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morning prayers

Morning prayers are read by Schema-Archimandrite Eli, Hierodeacon Iliodor

Morning prayers are read by Archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov)

Morning prayers are read by hegumen Ambrose (Ermakov)

Morning prayers are read by Archpriest Artemy (Vladimirov)

Morning prayers are read by Abbot Flavian (Matveev)

Morning prayers are read by Hierodeacon Pachomius (Bruskov)

Morning prayers are read by a monk of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra

Evening prayers

Evening prayers are read by Archbishop Pavel (Lebed), Hierodeacon Kirill (Borisevich)

Evening prayers are read by Schema-Archimandrite Eli, Hierodeacon Iliodor

Evening prayers are read by Archimandrite Alexy (Polikarpov)

Evening prayers are read by hegumen Ambrose (Ermakov)

Evening prayers read by Archpriest Artemy (Vladimirov)

Evening prayers are read by Abbot Flavian (Matveev)

Evening prayers are read by Hierodeacon Pachomius (Bruskov)

Evening prayers are read by a monk of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra

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Category "Monastic"

Principal of the fraternal choir of the Valaam Monastery, Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev).

Gospel Reading - Priest Rostislav Perebeinos.

Feast of the Entrance (Entrance) to the temple Holy Mother of God refers to the twelfth non-passing feasts of the Orthodox Church. The basis is the church tradition about how, at the age of three, parents solemnly introduced into Jerusalem Temple Mary, the future Mother of God.

Selected chants holiday services, as well as the consecration of water, which these days is performed by a special Great rite: in the temple, on rivers or at springs. In the reverent performance of the choir of the brethren of the Valaam Monastery, such chants as “In the Jordan, I am baptized by You, Lord” and others.

This proverb is read at the consecration of water because the water here is an image of the grace of the Holy Spirit. The water blessed on the feast of the Epiphany is no longer a symbol, but a conductor of this grace.

Christian hymns to the Most Holy Queen of Heaven, Ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of God. Compiled in the likeness of the psalms by St. Demetrius of Rostov. The choir of the sisters of the Serafimo-Diveevsky Convent sings.

Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim Bit-Kharibi (Bitbunov) and the Choir of the Monastery of the 13 Assyrian Fathers.

Prayers in Aramaic.

Principal of the fraternal choir of the Valaam Monastery, Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev).

Principal of the fraternal choir of the Valaam Monastery, Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev).

Choir of the brethren of the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam Monastery, regent Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev). Gospel Reading - Priest Rostislav Perebeinos.

Great and incomparably beautiful is the river of God - the holy Optina!

This river flows from the sources of temporal life into the sea of ​​eternally joyful endless life in the realm of the unstoppable Light, and it carries boats and its desert dwellers, and many others.

Waiy week or Palm Sunday- this is the feast of the Lord's Entry into Jerusalem, i.e. voluntary coming of the Savior to suffering and death. Met as King and Master, in a few days He will be condemned to death and crucified on the cross. This gospel events and dedicated to the chants of the first part of the disc.

The Orthodox Church celebrates Easter with the greatest solemnity. For this holiday, the Church prepares her children for a long time and carefully with the help of Great Lent. Preparation starts three weeks before.

That's what they called it from time immemorial Valaam Monastery, which, like the Holy Mount Athos, has become a “monastic country”, where the ancient liturgical charter is now being revived and ancient traditions are being restored church singing.

The path of monastic life and spiritual achievement, in its responsibility and difficulty, is equated to the path of the cross.

There are many places on earth for the glorification of the Lord, the Most Holy Theotokos and the saints of God. Among them, illuminated by the light of providence God's story Kyiv Holy Trinity Ioninsky Monastery.

Orthodox chants of the Nativity of Christ (fraternal choir of the Vatopedi Monastery)

Choir of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra under the direction of Archimandrite Matthew (Mormyl).

The recording was made in the Assumption Cathedral of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in May-June 1999.

Regent of the Valaam Monastery Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev)

Until the end of the 17th century, Orthodox church culture permeated all spheres of life in Russian society. The Church was the organizing principle not only of spiritual life, but also of social relations, the life of a Russian person.

Joint Choir of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra and the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary under the direction of Archimandrite Matthew (Mormyl)

Audio and video prayers - listen online for free

Orthodox morning prayers

The believer's day must necessarily begin with morning prayers. All major prayer appeals are listed below.

