Singing the Anaphora of St. Basil the Great
The Anaphora of St. Basil the Great is the central part of the Divine Liturgy of the same name. This article explains how to sing the responses for this Anaphora, and covers pages 96-103 of our Divine Liturgies book.
The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, of which this Anaphora is the distinguishing part, is celebrated approximately ten times each year, and so the music for the anaphora has its own section in the Divine Liturgies book. This book provides two musical settings for the hymns particular to the Anaphora of Saint Basil:
- the A setting is from the tradition of the Church of Mukačevo (in Ukraine); it is somewhat longer and more intricate, but is exceptionally beautiful
- the B setting is from the tradition of the Church of Prešov (in Slovakia), and is simpler and easier to sing
Either setting may be used, but the two settings should not be combined; either one OR the other should be used at a given Divine Liturgy.
The introductory dialog
The responses at the start of the anaphora use the same music as the Anaphora of Saint John Chrysostom, beginning with a trumpet-like call to prayer, going all the way up to sol:
The next response follows the Long Amen pattern:
It is when the priest exclaims, "Let us give thanks to the Lord" that the music for the Anaphora of Saint Basil begins. The cantor should decide well in advance whether to use the A setting (beginning on page 96) or the B setting (beginning on page 100), and the faithful should be informed or reminded of this (before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy!) if the music has not been used recently. Using one of the book's ribbons to mark the appropriate page can be very helpful.
Here is the A setting of the response, "It is proper and just":
The key here is E flat, so the selection actually starts on do; it is scale-wise and not too difficult. Try to sing it as two musical phrases, each one very smooth: "It is proper and just; it is proper and just." Note that is ends on do, allowing the priest to continue on the same pitch.
Here is the B setting of the response, "It is proper and just":
This setting, too, starts on do, and can should be sung as a single smooth phrase, ending back on do.
There is no need to flip back to the main section of the Divine Liturgy; whichever setting of the Basil Anaphora you have chosen, you can follow the music in order on pages 96-103.
The Hymn of Victory - Holy, Holy, Holy
The next prayer is quite long, but theologically rich, as it recounts the history of salvation.
After the words, "Singing, shouting, crying aloud, and saying the triumphal hymn:", the people sing the hymn "Holy, Holy, Holy", which combines Isaiah's vision of the cherubim and seraphim before God's throne, with a psalm verse in praise of Christ. You will find the music for this hymn immediately after the setting of "It is truly proper" that you have chosen.
Here is the A setting of the Basil "Holy, holy, holy":
Again, the melody starts on do, but it is quite a bit more complicated than "It is truly proper." Try to sing it as three broad, smooth sections, each ending with a period. Also, notice that "Blessed is he" follows the scale, sol - la - ti - do.
Here is the B setting of the Basil "Holy, holy, holy":
This setting, too, starts on do, and begins with the opening phrase of "It is truly proper", then becomes much more lyrical. Again, try to sing it in three smooth sections, each consisting of a single sentence and ending with a period.
The words of institution: "Amen"
In the Anaphora of Saint John Chrysostom, we sing the "Amen" responses at our Lord's words over the bread and wine using the short Amen melody. In the Anaphora of Saint Basil the Great, we use a longer melody that matches the chosen music setting.
Here is the A setting of the Basil "Amen", which is sung twice, once at the words over the bread, and once at the words over the chalice:
This melody starts and ends on do, and should be sung as smoothly as possible.
Here is the B setting of the Basil "Amen", which is sung twice, once at the words over the bread, and once at the words over the chalice:
Here the"Amen" starts on mi, not do; the melody is exactly the same as for the words "Holy is the Lord of Hosts" in the preceding hymn.
The Anamnesis: "We praise you, we bless you"
Here is the A setting of the Basil acclamation, "We praise you, we bless you."
This melody starts and ends on do, and should be sung as smoothly as possible. When singing this hymn, PAY ATTENTION to the transition from the end of the first line of music to the start of the second; "and we pray" does not begin on the same pitch as "Lord", but a whole step higher.
Here is the B setting of the Basil acclamation, "We praise you, we bless you."
The B setting of this hymn is a good bit more complicated than the A setting, but still begins and ends on do. When singing this hymn, PAY ATTENTION to the transition from the end of the second line to the start of the third line, where the pitch drops a third from "pray" to "to".
Prayers for those who have died: "In you, O woman full of grace"
In the Liturgy of Saint Basil, we do not sing "It is truly proper" as the hymn to the Mother of God at the end of the Anaphora; instead, we either sing "In you, O Woman full of grace", or (on certain feasts) the festal magnification and irmos. Consult the Typikon to determine which is used.
"In you, O Woman full of grace" is the most complicated melody in the Liturgy of Saint Basil, and MUST be practiced thoroughly. It is also one case where some familiarity with the sound of the hymn in Church Slavonic is extremely helpful.
Here is the A setting of the Basil hymn to the Mother of God, "In you, O Woman full of grace":
Note the key change to G, so that the melody begins on la and ends on ti. This melody is quite old, and comes from the Znammeny chant tradition.
Here is the B setting of the Basil hymn to the Mother of God, "In you, O Woman full of grace":
This is a melody from the so-called "Greek chant", and it can be tempting to chant it in a sort of repetitive sing-song. But listen to this recording of the same melody by the monks of Valaam to see how beautifully and spiritually it can be chanted.
The remainder of the Anaphora
The final response of the Anaphora is sung using the same melody as the Anaphora of St. John Chrysostom.
