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British Diction in American Orthodox Liturgical Singing

Sep 3, 20212 min read

The Role of the Orthodox Parish Choir (and the Purpose of this Blog)

Aug 30, 20212 min read

TRAIN OF THOUGHT

Against Liturgical Chaos

In the early centuries of the Russian Orthodox Church, there arose a wild phenomenon called mnogoglasie, which was an attempt to shorten...

May 9, 20254 min read

Sinful Timidity

While leafing through some old scores at home, I came upon a packet of music from a 2015 workshop I attended in Moscow, Russia. I enjoy...

May 6, 20253 min read

Choral Corner #38: At Forgiveness Vespers, “Vouchsafe, O Lord” is read extremely slowly, while the vestments and paraments are changed and the choir begins to use Lenten melodies. What’s going on?

These actions signify the official beginning of Great Lent. “Vouchsafe, O Lord” is read very slowly to allow the maximum possible time...

Mar 22, 20241 min read

Choral Corner #37: Why is there no uniform, standardized series of service texts mandated for use throughout the whole Orthodox Church in America?

Q: Why is there no uniform, standardized series of service texts mandated for use throughout the whole OCA? A: This is largely a function...

Feb 9, 20242 min read

Choral Corner # 36: Why do we use traditional pronouns?

Q: At our parish, we use the traditional liturgical pronouns (Thy/Thou), but some other parishes use more contemporary language...

Feb 5, 20242 min read

Choral Corner #35: Why doesn't our choir sing famous Orthodox concert music?

Choral masterpieces such as Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil are undeniably gorgeous, and can play an important evangelistic role in...

Oct 9, 20232 min read

Choral Corner #34: In the Holy Anaphora, what does "Sabaoth" mean?

The Scriptural source of this text, called the Sanctus in western Christianity, is the majestic vision recorded in Isaiah 6, in which...