Ukrainian funeral hymn Vichnaya Pamyat

Richard Katz · Post by **Richard Katz** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 12:35 pm

Here's one for you all.

I have been asked to learn a funeral hymn from the Ukraine for an upcoming funeral.

It is titled, Vichnaya Pamyat which translates as Eternal Memory.

I have searched the internet for the notation, or a sound file, for this hymn with no results. All I find is some history regarding the hymn and that is is almost always used at Russian/Ukrainian/Georgian funerals.

The family can only sing it for me. I would have to record them in order to learn it.

I know that this is a long shot, but if anyone has any information, or better yet notation, I would greatly appreciate it.

Cheers! Richard

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 1:00 pm

Why not record it, put it up on the web, and someone here could write out the abc for you in any key you like.

djm

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:04 pm

I found a few references of people singing the song... but no music files.
Here is a link with Vichnaya Pamyat mentioned and a scan of some music... however, I think it's Ukrainian (Russian?) so I haven't a clue if it's the song you need.

http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/ukrainian/music.php#
http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/ukrainian/ ... 15_lrg.jpg

Post by **Nanohedron** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:21 pm

Tony wrote:I found a few references of people singing the song... but no music files.
Here is a link with Vichnaya Pamyat mentioned and a scan of some music... however, I think it's Ukrainian (Russian?) so I haven't a clue if it's the song you need.

http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/ukrainian/music.php#
http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/ukrainian/ ... 15_lrg.jpg

That's not it, unfortunately (I can slog thru Cyrillic at a painfully slow rate).

Checked as far as I could get; no sound clips, no MIDIs, no notation that I could find.

Djm's probably on the money, but an additional possiblity I'd pursue is to get in touch with the church in question to see if there's any written material to work with to back up the recorded singing. Maybe there's recorded material there, too. I'd check it out.

TomC · Post by **TomC** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:22 pm

Is this it?

http://www.jamilsamara.com/sacredmusic/ ... -meena.pdf

No E · Post by **No E** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:26 pm

Do a search on Yuliy Kim, you can download an mp3 of his version of "Vechnaya Pamyat" for $0.10.

No E

Post by **Nanohedron** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:33 pm

TomC wrote:Is this it?

http://www.jamilsamara.com/sacredmusic/ ... -meena.pdf

Been a long time since I was at an Orthodox funeral, but it seems to jog a memory if I go by the upper notes. Dunno if Antiochian Orthodox liturgy uses a different melody or not. Mr. Dunn's suggestion looks like the ticket.

Richard Katz · Post by **Richard Katz** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:37 pm

Wow...you guys are great! I really appreciate the responses.

I will show the sheet music to the family and see if this is it.

I may also drop by an Orthodox church and see what I can find out.

Otherwise I will probably end up recording them and learn it by ear.

After all of this, I hope I like the melody.

Cheers! Richard

Ceann Cromtha · Post by **Ceann Cromtha** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:42 pm

No E wrote:Do a search on Yuliy Kim, you can download an mp3 of his version of "Vechnaya Pamyat" for $0.10.

No E

The Russian Vechnaya Pamyat' would be the same as the Ukrainian Vichnaya Pamyat (an etymological e goes to i in a closed syllable in the latter). The version used in the Antiochian Orthodox Church is most likely the same, but I'm checking with an Orthodox friend to ascertain this. I know that the version used in the Orthodox Church in America (of which I'm a member) is the same as that used in the Slavic Orthodox liturgies (sung as "Memory Eternal").

Ceann Cromtha · Post by **Ceann Cromtha** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:45 pm

Contact someone here and they'll hook you up, I'm sure:

Either:

http://www.oca.org/DIRSemVlad.asp?SID=9

or

http://www.jordanville.org/

No E · Post by **No E** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:50 pm

Is this it? http://en.liturgy.ru/mp3/96/afanas15.mp3

No E

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:57 pm

Richard... from what I've read, it brings tears to some much the same way as Amazing Grace.

Vichnaya Pamyat was listed on a few blogs. I found a website for a Ukrainian church who sing the song. Perhaps contacting them for some music?

Church
http://www.uocofsaintgeorge.com/

Blog
http://dezdish.blogspot.com/2006/04/mos ... neral.html

Post by **Nanohedron** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 2:59 pm

No E wrote:Is this it? http://en.liturgy.ru/mp3/96/afanas15.mp3

No E

That's it. Beautiful, isn't it?

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:32 pm

That's a magnificent bit of choral work, but I'm not sure what they're expecting you to make of it on solo UPs. :shrug:

djm

Ceann Cromtha · Post by **Ceann Cromtha** » Wed Jan 10, 2007 3:59 pm

Here's some more in Russian (Recension Church Slavonic), with part of the service included (streaming audio files, in QuickTime):

http://en.liturgy.ru/mp3/224/afanas15.mp3

http://en.liturgy.ru/mp3/96/afanas15.mp3