The trend among Eastern Orthodox churches in America is to return to the customs of the ancient church in architecture, icons, and music. However, some churches are writing new music in an American idiom, but always with the ancient tradition in mind. In every case, music, iconography, and architecture are used as servants to the liturgy.
The Orthodox Churches of America share a common faith but a diverse ethnic heritage. There are more than sixteen jurisdictions of churches that call themselves Orthodox, but the form of worship is one, and the faith they hold is one. Three large groups serve as especially important models in America: the Greek Orthodox Church, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church in America, with its Slavic roots.
According to ancient evidence and scriptural tradition, the worship of the Christian church developed around the hours of prayer, as in the synagogue, together with the living remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, expressed in the Divine Liturgy (the preparation, Word, and Holy Communion service). It was emphasized by the apostle that we are spiritually “seated with Christ in the heavenlies” and “have come to the Mount Zion, and to the City of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the just made perfect, and to Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant, whose blood speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel” (Heb. 12:22–23). These texts, along with biblical Psalms, canticles, and descriptions of heavenly worship, formulate both the reality of Orthodox worship and its goal.
Formal Orthodox worship takes place both in the Christian “temple,” the sacred space set apart for worship, and the home, likewise consecrated by a yearly dedication. In the home, worship is characterized by prayers, psalms, Bible readings, grace at meals, and the “family altar,” whereupon may be displayed sacred pictures (icons), a cross, the Bible, blessed water, and perhaps incense. These are constant reminders that the home is the “little church,” often called by the Orthodox “the domestic church,” of which Christ is the head to whom the members are subject.
Orthodox worship is, in a certain sense, a continuation of Old Testament temple worship, but more significantly, it is an expression of its fulfillment in Christ. It is not subject to innovation, yet it seeks to adapt itself to the circumstances of modern life. It has been said that the Orthodox church changes only to remain the same. Yet in order to remain the same—faithful to the apostolic tradition—the American church has adapted itself to assure the fuller participation of the faithful in the services, as well as to expand its missionary outreach.
Architecture
The Orthodox church building, or “temple,” must reflect the theology that undergirds it, both in its architecture and in its appointments. Typically, the building is square or rectangular in shape and includes three significant areas: an outer narthex or portico, the body of the church in which the faithful gather, and the sanctuary, wherein the celebrants stand for much of the service. The latter area is slightly raised above the level of the rest of the church. In front of the screen or railing separating the sanctuary from the body of the church is the ambo, the portion of the platform where the sermon is read, blessings are given, and the congregation comes forward for Communion. Central to the interior is the “throne,” or altar table, whereon the Communion gifts are consecrated and the Gospels are kept in honor.
The trend in church architecture is toward functionality, simplicity, and the expression of Orthodoxy within the American culture. For example, there is a desire in many churches to take out the choir loft, in order to restore the sense of “singing with one voice,” the Orthodox ideal for worship that promotes the participation of the entire worshiping community. Instead of singing from a loft, the choir sings on the same floor as the congregation, leading rather than representing them in song. In addition, the icon screen, which was formerly built rather like a wall in Slavic churches, is often made less solidly, so that all the participants may see the celebrants clearly. This “innovation” is in fact a restoration of the early ideal—full participation of the people of God in the Divine Liturgy.
Icons
Iconography, the ancient art of sacred painting, plays an important part in Orthodox worship. Although grounded in Scripture, it is often confused with the worship of images, which is strictly forbidden. Within the temple and the home, icons are displayed to direct the mind and heart toward God, and thus are sometimes called “windows on heaven.” Fr. John Breck succinctly states the theology of the icon:
An icon painted on a piece of wood
Becomes a window on reality
Through which a man in prayer can see the good and perfect image of divinity.
Through matter, Spirit comes to speak the truth
That unto endless ages yet shall last
And, first proclaimed when faith was in its youth,
Unites the present moment with the last.
An icon is not a simple picture or portrait, painted according to the whim of the artist; it is a spiritual statement “written” within strict and ancient guidelines. While they are not in themselves objects of worship, icons are venerated because they represent the timeless and ever-present Kingdom of God present with us as a “great cloud of witnesses” (Heb. 12:1):
The faithful fruit of fasting and of prayers
This hallowed image formed by brush and paints
The message of the Liturgy declares
That we are called to be one with the saints
Whose glory proves that by some sacred plan
The icon of the Unseen God is man.
A widespread trend toward excellence in iconography is encouraged by schools of iconography and associations of iconographers. The availability of superb textbooks, prints, and teachers has brought about a renaissance in this ancient and difficult art.
