alike. St. Paul wrote to Titus and told him to “appoint elders (presbyters) in every town,” and referred to the bishop as “God’s steward,” specifying the many qualities he will need to be a good steward and overseer of God’s holy House (1:5ff). We can see the depth of this as well in Jesus’s words to Peter: “‘Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ He said to him, ‘Feed my lambs…Tend my sheep… Feed my sheep’” (John 21:15-19). And again, when St. Paul was speaking about his own ministry of preaching the gospel, he said: “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! For if I do this of my own will, I have a reward; but if not of my own will, I am entrusted with a commission” (1 Corinthians 9:16-17). In Greek, this word commission is the word for stewardship. So you see that even if he did not want to do it of his own free will, he knew that he must preach anyway, for that was what was entrusted to him by God! As for the laity, the words of the two Patrons of our Patriarchate, SS. Peter and Paul, are quite straightforward. From St. Paul: “This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2); and from St. Peter: “As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10). Yes, it is true, my friends! There is no human being alive who has not received a gift from God. We have all been blessed by God with certain gifts and talents – and opportunities to use them! – and are called upon to give back a portion of these blessings in thanksgiving for what we have received, and for the glory of His holy Name. This is what we call Total Parish Involvement. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7). So, whether we are serving at the altar, changing the candles, working on the budget, vacuuming the carpet, singing in the choir, fixing the broken door, teaching Church School, cooking in the kitchen, overseeing Youth Ministry, cutting the grass, teaching Bible Study, chanting, greeting people in the back of the church, making Holy Bread, offering a donation, putting the Festival or Bazaar together, cataloguing books for the library, counting the money, working in the office, visiting the lost sheep, staying after to lock the doors, visiting the sick and shut-ins, reading the epistle, ushering, folding the weekly bulletin, planning a special event, visiting those in prison, caring for the elderly, serving coffee hour, working in an organization, serving on the Parish Council, preaching a sermon, or being a shut-in who can’t get out of the house yet prays each day for our people and calls others on the phone once in a while to simply say hello, – and whatever else I may have forgotten – we are ALL of infinite value to our God and a vital part of the management and stewardship of His holy Church. This shows us, then, that the Church is not a charity at which we volunteer; rather, She is our Mother whom we serve. Let us, therefore, be faithful and righteous in our stewardship. “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own?" (Luke 16:10-12). Remember, in the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25), the Master was not upset because the third servant didn't volunteer, but rather because he didn't make good use of his talent, and did not care properly for that with which he was entrusted. Let us all go forth and be faithful to our calling, each in his or her own way, and as we heard in the Conference theme a few years ago: “See that you fulfil the ministry which you have received in the Lord” (Colossians 4:17). |
The Ministry of Church Singers
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The Ministry of Church Singers
(For everyone to read!)
(The following article is taken from the newsletter PSALM: Pan-Orthodox Society for the Advancement of Liturgical Music, Spring 1996, written by His Grace Bishop BASIL.
For more information on PSALM, please go to www.orthodoxpsalm.org .)
There are few ministries of the Church that require the devotion and the dedication that church singing does. You who lead the singing as well as you who follow the leader are precious gifts to your parishes. You are as important to the parish as is the holy table itself. As there can be no liturgy without the holy table, there can be no liturgy without you. This is not to compliment you or increase your pride, but rather to put a little fear and awe in you, so you know what your responsibilities are.
Church singing is not a hobby. Being a choir director is not something one does for personal fulfillment. It is first and foremost a duty, a duty of those to whom God has given musical talents. It is sinful, in my opinion, for someone not to sing who has been given the gift to sing. Sinful! You join the angels, and do that which the angels do perpetually. That’s not an interest, avocation, or a hobby; it is a duty. Angels were created to serve and to praise, and you have been given voices for that same purpose.
I love to remind our church singers of the fact that we physically jump into something that goes on perpetually. We jump in and join with the angels for a couple of hours, and then we jump back out. The liturgy does not begin with “Blessed is the Kingdom” and your “Amen,” and it doesn’t end with “Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers” and your “Amen.” Those phrases only define the time that we participate in the liturgy which goes on perpetually before the throne of God.
We’ve been told that singers should listen to each other for a good blend. The tenors should listen to each other, and then the tenors should listen to the sopranos. The sopranos ought to listen to the altos, etc., etc. That’s fine for the street. For the church singer it is not the tenor, alto, or soprano who stands next to you we need to listen to, but the angels who lead us in our singing. Those are the voices we need to hear and with which we blend our voices. What can sound beautiful to us can sound like cacophony at the throne of God, if we are not singing with the angels.
St. John Chrysostom tells us that while the priesthood is something that takes place here on earth, and is an ordinance established here on earth, yet it is something that is super-heaven, because the priest and the deacon do that which angels dare not do. The angels stand in awe, not at the priest or bishop or deacon, but at what they’ve been permitted to do by God’s grace. If John Chrysostom wrote a book on choirs, as he did on the priesthood, I’m sure he would say that while being a choir member, cantor, or reader is something earthly, it is also something heavenly. That the angels stand there, perhaps not in awe, but at least with a little bit of jealousy, because you who are flesh and blood have been called upon to serve in the same ministry that they have been created for.
