Gretchaninoff, Alexander

GRETCHANINOFF, Alexandre Tikhonovich (b. 13 [25] October, 1864, Moscow; d. 4 January, 1956, New York) — studied at the Moscow Conservatory (1881-1890) and the St. Petersburg Conservatory (1890- 1893), which he completed in composition as a student of Rimsky-Korsakov. Collaborated with various choral ensembles, including Melnikov’s Choir in St. Petersburg, the Moscow Synodal Choir and Vasilyev’s Choir in Moscow, which premiered his numerous choral compositions. Also worked in the ﬁelds of theater music, children’s music, and musical ethnography. Toured in Russia and abroad as a pianist, accompanist, and conductor. In 1925 emigrated to Paris, where he lived until 1939, when he moved to New York. Gretchaninoff composed several operas, symphonic and chamber music, as well as numerous solo songs, children’s songs and choruses, choral part songs and arrangements of folk songs for chorus. On texts from the Russian Orthodox liturgy, he composed four settings of the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, an All-Night Vigil, and a cycle of hymns from Passion Week, as well as approximately 20 shorter works. He also composed several settings of the Latin Mass and several Latin motets, some of which remain in manuscript. Early in his musical career, Gretchaninoff came under the inﬂuence of Stepan Smolensky, Director of the Moscow Synodal School of Church Music and leader of the movement to return Russian church music to its roots in ancient ecclesiastical chant and the choral folk song. Although Gretchaninoff tended not to use actual chants in his sacred works, he frequently devised new chant-like melodies. Together with other composers working at the Moscow Synodal School (e. g., Kastalsky, Chesnokov, Nikolsky), he used a rich palette of choral textures, ranging from stark unison (sometimes doubled in two or three octaves, reminiscent of Old Believers’ singing) to “choral symphonism” in eight to twelve diverse parts. In a quest to expand his expressive resources, in 1917 he made a major break with tradition by including instruments in his third setting of the Divine Liturgy, the Liturgia domestica, opus 79. No other composers have followed Gretchaninoff’s lead, however: to date this work remains the only setting of a text from the Russian Orthodox liturgy with instrumental accompaniment.

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Title: Strastnaia sedmitsa

Title (translated): Passion week

Opus no.: Op. 58

Publication data: PJu #36031-43 n.d.

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 81

Cat. no.: Gr044-057

Titles in collection: 14 Click [+] to expand

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No. in collection: 1

Title: No. 1 - Se Zhenikh griadet

Title (translated): Behold, the Bridegroom cometh

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 1

Arrangement of: [Kievan chant, paraphrased]

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

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Gr044

MR Gr044

No. in collection: 2

Title: No. 2 - Chertog Tvoi

Title (translated): Thy bridal chamber

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 2

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

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Gr045

MR Gr045

No. in collection: 3

Title: No. 3 - Vo tsarstvii Tvoem

Title (translated): In Thy kingdom

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 3

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div) and Alto Solo

No. of pages: 10

Cat. no.: Gr046

MR Gr046

No. in collection: 4

Title: No. 4 - Svete tikhii

Title (translated): Gladsome Light

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 4

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

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Gr047

MR Gr047

No. in collection: 5

Title: No. 5 - Da ispravitsia molitva moia

Title (translated): Let my prayer arise

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 5

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div), SSAA semi-chorus, and Tenor Solo

No. of pages: 9

Cat. no.: Gr048

MR Gr048

No. in collection: 6

Title: No. 6 - Nyne sily nebesnyia

Title (translated): Now the powers of heaven

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 6

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

No. of pages: 7

Cat. no.: Gr049

MR Gr049

MR Gr049

No. in collection: 7

Title: No. 7 - Vecheri Tvoeia tainyia

Title (translated): Of Thy mystical supper

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 7

Voicing: SATB-SATB (divisi)

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Gr050

MR Gr050

No. in collection: 8

Title: No. 8 - Razboinika blagorazumnago

Title (translated): The wise thief

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 8

Liturgical designation: PJu #36038 n.d.