Prayer "Our Father"

The Lord's Prayer is the most famous Orthodox prayer. Every believer considers her a shrine and treats her very reverently. The words that sound in the prayer text have secret meaning and allow you to touch God, understand his mercy and feel his power. With this strong prayer in real life associated with a large number interesting facts comparable to real miracles, and it also contains a mystery that only a truly believing person can comprehend.

The main feature of this prayer is already the fact that it was given to people by the Lord himself. The short prayer text contains a deep meaning. Prayer words are a reflection of human needs and aspirations aimed at saving the soul and gaining eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven. The secret of prayer lies in the fact that, due to the accuracy of the phrases, it can be considered the universal word of God, which can be used as a request for blessing on the chosen life path, and for protection from a wide variety of troubles that lie in wait for a believer in real world created by the Great Heavenly Creator.

The first part contains the words of a prayer "Like art thou in heaven!" They are the preface of an appeal to God and say that a person resorting to this prayer must understand that he must treat God not only as God's creation, but also feel like his son. This prayer can only be read by an Orthodox believer. When pronouncing prayer words, in no case should one doubt the power of God. In addition, it should be remembered that the Most Merciful and Almighty God is the father of all living, which means that all people on earth should live as brothers.

The second part of the prayer consists of the following phrases:

• "Hallowed be thy name." With these words, the prayer asks for the gift of a virtuous and pious life, which will contribute to the fact that every person on earth will glorify the name of the Lord God.
• "Let your kingdom come." With these words, the believer makes a request that God reign in all of us. In addition, the phrase reflects the idea that a person strives after death to get into the Kingdom of God. And, finally, these words in prayer express the hope for His second coming.
• "Thy will be done, as in heaven and on earth." With this phrase, the believer begs that God would not allow us to dispose of our lives according to our will, so that only He, the Creator and Creator, would manage it, and in our souls there would be no desire to resist this. In addition, with these words, we confirm our understanding that without the will of God, nothing can happen to us and come to us, which means that we are ready for complete obedience.
• "Give us our daily bread today." With these words, we express a request to God to allow us to pray. AT this case God's very word is compared to daily bread. Also, these words are a direct request that a person receive everything in life that he needs. It should be understood that here it is said about prosperity, but without frills.
• "And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors." In this phrase, debts denote human sins. That is, we ask the Lord to forgive us our sins. But on the other hand, the attention of the believer is focused on the fact that other people who have angered him need to forgive criminal acts. And if a person does not have enough strength to forgive his neighbor, then he cannot count on the forgiveness of his sins by the Lord. Moreover, in such a case it is even sinful to use this holy prayer.
• "And lead us not into temptation." With these words, we ask God for liberation from life's temptations that the devil directs us, pushing us to sin. We ask God to strengthen us with His grace and give us patience and strength to resist heretics.
• "But deliver us from the evil one." This phrase continues the previous thought and focuses on the request to God for protection from the devil and all sin. We ask the Lord to timely drive away from us the enemy who aimed to take possession of the soul and sent down an Angel who could protect.

The third part is the conclusion. It sounds like this: “For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen". The time emphasizes that a person must believe that he will definitely receive what he asks from God if he lives according to the will of God.

Listen to the audio prayer "Our Father":

Video prayer "Our Father":

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Prayer to the Holy Spirit is one of the most ancient prayer appeals. Every Orthodox believer should pronounce it during the morning prayer. It should be understood that only through the Holy Spirit will it be possible to know true prayer, which will be pleasing to God.

If a person lacks the grace-filled power of the Holy Spirit, then he cannot resist evil and quickly opens his soul to evil spirits, that is, he begins to sin. This leads to spiritual death and the impossibility of gaining eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven after death. In order to prevent this from happening, it is necessary to read a prayer to the Holy Spirit as often as possible. After all, in it the believer calls on the Holy Spirit to enter him and cleanse his mind of filth and unkind thoughts. If a person does good deeds, then the Holy Spirit helps him in this, bestowing God's grace-filled power each time.