It’s a holiness. It’s not your ministry. It’s a ministry that belongs to the Church, and you respond to the call as well as recognize that the gift which you specifically fulfill in the church was, traditionally, and in some sense still is, an ordained ministry. The choir was not some club that existed in Church for those with some particular musical talent. To be a church singer was an ordained office within the Church. Canon 15, from the Council of Nicea, the Council of the 4th century, makes its point clear that only canonical singers should be appointed for that kind of ministry in the Church. That means "one set apart" for that particular ministry. Today we might call them Readers. While I’m not saying that every choir member must be a tonsured Reader, I do say that if we fulfill at least the spirit, if not the law of the Canon, that each choir member ought to see his/her participation in the choir as seriously as the ordained clergy take their ministry. I don’t know any priest who thinks that he can say on some Sunday, “I don’t want to serve because I want to sit with my wife,” or, “I don’t feel like serving today,” or, “I’m angry, one of the altar boys offended me, so I don’t want to serve this morning.”
As seriously as the ordained clergy need to take their ordination, so you ought to as church singers. Canonically, they are an order of the Church, to begin with. I’m not proposing that we fulfill the letter of the law by having you all ordained, but I think we ought to at least incarnate the spirit of the law, which implies a great responsibility, a great sense of duty and a privilege that is given to him or her as a church singer. This, then, should create in all of us, whether or not we are ordained clergy, a real sense of humility. We should give thanks that God has been pleased to call us who were created from the dust of this earth to participate in the heavenly liturgy and to offer up praises with His angels to join the perpetual hymn of “Holy, holy, holy.”
We jump in and we jump out. Some of us jump in on time and some of us jump in a little bit late. In my opinion, being in church for that first “Amen” is a sign, an indication of one’s humility. And where humility is, indeed, a virtue, its opposite is a sin. The sin is not disturbing other people. The other people in the church are not the object of our worship. It is rude, but not necessarily sinful, to disturb other people. But it is sinful to be presumptuous and prideful that one can jump in and sing with thousands of archangels and ten-thousands of angels at one’s own whim. “This Sunday I feel like singing, and next Sunday I won’t sing. I want to sit with my wife.” Leave that Hallmark—card kind of sentimentality for restaurants, concerts, and cinemas. You sing with angels, that’s secondary to sitting with any husband or wife or children. We stand before the throne of God, and when we realize that, every other consideration, all of our own personal likes and dislikes, become secondary. I’m giving my opinion now, and hopefully it humbles all of us. It’s a humiliation, that in its end, should be something that elevates us, that exalts us, something that gives us wing.
Now, I would like to share with you some of the writings of the Fathers of the Church, and some homilies on the canons about chanting in Church.
The choir leads the congregation in prayer. The invitation to prayer is put out by the deacon or archdeacon. The deacon invites prayer, but the choir leads the congregation in the prayer itself. First I will share the words of St. Meletios the Confessor. He says:
“Prayer with musical chants and melodies, loudly voiced tumult and shouting is heard by men; but before God our Maker, the prayer which proceeds from a man’s conscience and God-imbued intellect stands before God as a welcome guest, while the former is cast out.”
There are choirs which make “loudly voiced tumult and shouting.” Yet I do not wish to imply, and I know that St. Meletios does not imply, that aesthetic beauty is the only criterion for chanting. Here is a little story. Once upon a time there was a Monastery of St. George, and the Abbott was blessed with monks that did not have such wonderful voices. The annual pilgrimage on the Feast Day of St. George was not all that impressive with the rather awful sounds coming from the choir. So the Abbott called together all the monks and said, “Look this year I am going to invite the famous choir from the cathedral for the Feast.” Word went out and thousands of people came to St. George Monastery for the feast day and it was a glorious day. The famous choir from the cathedral was in great form and used its best voices. The Abbott was thrilled and even the humble monks who were not allowed to sing that day were thrilled. Following the day’s festivities the monks went off to sleep, and the Abbott was sound asleep after all the excitement of the day. St. George came to him in his sleep and said, “Father, I think you missed my feast day! Today is my feast day and here you are, you didn’t do anything. Have I not blessed you this past year?” And the Abbott said, “Oh, Saint George, I do not know where you were, but we had a glorious feast today. How could you not be here?” St. George said, “I was in the church and I saw a great multitude of people, but I heard nothing.”
You and your choir need be as aesthetically perfect as you are able. God not only expects, but He accepts only our best. If your best sounds like “a loudly voiced tumult and shouting.” but it is indeed your best, then God hears you, and St. George does too.
