Note

Submitted October 16, 2004

A Minor Note on Something Major

By Matushka Barbara Bruce

In the early Christian Church, everyone sang in unison. In time, (pardon the pun) incorporation of liturgical elements, from the roots of Jewish cantors evolved. By the mid third and fourth century AD, a cyclical melodic style of chanting, including antiphonal psalmody grew.

Orthodox choral acapella has continued to this very day, using our own God-given voices as musical instruments. How wonderful to hear a soul sing! What a privilege and responsibility it is to prayerfully participate with the clergy during Divine Liturgy!

I am blessed to sing in a splendid choir, under the direction of an amazingly talented and knowledgeable directress, Maria Firtel. Maria has helped blaze an English Pathway through countless musical translations of beautiful, ancient, Church Slavonic.

All our Services are in English, as our parish is 97% Canadian. Maria has transposed "rough" English troparian/kondakian translations into velvet poems of fluidic hymnody. Over the years, she has poured hundreds of hours into transforming musical arrangements, and organizing this God-pleasing work!

Most of our choir came from nonmusical backgrounds, and we have been singing together since 1989. Originally, it mostly sounded like "Tone 9," but now, what bliss! During choir practice, Maria seems to be able to sing all four voice parts, as needed, simultaneously.

All her patience and long-suffering, is now showing small rewards. Sometimes, we can carry a tune in a collective bucket! Despite "ourselves", God's Grace shines through, moving the congregation.

Choir practice is a pleasant break during the week, a marvelous extension of parish life. Maria treats us with tea and delicious homemade goodies. Usually, we can anticipate the difficulty of the rehearsal by the tidbits presented in advance! You KNOW you're in for a marathon, when there are two or three kinds of cake, squares, or cookies!

During Great Lent, all the sweets are legal. What a pleasure it is to practice the upcoming Holy Week/Paschal pieces! Receiving a foretaste of joy, during the long trek of our Lenten Journey, it feels like greeting old friends again!

Like any "family", we have our foibles, and it takes hard work to overcome bad habits. Like an old married couple, who physically resemble each other, the practicing choir after time, "merges," blending well together, becoming a single entity.

When we began holding regular services, one of the founding members of our parish, the now reposed Russian Prince Nikita Galitzine (related to the Martyred Czar Nicholas) was both amazed and thrilled. After Liturgy, he fervently thanked Maria! For the first time in his whole life (he was then in his eighties ) Prince Nikita truly understood every single word of the Divine Liturgy, including the hymns, as it was all in English!

Church Slavonic is indeed beauteous, and we shall never, nor should we ever forget the "Slavonic Roots," of our Orthodox Heritage. Yet, how important it is, especially here in Canada, to know what is being said, and to "understand!"

In choir, we also learn many, many, things about ourselves. Choir is an annex of parish life. Together, as a family, we learn to love "our neighbour," even if they're off-pitch that day. (I have only plowed someone in the ribcage once- but it was Pascha, and I was excited!)

I have now ascertained that the warbly voiced sopranos, (I used to mock as a child) were actually women "going through the change" of life, losing their voice control. In choir, one learns about blending, scooping, pride, and patience. (Or lack thereof!)

Once, when I was visiting a monastery, I complained to the abbess of how hard it was to sing "back home" beside parishioners who sometimes have pitch problems.

The abbess smiled, and gently told me something that I shall never forget. "God hears the prayerful, earnest, singing of the tone-deaf, as most beauteous to His ears ... and He turns quickly away from the proud, judgmental, melodious voice."

Recently, (Glory to God!) I have been losing my "perfect" pitch, and have to work like a little Trojan during service. My soprano days are long gone. Even singing alto at times, is too high for me.

To my horror, I have even caught myself "warbling!" Writhing my hands together in unexpected, 'umbleness, I must now concentrate harder upon the words.

St. Basil the Great, St. John Chrysostom, and other early fathers of the Church discouraged the use of musical instruments during worship. Concerns were that instruments diverted and misplaced our mind's attention away from God, focusing instead, on ourselves.

When using our voices as an "instrument", we must try to sing prayerfully. By focusing our attention on God, everything else will fall properly into place! We may "B Sharp", or "B Flat", but with God's help, the sound will "B Natural!"



Volume 6 Number 42 - Tuesday, October 19th, 2004	A Publication of the ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN LAITY