18 Molokan Songs by Elena Ivanova Zvigintsevna

Cherkasy, Ukraine 

Recorded 1999 by the Christian Center for Science and Apologetics, Sevastopol, Crimea
Христианский научно-апологетический центр
[Apologetics -- the explanation and defense of the Christian religion. See a full definition.]
US Sponsoring agency:  Teaching Ministries International, PO Box 1483, Snellville, GA 30078 USA


Quality enhancement by J.J. Samrain
2004 @ OT STudios, Whittier, California

Reproduced and distriburted in America by J.J. Samarin (2004)
These 18 Molokan songs may be 200 years old. Half are still sung in America.

The singer Elena Ivanova Zviagintsevna died in 2000. She lived in Cherkasy, central Ukraine, south of Kiev, and knew only a few Molokane during her life. She did not know there are currently Molokane in nearby Vinnitsia city, nor thousands east of Melitopol, Ukraine. She died a few years after this recording.

Elena learned to sing from her elders who evidently did not mix with Molokane in south Ukraine, therefore her singing style is probably resembles the original form. Notably she does not sing protiazhnaia melodies, drawing-out her syllables as was done after Spiritual Christians — Molokane and Dukhoborsty — were resettled in the south Ukraine in the early 1800s. By singing a very slow style, slower than is common some folk songs, the Spiritual Christians learned they could camouflage their psalms from anyone listening and avoid punishment for exposing their faith to Orthodox.

In 1999 Elena Ivanova shared her Molokan heritage with a Christian organization she met on the street. The missionaries knew nothing about Molokane but were so impressed with her singing knowledge that they wanted to perserve these Russian Christian songs of antiquity.

They digitally recorded her singing and produced a CD which was once listed for sale on their Russian audio web page — 6. Духовные песни молокан (60 мин)

We ordered a copy and paid for another 100 copies to be delivered to the 3 Molokan congregations where thousands of Molokane still live today in south Ukraine east of Melitopol Astrakhanka, Novo-Vasilyevka, Novo-Spasskoe.
Los Angeles area, Elder Singer James John Samarin was given an original disk for examination. With other singers he determined that 9 of these 18 songs correspond closely to text and melodies of the American Dukh-i-zhin' pesennik, and one is a Bible verse. After more than 150 years of separation, more than half of these songs are also preserved in the US. Samarin asked if he could reproduce the CD and give them away with the label shown above.Thanks to Elena Ivanova and to the Apologetics Center in Sevastopol, Crimea for their historic preservation; and to James John Samarin and associates for analysis and generous reproductions.

The original files (16-bit, stereo, 44100 Hz, .wma) are compressed to RealMedia and MP3 formats (16-bit, mono, 22050 Hz) .rm (95%) and .mp3 (90%). Players for these formats are probably installed on your computer. Listen to the selections by clicking on the file-types (RM or MP3) in the column titled "Listen", below right. The file size is also shown. If the selections do not play automatically, then you probably need to download the free software from: RealMedia, and/or MPEG.

In the beginning, before the first song, Elena Ivanova recites an introductory prayer: "Благослови Господи исполнять по твоёй воле" [God  bless me to perform by your will]. Notice that in contrast to this clear Ukranian-style the Caucasus-trained singers, like American Molokane, sing much more "drawn out". By stretching the song vowels [protazhniia] non-Molokans nearby on the street would not easily understand the words which would get the singers into legal trouble for sharing their faith with others, especially the Orthodox. Doukhobors also sing very "drawn out" to camoflage their songs. Find more details and examples in The Molokan Heritage Collection: Volume IV: The Origin of Molokan Singing, by Dr. Linda O'Brien-Rothe.]

