The Psalter is the 3rd section of the Old Testament canon of the Bible. It consists of 150 prayerful, laudatory, and penitential psalms.
The Holy Book takes its name from the Greek word Psalterion, which means the name of a musical instrument. Playing it was accompanied by prayer chants of psalms.
The Psalter was created as a collection of prayers for every day and for all occasions. The only book of the Old Testament that is fully included in the worship of the Orthodox Church.
Evening and morning services, liturgy (first and final parts), various hymns, canons, stichera, all this is built on the motifs of the psalms: on praise, on repentance, on gratitude to the Lord.
Psalter 17th century. Published from October 20 to December 6, 1646. Full-page engraved image of King David. Old Church Slavonic text
Each psalm is a reproduction of the mental state that the poets experienced under different circumstances. Due to the diversity of the content of the psalms, they always find reflection in the soul of the person praying.
The Psalms of David are a person’s appeal to God.
The Psalter was written more than three thousand years ago before the birth of Christ and was created over almost a thousand years. At the beginning of the psalm there are instructions and precise instructions:
- who is the author, if any;
- when it needs to be performed, on a holiday, or at dawn, in the morning;
- what accompaniment should accompany this prayer.
Ancient people always treated the book of Psalms with special reverence and respect. As Saint Athanasius the Great said:
“The Psalter is the Bible in one book.”
Afanasy
saint
It contains everything - from the creation of the world to the Last Judgment, God's providence. The Psalter is a book of prayer for every day; this is its main difference from other books of Holy Scripture.
Story
Compared to the first king of Israel, Saul, a mature husband and father, a strong and strong warrior, King David at the time of the “anointing” was a frail youth who talentedly played the kinnor, a stringed instrument. However, David had no shortage of courage and ingenuity - just remember the legend of his victory over the giant of the enemy Philistines, Goliath. And yet, David paved the way to eternity for himself precisely with his songs of praise and appeals to God, and not with battles. It was already in Rus' that they were called psalms, since one of the stringed musical instruments of the Israelites was the psaltirion, and in Greek “psalm” means song.
Young David plays the kinnor in front of King Saul. N. Zagorsky, 1873
Many generations after the Russian prince Vladimir the Red Sun learned literacy and faith from the psalter. The Psalter of 150 (+1) songs has firmly entered the consciousness of Christians, and in particular the Orthodox person. But does everyone understand the meaning of the psalms? This question tormented the most progressive scientific minds of Russian philologists of recent centuries. It is precisely us, contemporaries who are not familiar with the Old Church Slavonic language, and even more so with Ancient Greek or Hebrew, who have a particularly difficult time if we intend to comprehend the essence of what was sung by David and his followers. And although the elder clergy explain in such cases: “... everything will be revealed in due time” (Sir 39:22), let’s push ourselves a little towards knowledge in order to shed light on some of the existing translations of the liturgical Psalter.
“Dawn had not yet broken out, and I was already standing with the harp; My soul yearned for prayer, and my spirit burned with faith,”
Such lines were born when thinking about King David from the Russian Decembrist poet Fyodor Glinka in the 18th century. Long before the moment when our literary classics decided to subject the texts of the psalms to rhymed treatment for real songfulness, the Bible was brought to the Slavs from seventy-two Greek elders-scribes. The Septuagint was the name of their translation of the divine book from Hebrew to Greek. That is, in fact, the text was translated into Old Church Slavonic from Greek with some errors. A little time passed - and a translation from the original Jewish collection appeared in Rus', which was called synodal, and according to which services are often conducted in Orthodox churches even now.
But the music is cacophonous, and the lyrics have no rhyme. The fact is that the ancient Jews, of course, did not have the achievements of modern culture of the last three thousand years. They sang whatever came to mind at the moment. Art, as such, had no other value than the conversation of a person’s soul and feelings with God. Is it possible to imagine such a conversation between David, for example: “God, we went on a campaign against the Philistines, but they won, we were defeated... No, no, not like that, it sounds ordinary... God, wait, now I’ll correct it a little and sing more beautifully ... We met the Philistines on the battlefield, I was the first to throw my spear at them...”? It's funny, isn't it? The peoples lived and fought sincerely, without preparation, without rehearsals, without “playing to the public.” Complete improvisation, impromptu and the philosophy of constantly searching for the meaning of one’s existence on earth. If there were rules for song construction, they were very sketchy and primitive. Modern literary scholars who have analyzed psalms of praise have generally distinguished three forms of parallelism in their writing. But I don’t think that David and other ancient Jews, who glorified God with their songs, specifically worked on the phrases: “So, here I used synonyms, which means in the next verse I will address God through opposing antonyms...”. No, in today’s civilization it is customary to structure the psalms for easier understanding. On synonymous, antithetical and synthetic parallelism, as well as 20 kathismas (parts).
How to read the Psalter about health correctly?
Accordingly, if the psalms are read for healthy people, then at Slava you need to say a prayer for health.
One more rule regarding Slava. If a person wants to learn how to correctly read the Psalter about the living at home, then he must accustom himself to stand up while reading the Slavs. While reading the rest of the text of this holy book, the reader is allowed to sit in a sitting position. Only seriously ill people can not stand up during Glory, as, indeed, during church services. This standing up during the reading of the Glories is necessary, because during it the worshipers demonstrate their love and respect that they show to the Lord God.
Quite often the following question arises: how to correctly read the Psalter for children? There are no special rules here. The Psalter is read for children in the same way as for adults.
If we are talking about teaching children to read the Psalter, then it is important to teach children to understand this sacred book from early childhood, explaining to them the meaning of individual incomprehensible fragments. The mindless reading of sacred texts by children must be prevented. This also applies to adults. Therefore, many priests and theologians recommend taking on the reading of feasible parts of the Psalter. You should not continue reading when your attention has already wandered. Such reading can only “anger” God. That is, reading in such a manner leads to the fact that a person begins to treat this tradition in a pagan way, attaching importance not to prayer, but only to the fact of performing the ritual.
