In this series of articles [originally written for the CANTOR-L list], I'd like to go over the basic liturgical books used in the Old Country for the practice of liturgical singing in Ruthenian (Greek Catholic) and Carpatho-Russian (Orthodox) churches.

A number of first-hand accounts of liturgical singing in the Carpathians have come down to us from the first half of this century. The best known is that of the Orthodox musicologist Johann von Gardner:

...Shortly before World War II in Orthodox and Uniate village churches in the region known a sCarpatho-Russia, singing at services was performed by the entire congregation. Each person had before him a book (sbornik) containing all the prescribed hymns. An experienced cantor began the singing, and as soon as the familiar melody was heard, everyone -- men, women and children -- joined in the singing, performing the entire service in this manner. Even the children knew many of the texts by heart and could sing them from memory.
-- Johann von Garner, Russian Church Singing, I. pp. 26-27

Now, the melodies for our plainchant consist of the old oral tradition which was finally notated in printed from by Bokshai and Malinich in their Tserkovnoje Prostpinije (Church Plainchant) in 1906. But the use of the Bokshai Prostopinije depends on a knowledge of the services themselves. (For example, a feast day hymn may be the same one used in another feast, and the cantor needs to remember that fact and turn to the appropriate page.) Furthermore, the Bokshai Prostopinije was in the hands of the parish cantor -- Bishop Firczak, who commissioned the work, ordered every parish to acquire two copies -- but was not the book used by the people. According to Gardner, they had something called a Sbornik. So what's a Sbornik?

A Walking Tour of the Velikij Sbornik

-- or --

Liturgical Texts for the Busy Cantor

Our liturgical services come in a dozen or more fat volumes, and even those may not be complete. But the most important texts -- for Vespers, Matins and Divine Liturgy for Sundays and feast days -- can be contained in a single book.

In 1866, a Greek Catholic priest named Andrew Popovich arranged for the printing of a book entitled Velikij Sbornik (Great Anthology, or Large Collection) containing the liturgical texts for Sundays and feast days. He taught his parishioners how to use them, and congregational singing spread throughout the Carpathians. The Velikij Sbornik went through several editions and many reprintings, and even has some modern descendents such as the Byzantine Book of Prayer.

Unfortunately, there is no English volume containing the same texts as the Velikij Sbornik has in Church Slavonic. But the layout of the Sbornik is a key to organized liturgical church singing, and I propose to give an overview of the Sbornik -- what it contains, and how to use it -- in the hope that one day, an "English Sbornik" may come into existence.

I have two Sborniki: a somewhat tattered 1937 edition in Cyrillic from Uzhorod, and 1936 edition in Latinica (Latin alphabet) from Presov. Because it is in better shape, all references here will be to the Velikij Cerkovnyj Sbornik printed at the Petra press in Presov in 1937, with the imprimatur of Bishop Paul Gojdich.

This Sbornik is a medium-sized black volume, about 5 1/2 by 7 1/2 inches. It has 752 pages, with the table of contents at the end. It abbreviates common liturgical texts shamelessly, and has not a blessed line of music.

Part I - Vespers and Matins

The first page gets right down to business: "Cin Vecerni" (Order of Vespers).

Printed in smaller type, the service starts with the usual beginning prayers, abbreviated like so: "Blessed be our God. Amen. Heavenly King. Trisagion. Our Father. Lord have mercy 12. Glory be and now. Come let us adore 3."

As I said, the Sbornik can be terse. Some Slavonic to know:

Blahosloven Boh nas Blessed be our God
Amin Amen
Trisvjatoje Thrice-holy ("Holy God, Holy and Mighty...")
Otce nas Our Father
Slava Glory (to the Father and to the Son...)
i and
Nyni Now (and ever and forever)

Psalm 103 follows. Psalms are generally written as block text, not in sense lines like poetry. Verses are separated by long dashes; each verse is divided in the middle by an asterisk, so the various psalm tones can be used.

Next comes the Litany of Peace. No indication is given as to "who sings what"; a long dash indicates a change in who's singing. When repeated, the people's response is only given the first time.

The comes Blazen muz ("Blessed is the man", the selected verses from the first kathisma of the Psalter, used on Saturdays and some feasts). On some days another kathisma would be used; the Sbornik gives the text that would
be sung in common, and assumes you'll start singing if you hear the cantor sing "Blessed is the man"). The following little litany ("Jektenija malaja") is not written out.

The Lamp Lighting Psalms (Psalms 140, 1341, 129 and 116) are given next, with indications of where the stichera go, followed by a short prayer said silently by the priest during the entrance procession. (There is always an entrance at Vespers for Sundays and feasts; that is what distinguishes Great Vespers from daily Vespers.)

Then "Premudrost', prosti!" (Wisdom, be attentive) and the Hymn of the Evening, "Svite Tichij" (Joyful Light).

The vespers Prokeimena are given for each day of the week (for feasts that occur on weekdays), then the Litany of Supplication (with a rubric indicating that it is sometimes omitted) and the Hymn of Glorification, "Spodobi, Hospodi" (Keep us, O Lord, this evening without sin). The two opening words are in bold face, indicating the exact point at which the new liturgical day is deemed to begin.

After the second Litany of Supplication, a rubric indicates that special Litija hymns if any are sung at this point, otherwise proceed to the aposticha stichiry ("stichiry na Stichovnach"; the "versicles on the verses" = aposticha). Then the (long and beautiful) Litany of the Litija is given in full.

At this point, the Uniontown Vespers book gives the daily aposticha verses; but the Sbornik is for Sundays and feast days only, when these aren't customarily used; so it simply notes "the aposticha are sung here" and proceeds with the Canticle of Simeon,"Nyni otpuscajesi" ("Now you shall dismiss your servant, O Lord"), then the concluding prayers. As with the beginning prayers, only the initial words are given.

After indicating where the dismisal troparia are sung, it gives the festal blessing and Psalm 33 (both for the Litija if there is one) and the "otpusty" (dismissals) for each day of the week.

Thus, the entire order of Vespers is given in 16 pages, by

  1. omitting Sunday- and feast day-specific texts found elsewhere in the book
  2. using shorthand for common prayers and responses
  3. omitting any rubric or exception which the priest or cantor should already know, and which the people can simply follow
  4. Concentrating on the common details for Sundays and feasts, and letting exceptions be noted elsewhere in the book.

I hope this series proves to be helpful. In my experience, the titles and notes in music volumes like the Bokshai Prostopinije simply make a lot more sense if you understand the relationship between the Prostopinije -- all the music, a minimum of texts -- and the Sbornik -- all the texts, no music at all. The opening words of each hymn keep the two in sync. (The best reason, to my mind, for our hierarchs to standardize English texts!)

Next installment: on to Matins, and: what is a "stolp", and does it need to be removed surgically?