Tchaikovsky, Peter

TCHAIKOVSKY, Peter (1840-1893) — Tchaikovsky's position among Russian choral composers was nothing short of seminal. Widely successful in the realm of secular music, Tchaikovsky influenced Russian Orthodox church music of his time in ways that cannot be underestimated. When he composed his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in 1878, the Imperial Chapel's censorship of church music was severely hampering the willingness of the rising school of Russian nationalist composers to write for the church. Tchaikovsky's Liturgy was promptly banned by the Director of the Imperial Chapel, Nikolai Bakhmetev, an action that in turn led Tchaikovsky's publisher, Jurgenson, to sue. The Russian Senate's ruling in favor of Tchaikovsky and Jurgenson broke the grip of censorship and opened the possibility for successive generations of Russian composers to compose sacred choral works without subjecting them to bureaucratic review. Although stylistically Tchaikovsky's music for the Liturgy was not in any way radical or innovative, the very fact that he composed new, freely invented music for most of the liturgical components shaped the approach taken by nearly every composer who subsequently undertook to write musical settings of this service, most notably, Gretchaninoff, Ippolitov-Ivanov, Chesnokov, and Rachmaninoff.

A few years after the Liturgy, in 1882, Tchaikovsky again broke new ground with his All-Night Vigil, op. 52, becoming the first major Russian composer to draw upon the traditional unison chants of the Russian Orthodox Church as the basis for composing an entire liturgical cycle. Again, Tchaikovsky's polyphonic treatment of the pre-existing chant material was in no way extraordinary, but his recognition of this long-neglected wellspring of national Russian melos made a mark. It is hardly coincidental that more than 30 years later, Sergei Rachmaninoff used many of the very same chant melodies in his monumental All-Night Vigil. op. 37.

After his two major liturgical cycles, Tchaikovsky, encouraged by Emperor Alexander III himself to write more sacred music, produced ten more liturgical choruses in which he pioneered some additional compositional and stylistic traits that would come to characterize the "new Russian choral school" of the early twentieth century: rich, and colorful choral textures with divisi, the invention of quasi-chant melodies, and the use of chant-like motives in melodic part-writing.

By virtue of his stature as a Russian musician, Tchaikovsky was contributed to the course of Russian church music in other ways. In the years between his Liturgy and Vigil, he edited the complete sacred choral works of Dmitry Bortniansky (1751-1825) for Jurgenson's Publishing House. He compiled A Concise Textbook of Harmony Intended to Facilitate the Reading of Sacred Musical Works in Russia (1875). And, perhaps most significantly, as a member of the Supervisory Council of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, he secured the appointments of his students, the choral conductor Vasily Orlov (1858-1907) and the composer Alexander Kastalsky (1856-1926), to faculty positions at that institution. Together with the musicologist Stepan Smolensky (1848-1909), Orlov and Kastalsky, following Tchaikovsky's precepts, would shape the Moscow Synodal School and its Choir into a crucible for the creation and nurturing of one of the largest and substantive bodies of sacred choral music in modern times.

Tchaikovsky's contributions to secular choral repertoire cannot be overlooked, either. In addition to the extensive and vivid use of choruses in his numerous operas, he composed several occasional cantatas (the most prominent of which is Moscow, written in 1883 for the coronation of Alexander III), and several part songs for mixed, women's, and men's choir.

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https://www.culture.ru/catalog/tchaikovsky/
http://tchaikovsky-research.net/

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Title: Angel vopiiashe

Title (translated): Hymn to the Mother of God at Paschaltide

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Hymn to the Mother of God at Paschaltide

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

Publication data: PJu #31585 n.d. posthumous

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta043

MR Ta043

MR Ta043

Title: Deviat' dukhovno-muzykal'nykh sochinenii

Title (translated): Nine sacred musical works

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Voicing: SATB(div)

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: Link to composer’s autograph: https://www.culture.ru/catalog/tchaikovsky/ru/item/archiv/devyat-duhovno-muzykalnyh-sochineniy-dlya-smeshannogo-hora

No. of pages: 42

Cat. no.: Ta034-042

Titles in collection: 9 Click [+] to expand

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No. in collection: 1

Title: Kheruvimskaia pesn’ No. 1

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Cherubic Hymn

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta034

MR Ta034

No. in collection: 2

Title: Kheruvimskaia pesn’ No. 2

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Cherubic Hymn

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta035

MR Ta035

No. in collection: 3

Title: Kheruvimskaia pesn’ No. 3

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Cherubic Hymn

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Ta036

MR Ta036

No. in collection: 4

Title: Tebe poem

Title (translated): Hymn of the Epiklesis

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Arrangement of: Melody from the Obikhod notnago peniia

Liturgical designation: Hymn of the Epiklesis

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta037

MR Ta037

No. in collection: 5

Title: Dostoino est’