As for the various practices of home reading of the Psalter, there are a huge variety of them. You can read either alone with yourself or together with other people. In Orthodox literature, there are also reading techniques in which the kathismas of the Psalter are divided among a group of people into an equal or unequal number of texts.
The emergence of psalms. Hebrew original
Once in the 18th century, Johann Gottfried Herder, a famous German writer of the Enlightenment, said: “It is worth ten years to study Hebrew in order to read Psalm 104 in the original.” It is unlikely that the second king of Israel, David, imagined that his musical appeals to God would be regularly read throughout future centuries by a huge part of the world's population. The king had the difficult fate of constant wars, the fight against diseases and misfortunes in unsanitary conditions, which, frankly speaking, was not easy to survive. And yet, David raised the country from its knees, achieved its prosperity, and he himself lived until he was 70 years old, and died by accident, tripping on the stairs. How can one not think about divine protection? His faith in God was so strong that he did not start a single business without God's blessing. And he performed his prayers with talent and inspiration, by the standards of his time, to music. His scribes wrote down several psalms for him. Current scientists argue about their exact number, approximately this figure is 78 out of 150. Subsequently, some believers and talented Israelis began to imitate David. For example, the authors of the Book of Praises that has survived to this day are also Solomon (the youngest son of David, heir and third king of Israel), Moses (a prophet who wandered in the desert for 40 years), Heman, Ethan, Asaph (David’s associates) and others.
Reading today the psalter of the New Testament, adapted for Orthodox people in recent centuries by various translators, you can direct your pure thoughts to God, as the ancient Jews did. But it’s difficult to imagine their language, their expression and emotionality. Experts note that the original words of the Psalter consisted of two or three syllables. This was characteristic of denoting a special rhythm - after all, God was invisible and somewhere high in the sky, which means you need to “reach out” to him. The songs, in which there were prayers, praise to the Lord, confession, hope for the coming of the savior Messiah, and repentance for sins, were filled with passionate screams. By the 10th century AD. e. this text was copied many times by scribes on parchment, sometimes undergoing some changes. Over time, divine hymns began to be sung by a huge choir of Levites and worshipers. “Greco-Slavic poetry of psalms,” says cultural historian Georgy Fedotov, “is of a different quality than in the Jewish original. The sharpness is softened, the pain is muffled, the scream is quieted. A veil of splendor is thrown over the rebellious confession of the soul.”
Kathisma is a liturgical section of the book of Psalms, during which you can sit while reading
New believers often ask the question: “Is it possible to read the Psalter while sitting?” The tradition of sitting and singing psalms arose many years ago, when clergy tried to read the entire Psalter per day.
Kathismas served and continue to serve as a short rest for worshipers.
Kathisma
translated from Greek means to sit
The Holy Book identifies 20 kathismas of approximately equal length, each of which is read separately during the service and contains a different number of psalms. The largest number of psalms contains 18 kathismas.
It includes 15 psalms (P. 119 - 133). The smallest number - one psalm 118 contains 17 kathismas.
In turn, each kathisma is divided into three parts, called articles (Greek στάσις - chapter, subsection) or glory. The name glory comes from doxology.
Reading the book of Psalms is a centuries-old tradition.
It is based on a whole set of rules. According to the Charter, during the service all 20 kathismas are read in full during the week.
On the eve of Great Church holidays, kathismas are not read at Vespers, the exceptions being Saturday evening, when the 1st kathisma is read, and Sunday evening, when the 1st article of the 1st kathisma is read.
See also the article Is it possible to read an akathist while sitting?
During Lent - twice a week. A kathisma prescribed for reading on a certain day according to the charter is called an Ordinary kathisma.
Kathismas are a special type of psalmody, the performance of which occurs with the least solemnity, in a calm sitting position. This is a kind of rest for the soul and body of those praying.
Greek translation
The Septuagint, the translation of the 72 elders canonized by the Orthodox Church, is also commonly called LXX for short. The task was set by the Alexandrian king Ptolemy Philadelphus . Scientists evaluate this Greek text, written in the 3rd - 2nd centuries BC. e., from the point of view of the originality of an independent book, and its correspondence to the accuracy of the original. And although the Septuagint appeared somewhat earlier than the final canon of the Masoretic Tanakh (Bible), the numbering in them completely coincides. However, the assumption that the Greek translation was intended as an interlinear translation to the Masoretic text of the Psalter for the emigrant communities of Jews and Jews was abandoned over time. Too often, Greek translators took liberties in interpretations at their own discretion, introducing something of their own, personal. And the vocabulary of the Greek language itself is widely replete with abstract concepts, in contrast to the sometimes politically incorrect specifics of the Hebrew language. In some places in the Book of Praises, such freedom was justified and beneficial, but sometimes it was completely unnecessary, considered heresy.
In an amazing and incredible way, the Septuagint Psalter earned great popularity among people familiar with letters, and therefore was rewritten every now and then, which cannot be said about the Hebrew parchment scrolls, which were kept rather secret from the uninitiated.
