Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library

Kastalsky, Alexander

Alexanderkastalsky
KASTALSKY, Aleksandr Dmitriyevich (b. 16 [28] November 1856, Moscow; d. 17 December 1926, Moscow) — studied theory and composition at the Moscow Conservatory under Tchaikovsky, Taneyev, and Gubert. From 1887 and for most of his career, Kastalsky was closely connected with the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing, initially as a teacher of piano and conducting, from 1891 as assistant conductor (to Vasily Orlov), from 1900 as one of the precentors (of the left choir), and from 1910 as director of the School. From 1918 to 1926, when the Bolsheviks made it impossible for the Synodal School to continue its existence, he tried to salvage it in the form of the “People’s Choral Academy,” which eventually was absorbed into the Moscow Conservatory. Besides being active in church music, Kastalsky throughout his life worked in the field of musical ethnography, studying the characteristics of the Russian folk song, making arrangements of folk songs, and using elements of the latter in his compositions. As a composer, Kastalsky is a seminal figure, who was recognized by his contemporaries as having created a new direction in Russian church music. His followers included Pavel Chesnokov, Alexandre Gretchaninoff, Aleksandr Nikolsky, Viktor Kalinnikov, Constantine Shvedoff, and Sergei Rachmaninoff, among others. In Kastalsky’s sacred works, melodies and individual chant formulas of znamenny and other chants are combined with techniques of counter-voice polyphony, drawn from the Russian choral folk song. The skillful use of these peculiarly Russian elements give Kastalsky’s works a marked national flavor, while the use of church chants link them to ancient traditions of the church-musical aesthetic. Kastalsky’s published sacred works and arrangements number approximately 175 (many published numbers contain several separate titles); there are also a number of unpublished works, primarily comprising arrangements of various pattern melodies (podobnï). Kastalsky also edited the Obikhod Sinodal’novo khora [The Common Book of the Synodal Choir] in 1914. To make the performance of hymns in the so-called “common” chants more meaningful, he compiled the Prakticheskoye rukovodstvo k vïrazitel’nomu peniyu stikhir pri pomoshchi razlichnïkh garmonizatsiy [A practical manual for the expressive singing of stichera with the help of various harmonizations], which selectively applies major and minor harmony in accordance with the meaning and mood of a given liturgical texts.

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Ks009

Tropar' na Bogoyavleniye Ghospodne

Troparion for the Theophany of Christ

S.Op. 8a

Znamenny Chant, T.1

Vo Iordane kreshchaiushchusia

SSATTB

V. Grosse #A.7 K. 1898

First printed edition

1

Ks009

Ks007

Tropar' Rozhdestvu Khristovu

Troparion for the Nativity of Christ

S.Op. 7a

Znamenny Chant, T.4

Rozhdestvo Tvoe, Khriste Bozhe nash

SSATTB

V. Grosse #A.7 K. 1898

First printed edition

1

Ks007

  • Ks007 search

    MR Ks007

  • C097 small

    MR Ks007

Ks158

Tropar' sviashchennomucheniku Ermogenu

Troparion for Hieromartyr Ermogen

S.Op. 79

Znamenny Chant, T.4

Rossiiskiia zemli pervoprestol'niche

SSATTB

PJu #38042 n.d.

First printed edition

Defective original

1

Ks158

Ks171

Tropar' Sviatiteliu Ioannu Zlatoustu

Troparion for St. John Chrysostom

N.O.N.

[Valaam Melody]

At the Paschal Homily

Ust Tvoikh, iako zhe svetlost'

S(div)AT(div)B(div)

First printed edition

In vol: Triod' tsvetnaia [The Pentecostarion], Moscow Patriarchate, 1977

2

Ks171

Ks154 source

Tsariu nebesnyi

O heavenly King

S.Op. 75

Sacred concerto

S(div)AT(div)B(div)

PJu #36897 n.d.

First printed edition

5

Ks154

Ks092 093

V den' Sv. Troitsy

On the day of Holy Pentecost

S.Op. 35

Znamenny Chant

SSATTB

PJu #28496 1903

First printed edition

2

Ks092-093

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Ks092

1

Tropar' [v den' Sv. Troitsy]

The Troparion of Pentecost

S. Op.35

Znamenny Chant, T.8

SSATTB

2

Ks092

Ks093 source

2

Velichanie [v den' Sv. Troitsy]

Magnification for Holy Pentecost

S. Op.35

[Znamenny Chant]

SATB

1

Ks093

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V nedeliu o Fome

On St. Thomas Sunday

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant], T.1, Pattern melody: Prekhval'nii muchenitsy

Stichera on the Praises

Po ezhe iz groba

SATB

Triod' tsvetnaia [The Pentecostarion], Moscow Patriarchate, 1977

Not found

Ks172

Ks079

V pamiat' vechnuiu

The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance

S.Op. 29

Melodies from the Book of Common Chants[Kievan and Znamenny]

Communion Hymn for Tuesdays and for the saints

Ps. 111:6-7

S(div)AT(div)B(div)

V. Grosse #A.27 K. 1902

First printed edition

3

Ks079

Ks159 169

Vechnaia pamiat geroiam

Eternal memory to the heroes

N.O.N.

Selected Hymns from the Memorial Service

S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div) and soli

First printed edition

30

Ks159-169

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Ks159

1

No. 1 - Ekteniia

Litany

4

Ks159

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Ks160

2

No. 2 - Alliluia i Glubinoiu mudrosti

Alleluia and With wisdom profound

3

Ks160

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Ks161

3

No. 3 - Pokoi, Spase

Give rest, O Savior

3

Ks161

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Ks162

4

No. 4 - Pokoi, Gospodi

Give rest, O Lord

1

Ks162

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    Quobuz- Ks162

Ks163

5

No. 5 - Molitvu proliiu

I will pour forth my prayer

2

Ks163

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    Quobuz-Ks163

Ks164

6

No. 6 - So sviatymi upokoi

With the saints give rest

1

Ks164

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Ks165

7

No. 7 - Sam Еdin esi bezsmertnyi

Thou Who alone art immortal

4

Ks165

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Ks166

8

No. 8 - Ty esi Bog, soshedyi vo ad

Thou art God, Who descended into Hades

2

Ks166

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    Quobuz-Ks166

Ks167

9

No. 9 - Upokoi, Bozhe

Give rest, O God

2

Ks167

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    Quobuz-Ks167

Ks168

10

No. 10 - Troinaia ekteniia

Three-fold Litany

4

Ks168

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    Quobuz-Ks168

Ks169

11

No. 11 - Vechnaia pamiat'

Eternal memory

2

Ks169

  • Ocf8xaogob60b 600

    Quobuz-Ks169

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Ks122

Velikoe slavoslovie No. 1

The Great Doxology

S.Op. 56

[Znamenny Chant]

Slava v vyshnikh Bogu

S(div)A(div)TB(div)

PJu #31018-23 1905

First printed edition

6

Ks122