Pierre Spassky

Biographie

Introduction

“The Russian Orthodox community of Paris, which in the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral preserves and supports the choral music of the Eastern Rite, has made the passionate and sad voice of the silent Russian Church and millions of believers heard beyond the curtain of iron. There is something mystical in Russian choral singing, which compels us to compare this group of singers...with the frescoes of Fra Angelico.” Thus, in 1962, the newspaper "L'Avvenire d'Italia" described the first concert in Italy by the choir of the Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky under the direction of Peter Vassilievitch Spassky.

Russian songs, wrote the Roman "Fiere Letteraria", "express joy, tenderness, sweetness, and faith in the promise of the Savior, who looks with a gentle smile from the silence of the golden icons... During the performance, the maestro P. Spassky only directed the singers by the power of his hands: white, fine, nervous, sometimes hard and harsh, sometimes soothing... The singing of the choir, the magnitude of the sound and the diffusion in the air of the low, high, soft and deep voices, which in the end merge into a whole, persistent and precise... In this supplication, in this pain and this complaint, resonates the soul of those who are "on a foreign land" ... "

This performance by the choir of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral took place in the fall of 1962 as part of the major musical festival of religious singing organized in Italy in the context of the "Ecumenical Year". The concert took place in the famous 15th century church of Malatestiano, where Giotto's famous fresco "The Crucifixion" is located. The concert brought together Italian Catholic and Austrian Protestant choirs, which included more than 100 singers, and a Russian choir of 23 people, led for many years by Peter Vasilyevich Spassky.

Biography

Peter Vasilyevich Spassky was born in 1896 on the Don, in the village of Karaichev of the Gundorovskaya stanitsa. He was the eldest son in a deacon's family, and from an early age he received a religious education. From his father he acquired a love for singing and liturgical celebration. Peter Vasilievich studied at the Novocherkassk Theological School, then at the theological seminary, where one of his teachers was the religious composer Archimandrite Michael Erkhan. At the age of 16, Pierre Spassky was already directing the left kliros choir and organizing choirs in his native village. Then the First World War broke out, then the civil war. Here are his service records: 16th “Sotnia”, student battalion, 2nd Don machine gun regiment, Don and Atamanskoe military schools, serious concussions, St. George cross.

After the exodus, Pierre Spassky first went to the island of Lemnos, then to Bulgaria, where he created a regimental choir. While studying at the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of Sofia University, he was elected president of the council of the Cossack student community. Then in 1924 P.V. Spassky received a scholarship to the Catholic University of Milan, where he followed a 3-year legal course. There he participated in the creation of a Russian Orthodox parish and there, at the world center of bel canto, he studied singing. With students, Peter Spassky traveled to Rome and attended a reception by Pope Pius XI, who greeted him kindly and said he prayed daily for the suffering Russian people. In 1927 P.V. Spassky was elected delegate of the Milan parish to the diocesan assembly of Paris and soon settled permanently in the French capital, where he was appointed choir director and principal reader of the Saint-Nicolas church in Boulogne- Billancourt.

It was in Paris that his church and choral singing activities flourished, to which he devoted the rest of his life. The Saint-Nicolas de Billancourt church was built in 1927 thanks to donations from Russian workers from the Renault factory who lived in this suburb. Archpriest Iakov Ktitarev was appointed the first rector of the parish. Thanks to him, active educational work was carried out in the parish, sacred music concerts were organized as well as religious singing lessons and a school for children. In addition to his parish choir, P.V. Spassky led the children's choir of the children's school of St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral on Daru Street and participated in numerous cultural, musical and educational events in Russian Paris .

In 1931, Peter Vasilyevich married Taisya Vasilyevna, née Petrova. Their marriage was celebrated by Metropolitan Eulogius who was their spiritual father. The Spassky couple worked together in the parish schools of Boulogne and the Cathedral, organizing concerts, Christmas trees for children, charity evenings with the participation of famous artists. P. Spassky was head teacher and taught catechism at the Russian high school and the Cathedral parish school. An excellent storyteller, he enchanted his students by telling the history of Russia, Russian customs and Russian antiquity. In the year of the centenary of Pushkin's death, "Pushkin Day" was organized at the Saint-Nicolas parish, a day in which Prof. N. Kuhlmann, writers B. Zaitsev and I. Shmelev and other personalities. P.V. Spassky also took part in all the "Days of Russian Culture" for young people, organized under the chairmanship of E. Kovalevsky, as well as at the “Days of Orthodox Russia” at the St. Sergius Institute under the patronage of Metropolitan Eulogius.