This prayer is the tikhira of the feast of Pentecost. It cannot be read between Easter and Pentecost. The basis for the emergence of prayer was the fact that the Holy Spirit comforted the Apostles after their separation from Jesus Christ upon his Ascension. He moved into them and began to instruct them in doing righteous, true deeds. This means that the Holy Spirit can comfort every person in sorrow and sorrow, and also allow them to know the real truth.

In this prayer, believers pray to the Holy Spirit, as to the Third Person of the Holy Trinity. The appeal to the "King of Heaven" is a confirmation that he is the true God, like God the Father and God the Son, therefore he reigns over people and governs the whole world. He is also the Comforter, as he comforts and supports us during difficult life trials. The Holy Spirit is the spirit of truth, since he guides the righteous path that serves our salvation.

This prayer is affirmative and says that the Holy Spirit is everywhere, it fills the whole world around us. He sees everything and appreciates everything. He knows what a person needs and what he needs to give in a certain period of time. The Holy Spirit is the guardian of all human blessings. In prayer, he is called the Giver, because he alone moves life in the real world. It is he who leads people to the spiritual, eternal and holy afterlife. Therefore, we pray that the Holy Spirit will come and dwell in us. He will cleanse our souls from sins and make them holy and worthy of eternal life, will grant the Kingdom of Heaven.

Audio recording of the chant of the choir addressing the Holy Spirit:

Prayer "Symbol of Faith"

The strength of this prayer lies in the fact that this prayer contains a brief and accurate statement of the foundations of the Christian faith, which were compiled and approved at the first and second Ecumenical Council. This prayer appeal is able to strengthen a person’s faith and systematize his thoughts, bring them into the right state. But at the same time it is very important that this prayer be read from pure heart. It is also very helpful to listen to it.

The "Symbol of Faith" prayer can be read not only in morning rule. It will be very useful if a person feels that, due to some life circumstances, he has moved away from faith, or when there is a feeling that the soul is losing goodness and light. The prayer lines are saturated with endless love, sincere hope and deep respect for the entire Holy Trinity. This prayer should never be read as a duty, it should be treated as a blessing from heaven. You can also always carry the text of this prayer with you, paper with written holy lines will become a reliable protection against any life's adversities.

Listen to the prayer "Symbol of Faith" performed by the church choir:

Jesus Prayer

The Jesus Prayer for every believer is one of the initial steps in coming to faith. The power of this prayer appeal is enormous. Its essence is to submit a petition to the Almighty through his Son, who is also God for all those living on earth. Besides, this prayer with sincere faith, it can become a reliable amulet in real life, it helps to get rid of damage and the evil eye.

In order for prayer to be effective, you must follow these recommendations:

• While reading a prayer, it is necessary to be aware of each word and focus on the prayer text as a whole;
• It is impossible to memorize the text mechanically and each word must be pronounced clearly;
• Pray in a calm and quiet place.

Listen to the Jesus Prayer:

What is the power of the Jesus Prayer?

Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos

AT morning rule various prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos may be included. A prayer is often used in which a person asks for his health. In addition, such a prayer contains a request that the Mother of God pray for the believer before God for the forgiveness of his sins. Those who pray also ask the Blessed Virgin Mary for blessings for the coming day.

But in any morning rule, a short reading is provided, strong prayer"Virgin Mother of God, rejoice." But besides this, this prayer is allowed to be read at any time when a negative life period begins, filled with troubles and despondency.

This prayer is connected with the moment when the Archangel Gabriel brought the good news to the Virgin Mary that she would become the Mother of the Son of God. The meaning of prayer is very deep. Prayer affirms faith in a bright future, so it awakens hope in a person’s soul. This prayer, which is read sincerely, allows you to receive the grace of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Listen to the church hymn glorification of the Virgin:

Mother's prayer for children

AT morning prayers prayer for children should be included. There are many such prayers. But in every prayer, the main idea is to ask for the protection of their children and guidance of the children on the true path.

The morning prayer of parents for their children is very important. It will help protect your bloodlines from various misfortunes and from unkind people. A prayer word will help raise a child with a good soul. Prayer for children will always be heard.

Listen online audio mother's prayer:

In order to get to know mother's prayer better, you can watch the following video.

Watch online prayer mothers:

Evening prayer rule for the future

Evening prayers are obligatory for all Orthodox Christians. They calm the soul of a believer and allow you to ask for the Almighty well-being for the next day. Prayer addresses always contain gratitude to God for the day lived and hope for a happy future. It is noteworthy that evening prayers can be read in your own words, as long as they come from the depths of the soul.

