Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Changes a'coming to Greek parishes in the US

It should not be a surprise, with the advent of the new Divine Liturgy texts approved by the Ecumenical Patriarchate, that the peoples' side of things will change as well. Some of these changes themselves will be surprising though. I have no idea how immediately or uniformly these changes will be implemented.


(SE Fed. of Greek Orthodox Choirs & Musicians) - The following is a message of information from Maria Keritsis, National Chairman of the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians:

Changes in the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostomos

The Holy Eparchial Synod of our Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, with the approval of the Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate, has recently completed and published a new Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in both Greek and English. This new translation also includes changes to the Liturgy that will impact the responses during the liturgy offered by chanters and choirs. To assist the parishes of our Archdiocese with the transition in the use of the newly approved Divine Liturgy, the National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians has outlined the changes. Each choir director and chanter should work with their parish priest and proceed with the implementation as directed.

1. Κύριε Ελέησον is not to be translated into English. Lord Have Mercy will not be used as a response. Let that sink in.

2. Θεοτόκος is not to be translated into English.

3. Λόγος is not translated into English.

4. At Αντιλαβού, σωσον, ελέησον (Help us, save us…), the Υπέρ Αγία Θεοτόκε σωσον ημας (Most Holy Theotokos save us) intonation is eliminated completely. A quite popular practice in Orthodox churches of all stripes. Even in jurisdictions where it's not an "approved" act, the people do it out of an outpouring of piety.

5. There is a Κύριε Ελέησον after …τη ση χάριτι (…by Your grace), then Σοι, Κυριε (To You, O Lord).

6. As with the 1st and 2nd Antiphons, there are verses chanted before the 3rd Antiphon, which is the Απολυτίκιον (Dismissal Hymn) at the Small Entrance.

7. The choir’s/chanter’s repeat of the priest’s Δύναμις (With more power) is eliminated from Άγιος ο Θεός (Holy God…) and in all substitutions of the Τρισάγιον (Thrice Holy) hymn.

8. There is an optional Litany of Fervent Supplication after the reading of the Holy Gospel and before the Great Entrance. Check with your priest.

9. At the conclusion of the Cherubic Hymn, Αλληλούια is sung 3 times.

10. After the priest says, Αγαπήσωμεν αλλήλους…, (Let us love one another…), the correct response is, Πατέρα, Υιόν και Άγιον Πνεύμα… (Father, Son and Holy Spirit…)

I will love you… (Αγαπήσω σε…) is said privately in the altar by the clergy.

11. The translation for Παράσχου, Κύριε is Grant this, O Lord.

12. The Communion Hymn begins with Αινείτε and ends with Αλληλούια. This complete phrase is then repeated 3 times (or more until the priest is ready with Holy Communion).

13. After Holy Communion when the priest says, Πάντοτε, νυν και αει…(Now and forever…) and after the Αμήν (Amen), there is an optional hymn, Πληρωθήτε το στόμα ημών αινέσεως… (Let our mouths be filled with Your praise…). Check with your priest. Without this hymn, after communion, there is really very little time to do all the post-communion work in the altar that needs doing. For me, a welcome inclusion.

14. At the Dismissal of the Liturgy before the final blessing, Κύριε Ελέησον (3x), Πάτερ Άγιε, ευλόγισον, is eliminated completely. The correct response is a single Κύριε Ελέησον.

The Archdiocese is publishing a new hymnal with the text and hymns in Greek and English which will be available this Fall. The music for the hymnal has been arranged by the “Oloi Mazi” team of the National Forum based on the familiar melodies. (This is a new version of the green Ernie Villas pew book of the Liturgy which was published in the 70’s.) This hymnal incorporates the new English translation and will include the eight Αναστάσιμα Απολυτίκια (Resurrectional Dismissal Hymns) as well as other often sung hymns

At this time, only a few composers/arrangers have published music with the official English translation. In time, many of our composers will use the new “sira” and English translation of the Divine Liturgy and publish new music. To date, Dean Limberakis and Christopher Kypros have published new music. Anna Gallos’s “Opus II” and Kevin Lawrence’s work will be available soon. Other composers and arrangers are invited and encouraged to harmonize the approved texts and to develop their own arrangements as long as the text is not altered.

The National Forum of Greek Orthodox Church Musicians has published a position paper that addresses the insertion of the new text in existing published music for the Divine Liturgy. Please note that it is not permitted to insert English words into the music of the older “legacy” liturgies unless approved by the composer. Official English translations of some of our legacy composers (Vrionides, Anastassiou, Roubanis, etc.) will be professionally prepared under the guidance of the National Forum and will become available in time.

15 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. The prohibition on translating certain words into English is kind of strange. After all, "Kyrie eleison," "Theotokos," and "Logos," have been translated before, notably into Slavonic. I suppose that an argument could be made that "Theotokos" and particularly "Logos" have connotations in Greek that get lostin English translation, but why is it theologically more precise to say "Kyrie eleison" rather than, "Lord have mercy," and why is the then ok to say "Grant this O Lord" rather than "Paraschou Kyrie"?

    ReplyDelete
  3. These are mostly good, in my opinion.

    #1, and #2 of course, are typical Ecumenical Hellenism, and I reject them entirely.

    #3, I can see arguments for, considering the difficulty of translation.

    #4, I can see leaving out as an official intonation, but as you said, the people's love will produce it anyway.

    I don't understand how #5 and #6 have come to needing to be said?

