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British Diction in American Orthodox Liturgical Singing

Sep 3, 20212 min

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Aug 30, 20212 min

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Mar 221 min

Choral Corner #38: At Forgiveness Vespers, “Vouchsafe, O Lord” is read extremely slowly, while the vestments and paraments are changed and the choir begins to use Lenten melodies. What’s going on?

These actions signify the official beginning of Great Lent. “Vouchsafe, O Lord” is read very slowly to allow the maximum possible time...

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Feb 92 min

Choral Corner #37: Why is there no uniform, standardized series of service texts mandated for use throughout the whole Orthodox Church in America?

Q: Why is there no uniform, standardized series of service texts mandated for use throughout the whole OCA? A: This is largely a function...

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Feb 52 min

Choral Corner # 36: Why do we use traditional pronouns?

Q: At our parish, we use the traditional liturgical pronouns (Thy/Thou), but some other parishes use more contemporary language...

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Oct 9, 20232 min

Choral Corner #35: Why doesn't our choir sing famous Orthodox concert music?

Choral masterpieces such as Sergei Rachmaninoff’s All-night Vigil are undeniably gorgeous, and can play an important evangelistic role in...

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Oct 9, 20232 min

Choral Corner #34: In the Holy Anaphora, what does "Sabaoth" mean?

The Scriptural source of this text, called the Sanctus in western Christianity, is the majestic vision recorded in Isaiah 6, in which...

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Oct 9, 20231 min

Choral Corner #33: An Anaphora fun fact!

Immediately before the choir sings "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Sabaoth! Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory," the priest chants the...

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Oct 9, 20231 min

Choral Corner #32: Why are some troparia & kontakia virtually identical?

Certain saints and commemorated events have more unique hymnography than others, determined largely by their prominence on the liturgical...

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Daria Cortese, Director of Music at St. Mark's Orthodox Church in Wrightstown, Pennsylvania

Hello, and welcome. I'm the Managing Director of Aorist Press, an Orthodox Christian liturgical publishing house, and the senior choir director at St. Mark's Orthodox Church in Wrightstown, PA.

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