Chesnokov, Alexander

CHESNOKOV, Alexander Grigor'yevich (born 1880, near Voskresensk, Moscow region; d. 1941, Paris, France). The son of a choir director and younger brother of Pavel Chesnokov (1877-1944), Alexander Chesnokov received his early musical training as a chorister in the Moscow Synodal Choir and School, from which he graduated in 1898. When the Director of the Synodal School, Stepan Smolensky, in 1901 moved to St. Petersburg to assume leadership of the Imperial Court Chapel, he invited Alexander Chesnokov to accompany him and to continue his education at the St. Petersburg Conservatory as a student of Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in theory and composition. In 1906, he completed the Conservatory and, while continuing to serve at the Imperial Cappella, he was appointed full professor at the Conservatory.

In 1921, following the Bolshevik Revolution, Chesnokov was abruptly dismissed from both his positions at the Cappella (which had been turned into a secular institution) and the Conservatory, which made it impossible for him to earn a living in his profession. Because of this, he was compelled to emigrate from Russia in 1923, leaving his wife and two daughters behind in St. Petersburg (renamed Petrograd). After living briefly in Prague, where he conducted the Russian Choir that had been established by Alexander Archangelsky, he settled in a suburb of Paris, where he taught at the Russian Conservatory and the St. Serge Orthodox Theological Institute, but was forced to supplement his meager income by making music-hall arrangements under a pseudonym and doing various other odd musical jobs. He is buried at the Russian Orthodox cemetery at Ste Geneviève-des-Bois, near Paris.

As a composer of sacred choral music, Alexander Chesnokov first attracted notice in 1899 with his setting of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, op. 8. At least six more shorter sacred works were published by P. Jurgenson of Moscow. Numerous other sacred works remain in manuscript, including portions of an All-Night Vigil, dated 1927, and a Requiem on the Mystery of Death, dated 1929. Besides writing choral music, he distinguished himself as a composer of several operas (including two children's operas), as well as numerous orchestral, chamber, and solo instrumental works. His musical archive was donated to the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts by his widow, Galina Tchesnokova; the collection contains numerous scores of choral and instrumental music, as well as an original manuscript of a book titled "A Theory of Sound-Colour Synaesthetics."

(Biographical information about Alexander Chesnokov remains scarce. The above data was taken largely from the "Guide to the Alexander Chesnokov Papers, 1899-1962" Job 06-2, Music Division, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, New York, New York, as cited in Pavel Chesnokov, The Choir and How to Direct It, Translated from the Russian by John C. Rommereim [Musica Russica, 2010].)

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http://www.choirwiki.com/Чесноков_Александр

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Title: Blazheni, iazhe izbral

Title (translated): Blessed are they whom Thou hast chosen

Opus no.: Op. 3

Liturgical designation: Communion Hymn for the Departed

Text source: Ps. 64[65]:5; 101[102]:13

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

Publication data: PJu #31863 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch002

Title: Kheruvimskaia pesn' [No. 1]

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: Op. 3

Text incipit (translated): Izhe kheruvimy

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

Publication data: PJu #31865 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch003

Title: Kheruvimskaia pesn' No. 2

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: Op. 4

Text incipit (translated): Izhe kheruvimy

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

Publication data: PJu #32548 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: Not found

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ch004

Title: Liturgiia sv. Ioanna Zlatoustago

Title (translated): Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom

Opus no.: Op. 8

Liturgical designation: Selected hymns from the Memorial Liturgy (23 Nos.)

Publication data: PJu #34616-38 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 91

