CDK Music

Download
part of track

"O God, who gave to your servant John Chrysostom grace eloquently to proclaim your
righteousness in the great congregation, and fearlessly to bear reproach for the honor of your
Name: Mercifully grant to all bishops and pastors such excellence in preaching, and fidelity in
ministering your Word, that your people shall be partakers with them of the glory that shall be
revealed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, for ever and ever".

Psalms 49:1-8, 34:15-22
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Luke 21:12-15 (St 2).

John (c.347-407) was called "Chrysostom" ("Golden Mouth") because of his eloquence.
He was a monk and later an outstanding preacher and a priest of Antioch.

The Book of Acts (11:26) tells us - it was in Antioch that "Christians" were first called by
this name. Also, it was the Church of Antioch which sent Saints Paul and Barnabas on their
missionary journeys.

John Chrysostom warned people that to bring large sums of money to his church was
dangerous (why do we never hear this warning from most of our priests?). John made this
warning because local pickpockets found it very easy to rob his congregation. People were so
intent on his words that they did not notice what was happening with their purses.

John became so famous that the Empress in Constantinople decided she must have him for
her court. She kidnapped John and brought him to Constantinople where he was made a
bishop. His sermons against corruption in high places earned him many powerful enemies
(including the Empress), and he was sent into exile, where he died.

Along with Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, and Gregory of Nazianzus, John
Chrysostom is one of the Four Great Eastern (or Greek) Doctors of the Ancient Church. The
Four Great Western (or Latin) Doctors are Ambrose, Jerome, Augustine and Gregory the
Great.

In 1909, Pope Pius X declared John Chrysostom patron Saint of preachers.

According to the "Catholic Encyclopedia", the accomplishments of St. John Chrysostom
as a preacher and theologian are "marred by a virulent anti-Semitism". At the same time it is
difficult to find aword about the anti-Semitism of St. John Chrysostom in Orthodox sources.

Interestingly enough, the status of a Saint in the Catholic Church can be held by an
anti-Semite (which is the same as a racist)! Obviously one of these definitions is false - John
Chrysostom was not a Saint or he was not an anti-Semite.

Recently Pope John Paul II "prayed for the peace of Jerusalem" at the Wailing Wall and
asked "forgiveness for the sufferings caused to Jews by the Catholic Church".

We hope that after the Pope's prayer the Catholic Encyclopedia will be re-written soon
and the "virulent anti-Semitism" of the Catholic Church will no longer refer to our Saints.

Many Russian composers (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Chesnokov and Shvedov are
among them) set music for the "Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom", however John Chrysostom
was not the author of the liturgy that bears his name.

There are three dates when St. John Chrysostom is celebrated by the Eastern Church
(Sept. 14, Nov. 13, and Jan. 27) and there is one date in the calendar for the Western
Church (Jan.27).

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

After Sodom and Gomorrah, people were so encouraged, that they founded numerous
gay societies and spent a lot of effort and money to promote Sodomite values. It became a
large industry with a demand for a new philosophy. To promote gay doctrine, a growing list
of prominent gays has been highlighted by gay historians.

It has already been over a century since the lie that Tchaikovsky was a gay began to
circulate in our society. For some reason it is forgotten, that in Russia, in the 19th century,
people often were killed for calling someone gay. It is a late development, flourishing mostly
in Western countries, that enables people to feel proud of being homosexual.

Absolutely self-sufficient as a composer, Tchaikovsky had no need to be guided by
Balakirev, leader of the composers' group 'The Mighty Five', or compete with the director of
the Moscow conservatory, Rubinstein. Now the conservatory bears the name of Pyotr
Tchaikovsky. Such independence and unbeatable popularity caused the jealousy of fellow
composers, who used his unsuccessful marriage to promote a scandal, making Tchaikovsky
the target of many lies, including the tale that he was homosexual, which brought the composer
of genius to suicide.

Tchaikovsky was extremely depressed, watching how seriously Russian society and the
Tsar, whom he respected and loved, took the gossip. The most terrible thing was that these
accusations were pointed at a composer who devoted a lot of time to children and was author
of the famous "Children's Album." Tchaikovsky's death deprived us of many more great
compositions. He was 53.

"Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" is the earliest sacred composition by Tchaikovsky. It
was written in 1878, at the time of his work on "Eugene Onegin". This album presents
"Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom" by Tchaikovsky performed by the USSR Ministry of
Culture Chamber Choir under the baton of Valeri Polyansky and recorded in the Cathedral
of the Dormition, Smolensk, 1990. The performance, the acoustics of the Smolensk
Cathedral and the quality of this recording are outstanding.

To finish the introduction of this album I must warn minor listeners that parental discretion
is advised: by many St. John Chrysostom is still considered a racist and Pyotr Tchaikovsky
is considered a pedophile.

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

Liturgy of St John Chrysostom
[Liturgiya Sv. Ioanna Zlatousta]
for mixed choir a cappella, Op.41

In Church Slavonic

1. Lord, Have Mercy - 2:55
2. Glory to the Father and to the Son - 3:32
3. Come, Let Us Worship - 4:35
4. Alleluia - 0:32
5. Glory to Thee, O Lord - 3:17
6. Cherubic Hymn - 8:53
7. Lord, Have Mercy - 1:13
8. I Believe in One God, The Father, The Almighty - 3:36
9. Merciful Peace - 3:32
10. We Hymn Thee - 4:03
11. It is Truly Fitting - 4:38
12. Amen. And With Your Spirit, Lord Have Mercy - 1:11
13. Our Father - 3:28
14. Praise the Lord from the Heavens - 2:18
15. Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord - 4:54

Total time 53:50

c 1990 Gramzapis
c 2003 CDK Music

Design BiLA

Cover Painting: "Christ carrying the cross" by Bosch.

Recorded in the Cathedral of the Dormition in Smolensk by Veprintsev and Buneyeva in 1990.

The USSR Ministry of Culture Chamber Choir
Valeri Polyansky, conductor