The Great Fast
The Great Fast (Slavonic Velikij Post', or Svjata Chetyredesjatnica, "holy forty days") is our annual preparation for the feast of Pascha. (read the entire article)
New books for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
In January 2010, the Council of Hierarchs announced the availability of new service books for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts.
Using the new books for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Singing the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts (using the new books)
Music for the ordinary of the service, and propers for the first week (LARGE, approximately 5 MB)
Corrections to the people's books for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts
Additional material for the Lenten psalm tone
Recordings of the music in the new books can be found on the Recorded music page.
The Great Canon of Saint Andrew of Crete
On Thursday of the fifth week of Holy Lent, at Matins, we sing the canon of repentence of Saint Andrew of Crete, also known as the Great Canon. This service is sometimes called poklony ("prostrations") due to the many bows made to the ground by the clergy and faithful during the service.
The MCI has prepared a complete service book for Matins of the Great Canon, and we are also pleased to present recordings of (excerpts from) the Great Canon itself, sung by the Schola Cantorum of Saint Peter, from Chicago:
We hope this service and these recordings serve as a help to your observance of the Great Fast!
Great and Holy Week
Great and Holy Week is our final preparation for the feast of Pascha. (read the entire article)
Over the past few years, the Metropolitan Cantor Institute has prepared texts and music for the services of Great and Holy Week. In general, these books are based on previous booklets from the Byzantine Seminary Press, but with some expansions of previously abbreviated texts, and expanded or corrected music.
The following books and leaflets are available:
- Divine Liturgy propers for Lazarus Saturday
- Palm Sunday
- Vespers
- Matins (with blessing of palms and procession)
- Blessing of Palms (if not done during Matins)
- Divine Liturgy (propers only)
- Divine Liturgy (complete service)
- Sunday afternoon or evening Vespers (complete service)
- First three days of Holy Week
- Bridegroom Matins (complete)
- (propers for the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts are in the newly-released service books)
- Troparia for sacramental anointing (Great and Holy Wednesday)
- Great and Holy Thursday
- Matins - (in preparation)
- Vespers with Divine Liturgy (complete book, parish version)
- Vespers with Divine Liturgy (complete book, cathedral version)
- Great and Holy Friday
- Matins (Service of the Twelve Gospels) - (in preparation)
- Royal Hours (adapted for parish use - in preparation)
- Vespers of the Passion
- Great and Holy Saturday
- Jerusalem Matins
- Vespers with Divine Liturgy
See the page on Singing the services for articles on particular services for Lent and Holy Week.
If there is interest, we are open to providing parish- or deanery-based workshops on the new Holy Week books. Interested pastors should contact the MCI director, Father Daniel Forsythe (daforsythe@gmail.com) as soon as possible.
Hymns for the Great Fast
We have added a number of paraliturgical hymns for the Great Fast, gathered from several collections:
- Ach, pora prichodit'
- Čas vže, čeloviče
- Čertoh Tvoj - I see your bridal chamber
- Chrest na pleči nakladajut'
- Christe Carju spravedlivyj - Christ our King who reigns with justice
- Christos rozpjatyj
- Čoloviče dobryj
- Idu nyňi ko krestu - Now do I go to the cross
- Jak hl'anu v žizň moju
- Jehda na smert' hotovilsja - In Gethsemene's darkness
- Krestu Tvojemu - At the most holy Cross
- L'udi moji, l'udi
- Muk zbližajesj vže hodina
- Nebo, zeml'a, sotvoriňňa
- O Bože moj milostivyj
- O D'ivice Prečistaja
- O Isuse najsvjat'ijšij
- O Isuse poranenyj
- Pered mnoju sjaje
- Pod krest Tvoj staju - Beneath your Cross I stand
- Pod tvoju milost' - Beneath your compassion
- Poklaňajusja, moj Christe
- Prečiste T'ilo Tvoje
- Preterp'ivyj - Having suffered
- Prijde hodina
- Prijd’ite, voschvalim - Come now, all you faithful
- Stradal'na Mati
- Uže dekret podpisujet - The sentence is passed
Hymns for Annunciation and Palm Sunday
For the feast of the Annunciation (March 25):
For Palm or Flowery Sunday (this year, March 28):
See Hymns of the liturgical year.
Byzantine Catholic Hymnal
The MCI has prepared a 55-page hymnal containing the hymns from the old Levkulic Divine Liturgies book, in English and Slavonic, along with the English and Slavonic texts of the major hymns of the Divine Liturgy. (We received several requests for Lenten hymns, and making this 2007 draft book available now seemed the simplest way to satisfy those requests.) We hope this helps parishes to add to their repertoire of spiritual songs (duchovňi pisňi ) sung before and after our liturgical services.
New cantor education program in the Eparchy of Passaic
The Eparchy of Passaic has announced a year-long program of cantor education, to be held simultaneously at several locations across the eparchy. See the announcement on the MCI forum.
Looking for Local Recordings of Prostopinije!
We would like to expand our archival collection of recorded prostopinije, old and new, in order to provide a record of prostopinje use in Europe and in the New World, to prevent any further loss of melodies, and to support the process of setting texts in English to the Church's plainchant.
Parishes or individuals with recorded prostopinije who are willing to grant non-exclusive webcast rights to the Metropolitan Cantor Institute are asked to contact the webmaster, Jeff Mierzejewski, at ByzKat@stny.rr.com. Along with the recordings themselves, please provide a description of where and when they were recorded, and the names of the cantor(s) if known.