Title (translated): Hymn to the Mother of God

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Hymn to the Mother of God

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta038

MR Ta038

No. in collection: 6

Title: Otche nash

Title (translated): The Lord’s Prayer

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: The Lord’s Prayer

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta039

MR Ta039

No. in collection: 7

Title: Blazheni, iazhe izbral

Title (translated): Communion Hymn for the Departed

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Communion Hymn for the Departed

Text source: Ps. 64[65]:5; 101[102]:13

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta040

MR Ta040

No. in collection: 8

Title: Da ispravitsia molitva moia

Title (translated): Prokeimenon at Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Prokeimenon at Liturgy of Pre-Sanctified Gifts

Text source: Ps. 140[141]:2-4

Voicing: SSA Trio and SATB Chorus

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta041

MR Ta041

No. in collection: 9

Title: Nyne sily nebesnyia

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn from Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Liturgical designation: Cherubic Hymn from Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta042

MR Ta042

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Title: Gimn v chest’ Svv. Kirilla i Mefodiia

Title (translated): Non-liturgical spiritual verse

Opus no.: N.O.N.

Arrangement of: Arrangement of old Slavic folk melody

Liturgical designation: Non-liturgical spiritual verse

Voicing: SATB

Publication data: PJu #6700 18--

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta045

Musica Russica Ta045
MR Ta045

MR Ta045

Title: Liturgiia Sv. Ioanna Zlatoustago

Title (translated): Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Opus no.: Op. 41

Voicing: SATB(div)

Publication data: PJu 1878

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 62

Cat. no.: Ta001-015

Titles in collection: 15 Click [+] to expand

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No. in collection: 1

Title: No. 1 - Gospodi, pomilui

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 1

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta001

No. in collection: 2

Title: No. 2 - Slava Ottsu i Synu [i Edinorodnyi Syne]

Title (translated): Troparion after the Second Antiphon

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 2

Liturgical designation: Troparion after the Second Antiphon

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta002

MR Ta002

No. in collection: 3

Title: No. 3 - Priidite poklonimsia [i Sviatyi Bozhe]

Title (translated): Hymn of the Little Entrance and the Trisagion Hymn

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 3

Liturgical designation: Hymn of the Little Entrance and the Trisagion Hymn

Voicing: SdivATdivBdiv

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta003

MR Ta003

No. in collection: 4

Title: No. 4 - Posle chteniia Apostola

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 4

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SdivATdivBdiv

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ta004

No. in collection: 5

Title: No. 5 - Posle chteniia Evangeliia

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 5

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta005

No. in collection: 6

Title: No. 6 - Kheruvimskaia pesn’

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 6

Liturgical designation: Cherubic Hymn

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 7

Cat. no.: Ta006

MR Ta006

No. in collection: 7

Title: No. 7 - Posle Kheruvimskoi pesni

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 7

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ta007

No. in collection: 8

Title: No. 8 - Simvol very

Title (translated): Creed

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 8

Liturgical designation: Creed

Voicing: SdivAdivTBdiv

No. of pages: 9

Cat. no.: Ta008

MR Ta008

No. in collection: 9

Title: No. 9 - Milost’ mira

Title (translated): Anaphora (Eucharistic Canon)

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 9

Liturgical designation: Anaphora (Eucharistic Canon)

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta009

MR Ta009

No. in collection: 10

Title: No. 10 - Tebe poem

Title (translated): Hymn of the Epiklesis

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 10

Liturgical designation: Hymn of the Epiklesis

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ta010

MR Ta010

No. in collection: 11

Title: No. 11 - Dostoino est’

Title (translated): Hymn to the Mother of God

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 11

Liturgical designation: Hymn to the Mother of God

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta011

MR Ta011

No. in collection: 12

Title: No. 12 - Amin’. I so dukhom tvoim. Gospodi, pomilui.

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 12

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ta012

No. in collection: 13

Title: No. 13 - Molitva Gospodnia

Title (translated): The Lord's Prayer

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 13

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta013

MR Ta013

No. in collection: 14

Title: No. 14 - Prichastnyi stikh

Title (translated): Communion Hymn

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 14

Liturgical designation: Communion Hymn

Text source: Ps. 148:1

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 7

Cat. no.: Ta014

MR Ta014

No. in collection: 15

Title: No. 15 - Blagosloven griadyi, [Videkhom... Da ispolniatsia]

Title (translated): Hymn at the appearance of Communion and Hymns of Thanksgiving

Opus no.: Op.41, No. 14

Liturgical designation: Hymn at the appearance of Communion and Hymns of Thanksgiving

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 8

Cat. no.: Ta015

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Title: Vsenoshchnoe bdenie. Opyt garmonizatsii bogosluzhebnykh pesnopenii.