Voicing: SATB-SATB (divisi)

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Gr051

MR Gr051

No. in collection: 9

Title: No. 9 - Tebe odeiushchagosia

Title (translated): Thou, who clothest Thyself with light

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 9

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

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Gr052

MR Gr052

No. in collection: 10

Title: No. 10 - Bog Gospod'... i Blagoobraznyi Iosif

Title (translated): God is the Lord... and The Noble Joseph

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 10

Arrangement of: Bulgarian Chant

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

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Gr053

MR Gr053

No. in collection: 11

Title: No. 11 - Ne rydai mene, Mati

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

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 11

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

No. of pages: 6

Cat. no.: Gr054

MR Gr054

No. in collection: 12

Title: No. 12 - Elitsy vo Khrista

Title (translated): As many as have been baptized

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 12

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

Voicing: SAT(div)B(div)

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Gr055

MR Gr055

No. in collection: 13

Title: No. 12a - Voskresni, Bozhe

Title (translated): Arise, O God

Opus no.: [Op. 58, No. 12b]

Arrangement of: Znamenny Chant

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

No. of pages: 3

Cat. no.: Gr056

MR Gr056

No. in collection: 14

Title: No. 13 - Da molchit vsiakaia plot'

Title (translated): Let all mortal flesh keep silent

Opus no.: Op. 58, No. 13

Voicing: SATB-SATB (divisi) and Alto Solo

No. of pages: 12

Cat. no.: Gr057

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Title: Sugubaia ekteniia

Title (translated): Augmented Litany

Voicing: SSAATTBB

Publication data: No. 68, pp. 69 in vol. Notnyi sbornik pravoslavnogo russkogo tserkovnogo peniia, vol. 1: Bozhestvennaia Liturgiia, London: 1962

Description of source: Printed edition

No. of pages: 1

Cat. no.: Sb-LonBL-68

Collection: Notnyi sbornik pravoslavnogo russkogo tserkovnogo peniia, vol. 1: Bozhestvennaia Liturgiia, London: 1962

Title: Svete tikhii

Title (translated): Gladsome Light

Opus no.: Op. 23, No. 2

Liturgical designation: Evening Hymn

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

Publication data: PJu #26534 1901

Description of source: First printed edition

No. of pages: 7

Cat. no.: Gr021

MR Gr021

Quobuz-Gr021

Title: The Lord is my light

Opus no.: [Op. 107, No. 2]

Liturgical designation: Sacred concerto

Text source: Anthem text adapted from Ps. 26[27]; original text unknown

Voicing: SATB

Publication data: G. Schirmer #7490 1931

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: authorized edition with English text; edited by Carl Deis

No. of pages: 5

Cat. no.: Gr094

Title: The Lord's Prayer No. 2, in A flat

Opus no.: Op. 107, No. 3

Liturgical designation: The Lord's Prayer

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

Publication data: G. Schirmer #7607 1932

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: authorized edition with English text; in collaboration with Carl Deis

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Gr095

Title: The Lord's Prayer

Opus no.: [Op. 94, No. 4]

Liturgical designation: The Lord's Prayer (if original text is used)

Voicing: S(div)A(div)T(div)B(div) and Tenor Solo

Publication data: Raymond A. Hoffman Co., #48-4 1930

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: authorized edition with English text; freely translated, edited and arranged by Noble Cain

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Gr091

Title: The Lord's Prayer; Pater noster

Opus no.: [Op. 107, No. 1]

Liturgical designation: The Lord's Prayer

Voicing: S(div)AT(div)B(div) and Alto Solo

Publication data: G. Schirmer #7393 1930

Description of source: First printed edition

Remarks: Russian language version: n.p. n.d. 2 pp. (Identified as Op. 107, No. 2) authorized edition with English text; adapted and revised by Carl Engel

No. of pages: 4

Cat. no.: Gr093