I need advice from orthodox Christians and/or liturgical music lovers. I’ve been asked by my parish chorale director to sing a couple of solos coming up, one for Lent and one for Easter. He’s asked for me to come up with ideas myself and run them by him. Looks like one song for Offertory and one Eucharistic song. Obviously it would need to be appropriate for that part of the order, and appropriate for the liturgical season. This is a very traditional service; organ accompanied, or bells if needed. I’m relatively well schooled in classical music btw. Oh, and I’m a tenor.
I was thinking a tenor movement from a Bach cantata for Lent or Easter, but the only ones I’m familiar with from those seasons have no Tenor solo. Wait, does #12 have a tenor?
Definitely yes. It’s one of my all time favourites.
Pretty much anything from the series of tenor recits/arias in Part II (All They that See him…But Thou didst not Leave His Soul in Hell) would be suitable.
for lent the biggies are “open the door of repentence” ( we did that one this sunday) and “the rivers of babylon”. vedel did unbelievable near operatic versions of them. there are many versions by quite a few biggie russian composers. also some simple chant versions. they are sung before communion as a “concert” piece (that is what they call it, “the concert piece” mostly people are jockeying for a place in the communion line at that time.) while the clergy are having communion.
during the pascal season we sing the pascal canon during clergy communion. the aforementioned vedel did the set you hear most in russian churches although the simple chants are rather nice.
some churches will sing “of thy mystical supper” most of the year. the only times the church gives you a “you will sing this for concert” is advent, christmas, great lent, and pascha. wild card the rest of the year although there are special things for saint and holy days that get sung for continuity.