HOW TO READ THE PSALMS... Pray for one another (James 5:16). The Psalter is a sacred book of psalms, or Divine hymns, written down by King David at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Reading the Psalter attracts the help of Angels, blots out sins, and saturates the soul with the breath of the Holy Spirit. The method of praying according to the Psalter is much more ancient than the Jesus Prayer or reading akathists. Before the advent of the Jesus Prayer, in ancient monasticism it was customary to read the Psalter in one’s mind (to oneself) by heart, and some monasteries accepted only those who knew the entire Psalter by heart. In Tsarist Russia, the Psalter was the most widespread book among the population. In Orthodox ascetic practice, there is still a pious custom of reading the Psalter by agreement, when a group of believers separately from each other reads the entire Psalter in one day. At the same time, everyone reads one kathisma assigned to him at home, privately, and remembers the names of those who pray with him by agreement. The next day, the Psalter is read in its entirety again, with everyone reading the next kathisma. If someone fails to read the kathisma assigned to him one day, it is read the next day plus the next one in order. So during Lent the entire Psalter is read at least 40 times. One person cannot achieve such a feat. Tips for beginners 1. To read the Psalter, you must have a burning lamp (or candle) at home. It is customary to pray “without a light” only on the road, outside the home. 2. Psalter, on the advice of Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, it is necessary to read aloud - in an undertone or more quietly, so that not only the mind, but also the ear, listens to the words of the prayer (“Give joy and gladness to my hearing”). 3. Particular attention should be paid to the correct placement of stress in words, because a mistake can change the meaning of words and even entire phrases, and this is a sin. 4. You can read the psalms while sitting (the word “kathisma” translated into Russian means “that which is read while sitting”, in contrast to the word “akathist” - “not sitting”). You need to get up when reading the opening and closing prayers, as well as during the “Glories”. 5. The psalms are read monotonously, without expression, in a slightly chanting manner - dispassionately, because Our sinful feelings are unpleasant to God. Reading psalms and prayers with theatrical expression leads a person to a demonic state of delusion. 6. One should not be discouraged or embarrassed if the meaning of the psalms is not clear. The machine gunner does not always understand how the machine gun fires, but his task is to hit enemies. Regarding the Psalter, there is a statement: “You don’t understand—the demons understand.” As we mature spiritually, the meaning of the psalms will also be revealed. Prayers before reading kathisma In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee! Heavenly King. Trisagion according to Our Father. Come, let us worship our King God. Come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King God. Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. Then another kathisma is read, remembering the names on each “Glory”. On “Glories” Where the kathisma is interrupted by the mark “Glory”, the following prayers are read: Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to You, O God! (3 times). Lord, have mercy (3 times). Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Save, Lord, and have mercy on the Patriarch (name of the rivers), then the name of the ruling bishop and the names on the list are remembered, and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and with their holy prayers forgive and have mercy on me, unworthy! (After this prayer, you can bow to the ground, depending on the zeal of the believer). On the first and second “Glory” names of health are remembered, on the third Glory - names of repose: “Rest, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep (according to the list) and forgive them all sins, voluntary and involuntary, and grant them Thy Kingdom of Heaven! » (and prostrations). And now, and forever, and forever and ever. Amen. And then - the following psalms. After the third “Glory”, the troparia and prayers written in the next kathisma are read. The prayer “Lord, have mercy” is read 40 times - on the fingers or rosary. Sometimes, at will, between the second and third tens (between 20 and 21 of the prayer “Lord, have mercy!”), a personal prayer of the believer is said for the closest people, for the most vital. After reading the kathisma It is worthy to eat and final prayers _____________________________________ Read the Psalter, the Apostle, the Gospel - everything is here. Whoever reads the Psalter at night with two kathismas goes for the entire Psalter. It is more valuable to read the Psalter out loud, silently if necessary. Raise the nightly Psalter - pray for yourself and those you don’t know to the seventh generation. Daytime is also valuable. Just as leaves fall from a tree in autumn, so do sins from a person reading the Psalter. Read the 17th kathisma - pray away your sins and the sins of your relatives to the 7th generation. Be sure to read the 17th Kathisma on Friday evening. Read the 17th kathisma for the deceased every day. Pray for the Kingdom of Heaven. ☦ Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikiy _____________________________ One ninety-year-old old woman said that on the fortieth day after her death, a familiar psalm-reader appeared to her in a dream. During her life, she helped him with housework: she washed floors, dishes, and laundry. He said sadly: “Why do you pray so little, but for us there is no better help than reading the Psalter.” ☦ The story of a village priest ______________________________ My husband and I lived alone, but there was no peace and silence in the house. I did not give in to my husband, and he, in turn, proved that he was right, and so it went on for a long time. Finally I got tired of all this and decided to behave differently. My husband will say an offensive word to me, I feel like I’m starting to get irritated, so I take the Psalter and start reading. The husband will make a little noise, then become silent. And so, little by little, peace and quiet settled in our house. I came to the temple, my father passed by, stopped next to me and said: “I wish it would have been like this a long time ago!” ☦ From the book “Biography of the elder schema-abbot Savva. With love in the Lord, your D.O.S.”, M., 1998. ___________________________________ “The seventeenth kathisma is the basis of the Psalter, it must be read in its entirety, it is indivisible... Remember the seventeenth kathisma! So that the seventeenth kathisma be read every day! You won’t be able to read it in the evening, which means during the day, on the road, anywhere, but the seventeenth kathisma must be read daily. This is your spiritual savings book, this is your capital for your sins. At the ordeals, the seventeenth kathisma will already be in defense for you.” Some people think that the 17th kathisma is read only when it is her turn and there is no other way. This is not entirely true. It is good to read it every day and many pious lay people do so. - This is a great help for the deceased! ☦ Elder Schema-nun Antonia ________________________________ The elder advised those who have relatives who smoke to read Psalm 108 every day for the smoker. If a relative dies (spiritually), read the Psalter and Akathist to the Mother of God “Seeking the Lost.” The demon fights strongly for a man, he said, seven times stronger than for a woman, because a man is the image of God (meaning that the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth in a male image and the first man was Adam). — To complaints, the priest answered: “Read the Psalter!” — Father, there are big quarrels in the family. - Read the Psalter. — Father, there’s trouble at work. - Read the Psalter. I wondered how this could help? But you start reading and everything works out. ☦ Jerome (Sanaksarsky) ________________________________ — The Psalter drives away evil spirits. St. Barsanuphius of Optina said that every Orthodox Christian needs to read at least the Glory a day. I want to say that St. Alexander, the head of the monastery of the Never-Sleeping, introduced the Rite of the Never-Sleeping Psalter in the monasteries. It is very well written about him in the Cheti-Minea. Some spiritual giants read the entire Psalter a day on an ongoing basis. Like, for example, Simeon the Divnogorets, Parthenius of Kiev, and others. Ephraim the Syrian speaks of the psalms, so that they are constantly on our lips. This is such a sweetness - sweeter than honey and honeycombs. The law of the Lord is good to us more than thousands of gold and silver. I have loved Your commandments more than gold and topaz (Psalm 119, 127). Indeed, you read it and cannot be moved. This is wonderful! Not everything is clear when reading. But Ambrose Optinsky says that understanding comes with time. Open my eyes, and I will understand the wonders of Your law (Psalm 119:18). Let us really hope that our spiritual eyes will be opened. Priest Andrey Uglov
The hymnals immediately became outdated. My biggest problem with the hymn is that it creates a limitation on the music library used in the church. — Chris. Hymnals are intended to be a collective statement of faith for the denomination or group that publishes or adopts it. The theological content of our singing is certainly stronger when we have a primary resource that has been studied, tested and solidified on this basis.
