Roman's Choral Music

Words from HRH Prince Charles

Words of encouragement for composer Roman Hurko from Clarence House, London, the official residence of HRH Prince Charles; the following is an excerpt:

His Royal Highness was deeply touched that you should have taken the trouble to send the CD of Roman Hurko's sacred music, and, as a great admirer of Sir John Taverner's compositions, he was very interested to learn about this young and talented composer and to listen to his music - he very much hopes that Mr. Hurko's career as a composer continues to go from strength to strength.

Roman Hurko's Vespers and the Byzantine Rite Style

Professional European music was born in the Church. Of course, its roots reach much deeper, nourished by ancient tradition and pagan folklore. Nevertheless, the essential features of professional music, in particular, European music come - in the first place - from the Christian church. The conciliar aspects of what constitutes an acceptable performance, as well as what is the right way to receive it, the cultivation of noble feelings and uplifting themes, the spirituality and ethics, the aspiration to beauty and the absolute - are these not what unites the varied phenomena of opera, nocturne, mass, solo vocale, madrigal and symphony under the single title "professional European music?"

Born in the church, professional European music took a secular path - experimenting, gaining complexity, opening new impressionistic possibilities and sounds unfamiliar to the average listener. But, always close to the experimentation and innovation, sometimes unnoticed, there was a different music - one where spiritual clarity was more important than capricious originality, where faithfulness to tradition was more essential than ambitious self-realization, and where the sustained support of simple amateurs was more desirable than the changeable enthusiasm of a narrow circle of aesthete music lovers. In this other music, the listener does not hear super-modern combinations of sound or accentuated rhythms. Here everything is simple: a natural melody oriented to the human voice gives rise to a natural harmony, a timbral palate that fits with the capabilities of a choir, and rhythms that yield to sounds of the sacred Word.

Simple? Yes, but behind this transparent simplicity soars the greatness of a thousand-year tradition - medieval song written in staffless neume notation, the baroque culture of polyphony, sacred choral concertos of the classic period.

Vespers by Roman Hurko is this simplicity - one that seeks sincere emotion rather than external impact; communal prayer rather than satisfying the composer's ambitions. The fifteen musical sections of Vespers comply fully with Church canons; the musical language is natural and traditional, its genesis lies in the chants of the Orthodox Church. Accordingly, the composer appears here not so much as an artist who seeks to show himself, but as a musician who seeks to bring to the faithful the full depth of the sacred texts. For here, in the first place, is the Word. The Word is determined according to the process and requirements of the rite. And the music - is but an additional means, an important, but supportive constituent.

Considered from a purely secular viewpoint, this self-imposed limitation might appear ruinous for the composer. But seen from the viewpoint of composing for the Church, the limitation is not only absolutely appropriate for Orthodox ethics, but also, is timely and relevant in a contemporary world where souls shredded by global cataclysms seek peace, sanctuary and tranquility.

This idea is key to Vespers, which is the first section of the All-Night Vigil that unites Great Vespers with the Litia and the Blessing of the Loaves, Matins and the First Hour. Vespers depicts the history of God's Church during the period of the Old Testament and shows that the Old Testament has its logical culmination in the New Testament. And of course, Vespers begins the cycle of the Liturgy of Canonical Hours.

The theological essence of Vespers is the redemption of humanity in the Old Testament through faith in the Messiah - the Savior. The structure of the service of Vespers was influenced by the Divine Liturgy with which it has many elements in common. During the Divine Liturgy the Lord offers Himself in bloodless sacrifice through the hands of the priest, while during Vespers the offering is spiritual, in the form of prayer.

As noted, Vespers by Roman Hurko fully complies with the requirements of the Orthodox rite. It begins with the hymn Come, let us worship" a call full of humility to bow to the Lord Jesus Christ as King - Creator and Ruler of the visible and invisible universe. The prelude of the tenor soloist is taken up by the choir. The character of the hymn maximally envelopes the whole available musical space; with this musical metaphor it enjoins all to participate in the service.

The next musical section, which sounds after censing, is Psalm 103, Bless the Lord O my soul. This psalm tells of the creation of the world by God. Here glory is given to God the Creator, and appropriately, the music is filled with majestic good will. Its emotional character is underscored by an antiphonal treatment of the glorification by soloist and choir; by dividing the singers into two choirs, and by other means. Here the musical treatment by R. Hurko is based on the Ukrainian polyphonic tradition of part singing.

The third number of the Vespers is the Great Litany, a prayer of the whole Church that asks God's help for sinful man. Every supplication is strengthened by the choral refrain "Lord, have mercy."

Vespers continues with the singing of the First Kathisma, Blessed is the man, which is dedicated to the lives of the righteous of the Old Testament, who did not lose faith in Christ the Savior, despite being in the midst of dishonor and rejection of faith. The emotionally laden music underscores the significance and depth of the Word.

After the Small Litany, we hear verses from Psalm 140 O Lord, I have cried to You. The section .let my payer rise is particularly majestic and uplifting, offering an emotional culmination to the piece.

The next musical number Tranquil Light shines with an internal, other-worldly luminosity. In this number we hear about how Christ came to earth at the end of the Old Testament, about the beginning of a new day full of grace, whose light was brought by the Savior. The musical contrast - a quiet sound and simple choral texture, force us to concentrate on the internal, and recall the words of St. Basil the Great: "Our Fathers did not want to greet the grace of evening light wordlessly, and as soon as it arrived, they gave glory."

The Prokeimenon of Saturday on Tone 6 and the Litany of Fervent Supplication bring us to the grand prayer O Lord, keep us this evening, whose treatment by R. Hurko is again based on traditional Ukrainian polyphonic choral culture. The next number The Litany of Petition feels like a prelude to the canticle Song of Symeon, the last of the Old Testament righteous - Now, O Master,You have kept Your promise; let Your servan go in peace. This work is written with a full choral sound and is the second last, musically dramatic support on which the Vespers stands. The last, is the culminating troparion Hail Mother of God, the joyful greeting of the Archangel Gabriel and Elizabeth the Righteous to the Blessed Virgin Mary on the day of the Annunciation. The hymn Blessed be the Name of the Lord, which concludes the Vespers service, is the bridge to the service of Matins, the second part of the All-Night Vigil.

The landscape of Ukrainian choral music today is very motley. The creativity of Roman Hurko fills a unique, original place in this landscape. Like the "Vydubychi Church Chorus" that performs Vespers, this creativity safeguards for us the greatness of tradition, opens for us a depth of the spirit, and maintains for us a link throughout time.