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Sergei Rachmaninov’s choral compositions, especially Canticles
of Vespers, are undoubtedly an important contribution to the Russian church
musical literature. In Rachmaninov’s arrangements, his loving and delicate
attitude to old church tunes is especially valuable. In “Bless The Lord, O My
Soul” (both op.31 and op.37), the basic melody is sung by the soloist, Irina
Arkhipova, and supported by the chamber choir. In this composition, the
composer’s deep understanding of the hymn’s lyrics is evident. The whole
musical picture here is portrayed by means of common Greek chant telling us in
the words of a psalm about creation of the world. Khram Khrista Spasitelia
(Christ Saviour Cathedral) Moscow
Dmitri Bortnyansky
was born in Ukraine and began his musical education at the St. Petersburg Court
Choir. Later he studied
composition under the Italian musician, Galuppi, and spent several years in
Italy where he wrote his first operas and sacred choral works. Back in Russia
he became the head of the Court Choir and devoted most of his musical activity
to sacred choral music. The creator of about one hundred a capella choral
concertos, Bortnyansky set a unique musical trend in Europe. His
concertos impress listeners today with their classical proportions,
emotionality and clearness of musical language. Towards the end of the 19thcentury,
when the music publishing company of P.Jorgensen prepared new publications of
Bortnyansky’s concertos, Tchaikovsky was asked to be the musical editor and
as a result, today we have these unique works in the original.
Pavel
Chesnokov is one of the most outstanding choral music composers of this
generation. He studied at the Moscow Synodal
Institute under Alexander Katalsky and Sergei Taneyev. Later he studied
composition and orchestral conducting under Ippolitov-Ivanov at the Moscow
Conservatoire. From 1895 he taught at the Moscow Synodal Institute and was a
presenter of choral ensembles. He became a professor at the Moscow
Conservatoire and produced an immense amount of both religious and choral
music. He wrote more than 500 choral works, as well as music for lyrics of
Russian poets and arrangements of Russian songs.
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky
was one of the members of the “Mighty Handful”, a group of five young
composers including Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mussorgsky, Balakirev and Cesar
Cui that managed to redirect the entire course of Russian music. Mussorgsky was
known as the artist, thinker and innovator influencing greatly the other
members with his ideas and he was a master of vocal music. He tried to unite
thoughts, words and musical intonations. He expressed sympathy with the
ordinary people and showed it in his various works, including his masterpieces
“Boris Godunov” and “Khovanshchina.”
Alexander Grechaninov
began his studies at the Moscow Conservatoire under Arensky and Taneyev and
later continued his studies at the conservatoire in St. Petersburg under
Rimsky-Korsakov. In 1896 he returned to Moscow where he became acquainted with
S. Smolensky, the head of the Synodal Choir and Synodal Institute. As a result,
he started to write sacred music and tried to bring elements of modern
symphonic and operatic features into his compositions. He wrote the opera,
Dobrynya Nikitich, based on Russian epic songs and performed at the Bolshoi
Theatre in 1903. From 1925 Grechaninov lived in Paris and New York.
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