Here is a quote from St. Anatoloy Zertsaley of Optina, written to a new choir member. “The fact that you have started to chant is not important. The roosters out on the farm sing like anything. They will drown you out right away. But you are not a rooster, and you are not a hen. You have to remember that your singing should not be like that of a rooster, but like that of angels, that is done, with humility, fear, ardent love, and self reproach. Such is true and God-pleasing chanting. But the vainglorious kind, designed to please not God but men, is worse than those of roosters. And this is precisely what you did not specify for me, that is, whom did you come closer to in imitating, when you chant, the angels or a hen?”
St. Simon the founder of Simones Petras Monastery on Mt. Athos says that “at the church services we should chant with solemnity and devoutness, and not with disorderly vociferation.”
And St. Nikodemos of the Holy Mountain counsels us, saying, "The psalmody which takes place in the church is an entreaty to God. Now he who makes an entreaty and prays must be in a state of humility and contrition. Whereas an unduly loud voice manifest audacity and irreverence.
One of the techniques that many chanters and choirs use is attempting to interpret to the congregation what the text means. Very loud at one point and very soft at another point, then slow, then fast. That is as artificial as controlling the emotions of those who stand in our churches by dimming the lights or turning them on bright. Your task is to sing, not to interpret. The Holy Spirit is the One who will lead us into the knowledge of all truth, not the choir director or the chanter.
Again, he who prays “must be in a state of humility of contrition.” According to Saint Nikodemos, a sign of humility and contrition is that one does not chant or pray with an “unduly loud voice” interpreting the text. He says, “Chanters should psalmodize in a reverent and orderly manner, with fear of God and piety and contrition.”
Pray gently and calmly. Sing with understanding and rhythm. Then you will soar like a young eagle, high in the heavens, wrote St. Evagrios.
“He, the church singer, should chant without hurrying and without dragging, and he should pronounce the words clearly and distinctly. He should chant simply and reverently in a monotone, without expressing his feelings by modulations and changes of voice. Let us leave the holy prayers to act on the listeners by their own spiritual power. The desire to convey to the bystanders one’s own feelings is a sign of vanity and pride.” St. Ignatius Brianchaninov continues, “The singing should be begun and ended all together. Moreover, the hands should not be waved in a distracting manner.” You should not do in the choir loft or the choir area, that which you would not do in the sanctuary. “The hands should not be waved in a distracting manner, and on no account should there be any moving around. The members should go in order quietly, one after the other, without pushing or hurrying one another.”
St. Elias the Presbyter counsels us, saying, “When through continuous prayer the words of the psalms and hymns are brought down into the heart, then the heart like good soil begins to produce by itself, various flowers: roses, the vision of the incorporeal realities; lilies, the luminosity of corporeal realities; and violets, the many judgments of God, difficult to understand.” There are the gifts, the graces that come to the church singer who sings with humility and contrition, who leaves aside his or her own personality and idiosyncrasies.
If indeed we are singing with the angels, listening to their voices and melodizing with them, then we know that the responsibility for conveying the import of the text does not rest upon our shoulders at all. That is not to say that we can mumble. The Fathers that we have heard say that we should chant with understanding, distinctly and clearly. But we do that because we wish to show respect to the text, not because we are trying to tell the congregation what the hymn is about. We are not there in positions of teachers, the Church says. We show respect to the text, not to the hearer. Our first concern is the text, the holiness of the words themselves. And if we do that the hearers will hear. They will be given all the tools necessary to understand the mysteries which are encompassed in the holiness of the text. And yes, the words are holy. And the sheets of paper that have music on them are holy, just as holy as a paper icon. Words have power. And “The Word” is the title given to the Son of God Himself. The words and the music both have power. They have a holiness. The spoken word is a gift given to us, and given to none of God’s other creatures. And it is a gift that we must perfect, the gift of speech, the gift of communication, and the gift of music. It is a gift that we perfect and offer back to God as a spotless sacrifice and a pure offering, to our God who gave us the gift of words and music to begin with.
Q: Should the first antiphon and cherubic hymn be sung in the same manner?
A: That is a good question, but I will speak about the interior attitude in the church singer. The music need be tasteful, beautiful and non-intrusive, so the liturgy flows. And again the flow is important, not so much because a break in the flow would be disruptive to those who hear, but that it would be cacophony at the throne of God. The object of our worship is not the congregation but God Himself, and we do things well for Him. Everyone else may benefit, but they cannot be and must not be our consideration. Our consideration is that we offer God our best. That means: the best in sound, the best in taste (which may vary a lot, but that is fine.)
Q: What about dynamics and choral interpretation?
A: If they are done to make things more beautiful and not merely to express your own personal taste, then they are fine. There are some things that just naturally take a crescendo. It comes from the text in music that is well written. Where the music and the text marry, they are not obtrusive to each other. If they are a loving couple, the music does not need much external “mood setting.” It does it by itself, especially if one chants with understanding and contrition. Submit yourselves to the text. Choir singers submit yourselves to the director. Directors submit yourselves and the choir to the text.
Q: How do we find the balance between wanting it to be beautiful, but not going overboard?