Kontakion to the Theotokos

Before reading evening prayers, you can listen to church hymns. Kondaki are church hymns sung by the church choir during religious holidays. They were created by talented clergy during the development of Christianity. For the evening rule, the kontakion of the Mother of God is most suitable.

Listen to the singing of the church choir Kontakion to the Theotokos:

Mark yourself with the cross and say a prayer to the Holy Cross

During evening prayers, it is imperative to be baptized. And you need to do it right.

When crossing himself with a cross, the believer must understand the meaning of each gesture:

• By touching the forehead, the believer sanctifies his mind with faith;
• Touching the stomach, the believer blesses his organs;
• Moving on to the shoulders, the believer sanctifies the entire body.

Orthodox Christians must be baptized from right to left. This is due to the fact that, according to giving, the right side of a person is considered the main one. It is on the right shoulder that the angels sit, and the entrance to paradise is located to the right of the person. The left side is always associated with the entrance to hell. Therefore, such a sequence of baptism can be explained by the fact that a person first asks to be accepted into paradise. After a person crosses himself, he needs to bow low.

One of the important evening prayers is the "Prayer to the Holy Cross". It is pronounced just before going to bed. When reading a prayer, it is imperative to hold in your hands pectoral cross. After the end of the prayer, you should kiss the cross and cross yourself and your bed.

listen to a prayer Holy Cross:

Confession of sins everyday

AT evening rule daily confession of sins is a must. This prayer contains a list of human sins, helps a person to realize all his daily sins and repent of them. Also, this prayer is a reminder of earlier committed sins, because it begins with the phrase: "I have done all the days of my stomach." To consciously say a prayer on Old Church Slavonic, be sure to first familiarize yourself with its translation. Prayer gives hope that sincerely confessed sins will be forgiven by God and open the way to a righteous life for a person.

Listen to the audio prayer for daily confession:

Listen to the clergyman's explanation of repentance and confession:

Last prayer before bed

There is a large number Orthodox prayers, which are allowed to read just before bedtime. As a rule, such prayer appeals help to calm down and correctly complete the working day. With their help, you can cleanse yourself of the negativity received during the day.

Prayer words uttered at bedtime allow you to discard daytime worries and worries. With the help of prayer, a person always thanks God for the day he has lived and asks for protection for the future. It is important that the prayer said before going to bed comes from the depths of the soul.

Listen to an audio prayer for a dream to come:

Prayers throughout the day

Prayer of the Optina Elders

Famous Optina Elders live in the Optina Monastery in the Kaluga Region, who honor the traditions of the Orthodox Church.

From time immemorial, they differed from other monks in that:

• They were given God's Gift, which they applied in life;
• Sincerely served the people and cared for the poor;
• Had deep faith;
• They made constant repentance for all those who suffer.

Optina monks possessed the gift of healing, were excellent soothsayers and were able to retell the events of past years. The prayer of the Optina elders arose during the founding of the monastery, in the 14th century. It fills the soul with life-giving hope for salvation, ardent love for the Lord and inexhaustible faith. The prayer of the Optina Elders has outlived its creators for a long time during the day. It is noteworthy that although it is not included in any prayer rule, prayer is very much in demand and is read by many Orthodox believers. It is related to her deep meaning and by the power of the Holy Spirit himself, on the inspiration of which the text was created.

Listen to the audio prayer of the Optina Elders:

This psalm, important for every Orthodox believer, was written by the prophet David in connection with deliverance from a three-day pestilence. The main meaning of the prayer text is that the Lord is the Intercessor and a reliable refuge for the suffering, who trust in Him.

Psalm 90, also known as the Living in Help prayer, states the following:

• Everyone who follows God's commandments and sincerely turns to God, will be kept under the protection of the Most High, will receive the help given by God, and will be kept under the protection of God.
• Sincerely repentant, a person can count on God's help from any demonic attacks.
• Reliable protection for a person is the truth and a righteous life.
• When will it be rendered God's help, a person will feel and realize it. His enemies will be revealed to him.
• Being under the protection of God, a person can be sure that neither the family nor the home will suffer from evil.
• For protection, God will send down his Angels, who will not allow sins to be committed and turn away from dashing people.
• Whoever trusts in God and glorifies Him will be forgiven and gain eternal life.