And to be a slave to the new, the current and the fashionable is always dangerous for the congregation. And frankly, the question of whether these activities are prohibited is not as cut and dry as this person suggests, but it's a debate best saved for later. Singing chant. Singing with each other and with God. This is worship in itself.
Information for beginners
1. To understand worship, you need to know the psalms
The Psalter is a book of the Old Testament on which all Orthodox worship is actually based. Psalms are used in large quantities in all services. For example, at the beginning of Vespers, Psalm 103 is sung, and at the beginning of Matins, six psalms are read: 3, 37, 62, 87, 102, 142. At liturgy (or at mass), Psalms 102 and 145 are sung. And these are only the most obvious examples.
The concept that music in worship is supposed to be a conveyor belt of good feelings flowing in the direction of God is not true. When it's time to speak, speak. If not, it is still an act of corporate worship.
In the words of the last rich Mullins: It was not the Spirit. We are a visual, technology-based society, so we must use the media to bring people to Jesus. But technology has a terribly isolating effect, and our dependence on it has created all sorts of harmful effects. As a former educator, one of my biggest concerns with public education has been the insistence we use everywhere to help kids learn.
2. If you buy an edition of the Psalms, everything you need will already be there
There are 150 psalms in the Psalter, and they are divided into 20 groups called kathismas. Each kathisma is divided into three more parts, between which short prayers are inserted. Usually, editions of the Psalter already have all the divisions and the introductory and intermediate prayers are printed, which is convenient. In principle, such publications are easy to Google.
Sure, it can help children learn, but increasingly, they can't learn without it. They need overstimulation to be able to apply themselves. In some ways, in trying to help children learn, we have created a learning disability. Marva Dawn highlights an even more troubling effect on the church. Our culture is less and less able to recognize the "one-step withdrawal" of their screen addictions. Since screens are associated in daily life with disembodied activities, will they be used in worship so that we become less aware of the Body and of our own bodies that might otherwise be touched by the psalm and see more fully the lasting evidence of the church's communal song.
3. You can’t stop in front of a difficult text.
What may not be included in the purchased Psalter are explanations and translations of the text. Psalms are ancient spiritual poetry. Because of the poetic expressions and the special style and rhythm that you need to “get into,” the psalms are initially very difficult to perceive when listening and reading. It is often difficult to understand what a place means in Church Slavonic. You can understand difficult passages with the help of Russian translation or interpretations of the holy fathers. The most famous interpretations are those of Basil the Great, John Chrysostom and Athanasius the Great.
There is no doubt that hymns connect us tactilely and symbolically with the Body, both those sitting next to us in the pews and those who have gone before. And let's be honest—in a day in which long series of self-help sermons are common, hymns can teach better than most preachers.
And can simple technology become so addictive that it cannot be used in worship, or at least used sparingly and carefully? Since church is a place of detox from the cursed world we live in, perhaps it should be a detox from the things that so easily enslave us.
4. You can read the Psalter at home in the same way as it is read in church
The Psalter is read in its entirety at services every week. At Vespers one kathisma is read, and at Matins two kathismas are read. On Saturday evening a new week begins and a new round of reading the Psalms begins, so the first kathisma is always read, and at Sunday matins the second and third kathismas are always read. It turns out that the reading scheme is like this:
Hymnals are not necessary for worship. This is complete garbage. — Rachel. No, hymns are not necessary for worship, but they do help us greatly in acts of corporate worship. They help us sing more competently and responsibly. They give us a common language when words otherwise fail us.
These are the things we are called to do. These are the things we desperately need to do if we are going to be a church for the world. So far we have only studied improvisation based on simple music. Although this is very similar to improvising from a piece of paper or a fake book, it is not the same as reading music from a hymn. The hymnals are written in their own style. The purpose of this section is to become familiar with the different typing styles found in song books so that we can be prepared to play from any book we are given.
Saturday (vespers): kathisma 1 Sunday: 2.3 Monday: 4, 5, 6 Tuesday: 7, 8, 9 Wednesday: 10, 11, 12 Thursday: 13, 14, 15 Friday: 19, 20, 18 Saturday: 16 , 17
5. The main thing: The Psalter is a book that is good to pray through
And the holy fathers highly recommend doing this. You can read individual psalms or kathismas at home, adding short prayers at the beginning and between parts of the kathisma, just as they do in church. They are usually already in publications (see point 2).
Hymnals, for some reason, have become a haven for the oddities of printed music. Often these features are nothing more than an older style of musical engraving, but if you are not used to seeing this particular style of notation, it can cause unnecessary confusion and frustration.
On the right is a modern bass clef sign, as well as the style of an old bass clef that can only be described as "backwards". The remnants also changed shape over time, especially the rest quarter. In modern music, the quarter rest looks like a curved line, as seen on the left. Below is an older, but often used, gymnastics version. The danger here is that the old style submissive quarter looks very similar to the modern eighth rest, an error that can confuse the rhythm and counting of beginners.
In the beginning: Come, let us worship our King God. (Bow) Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ, our King God. (Bow) Come, let us bow and fall down to Christ Himself, the King and our God. (Bow)
In the middle: Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, glory to You, O God! (3 times). Lord, have mercy (3 times). Glory to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
One of the more difficult aspects of playing from hymnals is that it is difficult to recognize groups of eighth and sixteenth notes to some extent because the old hymns do not use common notes. Look at this excerpt from the last line of “There is strength in the blood.” Each note is evenly distributed across the measure, whether it is an eighth note, a quarter note, an eighth note, or a sixteenth note.
Fortunately, many of today's hymns are beginning to regularly use beams for groups of eighth and sixteenth notes, but there are more churches than not who will not be using these new books for some time. Hymnals were written for singers, so some musical devices that would have served other purposes in classical music were adapted in hymns for instructor training. This is how it is with a breakup. In chants, this mark is used to indicate to singers that notes linked by a layer will be sung on the same word or syllable.
