Alexander Arkhangelsky (composer)

Alexander Arkhangelsky

Alexander Andreyevich Arkhangelsky (Russian: Алекса́ндр Андре́евич Арха́нгельский) (23 October [O.S. 11 October] 1846, in Staroye Tezikovo, Penza Governorate – 16 November 1924, in Prague) was a Russian composer of church music and a conductor.

He "received his initial musical education at the Penza Theological Seminary; from childhood sang in the choir of the Archbishop of Penza; later taught singing in the Penza Seminary; in 1872 passed the examination at the Imperial Court Chapel for the title of precentor. From 1873 served as conductor of a number of church choirs in St. Petersburg, among them the choir of Count Sheremetev (1889-1898). In 1880 organized his own choir in St. Petersburg, replacing boys' voices with women's; from 1883 toured with this choir in Russia and abroad, performing Russian and Western sacred music, secular choruses and arrangements of folk songs. In 1902 organized the Church Singers' Benefit Society in St. Petersburg; taught choral singing in various educational institutions, and published choral anthologies.

Arkhangelsky made an important contribution to Russian choral and church singing: beginning with simple arrangements of church chants, which included the complete cycle of hymns for the entire year, he later enriched the so-called "St. Petersburg style" of church music with more complex free compositions, many of which are modeled after traditional Western European polyphony. Among his works are over 300 sacred compositions and arrangements of church chants, many of which are published in the form of complete liturgical cycles, (Divine Liturgy, the All-Night Vigil, the Memorial Service, etc.). Arkhangelsky also composed a number of secular choruses a cappella and arrangements of Russian folk songs."^[1]

To the Mother of God Let Us Earnestly Hasten, by Alexander Arkhangelsky

Audio by Daniel Johnson

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Russian language

Russian language

Russian is an East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the native language of the Russians and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is one of four living East Slavic languages, and is also a part of the larger Balto-Slavic languages. Besides Russia itself, Russian is an official language in Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, and is used widely as a lingua franca throughout Ukraine, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and to some extent in the Baltic states. It was the de facto language of the former Soviet Union, and continues to be used in public life with varying proficiency in all of the post-Soviet states.

Old Style and New Style dates

Old Style and New Style dates

Old Style (O.S.) and New Style (N.S.) indicate dating systems before and after a calendar change, respectively. Usually, this is the change from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar as enacted in various European countries between 1582 and 1923.

Narovchatsky Uyezd

Narovchatsky Uyezd

Narovchatsky Uyezd was one of the subdivisions of the Penza Governorate of the Russian Empire. It was situated in the northwestern part of the governorate. Its administrative centre was Narovchat. In terms of present-day administrative borders, the territory of Narovchatsky Uyezd id divided between the Narovchatsky and Spassky districts of Penza Oblast and the Insarsky and Kovylkinsky districts of Mordovia.

Penza Governorate

Penza Governorate

Penza Governorate was an administrative division of the Russian Empire and Russian SFSR, located in the Volga Region. It existed from 1796 to 1797 and again from 1801 to 1928; its seat was in the city of Penza.

Prague

Prague

Prague is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate oceanic climate, with relatively warm summers and chilly winters.