When reading the prayer “Alive in Help”, God surely hears every questioner and responds to help his son or daughter like a loving father. Even a sinful person can count on the help of the Lord when reading this prayer. The Almighty is Merciful and helps in the hope of awakening future faith in the soul of the afflicted.

Listen to the prayer "Alive in help" psalm 90:

Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker

Prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker is considered a very strong prayer text. Help from this Saint can be anyone. This is precisely what determines the variety of prayers with which believers can turn to the Saint.

Audio prayer to the God-pleasing Nicholas:

Muslim dua from corruption and evil eye

Dua is a special prayer with which the faithful turn to Allah with a specific request. All such prayer appeals are recorded in the Koran. Muslim duas can be used from damage and the evil eye, despite the fact that Islam denies magic, considering it a sin. Every true believer, reading a dua, can ask Allah for healing, for protecting the home and family, as well as from the shaitan, with whose actions the faithful associate the appearance of the evil eye and damage.

You need to read the dua from corruption and the evil eye alone at night. You should start praying immediately after midnight, and finish reading prayers at dawn. Every Muslim prayer it is necessary to pronounce it repeatedly, this enhances its effectiveness.

Video online dua from corruption:

Church hymns

Church hymns are an important component of divine services. The task of church singing is to convey the inner content of prayer texts and, with the help of singing, emphasize those features that cannot be expressed simply in words.

Chants of the Elders of Optina Hermitage

Optina Pustyn is the most famous monastery in the Kaluga region, which is considered one of the main spiritual Orthodox centers. History says that the monastery was founded in the 14th century by a repentant robber. main temple The monastery was built in 1689. Today it is a flourishing monastery, which is famous for the Optina Elders living in it, who have the gift of divination and healing.

The prayers and chants of the Optina Elders are distinguished by their melodiousness and very deep meaning. Today it is possible to download them from the Internet and listen at home.

Listen to free audio chants of the brethren of Optina Pustyn:

Chants of the Monks of the Valaam Monastery

Very important Orthodox shrine in the form of a monastery is located on the Valaam Islands, located on Lake Ladoga. No one knows how and when the first monks got to these places. There is an old legend that already in the first century Apostle Andrew the First-Called managed to get to Valaam by water, who “blessed Valaam with a stone cross”. Thus, it can be argued that the history of the Valaam Monastery has more than 100 years.

But the founders ancient monastery Sergius and Herman of Valaam are considered. It was they who founded the monastery, which is widely known in our time. The wooden buildings were repeatedly destroyed and burned by robbers, but the monastery was restored with renewed vigor.

Today, many pilgrims aspire to the holy places. People who are tired of worldly bustle find real peace in these holy places and can, alone, reflect on their faith and think about eternal salvation. Having been here once, the human soul will again strive to Valaam again and again.

The spiritual and cultural heritage of the Valaam Monastery is enormous. Here ascetics Orthodox faith a huge amount of work has been done. The Valaam Monastery has always been a stronghold of the Orthodox Church in the North of Russia. The monastery is famous for its high spirituality and the spread of Christianity in the surrounding lands. Today, the chants of the choir of the brethren of the Valaam Monastery are especially popular.

Watch the online video of the chant of the monks of the Valaam Monastery:

Choir of the Moscow Sretensky Monastery

The Moscow Sretensky Monastery was founded in 1397. This is the oldest Orthodox monastery with deep traditions. It was founded in memory of the deliverance of Moscow from the invasion of Tamerlane. At the place of their meeting, the residents of Moscow installed the face of the miraculous Vladimir Icon. Mother of God. It was she who appeared in a dream to the invader and ordered to get out.

Choir of Moscow Sretensky Monastery, glorifying the Christian faith, a very popular team. His chants touch the most delicate strings of the human soul and strengthen faith.

Choral art is one of the first on the hierarchical ladder, along with theological liturgy, catechesis and other disciplines, since it absorbs everything - theology, asceticism, and catechesis. In general, this art combines the gift of God with the Law of God.

Not many can (although they want to) be in this obedience. It is necessary to be pure, free from the influence of the hysteria of the arts. No need for "opera" and lyrics. There is no need for fake subtext, mood and the like. What you need is to feel the regent, to be a symphony with him.