Music
The Orthodox church is a singing church, using more music in its worship than any other Christian body of believers. In the Divine Liturgy, for example, almost everything but the sermon (and, in some churches, the Lord’s Prayer and creed) is sung, either by celebrants or by the assembly.
Sacred song has been called “the heightened speech of worship.” It is “worship, especially when it is Scripture we are singing. It characterizes the body of Christ as if we are one gathered singing assembly, singing in unison with the angels. It should not be an accompaniment, background, preparation, a moodsetter, filler, or any such thing. It is serious and certainly not a divertimento” (Fr. Sergei Glagolev). Following the understanding of the early church, even the Scriptures are chanted, rather than read. That is not because the early Christians did not have good acoustics or electronic enhancement, but because they believed, according to Jewish precedent, that it was disrespectful to the Word of God merely to read the text; it must be proclaimed in song.
In today’s church, as in the early church, most music is unaccompanied. There are several reasons for this. First, the instruments available to the first Christians were used in pagan worship and not thought seemly for Christian use. Second, the Jews laid aside their instruments in mourning for the destruction of the Temple, and the Jewish converts to Christianity no doubt followed their lead. But more important than these considerations was (and is) the idea that instrumental music is not worded, as is vocal music, and an instrumental solo or ensemble cannot replace the unified people of God “singing with one voice” in his praise.
Orthodox church music is not meant for performance, with the exception of some elaborate later settings that are more appropriate to the concert hall. Choirs and individual cantors are used, but their music is meant to be a simple expression of praise that elevates the soul and not something sung to elicit an emotional response. The music is based upon a tonal system, that is, upon simple melodies that can be learned by all the people, so that when one might hear, “The Prokeimenon (gospel hymn) is in the eighth tone,” one would know what to expect and how to respond antiphonally. This tonal system, along with the practice of “lining” some of the hymns, allows the congregation to sing whether they can read music or not.
Johann von Gardner aptly states the philosophy of Orthodox music in these words:
Since the Church in a sense is timeless, existing both outside of time and encompassing all of time, its singing also must preserve the traditions of the past while maintaining a link with the present. Above all, the singing of the Church must never stray from its central essence: the liturgy. It must avoid at all cost the tendency to pursue exclusively aesthetic or personal, subjective goals. Only a thorough knowledge of the entire system and history of Orthodox liturgical singing will enable this middle ground to be found.
In spite of what may seem to be rigidity in its tradition, the Orthodox church has witnessed a tremendous resurgence of scholarship and creativity in its music for worship. There is the same sense of excitement about the rediscovery of excellent traditional music as there is regarding excellent iconography and architecture.
Research and scholarship have uncovered a treasury of ancient chants, valuable in themselves and as examples for modern composers. In addition, because of a movement toward unity among the various jurisdictions and their continuing efforts to work together in all areas, Orthodox churches and seminaries use and teach music from many ethnic backgrounds. Furthermore, because of an urgent sense of mission, as well as the desire to make itself understood to the faithful (who are less likely to be immigrants than in past generations), the church in her several jurisdictions is proceeding with the painstaking production of translations of the services into English and the task of improving existing translations.
In addition to the rediscovery of the Orthodox musical heritage, there are musicians who are producing original compositions and experimenting with an American idiom in which to continue the Orthodox musical tradition. Some of these have chosen to support their compositions with a light accompaniment; others have not. Some, particularly in the Antiochian Evangelical Orthodox Mission, have used Western hymn melodies as vehicles for Orthodox texts, in the belief that they will be more readily understood here in America than the sometimes exotic-sounding strains of the Eastern chant. These divergent ideas represent the growth of the contemporary church and underscore the need for continuous adaptation, based on the Orthodox understanding that to be an artist, architect, or musician is first and foremost to be a theologian, a servant of the Word.
Other Uses of the Arts
The worship heritage of the Orthodox church includes the use of incense. Candles illumine the faces of the icons and of the worshipers, who are censed with the icons to remind us that we ourselves are icons, images of Christ, made in the image and likeness of God. The service includes processions, sometimes around the outside of the church (as at the Paschal service), the use of bells, which are unique and joyously rhythmic, banners (usually featuring the patron of the church, who may be a saint—other banners may portray Christ or the cross), and a variety of worship postures. While most Orthodox churches in America now have pews, many prefer the greater freedom of individual movement which the traditional central standing room provides. There are always seats available to the infirm. Visitors are welcome not only at the churches but at the many monasteries throughout the country, as well as at the seminary chapels, which present some of the best examples of Orthodox worship as they train future clergy, musicians, iconographers, and architects to bring their particular talents to the Master for his honor and glory.