Yakiv Yatsynevych

Cherubic Hymn of Ukraine

Ukraine was invaded on February 24, 2022, and the world again became spectators to a conflict between unequal opponents. Once again we saw lies, injustice and brutality up close. I must admit that a feeling of powerlessness arose when experiencing this, an empty feeling of not being able to do anything useful. One early Monday morning, a few weeks into the conflict, I sat down to listen to Ukrainian music. I hardly knew any Ukrainian music, but I was familiar with the composer Mykola Leontovych, the man who composed 'Carol of the Bells'. He was a member of the Ukrainian liberation movement, and he was assassinated by a Soviet agent in 1921. One of his contemporary colleagues was the composer, teacher and conductor Yakiv Yatsynevych (1869-1945). He wrote church music and choral music, and I became very taken by his Hymn to the Cherubim, a part of the Orthodox Mass. I could not find any sheet music for this. But I have listened to numerous choral recordings, and I have tried to notate the music as I believe the composer himself has done originally. I chose to do the arrangement for a solo group of 4 players. These players can be placed at a distance from the ensemble, maybe on a gallery or at the back of your concert hall. The arrangement was made for Brøttum Brass for their participation in the Oslo Brass Festival in April 2022. The performance in the church this particular night was met with a long-lasting silence after the last note. The warm respect, the moving response and love we felt from the audience is a memory I will carry with me for a long time. In the lyrics to this psalm, one finds the phrase: 'Let us now lay aside all earthly cares' - John Philip Hannevik -