The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-11-27
CHANTING PRIESTS.
a SERVICE or SONG NO HEARER
CAN EVER FonoET.

An Important Part of the Greek Church
OF RussfA--TSs Bsytng. Bull-like Voices
OF ,ssaks Inss~Asg Prayers For the C.ar.
A lrsg~aasent vsnb.
The chant Of the priests voices was
the most striking thing that enooun-
tered In nay travels in Russia q year
Ego. Never in any place have ] heard
music ut nil nke it, More like the cry
Of some great animal or tho moaning
OF a musical wind IL seemed than hu-
man toaAs. Deep, strong, roaring, yet
soft and melodicus. 1t haunted me as
no music had sver done. This intoning.
which forms so important part of the
Crock churoh in Russia, IL performed
by men who ere chosen especially for
the tremendous depth of their voices,
TO be used in intonipg alone, not sing
ing. Trained and cultivated into still
greater strength and depth, there is in
the whole wide world no human sound
like it
There are only certain parts OF the
service that are thus intoned. such as
"Hallsluiah," Lord have mercy,
lord, we pray thee. Grant this. 0
God, "but above all, 'Save long, o God,
the life of the ozari" Over and over
again are these words moaned, sighed
and roared, like varying wind. through
the arches and galleries of the splendid
churches OF the most splendid country
Of ths world.
There is a priest in the Church Of st.
Saveur In Moscow who was pardoned
and brought back from Siberia solely
because Of the extraordinary depth OF tho
tones Of his voice.
These great baying, bull.like voices
bring TO their owners, IL is said, very
good income The lset part of the serv-
ice IL always the loudest, and the last
words, in a tremendous final roar, are
always the petition to save long from
death the ear. Unlike the Latin service
Of the Roman Catholic church, the COM
mon people a Russia can understand
muoh Of the service Of their church, ~
a part of il is I'm modern Russian and
the rest in old slavonic. Thus chat cry
which rings through the churches to
save the life of the czar is understood
and felt by the humblest subject in
Russia.
Although this intoning can be heard
everywhere in the churches throughout
Russia, the best example of it is per-
haps in tho famous Alexander Nevsky
monastery in st. Petersburg. At 4
o'clock every afternoon the priests chant
can be heard there, and no traveller
should miys this extraordinary spectacle.
In the winter, when the higher classes
are in town, there are long lines Of ele-
CANT convey ances at the door, that have
brought the fashionable Russian devo-
tees 10 hear the monks chant But ut
all times Of the year it Is a resort not
only for Russians, but for the strangers
from the h.tels. The monastery is at
the end Of the fashionable Nevsky Pros
pekt, the Fifth avenue of st. Peters
burg. In the green inolosure there arc
many buildings connected with the
monastery, but IL was to the chapel
where the monks chant the evening
service that we first directed our steps
one afternoon late in June. Far back in
the dimnoes, in q ohanoel behind two
altars, was . collection Of large, brawny
men Their long black robes, high
black velvet caps and long flowing
wells, all Of black, magnified their
height and their imposing appearance
Their boards were long, and heavy
locks Of hair hung like thick names on
their shoulders.
They were already chanting, when
we entered, ia those peculiar organlike
tones which / found the most impress
i've thing In Russia. How that strange
volume Of sound moaned and rose and
fell throughout the structurel How Id
walled ia our ears, like mighty wind.
and always, whether loud or soft, in the
saddest, sweetest melody There were
half recitative solos. chanted first by
one voice aud taken up by the others.
'Lord have mercyP' Lord grant it"
they walled aud moanod until it seem
ed a. il the sound would never again
leave my ears
After time IL ceased, and then the
procession Of towering black robed
monks came out into the body Of the
chapel, leaving but little room for US
as we crowded ourselves against the
wall Placing themselves with their
backs toward US and their faces toward
tho altar in a senicirole, they began
again their chant in different and
much louder refrain, God save long
the life of the emperr" Never shall l
forget that Denicircle of black monu-
mental figures nor the waves Of sound
that still vibrated on the air after their
voices had ceased.
We turned away and walked across
the green courtyard, where many rich
Russians are buried. All Russians es-
teem it sacred privilege to be buried
I'm tho soil surrounding monastery
and among those who lie here is the
novelist TurgensG. We traversed nu-