Cherubic Hymn: Angels Through the Ages

Some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful music was born out of religion. From church chant to contemporary hymns, music is one of the best ways to worship, as it is one of the purest forms of communication. The Cherubic Hymn (also known as Cherubikon, or “song of the angels” in Greek) is one such piece of music that speaks to all who listen – whether the hymn is in its root chant form or it has been arranged by a classical composer.

Origins of the Cherubic Hymn

The Byzantine Empire and Orthodox Chant

In the 3rd century CE, the Roman Empire split into two halves: Eastern and Western. The Western Roman Empire became what we know today as Western Europe (of course, after this half of the Roman Empire fell in the 5th century). The Eastern half, though, became the Byzantine Empire during the transition to the Middle Ages (around 300 CE). This empire flourished until its fall in the 1400s.

Also during the 3rd century, Christianity was legalized in both halves of the Roman Empire. Then in the 6th century, 200 years after being made the Byzantine Empire’s state religion, church services were switched to Greek instead of Latin (as opposed Western Europe, which stuck with Latin).

Around the year 573 CE, Emperor Justin II of the Eastern Roman (a.k.a Byzantine) Empire added the Cherubic Hymn to the standard Eastern Orthodox liturgy (customary public worship performed by a religious group). The text symbolically represents angels gathered around God’s throne. The music accompanied the clergymen as they entered the sanctuary, taking the bread and wine from the altar of preparation to the altar of sacrifice. Read here for more.

Here is an example of the Cherubic Hymn as Byzantine chant (in Greek):

However, like all music from the Ancient and Medieval eras, we don’t have much by way of written copy. Music was taught by oral tradition to the members of the church who participated in the services. As a result, there are many different chant arrangements of the Orthodox liturgy.

Here is another version, composed in the 1800s by Greek composer Theodore Phokaeus to be used in church services:

Cherubic Hymn Text

The text for the Cherubic Hymn is based on a passage of scripture in the book of Isaiah:

And it came to pass in the year in which king Ozias died, that I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne, and the house was full of his glory. And seraphs stood round about him, each one had six wings, and with two they covered their face, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one cried to the other, and they said “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts! The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Here is the full text for the hymn:

Greek	Church Slavonic	English
Οἱ τὰ Χερουβεὶμ μυστικῶς εἰκονίζοντες, καὶ τῇ ζωοποιῷ Τριάδι τὸν Τρισάγιον ὕμνον προσάδοντες, πᾶσαν τὴν βιοτικὴν ἀποθώμεθα μέριμναν. Ὡς τὸν Βασιλέα τῶν ὅλων ὑποδεξόμενοι, ταῖς ἀγγελικαῖς ἀοράτως δορυφορούμενον τάξεσιν. Ἀλληλούϊα, Ἀλληλούϊα, Ἀλληλούϊα.	Иже херувимы тайно образующе, и Животворящей Троицѣ трисвятую пѣснь припѣвающе, Всякое нынѣ житейское отложимъ попеченіе. Яко да Царя всѣхъ подъимемъ, ангельскими невидимо дориносима чинми. Аллилуіа	We who mystically represent the Cherubim, and who sing to the Life-Giving Trinity the thrice-holy hymn, let us now lay aside all earthly cares that we may receive the King of all, escorted invisibly by the angelic orders. Alleluia

The Hymn in Russian Classical Music

Since its addition to the Orthodox liturgy in the 6th century, the Cherubic Hymn was – musically speaking – left alone for a very long time (partially due to a music monopoly held by the top music institution of the time). However, a reorientation to Russian church music in the 1800s – and a lawsuit – allowed for many composers to write their own interpretations of the sacred text. Let’s listen to some of them.

*For more information on the lawsuit, read the section in this post on Tchaikovsky.

 Mikhail Glinka (1804-1857)

Glinka was one of the first Russian composers to rewrite the Cherubic Hymn. Composed in 1837, this work incorporates full, Romantic era harmonies with the multi-voice polyphonic style of the Renaissance (listen to the section beginning at 4:27 for an example of this).

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893)

In 1878, Tchaikovsky wrote the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom as a way to explore the musical themes in the liturgy. A year before the composer wrote the work, he said in a letter to a friend:

For me [the church music] still possesses much poetical charm. I very often attend the services. I consider the liturgy of St. John Chrysostom one of the greatest productions of art. If we follow the service very carefully, and enter into the meaning of every ceremony, it is impossible not to be profoundly moved by the liturgy of our own Orthodox Church . . . to be startled from one’s trance by a burst from the choir; to be carried away by the poetry of this music; to be thrilled when . . . the words ring out, ‘Praise the name of the Lord!’ – all this is infinitely precious to me! One of my deepest joys!

The Court Case that Changed Sacred Music

At the time, however, the Saint Petersburg Court Chapel (the oldest Russian professional music institution, known as the Imperial Chapel) had a monopoly on the composition and performance of sacred music. The musical institution refused to give Tchaikovsky permission to write any new church music.

Of course, he did it anyway after talking to the Moscow Office of Sacred Censorship (note that this agency represented the church, not the Imperial Chapel). And as a result, the Imperial Chapel banned the music and sued Tchaikovsky’s publisher Jurgenson. However, in the end, Jurgenson won the case. The Most Holy Synod (the highest governing body of the Russian  Orthodox Church) then ruled that the church censorship office could approve any new sacred music publication without needing to consult with the Chapel.

Thus, for the first time in a long time, Russian composers were now able to write sacred music without needing to go through the government. Many soon wrote their own versions of the liturgy.

Tchaikovsky set the Cherubic Hymn many other times and they’re all just as beautiful! This one is part of his collection Nine Sacred Pieces composed between 1884 and 1885.

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

Rachmaninoff composed his version of the hymn in 1910 as part of his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 31. (Yes, it was inspired by Tchaikovsky and the new freedom allowed Russian composers regarding sacred music.) He was very pleased with the work as a whole, but sadly Russian Orthodox church leaders strongly objected to using the music in any services due to its modern sound.

Pavel Chesnokov (1877-1944)

Chesnokov composed over 400 sacred choral works during his lifetime. His Op. 27 is a compilation of 10 choral pieces, and No. 5 was also inspired by Tchaikovsky’s Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Sadly, I can’t find any other background information about his Cherubic Hymn Op. 27 No. 5, but that can’t stop us from enjoying the beautiful music. 🙂

The featured image in today’s post is an excerpt from the Book of Hymns at the Lord’s Resurrection translated from Greek into Romanian in 1923. The symbols above the words a good example of the Byzantine music notation style. Click here for the translation.