I WAS fortunate enough to hear a university choir perform Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff’s wonderful Bògòroditse Devo yesterday and since today is the Eve of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I thought you might enjoy it. It is based on the Hail Mary and is from the composer’s vespers. An English translation of the Russian lyrics:

Rejoice, O mother of God.
Virgin Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee;
blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
for thou hast borne the Saviour of our souls.

— Comments —

Fr. L. writes:

So pleased to see Rachmaninoff here.

This is the hymn that ends the Vespers portion of the Resurrectional Vigil; immediately after, the service transitions to Matins.

Rachmaninoff’s entire Vigil is a triumphant return to the roots of Russian sacred music. It is far superior to his Liturgy, which was composed from scratch. Most of the melodies used in the Vigil are quite ancient and thus recognizable to any of the faithful, who surely saw Rachmaninoff’s settings as faithful “creativity” within the Tradition.

I once attended a Vespers in New York that used these settings; a professional choir was brought in to sing the responses. While it did make the service much longer than normal, the settings were “at home” in the liturgical setting and felt quite natural. This is why we hold Rachmaninoff in such great esteem.

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