THE EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Selected hymns. Part 1
Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev)
Epiphany (the Baptism of the Lord) is one of the Twelve Great feasts of the Russian Orthodox Church. On that day Christ came to John the Baptist, who was preaching on the Jordan River, to be baptized by him. The moment Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens opened and John saw the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove descending on Jesus. There was a voice of God the Father, saying: «This is my beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased ». Thus John the Baptist realized Jesus was the due Messiah, the Son of God.
The album contains selected chants of the feast’s divine services and of the rite of the Great Sanctification of Water, which on those days takes place in the churches, on the rivers or at the springs. The motets «When Thou, O Lord, wast baptised in the Jordan» and some others are performed with reverence by Hierodeacon German (Ryabtsev) in Valaam and Znamenny chants.
At Vespers:
1. «Lord, I have cried…» [with Psalms] (tone two****) 0:00
2. Stanzas for: «Lord, I have cried…» (tone two*) 03:53
«The Forerunner, beholding our Illuminator…»
«The flowing streams of the Jordan…»
«Save but a lost man…»
3. «Glory, both now and ever…» 10:07
«Thou didst bow Thy head unto the Forerunner…» (tone two*)
4. «O Gladsome Light…» (tone two*) 11:27
5. «The Old Testament readings and troparion…**» 14:32
At Compline:
6. «God is with us…» (tone eight**) 28:42
7. «The day is past…» (tone eight****) 39:14
8. The Creed 42:12
* Znamenny chant
** Znamenny chant, ison singing
*** Valaam chant
**** Valaam chant, ison singing
***** Lesser Znamenny chant, ison singing