The fifth section of the All-Night Vigil, 'Now Let Your Servant Depart in Peace,' was intended by Rachmaninoff to be performed at his own funeral.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninoff played a similar role in Orthodox music as Palestrina did in Catholicism and Bach in the Protestant church, achieving an aesthetic peak by synthesizing earlier techniques.
Compositional Technique
Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil uses carefully selected sounds and discreetly modern harmonies to reflect the acoustics of Eastern Orthodox temples with their Byzantine domes.
Compositional Technique
Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil includes basso profondo, a deep bass register rarely found in Western music, which plays a special part in the composition.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Rachmaninoff deciphered some melodies for the All-Night Vigil from manuscripts notated in kryuki ('hooks'), the Eastern Orthodox equivalent of Gregorian neumes.
Composition History
Rachmaninoff had an in-depth knowledge of Orthodox music tradition and used melodies from different periods, including Greek tunes and monastic monody from Kiev, as starting points for his prayers.
Compositional Technique
The work features varied vocal settings, from 3 to 11 voices, and polychoral writing to match the theatrical quality of Eastern Orthodox church services.