You can follow the reading cycle that is completed during the week and read those kathismas that are prescribed on this day of the week: the first two are read in the morning, the third in the evening. Or learn your favorite psalms and remember them throughout the day, following the example of many saints who knew the entire Psalter by heart.
Hymnals are notorious for splitting measures in odd places. This is usually done so that words can be grouped under a specific string. Remember that the chants were written for singers, and most performers will look at the words much more than they will track the rhythm, so the editors tweak the verses and choir layouts to suit the needs of the congregation, not the instrumentalist. As for the pianist, as a rule, knowledge of this phenomenon is enough to avoid difficulties with the game.
Just think of it as another quirk that makes Hymnal play a special ability. As you can see in this example on the left, each note has a distinctive shape. The important thing to know when dealing with formatted sheet music is that it can be easily read in the same way as traditional notation. Shapes have additional meaning, but no one has to know that to play music.
There is also advice to remember individual verses from the psalms for the same purposes. For example, Ps.117 verses 10-11: All the nations have despised me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them, having despised me, and in the name of the Lord I have resisted them (that is, all the nations have gone around and surrounded me, but I have resisted them in the name of the Lord)
To understand worship, you need to know the psalms
It is important for the aspiring church pianist to be aware of the form of the system so that no one gets confused when trying to play music written in this style.
Simply put, all hymns are not created equal. If you are used to playing from an older hymn, then keep an eye out for more modern gymnasiums that regularly practice rewriting hymns across different keys, changing melodies and harmonies, and making other, unannounced editorial updates to hymns. While experienced pianists can adjust and overcome, beginning players can easily become agitated and parties tracked by these little surprises. This week's hymn is another one often sung in the days leading up to Advent. At first glance it may seem strange to celebrate the second coming of Christ in connection with His first coming, but the practice of such work provides the balance necessary to ensure that the themes of the Coming of Divine love and light are reduced to mere sentimentality.
Slavic translations
Strangely, there are still disputes about the nationality of two famous brothers - Constantine-Cyril and Methodius . Bulgarians believe that they were Bulgarians, Greeks - that they were Greeks. Be that as it may, the brothers who were born and lived in Byzantium also spoke Slavic as their own. Once, at the request of the Moravian prince Rostislav, the brothers translated several liturgical books into Slavic (using the Glagolitic alphabet they themselves created), including the Psalter-Septuagint. For this they suffered, since the Vatican believed that singing songs of praise to God was allowed only in three languages: Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
The manuscripts of Cyril and Methodius spread to the east of Kievan Rus, which to some extent also contributed to the adoption of Christianity here. However, unfortunately, these books have not survived. But they influenced the Old Church Slavonic translations that appeared in the following centuries. Arrangements by Metropolitans Alexy and Cyprian , who lived in the 14th century, are known. Archbishop Gennady has survived to this day . And in the next 16th century, a great event occurred: in the Russian voivodeship of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Ivan Fedorov opened a printing house. And the first book he published was the church collection “The Apostle,” which included chapters of the Psalter.
Of course, printing was a step forward in the development of human consciousness. But not everything that was published was blessed by the clergy. For example, in 1660, Hieromonk Simeon of Polotsk dared to approach the translation of the Psalter creatively and rearrange the sacred text using rhyme. He printed the edition in his own printing house, which, unfortunately for him, was banned. Under great secrecy, one of the copies of this book went to the young Mikhail Lomonosov and served as one of the motives for the young man’s passionate desire for education. By the way, having achieved success in the field of science, he himself tried to rearrange the Psalter into rhyme in his own way. This is what Lomonosov's 1st psalm sounds like:
Blessed is the one who does not go to the council of the evil, Does not want to follow in the footsteps of sinners, And sits in concordant thoughts with those who lead to destruction.
Around the same time, his colleagues in writing, Vasily Trediakovsky, Vasily Derzhavin, Alexander Sumarokov and others, were also doing this.
Since the 17th century, believers in Rus' mainly used the Elizabethan Bible: at the behest of Peter I, the clergy began comparing Slavic translations with Hebrew and the Septuagint, and completed their version of the text under Elizabeth. From that time until now, this particular Psalter has been used for worship in Orthodox churches.
Let's see how one of the psalms, 99, is read in Church Slavonic :
Shout to God, all the earth, work for the Lord in joy, come before Him in joy. Know that the Lord is our God: It is He who created us, not we, but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates in confession, into His courts in song: confess to Him, praise His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever, and His truth endures forever.
In my opinion, almost everything is clear here now. And it sounds extremely melodious.
Reading the Psalter for deceased relatives and friends
How to read the Psalter correctly at home if you yourself recite it for health or peace?
First of all, you need to remember that reading cannot always be done: during Easter week, reading stops. However, this prohibition is not strict, since the “Handbook for a Clergyman” says that if a person died on these days, then reading can be done on it.
When reading the Psalter for the deceased, it is most convenient to use the liturgical version of the holy book, where kathismas are indicated. During the Glory, during such a reading, a prayer for repose should be said.
Priests say they are often asked questions like these:
- How to read the Psalter of Repose at home?
- Is it possible to read the Glory in turn: for the dead and for the living?
Most often you can hear a positive answer to these questions from the priest.
The first Russian synodal translation
But the Russian language did not stand still, but developed and transformed. There was little left of the Slavic in him. New generations ceased to understand the meaning of biblical expositions. And Emperor Alexander I commanded the governing church body - the Holy Synod: “To provide the Russians with a way to read the word of God in their natural Russian language, as the most intelligible for them is the Slavic dialect, in which the books of the Holy Fathers. Our scriptures are published." The holiest persons entrusted the process to the Commission of Theological Schools, headed by the rector of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy, Archimandrite Filaret Drozdov , in the future the Moscow Metropolitan. This version of the Psalter became accessible to the common people, and they began to call it Synodal .