Cat. no.: Ch009-031

Titles in collection: 23 Click [+] to expand

Quobuz-Ch009

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No. in collection: 1

Title: No. 1 - Ekteniia velikaia

Title (translated): The Great Litany

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 1

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ch009

Quobuz-Ch009

No. in collection: 2

Title: No. 2 - Antifon 1

Title (translated): The First Antiphon

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 2

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ch010

Quobuz-Ch010

No. in collection: 3

Title: No. 3 - Antifon 2

Title (translated): The Second Antiphon

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 3

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch011

Quobuz-Ch011

No. in collection: 4

Title: No. 4 - Slava... Edinorodnyi Syne

Title (translated): Glory... Only-begotten Son

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 4

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ch012

Quobuz-Ch012

No. in collection: 5

Title: No. 5 - Blazhenny

Title (translated): The Beatitudes

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 5

Voicing: S(div)AAT(div)TBB(div) and Tenor Solo

No. of pages: 12

Cat. no.: Ch013

Quobuz-Ch013

No. in collection: 6

Title: No. 6 - Vkhod s Evangeliem

Title (translated): The [Little] Entrance with the Gospel

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 6

Voicing: SAT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ch014

Quobuz-Ch014

No. in collection: 7

Title: No. 7 - So sviatymi upokoi

Title (translated): With the saints give rest

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 7

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ch015

Quobuz-Ch015

No. in collection: 8

Title: No. 8 - Gospodi, spasi... Trisviatoe

Title (translated): O Lord, save... Trisagion

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 8

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch016

Quobuz-Ch016

No. in collection: 9

Title: No. 9 - Prokimny voskresnye 8-mi glasov

Title (translated): Sunday Prokeimena in the Eight Tones

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 9

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch017

Quobuz-Ch017

No. in collection: 10

Title: No. 10 - Po prochtenii Apostola

Title (translated): After the Epistle reading

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 10

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch018

Quobuz-Ch018

No. in collection: 11

Title: No. 11 - Ekteniia o usopshikh

Title (translated): Litany for the departed

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 11

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch019

Quobuz-Ch019

No. in collection: 12

Title: No. 12 - Kheruvimskaia pesn' No. 3

Title (translated): Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 12

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ch020

Quobuz-Ch020

No. in collection: 13

Title: No. 13 - Ekteniia posle Kheruvimskoi

Title (translated): Litany after the Cherubic Hymn

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 13

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch021

Quobuz-Ch021

No. in collection: 14

Title: No. 14 - Simvol very

Title (translated): The Creed

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 14

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 9

Cat. no.: Ch022

Quobuz-Ch022

No. in collection: 15

Title: No. 15 - Milost' mira

Title (translated): A mercy of peace

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 15

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Ch023

Quobuz-Ch023

No. in collection: 16

Title: No. 16 - Dostoino est'

Title (translated): It is truly meet

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 16

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch024

Quobuz-Ch024

No. in collection: 17

Title: No. 17 - Otche nash

Title (translated): Our Father

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 17

Voicing: SAT(div)B(div) and Tenor Solo

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch025

Quobuz-Ch025

No. in collection: 18

Title: No. 18 - Ot Otche nash do prichastnago stikha

Title (translated): From Our Father to the Communion Hymn

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 18

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ch026

Quobuz-Ch026

No. in collection: 19

Title: No. 19 - Prichastnyi stikh

Title (translated): Communion Hymn [at a Memorial Liturgy]

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 19

Text source: Ps. 64[65]:5; 101[102]:13

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ch027

Quobuz-Ch027

No. in collection: 20

Title: No. 20 - [Blagosloven griadyi, Videkhom svet istinnyi]

Title (translated): Blessed is he, We have seen the true light

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 20

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ch028

Quobuz-Ch028

No. in collection: 21

Title: No. 21 - Da ispolniatsia usta nasha

Title (translated): Let our mouths be filled

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 21

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch029

Quobuz-Ch029

No. in collection: 22

Title: No. 22 - Budi imia Gospodne

Title (translated): Blessed be the name of the Lord

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 22

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 2

Cat. no.: Ch030

Quobuz-Ch030

No. in collection: 23

Title: No. 23 - Mnogoletstvovanie

Title (translated): The Many Years

Opus no.: Op. 8, No. 23

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Ch031

Quobuz-Ch031

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Title: Ne rydai mene, mati

Title (translated): Do not lament me, O mother

Opus no.: Op. 1

Liturgical designation: Hymn to the Mother of God for Holy Saturday

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

Publication data: PJu #31861 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Ch001

Reference Recordings FR-737

Title: Otche nash

Title (translated): Our Father

Opus no.: Op. 5[a]

Liturgical designation: The Lord's Prayer

Text incipit (translated): Otche nash

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div)

Publication data: PJu #32549 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Ch005

Title: Videkhom svet istinnyi

Title (translated): We have seen the true light

Opus no.: Op. 5[b]

Voicing: SATB

Publication data: PJu #32552 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Ch006

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Chesnokov, Alexander

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