Kanon Pokajanen

Kanon Pokajanen is a 1997 composition by Arvo Pärt for four-part (SATB) choir. The text is the "Canon of Repentance to Our Lord Jesus Christ", an Orthodox hymn. The text is sung in Church Slavonic and following the tradition of Russian sacred choral music, it is sung a cappella.

Background

Arvo Pärt describes his encounter with the text and the history of setting this text to music thus:

Many years ago, when I first became involved in the tradition of the Russian Orthodox Church, I came across a text that made a profound impression on me although I cannot have understood it at the time. It was the Canon of Repentance.
Since then I have often returned these verses, slowly and arduously seeking to unfold their meaning. Two choral compositions (Nun eile ich...., 1990 and Memento, 1994) were the first attempts to approach the canon. I then decided to set it to music in its entirety-from beginning to end. This allowed me to stay with it, to devote myself to it; and, at the very least, its hold on me did not abate until I had finished the score. I had a similar experience while working on Passio.
It took over two years to compose the Kanon pokajanen, and the time "we spent together" was extremely enriching. That may explain why this music means so much to me.

He was commissioned by KölnMusic GmbH to write a work commemorating the 750th anniversary of the building of Cologne Cathedral. He finished it in 1997 and it premiered at Cologne Cathedral on March 17, 1998, performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir under the direction of Tõnu Kaljuste, to whom (both choir and conductor) this piece was dedicated.

Overall structure

Main article: Canon (hymnography)

As Pärt said, "the words are very important to me, they define the music" and furthermore "the construction of the music is based on the construction of the text." So the structure of the music is going to be based on its text, namely the "Canon of Repentance."

The Eastern Orthodox canon, in general, is composed of nine odes (though in practice usually only eight are chanted). Each ode begins with an introductory verse called the eirmos (pl. eirmoi) which is followed by four verses called troparia (sing. troparion) all interspersed with antiphonal responses suited for the canon's subject. The last troparion is referred to as the Theotokion, so-called because it is written in honor of the Theotokos (Mother of God).

There are also intermezzo hymns which serve to encapsulate the canon's theme: the Sedalen (appears in between Ode III and Ode IV), the Kontakion and its Ikos (both in between Ode VI and Ode VII), and the Prayer after the Canon (after Ode IX). The latter concludes the canon and can serve as pre-Communion prayer.

The eirmos (Greek for "model" or "chain") is a paraphrase of one of the nine canticles found in Scripture, usually taking a specific verse or the general idea in the biblical song. Here are the list of the bibilical canticles with their traditional names:

  1. Exodus 15:1–19—The Canticle of Moses and Miriam, after crossing the Red Sea
  2. Deuteronomy 32:1–43—The Canticle of Moses, chastising the Israelites for their sins
  3. 1 Samuel 2:1–10 (1 Kingdoms 2:1–10, LXX)—The Canticle of Hannah
  4. Book of Habakkuk 3:2–19—The Canticle (or Vision) of Habakkuk
  5. Book of Isaiah 26:9–20—The Prayer of Isaiah
  6. Book of Jonah 2:3–10—The Prayer of Jonah
  7. Prayer of Azariah 2–21 (Daniel 3:26–45, Septuagint)—The Prayer of the Three Holy Children: Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah
  8. The Song of the Three Holy Children 28–67 (Daniel 3:52–90, Septuagint)—The Song of the Three Holy Children
  9. Gospel of Luke 1:46–55—The Magnificat

Normally the second ode is omitted owing to its severe nature. The most notable exception to this is in the Great Penitential Canon of St. Andrew of Crete which is chanted during Great Lent. In most canons, including the present one, there is no text written for Ode II and therefore there is not an Ode II in Kanon Pokajanen. The numbering, however, does not change as shown in the outline below for the entire piece:

Musical Characteristics

Kanon Pokajanen exhibits characteristics of Pärt's tinntinabular style. The piece remains almost exclusively in D minor, deviating only in particularly expressive passages and sometimes final cadences (e.g. the piece ends with a Picardy third on D).

Overall, the melodies and harmonies remain fairly static throughout the piece. Variation is created through alteration of the dispositions and roles of the various voice parts. The odes build toward each intermezzo section, treating it as a small climax. The Prayer after the Canon is the most intense of all the climaxes, paralleling the prayer's function.

Endnotes

  1. ^ – Arvo Pärt, "Kanon pokajanen", trans. Catherine Schelbert in accompanying booklet, Kanon Pokajanen performed by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, conducted by Tõnu Kaljuste. ECM New Series 1654/55, 1998. Compact disc.
  2. ^ – Ibid., "Starting from Scratch", interviewed by Nick Kimberly, Gramophone 74 (September 1996), 16.
  3. ^ – Johann von Gardner, Russian Church Singing, Volume 1 (Orthodox Worship and Hymnography), trans. Vladimir Morosan (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1980), 44. ISBN 0-913836-56-7

References

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