Metropolitan Filaret Drozdov
But the clergy took this seal with hostility. For in their opinion the psalms were simplified to the point of impossibility. Is it possible to talk to the Lord as to a neighbor? So, due to the unexpected opposition of the clergy to the “word of Philaret,” the synodal text of the Bible was recommended only for home reading.
For comparison, the same Psalm 99 in the Synodal translation:
Shout to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with joy, go before His face with shouting! Know that the Lord is God, that He created us and we are His, His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with praise, His courts with praise. Glorify Him, bless His name, for the Lord is good: His mercy endures forever, and His truth endures from generation to generation.
In this translation of David's microtext, more than in any other, the freedom of royal self-expression is most clearly visible and at the same time the text is full of responsibility not only for itself, but also for the peoples to whom it appeals to move only along the path of God. This original expression of the call is somewhat extinguished in the translation of the psalter from the Septuagint by Pavel Yungerov.
Psalter in Russian
In worship, only the Church Slavonic version of this sacred text is used. Despite this, there are translations into modern Russian. To the question: “Is it possible to read the Psalter in Russian?” — priests usually answer something like this: “During a church service, such reading is unacceptable, since, according to Orthodox tradition, church services should be conducted only in Church Slavonic. However, during private readings, the use of Russian-language text is not prohibited.”
There is no specific charter that would regulate how to correctly read the psalter at home. Nevertheless, over the long history of this tradition, certain stable rules have developed that are purely advisory in nature. That is, it is desirable to observe them, but some of them may not be fulfilled due to certain life circumstances.
Translation by Pavel Yungerov
In general, the Yunger family itself is hereditary Orthodox clergy in fourteen generations. It is no wonder that Pavel, born in the middle of the 19th century, in the family of the revered saint of the Samara province, Alexander Chagrinsky, grew up in an atmosphere of worship of God. The humility and depth with which the young man approached spiritual education did not go unnoticed. And after graduating from the Kazan Theological Academy, he defended his dissertation, receiving a doctorate master's degree. But it was not only solitude in the knowledge of the works of the past that attracted Pavel Yungerov. He also carried out active missionary work, repeatedly going on pilgrimage trips to the East and West. While preaching the word of God, he also studied the peculiarities of speech, cultural and religious traditions of peoples.
Theologian and translator P.A. Yungerov
Translations of the Old Testament by Pavel Alexandrovich are examples of the highest authenticity to the original. While studying the text of the Psalter, Yungerov preferred the Septuagint to the Masoretic (later) language. With great attention to detail, the philologist carried out a thorough verification of the texts of the Psalms in ancient Greek and Church Slavonic, noting some discrepancies.
Here is how the praise of Psalm 99 sounds in Yungerov’s translation:
Shout to God, all the earth! Work for the Lord with joy, come before Him with joy. Know that the Lord is Our God, He created us, not we, but we are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with confession, His courts with hymns, confess to Him, praise His name. For the Lord is good, His mercy endures forever, and His truth endures forever.
As you can see, the text changes are not very pronounced, but they are there. Yungerov's translation from the Septuagint is a little more restrained. The Synodal translation is a guide-demand for people’s praise, but Yunger’s is humbly in-depth, it contains the word “confession”, that is, even praise to the Lord from his point of view (and the ancient Greek interpreters) does not mean a rattling empty barrel, but a filled vessel with reflections on one’s inner world.
Use in worship
The Psalter is used not only as home reading, an addition to the prayer rule, but is also widely used during services in churches. Over many centuries of the existence and development of the Orthodox Church, certain traditions have developed. For example, each evening service begins with Psalm 103. After the end of the service, 33 psalms must be heard. And the morning service opens with the sixth psalm, including 3, 37, 62, 87, 102 and 142. Before the canons, you must listen to 50 - the repentant psalm. By the way, it is also included in the mandatory morning prayer rule.
In the modern world, it can be difficult for people to find free time to read the Bible and follow the prayer rules prescribed by the Church. But don't be sad. What is most important to the Lord is living prayer, a pure open heart, sincere repentance and the desire to change for the better. Seeing a person's good intentions, God shows mercy and helps. The main thing is to believe and rely on God!
Translation by Vasily Kapnist
A little earlier than Pavel Yungerov lived the wonderful Russian poet and playwright Vasily Vasilyevich Kapnist. He was friends with the famous Derzhavin, created the comedy “Sneak” - the prototype of “The Inspector General” and “Woe from Wit”. Like many poets of that time, he tried his hand at poetic translations of the Psalms. Not all of his psalms have survived to this day. For example, the first one:
Blessed is he who does not join the council of the wicked, does not take the path of sinners, And does not sit on the seat of the arrogant Destroyers. But with all his will he will submit to the Law of his God, And day and night he will learn from His righteous covenants. Like a tree there will be a planting, Which grows by the sources of the waters, Its fruit will be heavy in time, And its leaf will not fall off. In everything he does, he will succeed. Not so sinners, not so: But like the dust that the wind will blow from the face of the earth in the empty steppes. The wicked will not stand in judgment, Nor will the sinners come to the righteous for advice: the Lord foresees the truthful ways, And destruction awaits the wicked on the way.
Mikhail Lomonosov’s translation given above sounds approximately the same. Poets of the 18th century were quite successful in the ode genre. High ideological content, rhetorical exclamations, complex metaphors - these features are also present in Kapnist’s psalms.
Order of reading the psalms
One of the options for reading the Psalter is to read all the psalms sequentially over 40 days or fasting.
It is customary to take a blessing for reading the Psalter during Lent from your confessor. If a blessing is given, it should not be violated.
Without blessing, you can read the psalms in any order you wish. For example, selected psalms that concern us for the future.
Before and after reading the Psalter, it is customary to read opening and closing prayers. They are contained in the Psalter.
You can read the Psalter in the morning or evening. Who likes it more?
Translation by Archpriest Vasily Probatov
Orthodox theologian and preacher Vasily Probatov began his literary activity thanks to... conflict. Differences in views on issues of faith with Bishop Theodosius Ganetsky led to Probatov’s excommunication from the Kolomna churches, where he served for several years. The priest moved to the Ryazan region, and because of free time, from the mid-20s of the 20th century, he began translating the biblical book of praise, calling it “Psalter in verse.”
Priest Vasily Probatov
Probatov looks at Psalm 99 in a pioneer spirit, which is a little strange, since he could not accept the October Revolution and more than once found himself a victim of interrogations by security officers:
Go with a friendly song, With triumph, to the Lord’s house, And serve the Creator Here in holy joy; Believe firmly, unchangeably, that He is God and King of all, We are His sacred inheritance, Sheep of His pasture; So enter into reverent God's tribe, into God's temple, and offer thanks to the Creator, rejoicing there; Glorify with joy from your heart the Name of your God, For His mercy is eternal, His truth is eternal.
It’s somewhat reminiscent of the Soviet enthusiasm of the children’s song by Mikhail Matusovsky and Vladimir Shainsky “It’s fun to walk through the open spaces together...” - isn’t it? The spirit of change of the new time probably infected some consciously, and unconsciously, but infected others. In a good way. Father Vasily revealed a different Psalter to his parishioners and future generations. He uses synonyms and allegories and poetic devices quite widely in order to present David’s sincerity as pure as in the original: he calls God “Creator”, “Creator”, and “King”.
It is clear that the communists could not give rise to such an interpretation of the divine book. In fact, with their atheism and practicalism, they did not recognize God at all. So Vasily Probatov and his works were undeservedly consigned to oblivion, and began to be published only at the end of the 20th century.
Psalter in Orthodox worship and traditions
This book is a collection of several hundred psalms - unique spiritual hymns, a significant number of which were written by the Old Testament king David.
These texts were used in church services even before the birth of Christ. The rules for reading psalms during Orthodox services, namely the calendar plan for their singing, are stipulated in a special book called “Typikon”.
In addition to church reading, there is also a long-standing Orthodox tradition of reading the Psalter outside church walls, with family or close friends. This kind of reading is called cell reading. How to read the Psalter correctly at home? This question has been considered more than once by various Orthodox theologians, and saints have repeatedly mentioned reading the holy book in their written works. There is a strong opinion that before you begin such reading, you need to get the blessing of a confessor or simply a priest who has been confessing for a long time to the person who wants to start reading.
“Psalms of David” by Sergei Averintsev
Sergei Sergeevich Averintsev is also a resident of the twentieth century. He was born in Stalin's pre-war time in Moscow in the family of a professor and research biologist. Therefore, I was familiar with the scientific approach to life from a very young age. True, he was attracted by knowledge not only of the flora and fauna, like his father, but of the universe as a whole, the culture of mankind, and the integration of communication.
After graduating from the Faculty of Philology of Moscow State University, Averintsev worked with words for many years. And during the “perestroika” Gorbachev years he was elected to the People's Deputies of the USSR. We should be grateful to Sergei Sergeevich for developing the law on freedom of conscience. However, the subsequent break in the country had a depressing effect on Averintsev; he moved to Austria, where, along with his teaching activities at the oldest university in Vienna, he became a regular at St. Nicholas Cathedral.
Historian, biblical scholar S.S. Averintsev
With deep historical and linguistic knowledge, Sergei Averintsev sought answers to the questions of the origin of humanity, its existence and mission on Earth. The German Slavist Wolfgang Kazak called Averintsev’s spiritual poetry “the inviolability of secrets incomprehensible to reason.” But are the rhythmically structured texts of a philology professor poetry? After all, there is no rhyme in them, just as there was no rhyme in the songs of David. Sergei Sergeevich’s well-known colleague Gasan Guseinov, discussing Averintsev’s passion for the English Christian thinker Gilbert Chesterton, openly speaks of the understanding that “both knew that they were writing bad poetry.” But in the case of the translation of the Psalter, this fact is very useful. After all, David followed only the dictates of his heart, and not work on verbal filigree.
Unfortunately, some psalms are missing from Sergei Averintsev’s translations, and the 99th one is missing. Perhaps he paid attention to the most significant microtexts for the church, or simply did not have time to complete what he started. For example, Psalm 96/97 (all songs in its translation are doubled):
The Lord is King, let the earth rejoice, let the many islands rejoice! Cloud and darkness are around Him, righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne; fire comes before His face, scorches the surroundings of His enemies, His lightning shines on the entire circle of earth, the earth sees and shakes, before the face of the Lord the mountains melt like wax, before the face of the Ruler of the whole earth - the heavens proclaim His truth, and all nations see His glory. Let those who honor idols be ashamed, those whose boasting is nothing but dust; may all deities bow before Him! Zion hears and rejoices, the multitude of the daughters of Judah rejoices, O Lord, over Thy judgments! For You, Lord, are High above all the earth, exalted above all gods. You who love the Lord, abhor evil! He preserves the souls of His faithful, He rescues them from the hands of sinners; light shines on the righteous, and joy on those whose hearts are upright. Rejoice, O righteous ones, in Him, and glorify the memory of His shrine!
I don’t know about you, but for some reason my personal imagination immediately took me to the German organ preludes and fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel, who fill modern Austrian churches with their polyphony. Was it not this music that Averintsev plunged into, escaping from his multinational homeland, which collapsed overnight? The musical intonations of polyphonic heterogeneous lines are the basis of Sergei Sergeevich’s translations, published in the year of his death - 2004.
Psalms for reading on various occasions (breviary)
All books of Holy Scripture are divided into teaching, historical and prophetic. The collection of psalms is the only section that covers texts of different types: laudatory, repentant, consolatory, grateful, petitionary, etc. This is a kind of biblical prayer book.
The teacher of the Athonite elder Paisius the Holy Mountain, the Monk Arsenios of Cappadocia, used psalms for blessing. He sets out a list of texts with explanations on what occasions it is advisable to reread them.
Translation by German Plisetsky
It is believed that the poet and translator German Plisetsky was undeservedly excluded by the Soviet authorities from the recognized talents of the country. His works were not published, and he himself lived in Khimki near Moscow, living from penny to penny, but not attaching any importance to it. Geshka and Plisa, as his friends called him, kept up with the times, seeking truth and justice, composing rhymes in the spirit of Vysotsky, Voznesensky, Yevtushenko. Became widely known after his death.
Poet German Plesetsky
His first collection of essays and translations was published only in 2001, nine years after his death. And the main popularity was mainly earned by his poem about Pasternak and translations of Omar Khayyam. They say that German Borisovich is one of the transcriptions of the Psalter into poetic form. But, to be honest, apart from the first psalm, I did not find evidence of the existence of his translation of the entire biblical collection. Perhaps I'm mistaken.
Blessed is he who does not go to council, depraved, deceitful and stinking. Blessed is he who is not in a hurry to gather, having said to the wicked: “No!” He listens to God. He wants to comprehend God's law. Let it be like a trunk, branching, and let every leaf not wither! Growing at the source of the waters, may it bear ripe fruit! And the wicked are dust scattered to all the winds. The prayers of the depraved will not save, and God’s Judgment will not escape. Blessed be the right path! And the path of the depraved - be damned!
The abundance of exclamation marks indicates the influence of the slogans of the communist USSR. But why not?
Translation by Naum Grebnev
Naum Isaevich Rambakh (this was his real last name) was born in China shortly before the Great Patriotic War, then moved with his family to the USSR. He didn’t really like to talk about his Jewish nationality - the times were too turbulent, and because of this he was criticized by his colleagues - they say he was hiding under a pseudonym. Naum's mother spoke several languages, was known as a talented translator, and was friends with Anna Akhmatova. And he himself went through almost the entire war, bravely fighting “for the Motherland, for Stalin,” shoulder to shoulder with other soldiers of the multinational Soviet Union.
Naum Grebnev (Rambakh)
Fame came to Naum Grebnev with his talented translation of Rasul Gamzatov’s poem “Cranes”. The song, set to music by composer Jan Frenkel, was performed by Mark Bernes himself. Taking into account his blood affiliation with the nation of David and other forefathers of the Christian religion, the poet-translator of the 20th century tried to combine these two components: origins and modernity. Being deeply lyrical and emotional, the author thus presented the psalter to the judgment of today's Russian-speaking readers, translating the synodal translation into verse. This is what his 99th Psalm looks like:
Glorify, O people, the palace of the Lord, Go to it with joy, with praise. Come before His face with song, He created us, He called us sons, Hurry to His gates with praise, Go to His courts with pure love, For the Lord is our only God. Praise the Lord, the Lord's people, Bless them in heartfelt prayer, For whatever happens in the world will pass, Only the truth of the Lord is eternal From generation to generation.
Translation by Naum Basovsky
Not much is known about Naum Isaakovich Basovsky. Born in Kyiv, he was fond of exact sciences, and accordingly chose education in the field of mathematics and physics. Taught. He moved to Moscow, and then to the Israeli Rishon LeZion, where he lives to this day. But what they say is true: talented people are talented in everything. Naum Basovsky is the author of not only a large number of scientific inventions and publications in the media, he is also a laureate of many poetry competitions. His erudition and outlook were wonderfully embodied in literature.
N. Basovsky
Let's see how figuratively and richly he presents Psalm 99:
God reigns, and the nations tremble, and the face of the earth trembles. He is as high as the vaults of heaven, great above the nations of the world. Judgment and truth are from God over them; justice is their triumph. Holy is the terrible name of the Lord, and holy is His footstool. Both Moses and Aaron, and Shmuel - those whose voice sounded inviting - pulled their prayers to the Almighty, and the Lord answered. They heard God's voice from a large pillar of clouds, received the holy tablets, and kept them forever. Forgiveness was given to us according to the Law, according to the Law and punishment. Worship Zion, people, glorify God at all times!
From these lines one can smell not only David’s song to the kinnora, but also “The Tale of Igor’s Campaign.” And this style is probably not accidental. Born in Ukraine, Naum Isaakovich, of course, even in his school years, was immersed in the history of the emergence of Christianity in Kievan Rus. By embodying the Israeli word of God for the Russians, he thus literally united two ancient cultures into one. The prominence of the syllables and beautiful chanting melody, the abundance of images and ancient Russian words will undoubtedly bring pleasure not only to any reader, but also to a linguist.
Before reading the psalter, it is necessary to say preliminary prayers
Quite often the human soul is restless and simply cannot penetrate the texts of the psalms.
Therefore, to create the right mood, the right mood, it is strongly recommended to read the initial Orthodox prayers.
Prayers before reading the psalter:
“Through the prayers of the saints, our fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen. Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee!”
Trisagion
“Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Read three times) Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen"
Prayer to the Most Holy Trinity
“Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us; Lord, cleanse our sins; Master, forgive our iniquities; Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.”
Lord have mercy (Thrice)
“Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen."
Lord's Prayer
“Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
This Troparion, tone 6:
“Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us, bewildered by any answer, we offer this prayer to You as the Master of sins: have mercy on us. "
Glory:
“The honor of Thy prophet, O Lord, is a triumph, Heaven shows the Church, the Angels rejoice with men. By your prayers, O Christ God, guide our belly in peace, so that we may sing to You: Alleluia.”
And now:
“My many and many sins, Mother of God, have come to You, O Pure One, demanding salvation: visit my weak soul and pray to Your Son and our God to grant me forgiveness for the evil deeds, O Blessed One.”
The same prayer to the Holy Life-Giving Trinity:
“All-Holy Trinity, God and Creator of the whole world, hasten and direct my heart, begin with reason and finish good deeds inspired by God and books,
Even though the Holy Spirit will regurgitate the mouth of David, which now I want to speak, I, unworthy, understanding my ignorance, I pray to You,
and asking You for help: Lord, guide my mind and strengthen my heart,
not about the words of the lips saying cold, but about the minds of those saying to rejoice,
and prepare to do good deeds, even as I learn,
and I say: let him be enlightened by good deeds,
At the judgment of the right hand of Thy land I will be a partaker with all Thy chosen ones.
And now, Vladyka, bless, so that I sigh from my heart and sing with my tongue, saying to my soul.”
After reading the pre-reading prayers, the Psalms of David should be read slowly, quietly and thoughtfully, so that you can understand with your mind what you are reading.
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