Title (translated): Selected hymns from the All-Night Vigil

Opus no.: Op. 52

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

Publication data: PJu 1882

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 116

Cat. no.: Ta016-033

Titles in collection: 18 Click [+] to expand

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No. in collection: 1

Title: No. 1 - Prednachinatel’nyi psalom

Title (translated): Introductory Psalm at Vigil

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 1

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Introductory Psalm at Vigil

Text source: Ps. 103[104]:1,6,10,24

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 7

Cat. no.: Ta016

MR Ta016

Quobuz-Ta016

No. in collection: 2

Title: No. 2 - Gospodi, pomilui i drugie kratkie molitvosloviia

Title (translated): Litanies and Responses

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 2

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant Kievan Chant

Liturgical designation: Litanies and Responses

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 9

Cat. no.: Ta017

No. in collection: 3

Title: No. 3 - Kafisma

Title (translated): First Antiphon of the First Kathisma

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 3

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: First Antiphon of the First Kathisma

Text source: Ps. 1:1,6; 2:11,12; 3:8,9

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ta018

MR Ta018

Quobuz-Ta018

No. in collection: 4

Title: No. 4 - Gospodi, vozzvakh na 8 glasov

Title (translated): Vesper psalms

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 4

Arrangement of: Kievan Chant

Liturgical designation: Vesper psalms

Text source: Ps. 140[141]:1-2

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 16

Cat. no.: Ta019

Quobuz-Ta019

No. in collection: 5

Title: No. 5 - Svete tikhii

Title (translated): Evening Hymn

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 5

Arrangement of: Kievan Chant

Liturgical designation: Evening Hymn

Voicing: SdivAdivTdivBdiv

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta020

MR Ta020

Quobuz- Ta020

No. in collection: 6

Title: No. 6 - Bogoroditse Devo

Title (translated): Dismissal Troparion

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 6

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Dismissal Troparion

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ta021

MR Ta021

Quobuz-Ta021

No. in collection: 7

Title: No. 7 - Bog Gospod’ na 8 glasov s Tropariami

Title (translated): Resurrectional Dismissal Troparia

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 7

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Resurrectional Dismissal Troparia

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 16

Cat. no.: Ta022

Quobuz-Ta022

No. in collection: 8

Title: No. 8 - Polielei

Title (translated): Polyeleos

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 8

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Polyeleos

Text source: Ps. 134[135]:1,21; 135[136]:1,26

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Ta023

MR Ta023

Quobuz-Ta023

No. in collection: 9

Title: No. 9 - Tropari na neporochnakh

Title (translated): [Resurrectional] Matins Troparia (Evlogitaria)

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 9

Arrangement of: Little Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: [Resurrectional] Matins Troparia (Evlogitaria)

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 8

Cat. no.: Ta024

MR Ta024

Quobuz-Ta024

No. in collection: 10

Title: No. 10 - Stepenna Antifon 4-go glasa

Title (translated): Gradual Antiphon in the Fourth Tone

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 10

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Gradual Antiphon in the Fourth Tone

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta025

MR Ta025

Quobuz-Ta025

No. in collection: 11

Title: No. 11a - Pesnopeniia po Evangelii

Title (translated): Hymn of the Resurrection after the Gospel Reading at Matins

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 11a

Liturgical designation: Hymn of the Resurrection after the Gospel Reading at Matins

Voicing: SdivATdivB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta026

MR Ta026

Quobuz-Ta026

No. in collection: 12

Title: No. 11b - Pesnopeniia po Evangelii

Title (translated): Hymn of the Resurrection after the Gospel Reading at Matins

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 11b

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Hymn of the Resurrection after the Gospel Reading at Matins

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Ta027

No. in collection: 13

Title: No. 12 - Otverzu usta moia

Title (translated): Kanon to the Mother of God Common Katavasia

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 12

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: Kanon to the Mother of God Common Katavasia

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 11

Cat. no.: Ta028

Quobuz-Ta028

No. in collection: 14

Title: No. 13 - Pesn’ Bogomateri s pripevom

Title (translated): Canticle of the Mother of God

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 13

Arrangement of: Russian Greek Chant

Liturgical designation: Canticle of the Mother of God

Text source: Luke 1:46-55

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ta029

Quobuz-Ta029

No. in collection: 15

Title: No. 14 - Sviat Gospod’ Bog nash

Title (translated): Resurrectional Exaposteilarion

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 14

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: Resurrectional Exaposteilarion

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ta030

Quobuz-Ta030

No. in collection: 16

Title: No. 15 - Bogorodichen

Title (translated): Concluding Sticheron to the Mother of God on the Praises

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 15

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: Concluding Sticheron to the Mother of God on the Praises

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ta031

MR Ta031

Quobuz-Ta031

No. in collection: 17

Title: No. 16 - Velikoe slavoslovie

Title (translated): Great Doxology

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 16

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: Great Doxology

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 9

Cat. no.: Ta032

MR Ta032

Quobuz-Ta032

No. in collection: 18

Title: No. 17 - Vzbrannoi voevode

Title (translated): Kontakion to the Mother of God at the First Hour

Opus no.: Op.52, No. 17

Arrangement of: Little Znamenny Chant

Liturgical designation: Kontakion to the Mother of God at the First Hour

Voicing: SATB

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ta033

MR Ta033

Quobuz-Ta033

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