A: What is one’s motivation for doing it? When I was at a monastery on Mt. Athos, they had no choir. But they had a chanter that was out of this world. It was a three hour Orthros with a one hour Liturgy and Fr. Theodore had been chanting for four hours. It was gorgeous. He had the most beautiful church voice; it wasn’t some ‘Frank Sinatra’ voice. We’ve got plenty of those. I mentioned to one of the monks afterwards how blessed the monastery is to have Fr. Theodore. He said, “excuse me, but he distracts us from our worship. We would start saying, ‘That was beautiful,’” What is our best and what is beautiful? Our best must be objectively discerned. Beauty is subjective to taste. That’s a way out of not answering the question, but I really don’t know how to answer it.
Q: How can we hear the voice of the angels?
A: That is not a hard thing to answer, but it is a hard thing to do. The way that we may hear them is to become childlike when we stand before God. Children can hear angels speak. Children see angels, and that is how we are told to be, like little children. Too often rather than being childlike, we become childish. To become childlike is to be innocent, to stand before God in the spirit of humility, and contrition, laying aside our own likes and dislikes, and our personality, if you will. Age or education does not necessarily mean that you cannot be childlike anymore.
There is a young man whom I have known since he was a teenager. He went on to law school and is now a very successful attorney. When he was about twenty-seven we met at a church gathering, and he asked if he could spend some time with me alone. We went off to the side, and he said, “you know, Fr. Basil, I am very disturbed because I do not see my angel anymore. I used to see my guardian angel by my bed every night. And I do not see him anymore, not for the past three months.” Here is a young man who, despite his sophistication, maintained his childlike innocence, when it came to things of God, until he was twenty-seven. Then something happened. What was especially beautiful about his attitude was his naiveté. For twenty-seven years, he believed that everyone must, like him, see his guardian angel. He did not think that it was anything unusual. What he thought unusual was that he was not seeing it anymore!
We can see the angels if we live with them, if we attune our ears to their voices, and focus our eyes on seeing them. They are there. Just because we do not see them, or do not hear them, does not mean they are not there.
Here is a canon that deals with church singing and church singers. It is from the 75th Canon of the Council in Trullo that took place in the 7th century (691-692).
“We wish those who attend church for the purpose of chanting neither to employ disorderly cries and to force nature to cry out loud, nor to introduce anything that is not becoming and proper to a church; but on the contrary, to offer such psalmodies with much attentiveness and contriteness to God, Who sees directly into everything that is hidden from our sight. For the sons of Israel shall be reverent (Lev.15:30), the sacred word has taught us.”
There is that word again, contriteness or contrition. Either humility or contrition has come up in almost every quote. Not only the ones that I am presenting, but all the ones I could find, from the Holy Fathers and from the canons. At our rehearsals, and our sessions with choirs, we talk about promptness, generally, and about dedication, both of which are important; but we need also speak about humility and contrition. If we take a poll of the Fathers those are the two characteristics that seem to be most important for church singers. Humility and contrition. They did not say anything about a beautiful voice. Did you notice that? It has to be orderly; it has to start together and stop together. That is a good thing for choirs. Blend your voices, another good and very practical thing. But sing with humility and contrition, that is the most important thing.
Now about forcing nature, here is a famous commentary on Canon 75. “The chanting, or psalmody, that is done in churches is in the nature of begging God to be appeased for our sins. Whoever begs and prayerfully supplicates must have a humble and contrite manner. But to cry out manifests a manner that is audacious and irreverent. On this account, the canon commands that those who chant in the churches refrain from forcing their nature to yell, but also from saying anything else that is unsuitable for the Church. But what are the things that are unsuitable for the Church? The expositor Senoras replies that there are womanist members and warblers (which is the same as saying trills and an excessive variation or modulation in melodies which inclines towards the songs sung by harlots). The present canon, therefore, commands that all these things be eliminated from the Church, and that those who chant therein shall offer their psalmodies in great care to God, Who looks into the hidden recesses of the heart, into the psalmody and prayer that are framed mentally in the heart rather than uttered in external cries. The sacred words of Leviticus teach us, ‘sons of Israel,’ to be reverent before God. That is why divine Chrysostom says that these things (meaningless utterances, singing words that either make no sense, or singing without understanding) are natural, not to those who are engaged in doxologizing God, but to those playing, and mingling the sport of demons with angelic doxology. By means of many arguments he, Chrysostom, teaches that we ought to offer up doxologies to God with fear and a contrite heart, in order that they may be welcome, like fragrant incense.”
The common thread that runs through these quotes is the need for humility and contrition. To be humble will be a struggle. We cannot buy humility; we cannot merely appear to be contrite. Humility and contrition are states of the heart and soul, that then manifest themselves in the behavior of body and attitude, and words, and psalmody. They are things that we need to work on individually. There is no choir practice to rehearse humility. I wish we could! We cannot have a rehearsal for joint contriteness. When choir members come together in individual humility and individual contriteness, we offer up corporate doxology that He hears and that St. George would hear. Something that is an acceptable sacrifice, an acceptable oblation before the throne of God. Brothers and sisters, you have been gifted by God with an angelic gift. Using your voices for His praise is a gift given to you and not to everyone. It is a gift given to you but a gift which you share with the angels and the archangels. Make yourself worthy, by His grace, of that gift, and be worthy of the calling to which you have been called. Not to lead the congregation in prayer; that is secondary. Not to make a beautiful atmosphere for liturgy; that is tertiary, way down the list. But to offer up acceptable glorification before the throne of God, an oblation that He will receive upon His heavenly and ideal altar. An oblation then, like our oblation of bread and wine, which He will in turn offer back to us. When He accepts your offering, He does not keep it. He will take it, transform it, and send it back to touch the hearts, and the minds and the souls of you and your congregants. He will do that. You do not have to worry about doing it. If He can make bread into Flesh and wine into Blood, know that He can make your psalmody into an instrument of the Spirit, which can lead you and your fellow congregants closer to Him. Let Him be the only object of your worship, the only object of your praise, the only object of your glory. Then you cannot help but be humble and contrite, standing and considering and seeing only Him. D
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The Need for Good Choirs and Good Music
Address at the 12th Annual Sacred Music Institute
Given in August, 1997
Good Evening! I hope that you are enjoying this 12th Annual Sacred Music Institute. It is a great pleasure for me to be here not only as a speaker but also in my capacity as Overseer Hierarch for the Department of Sacred Music. And it is a pleasure to be here with all of you, who contribute so much to the beauty and dignity of the services conducted in our churches. I welcome you this evening not only as spiritual sons and daughters but also as beloved co-workers in the service of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Introduction
I was asked to speak this evening on the topic of "The Need For Good Choirs and Good Music." I hope and pray that I will deal with it properly, as this is a most important topic not only for us gathered at this seminar but in the ongoing spiritual life of this God-protected Archdiocese.
David the Psalmist tells us to "Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing ... Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise." (Psalm 100:1)
If we had to write a mission statement for choirs and chanters, and indeed the entire people of God gathered in prayer, it seems to me that this section from Psalm 100 fits the bill. It speaks in terms of invitation, of participation, of rejoicing and praising, and doing so with the right attitude. These are some of the things I want to focus on this evening.
St. Theophan the Recluse, the great 19th century Russian monastic and bishop said of Church music: "The purpose of Church songs is precisely to make the spark of grace that is hidden with us burn brighter and with greater warmth. This spark is given by the sacraments. Psalms, hymns, and spiritual odes are introduced to fan the spark and transform it into flame..."
St. Theophan makes it quite clear that church music is meant to increase the grace of God in each one of us. That grace has been put there through the sacraments and it is through music that the "spark of grace" is made to burn more brightly. This grace is not meant to be static, hidden away and unused, nor is it meant to be left unexperienced. It is through church music that it becomes more active and burns with "greater warmth", not secular music, which by its very definition and its themes, seeks to stir up worldly feelings and emotions rather than the spark of grace! Some worldly music is appropriate for us and some isn’t, just as some "church" music is appropriate for us as Orthodox Christians and some is not.
St. Theophan goes on to say that "It is necessary not only to understand the song, but to be in symphony with it, to accept the contents of the song in heart and to sing it as if it came from our own heart… In the time of the Apostles only those who were in such a state used to sing; others entered into a similar mood and all the congregation sang and glorified God from the heart only. No wonder if, in consequence of this, the whole congregation was filled with the Spirit! What treasure is hidden in Church songs if they are performed properly!"
This teaching of St. Theophan’s in the 19th century is an echo of the teaching of the Church Fathers. St. Athanasios for, example, said, "Those who sing properly psalmodize not only with their tongue, but also with their mind, and benefit greatly not only themselves but also those who desire to listen to them…" And St. John Chrysostom tells us that "Those who psalmodize are filled with the Holy Spirit, just as those who sing satanic songs are filled with an unclean spirit..."
If we in our churches are to produce genuinely spiritual music, what is necessary are choirs and chanters who are qualified on a technical basis and on a spiritual basis. Others, much more qualified than I have dealt and will deal with the technical aspects throughout this conference. My task is to focus on the spiritual bases.
Choir members and chanters must have true devotion to their work and they must always exhibit true humility. And they must always sing with what the Holy Fathers called "inner attention." What this means is that not only do we have to know and understand the music theory and technique, the melody and dynamics, but we also need to know and understand the words and the meaning behind the words. And just as we strive to express a hymn as best as possible on a musical level, so we must strive to also express its meaning. And we must do so without showing off, with none of the "worldly" characteristics of secular music. This was made clear in the 75th Canon of the Council of Trullo which states, "We decree that those whose office is to psalmodize in the Churches do not use disorderly and loud vocalizations, nor force nature to shouting, nor adopt any of those modes which are inappropriate or unsuitable for the Church; but that they offer to God, Who is the observer of secrets, with great attention and compunction."