    #7: Good. Dynamis is an instruction to the choir/chanters/congregation, and instead of repeating it back, they should just do it. :)

    #11: Good. This is what we Antiochians have it translated as, so this is a good step toward "one translation across all jurisdictions".

    #13: Wait...so you're saying the Greeks haven't done this so far? I have never been to an Antiochian service where it's not sung. Yay for more cross-jurisdictional consistency! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Regarding #5 and #6

      #5: The petition "Help us, save us ..." is quite different from the others preceding, if only because it does not end "let us pray to the Lord." It is quite common among Greeks (I've never heard it in other Byzantine traditions) to have "Amen" for this petition. The instruction, therefore, is to normalise the response to this petition.

      #6: Often the verses are omitted and the chanters go straight to chanting the Apolytikion. I think this instruction is to include all three verses together and then sing the Apolytikion rather than each verse individually with the Apolytikion sung three times.

      Delete
    2. At least in all the parishes that I've visited we Greeks say Grant this, O Lord and also do #13. I'm not sure where they aren't already doing these things

      Delete
    3. At least in all the parishes that I've visited we Greeks say Grant this, O Lord and also do #13. I'm not sure where they aren't already doing these things

      Delete
  4. Phyletism: Ethno-centrism on the part of any group of non-Greeks, who are also not part of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Good one, Father!

      On second thought, it's actually not funny because it's true, which makes it...sad.

      Delete
  5. Having come from the liturgical jockeying Episcopal"church," I can only see in these token adjustments a subtle assertion of the option of changing more things in the future. As far as the closing 3X Kyrie & Father bless, what will this do but serve as a constant reminder of being in Bartholomew's Church, and subject to his whim even to the very Liturgy.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Changes are very beneficial to our Greek Orthodox Church. Orthodoxia is and will remain the most Powerful faith in the World. Logos, Theotokos, Keyrie Eleyson should be chanted in Greek together with other Hymns. Litourgia in Greek and English should chanted to teach the younger and new generation to carry on for the ages and ages. Amen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very disappointing to hear this, particularly since there has been a ground swelling of interest amongst young people in traditional liturgics and liturgical (Byzantine) chanting.

    Some point by points from my perspective:
    #1&2 -Ho hum. Even Latins know what the Kyrie is --Theotokos has been part of the liturgical graft into English in number circles for some time, and anyone who has a decent idea of the history and basic theology.
    #3 -Why???? Logos has the same double meaning in English as it does in Greek.
    #4 -Agree with the commentator --it is actually something of a local practice derived from popular piety. Why it should be expunged does not register.
    5&6 -no issues
    #7 -Why???
    #8 -Glad to see this come back. At least there should be some acknowledge of the existence of the Catechumenate liturgically, esp. since they are technically dismissed from the Church before the Gifts are presented and sacrificed.
    #9 -Ideosyncratic practice -Although there are medieval settings of the Cherubicon that have triple Alleluia, most of the compositions of the late middle ages, most have a single elongated Alleluia. I am assuming this is some sort of hearkening to "early church practice" -whatever that is.
    10 -I will love you… (Αγαπήσω σε…) is only chanted by the psaltai when there is a hierarchical Liturgy or when there is a concelebration of two or more priests in the Received practice. Why???
    #13 -Glad to see Plirothito returned to the Apolysis rite.

    It seems like there were plenty of opportunities to do some real good here, and were missed -Why not restore the Prokeimenon/Alleluiarion dialogue for example.

    Just my two shekels for what its worth.

    John Peter E. Presson
    Protopsaltis of the Diocese of Etna and Portland ΓΟΧ

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "It seems like there were plenty of opportunities to do some real good here, and were missed -Why not restore the Prokeimenon/Alleluiarion dialogue for example."

      Very good point. Why make subtle if good changes and ignore the simple restoration of the very important introductory Psalmody for the Epistle and Gospel? Having come from a Slavic tradition, I feel the Byzantine elision of antiphonal singing here is shoddy liturgics, showing impoverishment that was forced by turcocratia no longer in force. Why are the verses still left out after all this time of recovery from the depredation and impoverishment of churches a century and more ago? Are Prokeimena and Alleluiaria now seen as "Russian liturgical embellishments"? They most certainly are not! They were original to the liturgy and preserved in the Slavic tradition.
      Greek leaders should get over their aversion to the predominating Russian Orthodox Church.

      Delete
    2. "It seems like there were plenty of opportunities to do some real good here, and were missed -Why not restore the Prokeimenon/Alleluiarion dialogue for example."

      Very good point. Why make subtle if good changes and ignore the simple restoration of the very important introductory Psalmody for the Epistle and Gospel? Having come from a Slavic tradition, I feel the Byzantine elision of antiphonal singing here is shoddy liturgics, showing impoverishment that was forced by turcocratia no longer in force. Why are the verses still left out after all this time of recovery from the depredation and impoverishment of churches a century and more ago? Are Prokeimena and Alleluiaria now seen as "Russian liturgical embellishments"? They most certainly are not! They were original to the liturgy and preserved in the Slavic tradition.
      Greek leaders should get over their aversion to the predominating Russian Orthodox Church.

      Delete
  8. Personally, I have and will continue to steer clear of any liturgy not in English.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This is sad, I hope our Church doesn't go along with it, not even many of the Greeks don't know Greek. We use mostly English with Some Greek, depending on the makeup of who attends that Liturgy. Some of these changes seem strange, I hope this doesn't lead to more "reforms" down the line, what can we do?

    ReplyDelete