Romanian Byzantine Hymns, Choir of the Romanian Patriarchate | Vinyl Electrecord ST-ECE 01972

Описание: Vinyl Romanian Byzantine Hymns, Choir of the Romanian Patriarchate - Electrecord ST-ECE 01972 released in 1982, Romania
https://www.discogs.com/release/77662...

A
1. Blessed are Thou - tone VIII (D. G. Kiriac) / Bine ești cuvîntat
2. The Vesper Stikhiron - tone VI (Nicolae Lungu) / Stihira a III-a
3. We Praise Thee - tone III (Rev. I. Cârstoiu) / Pre Tine Te lăudăm
4. The Vesper Stikhiron - tone VIII (Nicolae Lungu) / Stihira a II-a
5. The Day Of Resurrection - tone V (Nicolae Lungu) / Ziua învierii

B
6. Thy Dwelling-place - tone VIII (Nicolae Lungu) / Cămara Ta, Mîntuitorule
7. Incomprehensible Unto Angels - tone III (Gh. Cucu) / Nu pricep, Curată
8. Lord Have Mercy - tone I (Paul Constantinescu) / Doamne miluiește
9. Today A Virgin - tone III (Paul Constantinescu) / Fecioara astăzi
10. Christ Is Born - tone I (Paul Constantinescu) / Hristos Se naște

This record includes a few of the ampler Byzantine choirs traditional in the Romanian Orthodox Church for embellishing religious service throughout the year.

It is to be noted that some of these melodies — Lord Have Mercy, tone (echos) I (8), Today a Virgin, tone III (9) and Christ is Born, tone I (10) — are old Byzantine hymns (dating back to the 17th or 12th century) which have come down to us very little or not at all altered.

The other melodies — Blessed Art Thou Jesus Our Lord, tone VIII (1), The Vesper Stikhiron, tone VI (2), The Vesper Stikhiron, tone VIII (4), Thy dwelling-place, tone VII (6), Incomprehensible unto Angels, tone III (7), The Day of Resurrection, tone V (5) — are "psaltic" or liturgical hymns belonging to the last stage in the evolution of old Byzantine music, known by the name of "post-Chrysanthic music". The only exception is the hymn We praise Thee, a new melody, written in the "psaltic" style in harmony with the formulas and cadences of tone III.

Up to the fate 1930's, the above tones, like all psaltic liturgic hymns, were only performed in the monodic (homophonous) form. The almost unanimous conviction prevailed among musicians that through polyphonization, such religious songs would lose their - autenticity. Dimitrie Kiriac, a great lover and supporter of psaltic music, cherished the conviction that some day psaltic melodies would find the attire that suited their structure and would be promoted to a higher stage of artistic expression. Hence his permanent urges to the then young musicians (among whom we mention Gheorghe Cucu, Nicolae Lungu, Ioan D. Chirescu, Paul Constantinescu) profoundly to fathom the secrets of Romanian psaltic polyphony — an inexhaustible source of artistic beauties.

Life was going to confirm D. G. Kiriac’s hopes. His former pupils very competently and skilfully capitalized on the gold vein of psaltic music. For instance, in 1946 at the Romanian Athenaeum, the great George Enescu conducted the first performance of Paul Constantinescu’s Byzantine Oratorio (from which we have selected for this record Today a Virgin and Christ is Born). Moreover, Gheorghe Cucu, Ioan D. Chirescu and T. Teodorescu-Iași have also created works of exceptional artistic value.

Still, the man who better than anybody else turned to the best account this treasure of Romanian psaltic music for the use of choirs along more than four decades has been professor Nicolae Lungu (from whose vast work we have selected for this record Stikhiron III, Stikhiron II, The Day of Resurrection and Thy dwelling-place).

It is our conviction that whoever listens to this record will discover in the hymns the specificity of highly distinctive music, moulded out of the artistic feelings and tastes of a highly gifted people, a kind of music which can easily be identified throughout the world as being Romanian.
Rev. IULIAN CARSTOIU


TIMESTAMPS
00:00 1A. Blessed are Thou - tone VIII (Bine ești cuvîntat)
01:59 2A. The Vesper Stikhiron - tone VI (Stihira a III-a)
06:43 3A. We Praise Thee - tone III (Pre Tine Te lăudăm)
11:09 4A. The Vesper Stikhiron - tone VIII (Stihira a II-a)
15:52 5A. The Day Of Resurrection - tone V (Ziua învierii)
20:07 6B. Thy Dwelling-place - tone VIII (Cămara Ta, Mîntuitorule)
24:42 7B. Incomprehensible Unto Angels - tone III (Nu pricep, Curată)
30:54 8B. Lord Have Mercy - tone I (Doamne miluiește)
33:54 9B. Today A Virgin - tone III (Fecioara astăzi)
37:34 10B. Christ Is Born - tone I (Hristos Se naște)