A good professional chorister must be begged and suffered. Considering our monastery choir, we can say with gratitude - it is long-awaited! Save me, God!

In the beginning, many years ago, we had an amateur monastery choir. All choristers from it today sing in other parishes. Now the choir of the Samara Monastery is an ornament, so to speak, of our monastery. The choir consists of young talented people, enthusiasts. A close-knit team, united not by pay for work, but by love for church hymns. All choristers have a musical education.

Here is its base: Alexey Chumak - bass, choir director;Mikhail Ivanov - second tenor;Irina Rera - instead of the first tenor; Denis Maistrenko - baritone.

We thank our choristers for the excellent work and wish them creative success.

CHOIR OF THE MONASTERY TODAY

All the chants that can be heard in Orthodox churches during service, have a long history. Presumably, in the first Christian communities, chants were already performed, as in the synagogue and temple services of the time of Christ. So, it is written in Holy Scripture (Mt 26:30) that when the Savior and the disciples celebrated the Last Supper, they (the disciples), singing, went to the Mount of Olives. The term "chanting" refers to the singing of one of the hymns or psalms.

The chants that have come down to us have changed significantly. In a reformed form, choral singing in local Orthodox churches now there are three types:

• Byzantine monophonic with Eason-Bourdon
• Georgian three-part
• four-voice (partesnoe) homophonic-harmonic.

Especially at all times, monastic singing stood out, it was considered exemplary. Usually the choir of the monastery has always differed from the choir of parish churches. In addition, the services in the monasteries with the singing of the choir are longer and are held daily.

In the Samara Desert Monastery, the first attempts to create a choir were made back in 2008. With the blessing of Archimandrite Dositheus, from that time on, divine services, but only on holidays, were held with the chants of the choir. The prayers of the viceroy were heard and in 2010 three guys came to the monastery with suitable timbres of voices, with a musical education. Then another performer joined them - sister Irina. Since that time, the choir of the monastery has been decorating the divine services. He performs chants of various authors, including the Znamenny chant.
Alexey Chumak, monastery choir director

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We offer you to listen to audio recordings of the performances of the choir of the Samara Monastery:

“Quietly flowing ...” (watch on Youtube on this link)

"Cherubic"

"Get established"

"Sunshine"

"Month"

“Oh, by the cherry orchard”

23. Monastery singing and monastic chants

clearly shows that the distortion of ancient statutory melodies, the violation of the melodic rank is entirely due to the violation of the life rank. Singing is conditioned by life. Where there is no correct order of life, there can be no correct order of melodies. The correct order of life can be born only as a result of the contemplation of the Divine Order. The contemplation of the Divine Order gives rise to the order of life, the order of life gives rise to the order of singing, and thus the correct melodic order, the righteous life and contemplation of the Divine Order form the fullness of the tri-component structure of liturgical singing, which is a reflection of the tri-component structure of a person, whose healthy life lies in the harmonious interaction of the three principles - body, soul and spirit. The angelic likeness, or angelic voice, of singing can be born only from the angelic likeness of life, and the angelic way of life is the monastic life. That is why the substitution of liturgical singing for music, the transformation of angel-likeness into a world-formation that took place in the 18th century, is due to the decline of monastic life and the oppression of monasticism in general by the government, which has reached greatest strength during the reign of Empress Catherine II. And that is why the restoration of the melodic order, the restoration of the angelic quality of singing depended entirely on the restoration and renewal of the correct order of life, the life of an angel.