Thus it behooves us to pay strict attention to every aspect of our music ministry in the Church. This ministry demands of us absolute and total commitment. If we are to sing then we must practice. If we are to practice, then we must do so regularly and on time. If we are to minister well, we must be attentive first, to the inner demands and requirements of the piece we are singing, and then, secondarily, to the content of the music. In other words for those whose ministry is church music, the first requirement is a commitment to the Orthodox Faith, to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In the church, each hymn, verse, phrase and word of the divine services must be executed as it should be, clearly, in the right tempo, with natural accents proper to the language of the hymn. And outside the church each choir member or chanter must live a life that is consistent with what is sung in the church, a life that is exemplary, full of faith in God and love for Him as shown by love for one another. Remember that in baptism we put on Christ, for life! One who puts on the faith only during the services cannot be considered a true Christian.
What elements go into making a good choir?
(Fr. David Barr spoke on this topic in his presentation, "The Essence of Liturgical Singing", this morning). We need a proper understanding of all the elements which constitute Orthodox Liturgical Music.
First we must be well acquainted with the Orthodox Faith. By this I do not mean to imply that you should rush out and get a degree in Orthodox Theology. But you should be living a good Orthodox Christian life, one with a level of asceticism proper to your station as lay persons. Asceticism comes from the Greek ahs-kee-tees-mos, meaning "a whole system of personal discipline for the purpose of combating vice and developing personal virtues." In the Orthodox Tradition, such a system includes a personal private prayer life, daily spiritual reading - including the scriptures, frequent confession with a spiritual father of your choice, frequent communion, fasting, alms giving, and as much as possible, regular participation in the liturgical life of your parish. When we immerse ourselves in the life of the Church in all its aspects, then and only then do we begin to understand what the Church is teaching us through its prayers and hymns. Without first understanding what the Church is teaching us, we cannot teach others.
Having looked to the state of our spiritual health we can then effectively and appropriately address the technical aspects of the church music we are dealing with.
There is no act, no work, no service in the Church that does not require preparation. Every time a priest celebrates the Divine Liturgy he begins by entering the church and saying the Kairon or Preparation Prayers. After these he vests saying the Vesting Prayers. Following this he washes his hands saying verses from Psalm 26. He prepares the bread and wine in a special service called the Proskomide or Preparation of the Bread and Wine. And then he begins to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
Singing in church is no exception. It requires a great deal of preparation. In fact one may say that to be most effective all those involved in music ministry must be constantly working to maintain that ministry. In other words your ministry and the preparation for and maintenance of that ministry never stop. Otherwise your ministry is fruitless and unworthy. No one should hide behind the argument that "I have been singing in the choir for decades — I don’t need to prepare! I know it all already!" Every act of ministry in the Church, if it is to be effective and fulfill God’s plan, needs preparation. Specifically this preparation includes:
- A good spiritual life as outlined above.
- The technical aspects. You must train your voice under a qualified director and then keep your voice in good form. This can be done at home or at work by singing the music you have learned at rehearsals. Doing this not only keeps your voice in good form but it also gives praise to God continually and helps you to maintain your spiritual health.
- Necessity of preparation (Fr. Elias Meena touched on this, in part, in his presentation "Finding Liturgical Texts" last evening): You must have regular, weekly rehearsals. If your parish choir is not doing so, you must begin to do this immediately upon returning to your home parish. Every single choir member should be in attendance. In some parishes if a choir member misses a rehearsal, they are not allowed to sing the following Sunday. But this rule is good only if it is consistently enforced. Choir directors should not be discouraged by lack of attendance. Even if only two or three people show up on a given day, the director should rehearse those two or three. Any choir member who cannot or will not accept these requirements should step down and put aside this ministry. We cannot forget that it is indeed a ministry. It is not a hobby or a pastime. We are ministering to the Body of Christ and to do so effectively requires work and constant practice.
Chanters need to prepare services in advance. Check with your priest to determine if any other services will be done in the next few weeks. Verify the time, the feast day if there is one, the texts needed and where they can be found. Read over the texts several times well in advance of the actual service. They will become familiar to you and there will less chance of stumbling over a phrase or mispronouncing a word.
There is also the important consideration of the role that chanters play in their ministry — of teaching by their chanting. They must not fall into the bad habit of singing the texts for themselves only, as if their function were a personal privilege or a private act. The texts of the Church’s services are amazingly rich in their theological, spiritual, and didactic or teaching content. Approaching their task with proper preparation beforehand, the chanters become teaching assistants of the Church and the clergy. They must keep in mind that they are not reading or chanting only for themselves but also for the parishioners as well. Keeping in mind that they are "teaching" the parishioners, they will comprehend the need to be adequately familiar not only with the wording of the texts but also with the proper execution, stressing some words and phrases more than others. As the faithful hear the words, there will be an immediate understanding. This proper understanding will then lead to the words and what they teach, being absorbed into the hearts and minds of the parishioners, where they will do the most good.
