Liturgy of St John Chrysostom for four-part mixed choir, op. 41 (ČW 77)

Tchaikovsky was a faithful Christian, raised in an Orthodox family; he regularly attended Church services. His profound piety, combined with his musical genius, brought him the fame of the greatest Russian composer also in the field of Orthodox sacred music. His services to the latter are incontestable.

Tchaikovsky wrote a number of original works for Divine Service, as well as arrangements of traditional Orthodox chants.

During all his life Tchaikov­sky attended Orthodox services in the churches of Russian and European cities, as well as in rural parishes. Comparing the Orthodox and the Catholic services, he gave prefe­rence to the former. In his letters to N. F. von Meck, he shared his impressions of the liturgies he had attended, his plans to arrange traditional sacred chants, his valuable observations concerning choral performances of sacred hymns.

The first volume of Series V, ‘Sacred Works’, contains the first scholarly commented publication of the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, verified after the composer’s manuscripts and the editions that appeared during his lifetime. Apart from the full authentic version with parts written down in soprano, alto, and tenor clefs, the volume includes a version adapted for contemporary church choir, as well as the version with English text first published by P. I. Jurgenson as early as 1905

As the scientific supervisor of the series ‘Sacred Works’ and the scientific editor of its volumes, I would like to express my deep sympathy with the idea of the Academic Edition of P. I. Tchaikovsky’s Complete Works. I consider it a worthy contribution to the musical culture of the 21st century and to the spiritual life of contemporary Russia.

Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev)