All-Night Vigil by Rachmaninoff - an introduction

An All-Night Vigil is a service in the Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic Church consisting of a combination of Vespers, Matins, and the First Hour.  It is celebrated at sunset on Saturdays, which is technically the dawn of the new Liturgical day.  The phrase All-Night Vigil may cause some people to question if they should have packed a toothbrush and sleeping bag for the concert!  In ancient times and even today in some monasteries the All-Night Vigil does indeed last all night. 

Rachmaninoff’s Op. 37 consists of 15 movements. With the exception of movements 13 and 14, all movements are part of the Ordinary; namely, they remain consistent every time an All-Night Vigil service is celebrated. They do not vary with the church calendar as do other items within the service, which are part of the Propers. Interspersed among the movements for which Rachmaninoff composed music, are usually various litanies, prokimenons, a gospel reading, various troparion, etc. 

Pyotr Tchaikovsky, who definitely served as an inspiration and influence to Sergei Rachmaninoff, said these words, “It is impossible not to be profoundly moved by the liturgy of our own Orthodox Church. I also love vespers. To stand on a Saturday evening in the twilight in some little country church, filled with the smoke of incense; to lose oneself in the eternal questions, whence, why and whither; to be startled from one’s trance by a burst from the choir; to be carried away by the poetry of this music; to be thrilled with quiet rapture when the Royal Gates of the Iconostasis are flung open and the words ring out, ‘Praise the Name of the Lord!’ – all this is infinitely precious to me!  One of my deepest joys!” 

 Vespers

After the incensing of the church the priest invokes the Trinity to which the choir responds with an “Amen” and they continue with the vigor of Rachmaninoff’s movement 1, inviting all to “come and worship….”

No. 1: Come, Let us Worship

Come, let us worship God, our King.

Come, let us worship and fall down

before Christ, our King and our God.

Come, let us worship and fall down

before the very Christ, our King and our God.

Come, let us worship and fall down before Him.

No. 2: Bless the Lord, O my Soul (Psalm 103)

Bless the Lord, O my soul, blessed art Thou, O Lord.

O Lord my God, Thou art very great.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord.

Thou art clothed with honor and majesty.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord.

The waters stand upon the mountains.

Marvellous are Thy works, O Lord.

The water flow between the hills.

Marvellous are Thy works, O Lord.

In wisdom hast thou made all things.

Glory to Thee, O Lord, who hast created all.

This psalm contemplates the beauty and harmonious arrangement of the world made by God. God brought order to the unformed earth during the six days of creation. The psalm also reminds us of the amazing wonders of nature. During this psalm the church is incensed and the doors of the icon screen are still open. The open doors symbolize the beautiful open gates to paradise. After the incensing the gates will be closed, depicting that Adam's ancestral sin closed the gates of paradise to man separating him from God. The priest, representing the repentant Adam, steps before the closed gates. He silently reads the seven Lamplighting Prayers. These prayers, composed in the 4th century, make up the most ancient part of Vespers; in them we hear man's recognition of his helplessness and his plea for direction on the path of truth.

No. 3: Blessed is the Man (Psalm 1)

Blessed is the man, who walks not in the counsel of the wicked.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

For the Lord knows the way of the righteous,

but the way of the wicked will perish.  Alleluia…

Serve the Lord with fear

and rejoice in Him with trembling. Alleluia…

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.

Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! Alleluia…

Salvation is of the Lord;

and Thy blessing is upon Thy people. Alleluia…

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, glory to Thee, O God! (3x)

No. 4: Gladsome Light

Gladsome light of the holy glory of the Immortal One—

the Heavenly Father, holy and blessed—

O Jesus Christ!

Now that we have come to the setting of the sun,

and behold the light of evening,

we praise the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—God.

Thou art worthy at every moment

to be praised in hymns by reverent voices.

O Son of God, Thou art the Giver of Life;

therefore, all the world glorifies Thee.

When describing “Gladsome Light,” St. Cyprian of Carthage, who lived in the 4th century, wrote, "In as much as Christ is the true sun and the true day, when we pray at the setting of the sun and ask that light to come to us, we are praying for the coming of Christ, Who possesses the grace to offer us eternal light."   

No. 5:  Now Lettest Thou Thy Servant (The Prayer of St. Symeon)

Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant

depart in peace, according to Thy Word.

For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation,

which Thou hast prepared before the face of all people.

A light to enlighten the Gentiles,

and the glory of Thy people Israel.

St. Symeon uttered these words when he received the Divine Infant Christ in his arms in the Temple of Jerusalem on the fortieth day after Our Lord's Nativity. In this prayer, the Old Testament elder thanks God for enabling him, before his death, to see Salvation; that is, to see Christ.

No. 6: Rejoice, O Virgin

Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos,

Mary full of grace, the Lord is with Thee.

Blessed art Thou among women,

and blessed is the Fruit of Thy womb,

for Thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.

***Conclusion of Vespers***

Matins

No. 7:  Glory to God in the Highest

Glory to God in the highest,

and on earth peace,

good will among men. (3x)

O Lord, open Thou my lips,

and my mouth shall proclaim Thy praise.

No. 8: Praise the Name of the Lord

Praise the name of the Lord. Alleluia.

Praise the Lord, O you His servants. Alleluia, alleluia.

Blessed be the Lord from Zion,

He who dwells in Jerusalem. Alleluia.

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.

Alleluia, alleluia.

For His mercy endures forever. Alleluia.

O give thanks unto the God of Heaven.

Alleluia, alleluia.

For his mercy endures forever. Alleluia!

These words are taken from Psalms 134 and 135 and they introduce the most festive portion of the Resurrection Vigil Service, the polyeleos, which celebrates the Resurrection of Christ. The word polyeleos comes from two Greek words that mean "plenteous in mercy." The heart of the polyeleos rests in the chanting of "Praise ye the name of the Lord," with each verse of the Psalms followed by the refrain, "for His mercy endureth forever." In this refrain, the Lord is glorified for the abundant mercies He had shown toward man; the first and foremost of which is His salvation and redemption of man. At the polyeleos, the beautiful gates open, the entire church is illuminated, and the clergy come out of the altar and incense the entire church. Through these liturgical actions, the faithful witness the events of the Resurrection. In the opening of the gates, they see how Christ rose from the tomb; and in the clergy procession from the altar to the center of the church they see how He again appeared among His disciples. The psalm, "Praise ye the Lord" (Psalm 134:3), continues to be chanted, together with the angelic refrain, "Alleluia" (Praise the Lord); it is as if the choir is acting on behalf of the angels, calling the faithful to praise the Risen Lord.

No. 9: Blessed art Thou, O Lord

The singing of the angelic Alleluia that ends movement 8 is followed by Movement 9, the resurrection troparia that tell of the Myrrh-bearers' visit to the tomb, and of the appearance of the angel who told them of the Savior's resurrection and directed that they tell this news to His apostles. Each troparion is preceded by the words, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes."

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

The angelic host was filled with awe,

when it saw Thee among the dead.

By destroying the power of death, O Savior,

Thou didst raise Adam, and save all men from hell!

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

“Why do you mingle myrrh with your tears of compassion,

O ye women disciples?”

cried the radiant angel in the tomb to the myrrh-bearers.

“Behold the tomb and understand:

the Savior is risen from the dead.”

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

Very early in the morning

the myrrh-bearers ran with sorrow to Thy tomb,

but an Angel came to them and said:

“The time for sorrow has come to an end!

Do not weep, but announce the resurrection to the apostles!”

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

The myrrh-bearers were sorrowful

as they neared Thy tomb

but the Angel said to them:

“Why do you number the living among the dead?

Since He is God, He is risen from the tomb.”

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

We worship the Father, and His Son, and the Holy Spirit:

the Holy Trinity, one in essence!

We cry with the Seraphim:

“Holy, holy, holy art Thou, O Lord!”

Both now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Since Thou didst give birth to the Giver of Life, O Virgin,

Thou didst deliver Adam from his sin!

Thou gavest joy to Eve instead of sadness!

The God-man who was born of Thee

has restored to life those who had fallen from it.

Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Glory to Thee, O God! (3x)

No. 10: Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ

Having beheld the resurrection of Christ,

let us worship the holy Lord Jesus,

the only Sinless one.

We venerate Thy cross, O Christ,

and we hymn and glorify Thy holy resurrection,

for Thou art our God, and we know no other than Thee;

we call on Thy name.

Come, all you faithful,

let us venerate Christ’s holy resurrection.

For, behold, through the cross

joy has come into all the world.

Ever blessing the Lord,

let us praise His resurrection,

for by enduring the cross for us,

He has destroyed death by death.

No. 11: My Soul Magnifies the Lord

My soul magnifies the Lord,

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Refrain:

More honorable than the Cherubim

and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim,

without defilement Thou gavest birth

to God the Word,

true Theotokos, we magnify Thee.

For He has regarded the low estate of His handmaiden.

For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

For He who is mighty has done great things for me,

and holy is His name, and His mercy is on those

who fear Him from generation to generation…

He has put down the mighty from their thrones,

and has exalted those of low degree;

He has filled the hungry with

good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

He has helped His servant Israel,

in remembrance of His mercy,

as He spoke to our fathers,

to Abraham and his posterity forever.

No. 12: The Great Doxology: Glory to God in the Highest

In ancient times and even today in some monasteries where the All-Night Vigil indeed lasts all night, the sun rises during the second half of the Vigil. At this point, the Lord, the Giver of Light, is praised in a special, ancient Christian hymn, the Great Doxology, which begins with the words, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace." But before this, we see the priest through the open doors of the altar as he stands before the Holy Table and exclaims, "Glory to Thee, Who hast shown us the light."

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

Good will toward men.

We praise Thee, we bless Thee,

we worship Thee, we glorify Thee,

we give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory.

O Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

O Lord, the only begotten Son, Jesus Christ

and the Holy Spirit.

O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father,

who takest away the sin of the world, have mercy on us.

Thou who takest away the sin of the world,

receive our prayer.

Thou who sittest at the right hand of the Father,

have mercy on us.

For Thou alone art holy,

Thou alone art the Lord, Jesus Christ,

to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Every day I will bless Thee

and praise Thy name forever and ever.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, God of our fathers,

and praised and glorified is Thy name forever. Amen.

Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us,

as we have set our hope on Thee.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.

Lord, Thou has been our refuge

from generation to generation.

I said: Lord, have mercy on me,

heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.

Lord, I flee to Thee,

teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God;

for with Thee is the fountain of life,

and in Thy light we shall see light.

Continue Thy mercy on those who know Thee.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3x)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,

both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

No. 13: Today Salvation Has Come

Today salvation has come to the world.

Let us sing to Him who rose from the dead,

the Author of our life.

Having destroyed death by death,

He has given us the victory and great mercy.

No. 14: Dismissal Troparion of Matins

Thou didst rise from the tomb and burst the bonds of Hades!

Thou didst destroy the condemnation of death, O Lord,

releasing all mankind from the snares of the enemy!

Thou didst show Thyself to Thine apostles,

and didst send them forth to proclaim Thee;

and through them Thou hast granted Thy peace to the world,

O Thou who art plenteous in mercy!

In the All-Night Vigil, Matins concludes with the Litany of Supplication, followed by the priest's closing doxology and by the Dismissal. In this closing doxology the priest again glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ by exclaiming, "Glory to Thee, O Christ God, our hope, glory to Thee." The Choir responds with "Glory, both now and ever," showing thereby that the glory of Christ is as well the glory of the All-holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And thus ends the Vigil as it began, with a glorification of the Holy Trinity.

***Conclusion of Matins*** 

The First Hour

No. 15: To Thee, the Victorious Leader

To Thee, the victorious Leader of triumphant hosts,

we Thy servants, delivered from evil,

offer hymns of thanksgiving,

O Theotokos!

Since Thou dost possess invincible might,

set us free from all calamities,

so that we may cry to Thee:“Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!”