“Church Music Opens Up Gradually”: an Interview with Eugene Prokofiev, the Precentor of the Brothers’ Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent
We met with Eugene Prokofiev, the young
precentor of the Brothers’ Choir of St. Elisabeth Convent before their
performance at the Lenten Concerts. Eugene is 22. He is just a little older
than the choir he has directed for the last three years. These three years have
become very special for him.
Yulia Krukovskaya, the past precentor of the
choir, taught in Minsk Theological College. It was her who invited her student
to work with the Brothers’ Choir. Neither Yulia nor Eugene knew that it would
change the young man’s course of life.
With the blessing of Father Andrew
Lemeshonok, Eugene moved to stay permanently in the Convent. His job of a
precentor became his main duty.
— When I
came to the Convent, my life changed drastically! — Brother Eugene says. — I
can’t imagine myself without the Convent… Living side by side with the nuns and
having a close spiritual contact with them all the time, it’s like sitting on a
cloud. I seldom leave the Convent now because when you live here, most of your
habits and desires go away.
— Brother Eugene, do I get it right that you
are a postulant?
— Yes,
formally I’m a postulant. However, I’m a postulant who does not plan to proceed
any further yet. The longer I live in the Convent, the more often I catch
myself thinking of taking the next step and becoming a novice.
You know,
when I first came to the Convent, I thought I would stay here for just a couple
of days. Nun Susanna told me to take few clothes to the Convent. I came here to
stay. And I’m still here (smiles).
— What are the qualities that a person who
wants to be a precentor must possess, in your opinion?
— I can
share my own opinion and observations. It seems to me that one must possess a
precentor’s charisma and feel the process. You conduct the choir and therefore
con-celebrate with the priest. It is not just a job. It is an obedience,
especially here in the Convent. It is something you must hold on to tightly.
Interestingly enough, there are people who never went through any special
training but they can conduct choirs… It depends on that person’s inner state
to a great extent. It can only be explained by referring to spiritual things. A
person who does not go to church cannot learn to be a precentor. It seems to me
that church music is discovered little by little as long as your heart becomes
pure and meek…
— Do you believe that spiritual experience is
more important for a precentor than professional experience?
— This is
what I have come to assume now. When I studied in the college, many of my
fellow students used to think that being a precentor meant earning money. It is
wrong because who is it that you sing for? The people who come to church are
not your audience: they come to pray, not enjoy choir music. A church choir is not
just a regular choir; it is specifically designed to facilitate worship. It is
God who we sing for during a worship service. This is the basis we have to
stand on. The rest comes next… They may pay you or not, it doesn’t matter at
all. I’m not getting any money for services. I could’ve been paid but why would
I need that money? I live in the Convent and, frankly speaking, I don’t need
money at all. Other members of our choir don’t get paid, either. It’s our
ministry.
Singing
in the Convent during services is very comforting for me and for other singers.
We took turns with the Monastic Choir singing the nocturnal liturgy on the
Nativity of Christ and the Theophany. We couldn’t imagine that it was possible!
The Monastic Choir is distinguished by its singing manner. The nuns sing quite
low. We sing high in comparison with them, and our choir has a distinct singing
manner, too. We tried to unite totally disparate manners, so to say. If
reactions of the faithful are something to judge by, it was great! We were told
that it would happen again. We will sing these nocturnal services together with
the sisters at least once a year. It isn’t easy to sing together with another
choir. It is a growth factor for the brothers and me. We are honoured by it.
The nocturnal antiphonal (responsorial) Liturgy was a hallmark event in the
life of our choir.
— Let’s talk about two other important event in
the life of your choir. One of them is your first concert appearance. The
Brothers’ Choir takes part in the Lenten concerts. What will your repertoire
consist of?
— The
slogan of the Lenten concerts is “Reviving Cultural Traditions”. That’s why
aside from church chants we will include two rare canticles in our programme.
