Before Lent, in several weeks, preparatory services begin in the temples. On Sundays, special chants are sung before fasting, for example, “On the Babylonian Rivers” and “Repentance Open Doors,” which set parishioners to a special prayer and repentance. During the Lent, during the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, another chant of a similar mood sounds - “May my prayer be corrected”. And in this service the “Cherubic Song” will not sound, but instead of it we will hear “Now the Powers of Heaven”, other songs in the service are changing. What is the difference between the chants of Lent and those that sound at services on ordinary days, and there will be a conversation in this article.
The emotional power of Orthodox chants
The musical language of worship responds to the content of prayers. Its task is to convey meaning, convey to the heart and awaken a repentant mood in the soul. The figurative and emotional sphere of the musical style of chants, formed back in the 17th and 19th centuries, is conveyed by two frets - major and minor. These scales are rooted back centuries when there was a large number of frets, each of which corresponded to its own emotional state. These frets were widely used not only in temple chants, but also in folk art, so the name of folk music frets was assigned to them . When the major-minor musical system appeared, other frets in ordinary music began to be forgotten. It so happened that the major was associated with joy and glee, light and inspiration, and the minor - with sadness, sadness and sorrow. Composers of the romantic era were no longer satisfied with this system, which seemed primitive, and they began to draw inspiration from the frets of folk music, finding there an incredible and endless source of new colors and melody. Musical language in all ages was a reflection of the mental state of a person of his time. It was either harmonious and complex, then atonal and practically destroyed. The experiments on the musical language took a very long time, but it turned out to be impossible to completely displace the major-minor (Western European) music. Nevertheless, the Western European musical language turned out to be alien to the Orthodox worldview and worship.
Ways of Orthodox chants
In the Church Slavonic language there is a wonderful word - "joy of sorrow", which accurately conveys the state of a believer. Sorrow is impossible without joy and hope for God's mercy and joy without sadness about one's sins. This is heard well when the chants of Lent and Holy Week are sung, as well as when the funeral ringing ends with a festive chime. In liturgical musical compositions there was also a search for ways to clarify and deepen musical and linguistic means. The convergence of major and minor with a decrease in their contrast was necessary. Over time, two ways have developed - one simple one, when in usual chants within the scale the tonics often shift, which causes some modest uncertainty and emotional lack of expression. This way has roots from folk songs, and in liturgical chants he miraculously took root and became a permanent attribute. It is especially noticeable if you listen to the chants of Great Lent with a varying mood, for example, “Repentance” of the Lavra melody and V. Krupitsky “On the Rivers of Babylon”.
The second, harmoniously more complex, is the way to increase one fret due to neighboring chords. This direction was determined for itself by the Moscow school with composers A. Kastalsky, A. Nikolsky, P. Chesnokov and others. Their works are harmoniously more colorful and diverse, with a greatly underestimated dominant function of one fret. But the incredible creativity of these composers consists in the ability to lead all the means of a musical language after a word. This is clearly expressed, for example, in Chesnokov's “Repentance”.
Return to Znamenny Singing
Another version of the path is back to the folk sources, when it was possible to go beyond the tonal range. This is an option of returning to the famous singing, and there are opinions that the chants of Lent should be a standard chant, as more appropriate for fasting services. Famous singing is simplified, ascetic, restrained, without the content of polar modal colors, it is more conducive to self-deepening and thoughtful contemplation, rather than emotional outbursts. But there are technical difficulties in switching to standard singing during fasting. It's like starting to sing in another language freely, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. This mode has slight differences from the usual minor, but the new color introduced by it slightly reduces the emotional-figurative state imposed by minor notes. This is clearly expressed in the chants of the contemporary author I. Denisova, which organically fit into the Lenten worship.
When you listen to selected chants of Lent and Holy Week, you can hear almost all versions of the musical language. The language of worship is as symbolic as the change of clothes in vestments. The condensed minor corresponds well to the time of fasting - a period of intense repentance and contrition. Apparently, therefore, it is so easily accepted when singing is replaced by reading on fasting days, naturally the desire to listen to the famous singing.
Notes of Great Lent
The beautiful harmony of the singing of the choir is perceived better than monotonous reading, it tunes to a specific prayer mood. Church singing has its own specifics, although it obeys the general rules of musical harmony. The notes of the chants of Lent reveal the spiritual truths of the Gospel, are a melodious sermon, a sound image of worship. Nowadays, there are many wonderful works, so church regents need to select the songs of different authors so that they fit the same style and manner of performance. The chants of Lent are filled with a special mood of light sorrow. When they are sung with soul, they turn out to be very beautiful, calm, restrained. This is especially evident in chants with the Balaam chant.
One of the most striking works in the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is the chant "May my prayer be corrected." A rather well-known melody, shifted to the notes of the chants of Lent, fills the heart not only with a repentant feeling, but also with harmonious beauty.
Lent is a special time in the life of an Orthodox Christian. Those who at least once came to the temple and attended fasting services will retain in their hearts the beauty and light sorrow of penitential chants. Perhaps through them a deep understanding of the joy of the Holy Resurrection of Christ will come.