Difference between revisions of "Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir"

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The '''Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir''' is a choir composed of Orthodox Christian singers in the New York - New Jersey - Pennsylvania area of the United States. It is committed to singing in the English language the great works of Orthodox music that glorifies God and expresses the Orthodox faith, thus opening the treasury of Orthodox music to the community.
  
An '''[[Early Middle Ages|early mediaeval]] [[Christianity|Christian]] [[psalter]]''' (prayer book) was discovered in a [[bog]]  in July 2006, in the [[Ireland|Irish]] [[Midland Region|midlands]]. It is estimated to have been in the bog for between 1,000 and 1,200 years, but the book itself has yet to be formally identified, named or dated by Irish archaeological authorities.  This discovery is hailed by the National Museum of Ireland as one of the most significant Irish [[archaeology|archaeological]] finds in decades.<ref name=RTE>[http://www.rte.ie/news/2006/0725/manuscript.html Ancient manuscript discovered in the Midlands] - RTÉ News</ref> An expert who was called in to advise on the discovery said that he believes the psalter is the first discovery of an Irish early [[Middle Ages|mediaeval]] [[manuscript]] in two centuries.<ref>Bernard Meehan cited in the [http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/psalms-emerge-from-irish-bog/2006/07/26/1153816254848.html Sydney Morning Herald]</ref>
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==History==
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The Spirit Of Orthodoxy Choir was established in 1997 under the direction of Aleksei Shipovalnikov. The choir consists of singers from various [[parish]]es and [[jurisdiction]]s who are dedicated to church singing and who desire to be witnesses to the faith through music.
  
==Description==
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These music selections represent three schools of Russian Church music and have been sufficiently translated into English. Some of the choir's repertoire has been unheard in the West. The Choir sings chiefly in English but also performs music in [[Church Slavonic]]. Their repertoire witnesses to the range and quality of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. Their singing is a capella, without instrumentation. This is typical of the Orthodox Church, where the human voice and soul are invaluable in worship.
The book is written in [[Latin]] on [[vellum]] pages and extensive fragments have survived. Early research shows that the approximately 20 recovered pages are those of a slim, large-format book with a wraparound vellum or leather cover ("[like] a very thick wallet in appearance") from which the text block has slipped.  It is believed to have been made for and belonged to an ancient Irish Christian monastery.<ref name=NPR>[http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5584495 Ancient Psalms Found Preserved in Irish Bog] - NPR</ref> <ref name=RTE/>
 
Low oxygen levels in the bog provide unusual preservation conditions, and bogs were often used by Irish monks as hiding places for valuables in the face of [[Viking]] raids. In addition to low oxygen levels,
 
[[sphagnum]] moss, of which the peat bog is composed, produces an antibiotic substance called sphagnan that binds with proteins on the surface of microorganisims, immobilizing them. Its highly reactive carbonyl groups can alter chemicals and nutrients that would otherwise decompose organic matter. And above all the sphagnum moss causes organic material to undergo chemical changes itself that make it impervious to rot.[http://www.slate.com/id/2146638/]
 
  
==Discovery==
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==Director==
It was uncovered by a worker extracting [[peat]] with a [[backhoe]]. Dr. Patrick Wallace, director of the National [[Museum]], praised the finder for immediately having covered the book with damp soil, as exposure to dry air after so many centuries of dampness might have destroyed it. The book is being stored in refrigeration at the National Museum. Identifying the safest way to pry open the pages without damaging or destroying them could take months, and conservation work could take two years. A team of archaeologists continues to explore the site.  The exact location of the find has not been disclosed while this continues.<ref>[http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=397827&in_page_id=1770 'Miracle' discovery of 1,200-year-old psalms]: [[Daily Mail]], [[July 26]] 2006</ref>
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Aleksei V. Shipovalnikov was born in Rostov on the Don and studied composition, polyphony and conducting at the Gnesin Sate Conservatory and the Moscow Institute of Culture. His post-graduate studies included a master class with Leonard Bernstein in 1988. He served as Artistic Director and Manager of the Moscow State University Symphony Orchestra and Academic Choir and has conducted in the Soviet Union, West Germany and Poland. He established a reputation during the Communist era for innovative programming in spite of the political risks involved. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he has served as Choir Director of Christ the Savior Church, San Francisco and Music Director of Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus. He was Professor of Liturgical Music at [[St. Tikhon's Orthodox Theological Seminary (South Canaan, Pennsylvania)|St. Tikhon's Seminary]], South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He is currently Music Director at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, New Jersey.
  
==Misreported prophecy==
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[[Category:Church Music]]
When found, the book was opened to a page displaying [[Psalms|Psalm]] [[s:la:The_Old_Testament_%28Vulgate%29/Psalmi#83|83]] (in the [[Septuagint]] numbering),  which corresponds with [[s:en:Bible_%28King_James%29/Psalms#84|Psalm 84]] in the [[Masoretic Text|Masoretic]] numbering used in most English-language translations.<ref name=NPR/> Due to confusion regarding differences in numbering the Psalms, some news sites  reported that the Psalter was "prophetically" open to a reference to the destruction of [[Israel]] and connected the find with the current [[2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict]]. The [[matter]] was clarified by the director of the [[National Museum of Ireland]], who pointed out the difference in Septuagint vs. Masoretic numbering and that the psalm in question  contains no reference to the destruction of Israel.<ref>[http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2006/0728/1153813832813.html Museum plays diplomatic role on psalm's 'warning to Israel' - Irish Times]</ref>
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[[Category:Organizations]]
 
 
==References==
 
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Revision as of 15:33, March 10, 2012

The Spirit of Orthodoxy Choir is a choir composed of Orthodox Christian singers in the New York - New Jersey - Pennsylvania area of the United States. It is committed to singing in the English language the great works of Orthodox music that glorifies God and expresses the Orthodox faith, thus opening the treasury of Orthodox music to the community.

History

The Spirit Of Orthodoxy Choir was established in 1997 under the direction of Aleksei Shipovalnikov. The choir consists of singers from various parishes and jurisdictions who are dedicated to church singing and who desire to be witnesses to the faith through music.

These music selections represent three schools of Russian Church music and have been sufficiently translated into English. Some of the choir's repertoire has been unheard in the West. The Choir sings chiefly in English but also performs music in Church Slavonic. Their repertoire witnesses to the range and quality of the liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. Their singing is a capella, without instrumentation. This is typical of the Orthodox Church, where the human voice and soul are invaluable in worship.

Director

Aleksei V. Shipovalnikov was born in Rostov on the Don and studied composition, polyphony and conducting at the Gnesin Sate Conservatory and the Moscow Institute of Culture. His post-graduate studies included a master class with Leonard Bernstein in 1988. He served as Artistic Director and Manager of the Moscow State University Symphony Orchestra and Academic Choir and has conducted in the Soviet Union, West Germany and Poland. He established a reputation during the Communist era for innovative programming in spite of the political risks involved. In 1990 he moved to the United States, where he has served as Choir Director of Christ the Savior Church, San Francisco and Music Director of Slavyanka Men's Slavic Chorus. He was Professor of Liturgical Music at St. Tikhon's Seminary, South Canaan, Pennsylvania. He is currently Music Director at Ss. Peter and Paul Orthodox Church, Jersey City, New Jersey.