Orthodox Sacred Music Reference Library

Smolensky, Stepan

Stepansmolensky

SMOLENSKY, Stepan Vasil’yevich (b. 8 [20] October 1848, Kazan’; d. 20 July [2 August] 1909, Vasil’sursk) — trained as a lawyer and a teacher of history, studied music on his own; directed a church choir in Kazan and studied ancient chant with the Old Ritualists. From 1889 through 1901 served as Director of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Singing and professor of the Moscow Conservatory in Russian church singing. In 1901–03 was Director of the Imperial Court Chapel in St. Petersburg. In 1907 founded the Precentors’ School in St. Petersburg — the first institution in Russia for preparing choral conductors with open admissions. Author of numerous monographs and articles in the history and theory of Russian church singing. Was responsible for assembling a vast collection of ancient Russian musical manuscripts (now at the State Historical Museum in Moscow). As a composer of sacred music, Smolensky composed relatively little: a Memorial Service for male chorus, “Litanies” and the “Paschal Stichera” in znamenny chant, “Khvalite imia Gospodne” [“Praise the name of the Lord”] and “Kto Bog velii?” [“Who is so great a God?”] (all published privately); he also compiled a number of simple arrangements of common hymns for male chorus. Of much greater significance is Smolensky’s influence on performance and compositional activity in the field of Russian church music. The reforms he carried out at the Moscow Synodal School established the Synodal Choir on the highest artistic level and stimulated a number of composers to write works for the church, using ancient chants and indigineously Russian musical elements (e.g., counter-voice polyphony, a variable texture, modal harmony). Smolensky’s followers — Alexander Kastalsky, Alexander Grechaninov, Pavel Chesnokov, Alexander Nikolsky, and others — created an entirely new direction in Russian church music at the turn of the 20th c.

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Sm008

Budi imia Gospodne

Blessed be the name of the Lord

N.O.N.

Dismissal sentence

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

2

Sm008

Sm004

Ekteniia malaia

The Little Litany

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Gospodi, pomilui

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

1

Sm004

Sm003

Ekteniia velikaia

The Great Litany

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Gospodi, pomilui

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

2

Sm003

Sm020 sb

Glavneishiia pesnopeniia Bozhestvennoi Liturgii, Molebnogo peniia, Pannikhidy i Vsenoshchnago bdeniia, perelozhennyia dlia khora muzhskikh golosov St. V. Smolenskim. Vypusk I. Pesnopeniia Bozhestvennoi Liturgii

The Main Hymns of Divine Liturgy, the Prayer Service, the Memorial Service, and the All-Night Vigil, arranged for a choir of men's voices by S. V. Smolenskii. Volume 1. Hymns of the Divine Liturgy

TTBB

St. Petersburg: Prilozhenie k zhurnalu "TSerkovnyie vedomosti, izdavaemyie pri Sviateishem Sinode", 1893

First printed edition

49

Sm020-Sb

Sm021 sb

Glavneishiia pesnopeniia Bozhestvennoi Liturgii, Molebnogo peniia, Pannikhidy i Vsenoshchnago bdeniia, perelozhennyia dlia khora muzhskikh golosov St. V. Smolenskim. Vypusk II. Posledovanie blagodarstvennogo molebnago peniia i pannikhidy

The Main Hymns of Divine Liturgy, the Prayer Service, the Memorial Service, and the All-Night Vigil, arranged for a choir of men's voices by S. V. Smolenskii. Volume II. The Order of the Prayer Service of Thanksgiving and the Memorial Service

TTBB

St. Petersburg: Prilozhenie k zhurnalu "TSerkovnyie vedomosti, izdavaemyie pri Sviateishem Sinode", 1893

First printed edition

34

Sm021-Sb

Sm022 sb

Glavneishiia pesnopeniia Bozhestvennoi Liturgii, Molebnogo peniia, Pannikhidy i Vsenoshchnago bdeniia, perelozhennyia dlia khora muzhskikh golosov St. V. Smolenskim. Vypusk III. Pesnopeniia Vsenoshchnogo bdeniia

The Main Hymns of Divine Liturgy, the Prayer Service, the Memorial Service, and the All-Night Vigil, arranged for a choir of men's voices by S. V. Smolenskii. Volume III. Hymns of the All-Night Vigil

TTBB

St. Petersburg: Prilozhenie k zhurnalu "TSerkovnyie vedomosti, izdavaemyie pri Sviateishem Sinode", 1893

First printed edition

148

Sm022-Sb

Sm002

Khvalite imia Gospodne

Praise the name of the Lord

N.O.N.

Ancient Chant

Polyeleion

Ps. 134[135]:1,21; 135[136]:1,26

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

4

Sm002

Sm007

Ottsa i Syna

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Response after the Peace

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

1

Sm007

Sm009 sm017

Panikhida na temy iz drevnikh rospevov, dlia khora muzhskikh golosov

Memorial Service on melodies of early chants for Male Chorus

N.O.N.

TTBB

St. Petersburg: Energiia, 1905

First printed edition

17

Sm009-Sm017

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Sm009

1

[No. 1] - Velikaia ekteniia

The Great Litany

1

Sm009

Sm010

2

[No. 2] - Alliluia

Alleluia

1

Sm010

Sm011

3

[No. 3] - Tropari

Troparia

7

Sm011

Sm012

4

[No. 4] - Irmos, Pesn' 3-ia

Heirmos of the Third Ode

2

Sm012

Sm013

5

[No. 5] - Irmos, Pesn' 6-ia

Heirmos of the Sixth Ode

1

Sm013

Sm014

6

[No. 6] - Kondak

Kontakion

1

Sm014

Sm015

7

[No. 7] - Pripev na 9-i pesni; Irmos, Pesn' 9-ia

Refrain and Heirmos of the Ninth Ode

2

Sm015

Sm016

8

[No. 8] - Tropari

[Concluding] Troparia

3

Sm016

Sm017

9

[No. 9] - Vechnaia pamiat'

Memory eternal

1

Sm017

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Sm006

Prositel'naia ekteniia

The Litany of Supplication

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Podai, Gospodi

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

2

Sm006

Sm001

Stikhiry Sv. Paskhi

The Paschal Stikhera

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Da voskresnet Bog

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

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

defective original

16

Sm001

Sm005

Sugubaia ekteniia

The Augmented Litany

N.O.N.

[Znamenny Chant]

Gospodi, pomilui

S(div)AT(div)B

n.p. no # 1904

First printed edition

2

Sm005

Sm018

Velikii prokimen na Rozhdestvo Khristovo, Paskhu, i Troitsyn Den'

Great Prokeimenon [at Vespers] for the Nativity of Christ, Pascha, and Pentecost

N.O.N.

Kto Bog velii

S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div)

Kh.R.D. no. 2 (1909)

First printed edition

defective original

4

Sm018