The solemnity of life gives rise to a melodic order or chant; the lawlessness of life gives rise to melodic arbitrariness or a concerto, for chant and concerto are not only different principles of melodic formation, but also different ways or ways of life. If life is conceived as a certain component of the hierarchical deified cosmos, realizing its place and purpose in this hierarchy, living the life of a single whole, then such life is a chant characterized by hierarchical and open structures, as well as their harmonic correspondence and permeation with a single melodic beginning. If life is conceived as some kind of independent individual and closed formation, aware of its isolation, and the entire cosmos is represented as consisting of the same isolated individual formations, which are in the most arbitrary ratios, then such life is a concert characterized by the isolation and independence of various structures, as well as the spontaneity of their relationship without any desire for coordination with a single whole. Just as a choral concerto consists of several or many contrasting parts, so life with its various twists and turns can be viewed as a concerto. The whole history of mankind with its various periods can be considered as a concert, and each individual segment of a person's life, with its tossing about of various feelings, is also a concert. Just as a chant consists of interpenetrating hierarchical structures permeated with a single melodic principle, so life, permeated with a single aspiration to God, can be considered in the form of a chant. The whole history of mankind, providentially directed towards salvation, can be considered as a chant, and each individual segment of a person’s life, wholly given to God, is also a chant. The chant is the acquisition of unity, the concerto is the loss of unity; the acquisition of true unity is achieved by churching, the loss of true unity leads to alienation from the Church. Thus, chant and concerto are categories not only aesthetic, but also moral and spiritual, and if so, then the preference for one or the other is already a moral and spiritual accomplishment, moral and spiritual self-determination.

But no moral and spiritual accomplishments are given without struggle and without effort. That is why, when talking about the dominance of the concerto in the 18th century, and about the desire to restore the chant, it should not be about a change in aesthetic ideals, but about a tense spiritual struggle that requires serious spiritual efforts. Spiritual forces can appear only as a result of a spiritual feat of prayer, and a spiritual feat of prayer is the lot of monastic life. Thus, the restoration of chant began to depend on the restoration of monastic life, and to restore monastic life, a strong spiritual fighter was needed, experienced in spiritual warfare and able to teach this battle to others. Became such a fighter and teacher Saint Paisios Velichkovsky is the restorer of eldership, spiritual prayer, and all the best testaments of ancient monasticism, whose influence and teachings spread throughout Russia. His disciples appear on Solovki and Valaam, in the Optina and Glinskaya deserts, as well as in other monasteries, in many of which the restoration of the chant principle soon begins to be observed.

If the principle of the concert breaks the liturgical chant into a series of contrasting, unrelated chants, as a result of which the liturgy itself becomes like a concert consisting of a number of separate numbers, then the principle of chant seeks to subordinate all the chants of the service to a single melodic-rhythmic system, to connect individual chants into a kind of rosary, as a result of which the whole service becomes, as it were, one hymn, permeated with a single prayerful breath. It was precisely the formation of such unified melodic systems that took place in the monasteries in which the teachings of Elder Paisios took firm roots, the first and most striking examples of which are Valaam and the Solovetsky Monastery, Optina and the Glinskaya Hermitage with their elders and ascetics renowned throughout Russia.

Although these systems were formed on the foundation of ancient monodic tunes, they were practically no longer monophonic, because to the main melody written out in the manuscript, the singers themselves attached a “second” from above, duplicating the written melody, as a rule, in a third, while the lower the voice "walked" the bass notes of the main functions. As a result, a three-voice system was formed, which is a cross between the lowercase znamenny and early partes or Kant singing. Emphasized functionality and tonic-dominant relations, combined with an abundance of parallelisms (in particular, parallelisms of fifths) and deliberate primitiveness of relations, gave a special originality and special charm to this three-halos. It seems that a new sense of verticality has crystallized here. Just as a shell envelops a foreign grain of sand with a special substance, turning it into pearls, so Russian melodic thinking, struggling with the foreign harmonic principle that penetrated into it, began to envelop it with its mother-of-pearl and turn it into something original and bewitching.

It was precisely this sense of verticality that delighted P.I. and inelegant. It’s a different matter in the Lavra: they sing there in their own ancient way, in compliance with millennia-old traditions, without notes, and therefore without any pretense of concert performance, but what original, original and sometimes majestically beautiful liturgical singing!” These lines require a few explanations. Firstly, with regard to the “thousand-year tradition”, it should be noted that the singing tradition of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra in the form in which P. I. Tchaikovsky heard it does not go back earlier than the 17th century, like almost all later monastic chants . Secondly, the words "without notes" must obviously be understood precisely in the sense that the chants were sung in three voices according to a written monophonic melody. Thirdly, everything said by P.I. Tchaikovsky about the singing of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra can obviously be extended to other monasteries where such singing was practiced, because the monastic chants differed from each other in their monodic basis, while the transformation of the written monophony into three-parts is everywhere happened in the same way, since with the initial data there simply could not be other options for solving the vertical. Thus, all the present, based on chants, monastic polyphony of the XIX century. can be described as "original, original and sometimes majestic liturgical singing".

