"God is with us! Understand this, O nations, and submit yourselves for God is with us.
"Hear this, even to the farthest bounds of the earth, for God is with us. Submit yourselves, O mighty ones, for God is with us. If you rise up again in your might, you will be overthrown, for God is with us. The Lord shall destroy all who take counsel together, and the word which you speak shall not abide with you, for God is with us. For we do not fear your terror, and we are not troubled, for God is with us. But we will ascribe holiness to the Lord our God, and Him will we hold in awesome fear, for God is with us. And if I put my trust in Him, He shall be my sanctification, for God is with us. I will set my hope on Him, and through Him I shall be saved -lo, I and the children whom God has given me, for God is with us. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness - on them a light has shined, for God is with us. For unto us a Child is born; to us a Son is given, for God is with us. And the government shall be upon His shoulder, and of His peace there will be no end, for God is with us. And His name shall be called the Messenger of Great Counsel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, the Father of the World to Come, for God is with us."
This blog has attempted from time to time to bring forth the importance of Sacred Music. Even though I mostly focus on the West, I am growing in appreciation of the traditions of the East (I plan on going to my first Divine Liturgy on July 5th!) One of these traditions come by the way of Russia in the form of Znamenny Chant. This form of chant was quite prevalent in Russia until the unfortunate reforms of the Patriarch Nikon in the seventeenth century when he viciously attacked the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church by reforming the liturgy to Greek sensibilities. One of the things that was lost in these reforms was Znamenny Chant. Now mostly utilized by Old Believers, the video below shows its noble simplicity.
24 June 2015
Feast of the Nativity of the Forerunner
