I just finished singing such liturgical hits as Priidite Vospoim Liudiye

[Cheswick2.0]

Nache Vala Toochka. We blew chunks on Sej Den by Bortniansky. I had a solo that wasn't supposed to be a solo. The other altos simply did not come in!

Jeesh, I love this music but it is so difficult. We have another concert next week and I swear I will have that music stone cold memorized so that nothing can throw me.

So what is your favorite Eastern Orthodox Liturgical piece sung in Church Slavonic?


This is how I spent my afternoon. How was your day?

[Snow]

1. Oh, man, I wanna join your group! You need an oktavist, right?

Everybody always needs oktavists! How far do I have to drive to rehearsals (I live in Pasadena)?

[Cheswick2.0]

3. we are in Olyphant Pa... near scranton

looooooooooong drive!

Too bad because we would love to have you!

[Ilsa]

2. I don't know slavonic, or the music,

so I doubt I would have noticed. I bet I would have loved the solo.

Good luck on the next go-round. Get someone to cue the altos!

[Cheswick2.0]

4. I am sure the audience did not know....but we did

the music is beautiful. If you know and Russian composers you would recognize the style. It is very heavy on the bass and baritones. The melodies and harmonies are intricate and constantly changing. There are usually several movements in each piece. It is just amazing to sing.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Years ago, when I was in the Yale Slavic Chorus

we sang a joint piece with the Yale Russian Chorus called "Izhe Kheruvimy," but it was NOT the one by Bortniansky, although I cannot remember who it was by.

I also like the piece that Mussorgsky adapted for use in the coronation scene of Boris Godunov.

These days, I'm singing in the Anglican tradition. This afternoon, we did an Evensong featuring Herbert Howell's Te Deum, which is another of my favorites.

[Cheswick2.0]

7. I have never sung that Te Deum

but everyone who has speaks highly of the experience. It's funny how attached we can become to a piece of music when we sing it. I think singers appreciate a piece more than the audience because we spend so much time stuggling with it.

[DifferentStrokes]

6. If possible, arrange to be born Russian

:-) and of the closely related families that make up these congregations.

Well, that way you get the pipes and the physical equipment to sustain those melodic lines. I have a suspicion that the other altos ran out of breath.

Second, of course, is you get to sing the various liturgies from childhood, throughout the year. It will come naturally to you.

If you're struggling with both language and melody, the older you get the harder it gets. Still, I've heard some lovely music from dedicated artists.

I'll take all of Easter as a favorite.

Yes, sing while you're cleaning the table, washing dishes, sweeping the floor, or doing just any old thing around the house. The people who developed that music were laborers, farmers, herders, active people who worked very hard.

Probably the best vocal warmup is a jog around the block.:-)

It sounds lovely and you're getting into a beautiful season. Wish I could be there to listen.

And to some of the other musicians and vocalists around the country. Maybe DU should cut a record of greatest hits. I imagine a lot of us are feeling deprived.

[Cheswick2.0]

8. We have a large Slavic community here

This area is just full of people without the normal allotment of vowels in their names. Russians, Poles, Ukrainians and Lithuanians are particularly numerous. They settled here and worked to coal mines. So we have a huge heritage of slavic food and music etc....
This is something I did not grow up with being German/English and not from this area.
When I first joined this group about four years ago, I really stuggled with the language. I am getting better. Two years ago we sang a concert at the Ukrainian festival in Manhattan. All the little old Ukrainian women were coming up to me speaking their language and assumed I understood. They were suprised when I didn't and complimented me on my pronunciation. So I guess I am gewtting better in that department.
What freaks me is, as the alto soloist I sometimes have to start a solo in a new key. We sing a capella so It often feels a bit like jumping off a cliff.
I like the idea of the CD, I would love to hear other DUers music and would be glad to contribute and aria or rendition of O Holy Night or even one of the Ecumen Coral's pieces. We are about to record a demo tape.