 First line
 Documentation
 Time
 Listen
1.
 О какой нам путь открылся чтобы в царствие идте
  What a way has opened to us that we can go to the kingdom

1:51
 RM  446KB
 MP3  1307KB
2.
 (24) Спасённые народы / будут ходить во свете его, /
 и цари земные / принесут в него [честь и славу свою.] славу и честь свою.
 (25) Ворота его не будут / запираться днём; а ночи там не будет.
 (26) И принесут в него славу [и честь] народов.
 (27) И не войдёт в него ничто нечистое /
 и никто преданный мерзости и лжи,
 а только те, которые / написаны у Агнца в книге жизни.
(24) And the [
saved] nations / shall walk in the light of it: /
and the kings of the earth / shall bring their glory and honour into it.
(25) And the gates thereof shall not
/ be shut by day: for there shall be no night there.
(26) And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into it.
(27) There shall not enter into it any thing defiled,
/
or that worketh abomination or maketh a lie,
but they that
/ are written in the book of life of the Lamb.
 Откровение Иоанна
 21:24-27






 Douay-Rheims Bible:
 Apocalypse of Saint John
[Revelations] 21: 24-27
2:42
 RM 655KB
 MP3 1272KB
3.
 Приклони Господи ухо и услыши меня
 Lend me your ear God and listen to me
 Pesennik 350
1:36
 RM  210KB
 MP3  758KB
4.
 Иерусалим прекрасный в уборе чистоты
  Beautiful Jerusalem dressed in cleaniness
 Pesennik 206
5:46  RM  710KB
 MP3  2709KB
5.
 Будь милосердный ко мне Господь
  Lord be merciful to me

2:41  RM  332KB
 MP3  1264KB
6.
 Ты любовь, ты любовь, ты любовь, святая --
 За тебя много святи крови пролитая
 You are love,  you are love, you are sacred love --
 For you much sacred blood was shed
 Pesennik 690*
1:34
 RM  197KB
 MP3  744KB
7.
 Расскажу Я весть о чуде, как Христос здесь пострадал;
 I shall tell all about a miracle, how Christ suffered here;
 Pesennik 605*
2:27
 RM  303KB
 MP3  1152KB
8.
 Хорош Сион, Хорош Сион, Хорош Сион городок, городок
 Zion is good, Zion is good, Zion is good small town, small town
 Pesennik 33*
2:17
 RM  283KB
 MP3  1075KB
9.
 При дорожке, при пути, где народу шло много
 At a path, at a way, where many people have gone
 Pesennik 700*,
 Tune Pesennik 747
5:23
 RM  663KB
 MP3  2530KB
10.
 О Боже отч в небесах прими моление моё
  Oh, Lord Father in the heavens accept my prayer

1:48
 RM  225KB
 MP3  851KB
11.
 Здесь ещё стоим у берега на краю большой реки
  Here we are still standing on the edge of a bank of a big river

5:32
 RM  683KB
 MP3  2600KB
12.
 Запоём мы братцы песенку на глосы радости беседы у нас
 Brothers let's start to sing a song with joyful voices about our conversations

1:31
 RM  191KB
 MP3  721KB
13.
 С высоты было небо с высоты было небо
 From height there was a sky, from height there was a sky

3:10
 RM  391KB
 MP3  1488KB
14.
 Что ты душа приуныла, перестала трепетать;
 Soul why have you become gloomy, [and] stopped trembling;
 Pesennik 327
1:41
 RM  209KB
 MP3  791KB
15.
 Вот как вижу во всем мире, темнота царит везде.
 Here is how I see the entire world, darkness reigns everywhere.
 Pesennik 392*,
 Tune Pesennik 151
4:47
 RM  591KB
 MP3  2251KB
16.
 Учителем был во французском селе как дети ему были рады
 He was a teacher in the French village, how glad the kids were to have him
 
6:30
 RM  801KB
 MP3  3053KB
17.
 Ищи везде, не б ком, не где ты не найдёшь спасения
 Search everywhere, you will not find escape in anybody, nor anywhere

2:54
 RM  358KB
 MP3  1363KB
18.
 Как быстро наши дни текут, как тень они проходят
 How quickly our days slip away, as they pass like a shadow
 Pesennik 627-A*
3:43
 RM  460KB
 MP3  1747KB
Total time: about 58 minutes
* Words vary somewhat from the American Sionskii Pesennik (Songbook of Zion).
"Rejoice in the Lord Always" the first Russian Molokan CD
Russian Molokan Church Service recorded in San Francisco in 1938
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