Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda (Bless the Lord, O My Soul) – Yale Russian Chorus 72th Anniversary
Dear friends, the Orthodox chant "Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda" (Bless the Lord, O My Soul) is performed by the Yale Russian Chorus and Alumni at the 72th Anniversary Concert.
Arranged by Denis Mickiewicz, founding conductor of the Yale Russian Chorus.
Conductor: Steven Lipsitt.
Filming: Amelia Hermann and Maria Williams.
August 30, 2025, Dwight Chapel of Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
🎶 This chant and the entire album "Yale Russian Chorus 25th Anniversary Concert (Sacred Music)" are available for listening on various streaming platforms: https://band.link/8MdY5
🎼 Download the score of the chant "Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda" (arranged by Denis Mickiewicz, founding conductor of the Yale Russian Chorus) on our VKontakte page or in our Telegram channel.
📷 Yale Russian Chorus Alumni Association on social media:
Facebook: / 129422890362
VKontakte: https://vk.com/yrcaa
Telegram: https://t.me/YRCAlumniAssociation
#BlagosloviDusheMoyaGospoda
"Blagoslovi, dushe moya, Gospoda" (Bless the Lord, O My Soul), a chant of selected verses of Psalm 104 from the book of Psalms, arranged by Denis Mickiewicz, founding conductor of the Yale Russian Chorus. Denis Mickiewicz's arrangement is based on the melodies of the Greek chant, using more contemporary and conventional harmonizations.
Psalm 104 stands out from the rest of the Psalms as a special theme, it is a song about the beauty and majesty of the universe. The psalm is a praise of God as Creator of the world, in which His wisdom, power and majesty are revealed. The description of nature in the psalm is made very poetically and artistically strong. The text contains many allusions to the account of the six days of creation (Genesis 1). The psalm is close to the Egyptian sun hymns of the Akhenaten era, to which it is often compared, although no definite connection between the two has been established.
In Orthodoxy, Psalm 104 is read at the beginning of Vespers. It thus opens the daily liturgical cycle, and is therefore traditionally called the opening psalm. The reading of the psalm is not accompanied by any rituals, moreover, the priest, during the reading of the psalm, as if withdraws from the service, leaving the altar and closing the royal gates; this symbolism recalls Adam standing before the closed gates of paradise, from which he was expelled (Genesis 3:23, 24). At Great Vespers (the eve of the feasts) this psalm is sung in a special solemn style.
📌 Lyrics:
1.
Bless the Lord, O my soul.
(Antiphon):
Blessed art Thou, O Lord.
2.
Thou art clothed in honor and majesty.
(Antiphon)
3.
O Lord my God, Thou hast become exceedingly great.
(Antiphon)
4.
The waters stand upon the mountains.
(Antiphon)
5.
The waters run among the hills.
6.
Wondrous are Thy works, O Lord.
7.
In wisdom, hast Thou made them all.
8.
Glory to Thee, O God, who hast created all.
#YaleRussianChorus #РусскийХорЙельскогоУниверситета
Friends, welcome to our channel!
The Yale Russian Chorus is the oldest singing group in the New World dedicated to the music of Russia and nearby countries. The YRC was founded 1953 at the height of the Cold War. Founders: Denis Mickiewicz and George Litton.
Singers join while students at Yale, and many stay active throughout their lives. Every year or so we hold a major concert in which students and alumni sing together. Many alumni also join the students on tours to Russia.
Without a doubt, each of us had our own motivation to join the Russian choir. But we offer you a quote from one of the members of our choir, which unites us to some extent and explains a little the meaning of the choir in our lives: "Singing the music of the YRC in the style we sang it, was an antidote to the intellectualism that got many of us into Yale in the first place, but that could be so restrictive to the heart and spirit".
The singers are not Russians, or emigrants from Russia, but are students and former students who share a passion for the music and a belief in the power of music to build connections between people of different countries.
Thanks to YouTube, we are pleased to share these recordings with online audiences around the world who share our passion for this music.
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We have toured Russia and Eastern Europe many times, and we really hope that we will be able to hit the road again when the time comes 🌿
➞ To support our mission of choral excellence and cultural engagement, visit http://yrcalums.org/donate
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