Office de l’Exaltation de la Sainte Croix
00:00 Hirmi du Canon
Grand Carême et nuit de Pâques
11:21 Les Béatitudes
18:11 Grand Prokeimenon
24:10 Notre Père
27:49 Tropaire de Saint-Jean Chrysostome
29:26 Hymne acathiste
34:17 Kontakion du Grand Canon
36:22 Stichère du Vendredi Saint
41:42 Grande Entrée du Samedi Saint
Choeur des Moines Bénédictins de l’Union (Chevetogne) – Direction: Dom Grégoire Bainbridge, OSB
Saint-Michel-de-Provence (1965)
HEIRMI OF THE CANON SUNG AT MATINS OF THE FEAST OF THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS (14 September)
The Canon is a poetic composition characteristic of and widely used in the Byzantine ritual. It consists of eight (here, exceptionally, nine) odes, each containing several stanzas of identical mélodie and metrical structure. Each ode is, therefore, like a hymn and the heirmos is nothing more than the first stanza of each ode. The odes are based on subjacent scriptural texts the inspiration ofwhich pervades the heirmi presented here. The Biblical sources of the Old and New Testament odes (or canticles) of which the heirmi are the accompaniments are indicated below. The mélodies and harmonisations corne from the Laura of the Caverns of Kiev (Kievo-Petcherskaya Lavra), the cradle of Russian monasticism.
1. Krest natchertav Moi’sséï.
Moses traced the shape of a cross : straight before him he divided the Red Sea with his staff so that Israël could cross over on dry land. And then he struck it to bring back the waves over Pharaoh ’s chariots, inscribing the breadth of the waters with an invisible arm. Sing unto Christ our Lord, for he is covered with glory. (Exodus XV, 1-19)
2. Jezl vo obraz taïny priïemletsa.
A rod is the sign of this mystery: when it puts forth blossoms it designates the priest (cf. Numbers XVII.1-8) and, in the Church which was sterile, the wood of the Cross now blossoms as its strength and support. (I Samuel II, 1-10)
3. Ouslychakh, Gospodi smotréiïa Tvoïègo taïnstvo.
I have known, Lord, the mystery of thy husbandry. I have meditated on thy words and glorified thy divinity. (Habakkuk III, 2-19)
4. O treblajennoïè drèvo!
O thrice blessed wood ! Upon y ou was stretched Christ King and Saviour; you have vanquished him who betrayed through wood (i.e. the devil); he was ensnared by God who was nailed to you in the flesh and who procured peace for our souls. (Isaiah XXVI, 9-21 )
5. Vodnago zvéria vo outrobè.
In the belly of the sea-monster Jonah, stretching out his hands in the shape of the cross, prefigured the redeeming Passion. In coming forth on the third day he foreshadowed the image of resurrection of Christ God crucified in the flesh and illuminating the whole world by His resurrection on the third day. (Jonah II, 3-10)
6. Bezoumnoiè véléniïè moutchitelia zlotchestivago.
The insane command of the impious tyrant, menacing and blasphemous, caused nations to yield. But neither his bestial fury nor the crackling flames frightened the three Young Men; in the fire which raged in the wind that fanned it, they joined their voices and sang: «God of our Fathers, more than ever worthy of our songs, blessed art thou». (Daniel III).
7. Blagoslovitiè otrotsy, Troïtsy ravnotchislenniï.
Three in number like the Trinity, bless, o Youths, our Father and Creator; sing the Word as it has come to your aid and changed the fire into dew, and exalt for all eternity the most Holy Spirit which has given life to ail men. (Daniel III).
8. Vélitchaï douché moïa… Tain iési, Bogoroditsè, rai.
9. Vélitchaï douché moïa… Sniédiou dreva.
LENT AND EASTERTIDE
1. Vo tsarstviï Tvoïem (In Thy Kingdom)
The Beatitudes according to St. Matthew (V, 3-12) introduced and interspersed by the prayer of the good thief. Musically, it is a simple recitative closed by three invocations to the Holy Trinity. Liturgically, this chant, properly speaking, precedes the liturgy of the Presanctified.
2. Da ispravitsa molitva moïa (Let my prayer be set forth)
This is typical of the solemn response of the great prokeimenon, the only surviving example of the kind in contemporary practice. The verses of Psalm 141 are sung by a soloist in the middle of the church with the choir taking up the first verse as a refrain.
3. Ottchè nach (Our Father).
This prayer, a préparation for the eucharistic communion, is one of the summits of the liturgy of the Presanctified. The setting of the Lord’s Prayer is by D. S. Bortniansky (1751-1825).
4. Oust tvoikh iakojè svietlost ognia vozsiïachi blagodat (Troparion of St. John Chrysostom)
This troparion, here sung to a melody from the monastery of Valaam (Lake Ladoga), is sung during Easter Matins. Chrysostom means «Golden mouth»: one of the subjects of his preaching was alms-giving.
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5. Vzbrannoi'voïèvodiè (To the victorious leader of our hosts)
The Acathist hymn, of which this is the first verse, is a famous poem in honour of the Holy Virgin. Its subject is the thanksgiving of the city of Constantinople for the delivery from a Barbarian attack. The slow melody used here (Valaam) is sung while the priest proceeds through the church swinging the censer.
6. Douché moïa, douché moïa ! (My soul, my soul)
During Lent the great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete († 740) is sung. It is called great because of its enormous length – 250 verses contemplating the State of the sinful soul. Here is the Kontakion.
7. Slava Ottsou… Tièbiè odiéiouchtchagosia sviètom iako rizoïou (Glory be to the Father… You who are clothed with light like a raiment)
The Sticharion of Vespers on Good Friday. During this chant the ceremony of Christ’s descent from the Cross takes place.
8. Da moltchit vsiakaïa plot tchèloviétcha (Let all mortal flesh be silent)
An offertory chant from the liturgy for Easter-eve. The bread and wine are taken to be consecrated in a solemn procession with a great display of religious and reverential splendour, in which the eyes of faith see Christ entering Jerusalem in majesty to be sacrificed while accompanied by an invisible escort of angels.
Muchas Gracias.
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