What else unites all existing in the XIX century. monastic chants, this is their late origin, which is why one should never be deceived by assurances of the antiquity of their tradition (“from the time of foundation”), because the traditions of the 15th-17th centuries, even the most powerful ones, were interrupted in the 17th and 18th centuries. the tradition of partes singing in all monasteries without exception. It should not be forgotten, moreover, that many monasteries, which later became spiritual beacons for the whole of Russia, under Catherine II were either brought to almost complete destruction, or eked out such a miserable existence that there was no time for observing the singing tradition in them. Therefore, it is necessary to distinguish between the old monastic chants of the XV-XVII centuries. and new monastic chants, formed or, as it were, newly restored in the 18th-19th centuries. These are precisely those chants, many of which owe their origin to the work of Elder Paisios.

Most of the developed monastic chants of the XIX century. is based on Znamenny chant or its modifications with more or less introduction of melodic material from other chants (Greek, Bulgarian), as well as with the obligatory presence of a certain number of original local melodies. This is exactly how things stand in the Valaam and Solovetsky chant, in the chant of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and in the chant of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. Therefore, all chants can be considered as various options, albeit sometimes quite distant from each other, but always ascending to some primary source. All these are local interpretations or local traditions, spun off from a single trunk of the ancient Russian singing tradition. In each of the chants, it is possible to distinguish, as it were, several “cultural layers”: a layer of Znamenny chant, a layer of the period of the rank of chants and polychants, a layer of late local tunes, a layer of harmonic rethinking of ancient tunes. All these layers do not always form a harmonious unity, and in some chants one can observe features of eclecticism. In general, the new monastic chants were almost completely not studied and were not considered as unified melodic systems, either from the point of view of their internal structure, or from the point of view of their relationship with each other and in relation to their common source, which is why it is premature to say anything about this. . It should only be noted that these chants are an interesting attempt to revive liturgical singing as a single perfect melodic system, an attempt to move from the principle of the concerto to the principle of chant, from church music to liturgical penik, on the basis of the desire to reproduce high ancient patterns.

In addition to the Valaam, Solovetsky, Kiev-Pechersk and Trinity-Sergius chants - full and developed chants, whose editions were published at different times at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a significant number of incomplete monastic chants - the chant of the Optina Hermitage, the chant of the Glinskaya Hermitage, the Gethsemane chant and many other tunes, the top of which are, obviously, are similar to the Optina ones. It can be said that the 19th century is the century of a special flowering of these complete and incomplete monastic chants, imbued with the highest and purest religious fervor and at the same time filled with such simplicity that no composer can compose. They do not have that intellectual intensity and that lofty theology, to which the system of chants of the 15th-16th centuries sometimes rises, but there is that childish simple-heartedness, which sometimes turns out to be higher than the highest theology. It is difficult to find a visual parallel to this singing, but it is possible to draw a literary analogy, and this analogy will be “The Frank Tales of a Wanderer”, for this is precisely the singing of wanderers, pilgrims, simple pilgrims, hospitable gentlemen and all those who are described in this famous book.

In the 19th century certain Moscow chants were also especially revered, and of them, first of all, the Chant of the Assumption Cathedral and the Chant of the Simonov Monastery, which were never published and exist only in manuscripts. The chant of the Simonov Monastery is a special four-voice version of the Znamenny chant. Its main feature was a specific, very quiet and gentle performance. Such a performance and the very nature of the melodies made a very strong impression, as a result of which Simonov's singing was famous throughout Russia. The activities of the monastic composer Hieromonk Viktor, in the world - Vasily Vysotsky (1791-1871), are connected with the Simonovsky Monastery, for it was here that he labored as a usher and regent. Another well-known composer, the monk Archimandrite Feofan (in the world Fedor Alexandrov), was at first the director of the choir of the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary, and later became the rector of the Donskoy Monastery in Moscow. The work of these monastic composers, especially loved by all believers, is a piece of monastic singing and a wonderful example of a kind of creative humility that brings amazing and soul-saving fruits. Thus, monastic singing activity represents a significant contrast to composer activity and outlines its own special paths, which, according to the decrees of the Holy Synod, one can hope to restore ancient singing, and with it the entire ancient Russian singing system.