- Being on time is as essential as being at rehearsals. To breeze into the church five minutes before a service begins, shows a total disregard and lack of respect for the service and for others. This must not be tolerated at all. Remember what Canon 75 of the Council of Trullo said about singing with "attention and compunction." We cannot arrive at the church and immediately begin to sing.
We need to adjust from being in the world, to being in "the Kingdom". We need time to decompress from the rush-rush attitude of this world to the timelessness of the world to come. Those who arrive late are usually always late. This tendency needs to be charitably pointed out to them with the request that they repent of this sin and begin to arrive early. Just as the deacons, the priests and yes, the bishops, have to slowly withdraw from the cares and concerns of this world to serve the liturgy, so do you who sing have to slowly withdraw from the same world. You need a time of quiet preparation just as the clergy do, for the God who is praised and served from the Altar is the same God who is praised and served from the choir loft or the chanters stand or the pew.
- In the vast majority of our parishes few of the faithful, including choir members and chanters are in church other than on Sunday morning. While there may be unavoidable reasons for this, we must do everything in our power to remedy the situation. None of us can be "Sunday Christians." As much as possible every member of the choir and every chanter should be present for services held during the week, especially the Evening Divine Liturgies, which were authorized by the Archdiocese specifically to make it easier for the faithful to be present at the Feast Day celebrations. Our sense of values must be such that church attendance is the first and highest priority. Anyone who says that this is not realistic given today’s society and values needs to hear that yes it is realistic because other people are doing it. Those who say it is to difficult because there is not enough time should have pointed out to them the fact that others manage to find the time and the means. For all our talk on the need to focus on family values our problem these days is not one of time, but one of values. We talk about values but do nothing about them. We have to translate our talk into action We speak of having values but often times do not indeed have them or if we have them do not place a proper emphasis on those values.
Church Music vs. Secular Music
There is a disturbing increase not only in the desire for but also the performance of music in our churches which is wholly inappropriate. Our clergy must insist that only music approved by the Archdiocese be allowed during the celebration of any sacraments, especially weddings. The Archdiocese has made a considerable concession in allowing secular music to be played before and after weddings, but not during weddings. This must be adhered to by everyone, the clergy, the choir, directors, the chanters, and the faithful. Your ministry is one which requires not only the cooperation of the clergy but also cooperation with the clergy. When your priest explains that a piece of music is inappropriate, you need to be understanding and agree with him both privately and publicly. As others see you and your priest in agreement and cooperating with each other, they also will begin to do the same. In this way a climate of harmonious understanding and cooperation spreads throughout the entire parish.
Equally important is the need to be aware of and to follow the Archdiocesan Guidelines regarding approved music and approved liturgical practices. I will deal with these a bit later.
It is very disturbing for me and for many of the clergy to hear the constant demand for "shorter" services. I ask you just how much do you think we can shorten the services before they no longer resemble the original? Just as disturbing is the need that some, both clergy and laity, have for lengthening the services unnecessarily. We must accept once and for all that the monastic vocation is unique and different from that of the average lay person. While totally appropriate for monastics to spend as many as 7-8 hours a day in church, aside from an hour or two of private personal prayer in their cells, it is totally inappropriate to expect lay persons to do the same thing in a parochial setting. The Archdiocese has published clear directions on how each service, Vespers, Orthros, the Divine Liturgy, the Evening Divine Liturgy, during Lent and during Holy Week, etc., is to be conducted. As good Orthodox Christians it is our responsibility to follow these guidelines. Christ directed severe criticism to the scribes and Pharisees when he condemned them saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widow’s houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation." (Matthew 23:14) We cannot lay upon the shoulders of the faithful any more than they are able to carry. And the faithful must not be faint of heart when it comes to doing what is justifiably asked of them.
Thus, it is very important for a good choir to follow the priest’s instructions regarding the order of the service, the texts to be used, who will do the various parts of service, the tempo and rhythm of the service. Neither the priest, deacon, the chantors or the choirs should drag out any part of any service. None of us, neither clergy or laity are "performing" — we are praying and leading others in prayer!
All should be in agreement with the published guidelines of the Archdiocese. Uniformity and consistency are not dirty words! We should not be afraid of uniformity and we should not find consistency distasteful. If anything they make music better and the choirs that sing that music better. The end result is better liturgical services, and better worship. The final result is that our praising God becomes better as well.
Review of Archdiocesan Guidelines
From The Priest’s Guide, Second Edition, 1994.
I’m sure that all of you know by now that we must have choirs and chanters in each parish, paid if necessary and that the priest is responsible to oversee their work. I don’t think any more needs to be said on this subject. Just as clear is that we are to celebrate Feast Days when they occur except on Sundays or Mondays when they should be celebrated on Sunday. The particular feasts to be observed have also been clearly listed, as have the rubrics and the order of the services to be used. Again we are all familiar with the services which should be celebrated during Great Lent as well as the proper rubrics and music to be used. The Word magazine publishes annually a well-written article dealing with these services, so I need not bore you by repeating this information.