One of these canticles was composed in the 16th century. It is an artful
narrative about numbers. It explains what each of the numbers means in the
Orthodox world. The other canticle, “When I Was Young,” resembles the famous
“Haze Over Water,” but its main character is male. Plus, due to the fact that
the concert will take place in the hall of the Belarusian State Pedagogical
University on March 2, I believe that the secular audience will be interested
to hear the chants that we sing in the Convent.
— The second event is the release of the first
album by the Brothers’ Choir. What pieces will it contain?
— We would
like to showcase the chants that the choir does not always sing during
Liturgies. Some of the chants are little-known. There is a demand for this
album: people often come to me after the services where we sing and ask me
where they could find our recordings and sheet music. We have already recorded
half of the album. We will record several other tracks on March 8. The album
will hopefully be released by autumn.
— When does your choir perform live in the
Convent?
— Several
singers of our choir sing during church services on Monday evenings and Tuesday
mornings. The entire choir sings during the second (sometimes the third)
Liturgy on Sundays. We also sing during Liturgies that are celebrated in the
Boarding Home every Friday. We use Valamo obikhod chant. I write to Father
Diodor and Father Ambrose who conduct the choirs of Valaam Monastery, asking
them to send me their sheet music so as to make sure that our singing
corresponds to the authentic chant as closely as possible.
I make
musical treatments of some chants for the Brothers’ Choir, too. I add few
changes to the original tune, though. I listen to many little-known choirs and
record by ear numerous chants that we perform during services. I reckon that
church singing is a creative process. If you have printed scores, it doesn’t
mean you can’t move them around. Sure, you have to follow certain guidelines
and not trespass them but you have the right to add minor changes here and
there if the final result sounds better after treatment.
— Eugene, most of your singers are older than
you. Could you please share what you as a precentor and just as a person have
learned from the brothers in these three years?
You know,
when I conduct the choir during a church service — a young boy among twelve
bearded men — I don’t want to behave like a child. I have to comply with the
standards set by those men: I mean the way they behave and their spiritual
maturity. Each brother has a certain quality that I would like to imitate, and
I try imitating them. All singers treat me with respect and sympathy. Even if I
do or say something wrong due to my young age or lack of experience, they
accept it humbly. I’m very grateful to all the brothers!
Yulia Krukovskaya was the second precentor in
the history of the Brothers’ Choir. She conducted this choir for a decade:
— I had
to move to another city. That was why I was looking for someone to be my
successor as the precentor of the Brothers’ Choir. I thought that one of my
students at the theological college could be the perfect match for this job. It
seemed more appropriate if the new precentor was male. I offered this post to
Eugene Prokofiev. I was hoping that he would prove worthy of my trust, and so
he did. Eugene was afraid that he would not cope with the choir but he agreed
to give it a try. He started coming to our rehearsals. Eventually, I realised
that I had made the right choice.
Nun Juliania (Denisova), the
Precentor-in-Chief of St. Elisabeth Convent:
— Our
Brothers’ Choir is a unique phenomenon. These amateurs have already magically
turned into professionals, without even knowing it.
To a
large extent, it happened thanks to Eugene Prokofiev, who is amazing! Although
he is young, he can listen properly and has his own concept of singing. He is
able to insist on his own handling of various pieces. He can sing very well and
shows how to sing with his own example. All singers follow him. It’s evident
that God helps him.
It is
very exciting to talk with Eugene and to look at what he does. I am curious to
see how the choir develops its professionalism and how the choir members trust
Eugene — and they do trust him indeed; otherwise, the choir wouldn’t sound so
good. They sing very well, like the Valamo choirs! They have a unique sound, if
we speak of church singing. Our professional choirs can’t attain this kind of
sound. Eugene is in constant search of new music to add to the choir’s
repertoire. He keeps asking me for new sheet music and showing me his treatments
and harmonisations. That is why it has become clear that the choir needs to
participate in concerts and record its own album.
Interview by Brother Vadim (Yanchuk)
Design by Sister Maria (Ivanova)
March 1, 2018
St.
Elisabeth Convent