In November 1994, a directive from His Eminence addressed to Choir Directors and Choir Members in the
I must point out at this time that the Archdiocese has recently published the long-awaited Congregational Liturgy Music book entitled "The Divine Liturgy for Clergy and Laity — Text and Music for Congregational Participation" I quote from the Letter of Authorization from His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP:
The practice of congregational participation is of the essence of the Orthodox Church and should be used wherever possible. We do not intend hereby to replace our church choirs [or chanters - ed. note] or the important ministry they offer; on the contrary, we mean to have the choirs lead the rest of the laity into a fuller, more prayerful liturgical experience and to supplement their own angelic voices. With the Psalmist let us cry, "I will declare Thy Name to my brethren; in the midst of the congregation, I will sing praise to Thee" (Hebrews 2:12; Psalm 22:22).
I hope that this will put to rest the notion that we intend to get rid of choirs and chanters. Never! So please stop worrying.
With the increase of number of bishops, we have realized the value of using the Evening Divine Liturgy in conjunction with pastoral visits and priestly elevations. Fr. David Barr dealt with this alternate form of the Evening Divine Liturgy in his presentation earlier today. An edition of this liturgy was prepared last year and Fr. David now has a copy of it so that he can format it for general use.
The Article "Choir Directors and Choir Members," The Word — November 1994.
His Eminence stressed the need to maintain the Paschal character of Sunday Divine Liturgy. It is a "little Easter." We can reflect the joyful mood of the liturgy by keeping the chronos, the tempo, the timing at a lively pace. The liturgy should not be dragged out by the priest, deacon or choir!" In addition it was clearly stated by His Eminence that we are to sing the antiphons "as are sung by the
From the Minutes of the Meetings of the Bishops of the Archdiocese
Meetings of 31 August 1995, 24 April 1996 & Meeting of 7 May 1997 —
Agenda Item 9: #6 There should be general uniformity of rubrics employed in the celebration of divine services in our parishes and missions…
#7 There are only two English language styles authorized for use in divine services in our Archdiocese: (1) the traditional "thee" English employed in the liturgical publications produced and/or approved by our Archdiocese, and (2) the modern "you" English translations authorized for in parishes of the former AEOM. The so-called "SCOBA translation" of the Divine Liturgy has never been approved by SCOBA and is no longer authorized for testing in our Archdiocese.
#5 Uniformity of liturgical music and rubrics
Music: Our Archdiocese has historically effected a synthesis of the Byzantine, Slavic and other traditional styles of Orthodox liturgical music in the English language. Our Archdiocese has invested a lot of time, effort and funds in the Byzantine Project which was produced by Professor Basil Kazan and Mr. Raymond George. Thankfully, many choirs, most notably that of St. Philip Church in
Not permitted is the use of non-Orthodox music, except in the following limited circumstances: (a) appropriate non-Orthodox "religious" music is permitted to be sung in the church temple before and/or after a wedding ceremony with the approval of the pastor, and (b) appropriate "religious" Christmas carols are permitted to be sung in the church temple following divine services from the feast of the Nativity through its leave-taking with the approval of the pastor.
Rubrics: Metropolitan Philip stated it is not our practice to interrupt the sequence of the Little Entrance Hymn with a "Glory" and a "Both now."
#6 AEOM Liturgy and Music
Metropolitan Philip stated that all parishes of the former A.E.O.M. are to begin using the official (traditional-language) service books and liturgical music of the Archdiocese by November of 1999.
Conclusion
Centuries ago the Church had a custom of including the singers among the orders of clergy. A listing of church offices in order of rank has come down to us from the Council of Laodicea (AD 343-381). It lists: presbyters (priest), deacons, sub-deacons, readers, singers, exorcists, door-keepers, and ascetics.
Today, choir members are rarely, if ever at all, tonsured nor are they considered "clergy" in any formal sense. But the function they exercise remains just as important, elevated and vital as in the early Church. To be included as a member of the choir or numbered as a chanter should still be considered the high calling which it truly is. Choir members, directors and chanters cannot and must not separate their musical role from their personal piety and spirituality. Neither can they assume a level of authority not given to them by the Church. Each person has a ministry to fulfill within the Body of Christ. And each of us, when fulfilling that ministry, must always keep in mind the admonition of St. Paul to the Hebrews, "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for you souls, as those who must give an account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably" (Hebrews 13:17-18).
I thank you for your patient attention this evening, as well as for taking this valuable time from your jobs and families to be here for the Sacred Music Institute. On behalf of His Eminence Metropolitan PHILIP, their Graces the other auxiliary bishops and the faithful of our God-protected Archdiocese I extend my thanks to all of you for the devotion and love which you bring to your ministry of music. I also extend thanks to Mr. Raymond J. George and all the members of the Department of Sacred Music who worked so diligently to put together another fantastic seminar and to the speakers who gave so much of their time to this effort. God bless you and continue to shower all of you with His most abundant blessings.