In 1936, Father Alexandre Tchekan was appointed rector of the church of Boulogne. It was with Father Alexander that Spassky would later serve at Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. In the difficult times of the war, in 1940, when many people were evacuated from Paris, Metropolitan Eulogius brought together representatives of the clergy and laity and set up the organization of aid to the starving in Russian parishes. Among those present were Bishop John (Leontchoukoff), Archpriest Nicholas Sakharov, Archpriest Iakov Ktitarev, Archimandrite Nikon (de Grève), Hegumen Methodius (Kulhmann), Hieromonk Savva (Shymkevitch), $ Father Dmitry Klépinine $, $ Mother Marie $, the churchwardens and delegates from different parishes. P. Spassky reported on fundraising and the organization of meals in his parish.

In 1943, the Saint-Nicolas church in Boulogne was destroyed by a bombing, and the parish had to find itself in a private apartment for a long time, then temporarily – in a Protestant church. In 1947, Peter Vasilyevich Spassky was appointed senior lector at St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and became conductor of the crypt choir. In 1949 he became conductor of the cathedral choir.

Le choeur Spassky à la cathédrale russe

The work of Peter Vasilyevich Spassky at the cathedral

The work was not easy. It was necessary to bring the choir back to the highest level, unite the old and new singers, and preserve traditions. The protodeacon Nicholas Tikhomirov helped Spassky in this matter, and his own spiritual training was also of great help to him.

P.V. Spassky had an incredible number of books. He read a lot and had an incredible memory. He had studied Christian and non-Christian religions and philosophies in detail, which enabled him to be an experienced witness to orthodoxy, the ministry of church cantor having a very high missionary character. This side of Pierre Spassky's personality undoubtedly influenced his work in religious singing. He carefully chose the repertoire, was attentive to the requests of parishioners, trying not to go against their spirit of prayer. He attached particular importance to the words of the prayer, trying to ensure that the musical mood achieved by the song was in full agreement with the text. With equal attention, he performed numerous services: baptisms, weddings, moleben, funeral services. After these services, he often spoke with the people to rejoice with them or comfort them.

P.V. Spassky directed the Choir of the Russian Cathedral in Paris for 20 years. The choir's repertoire was very extensive and due to inevitable changes in the composition of the choir (the choir having been completely renewed more than three times) it had to be relearned or modified.

Chants de Pâques interprétés par le choeur Spassky en 1966

Records and radio broadcasts

In 1953, the Philips company offered the choir director to record a 33 rpm record with Russian church songs. Spassky decided - and then kept this principle for all his subsequent recordings - that the disc should preserve order and liturgical meaning, and not be a simple collection of beautiful, but unrelated chants. He chooses the songs of the Eucharistic liturgy in the order in which they are performed. Protodeacon Nicholas Tikhomirov participated in the recording, astonishing the audience with his magnificent voice, especially during the Great Litany and the “Mnogaïa leta”. Protodeacon N. Tikhomirov was then 72 years old, and this record remained a musical memory of the extraordinary, highly cultured protodeacon who had adorned the cathedral's divine services for more than forty years.

The Divine Liturgy disc was published in 1954 and received the highest distinction from the Charles Cros Academy. The French press reported “the unusually colorful voices of eternal Russia” and “the strict discipline of the choir”. The Russian press, for its part, emphasized that the awarding of this prize should be considered a great victory for Russian culture and Russian religious music, which is attracting more and more attention in Western European cultural circles.

Two years later, the same company released a new disc, which P.V. dedicated to the hymns of Great Lent and Holy Week. This disc ended with the song "Christ is risen from the dead"... The two discs were then combined into a single album, which also received the highest distinction. These discs were walled up in the walls of the Comédie- French. This solemn ceremony was then described by the newspaper “La Pensée russe”.

In the 1960s, the American company "Monitor" recorded five more discs, including liturgical and vigil songs, Easter and Christmas songs, songs to the Mother of God and a service for the dead, to which he must add a disc of Christmas carols (koliadki). The recording was made with the participation of protodeacon Michel Storojenko (future Bishop Michel) and with a new composition of the choir.

Concerts

In addition to record recordings and radio broadcasts, the cathedral choir has participated in numerous concerts. The development of ecumenism and interest in Orthodoxy was reflected in interest in Orthodox singing. The choir was invited to Catholic and Protestant churches and sang in the best halls of Paris. In 1962, as we noted above, "he won the hearts of the Italians."

Another significant performance by the choir under the direction of P.V. Spassky took place in 1966 on the occasion of the celebration of the Millennium of the founding of the Mont Saint Michel abbey. The choir was invited to give two concerts with different programs. Both evenings the abbey church at the top of the mountain was crowded. The program for this concert included around 40 different hymns, thus providing an overview of the entire Orthodox liturgical cycle. The newspaper Le Figaro wrote: “The public will particularly remember the two unforgettable evenings, when the choir of the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of Paris under the direction of Pierre Spassky transported the public through the song of Holy Russia to the doors of the heaven ".

Shortly before, in 1965, in the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, P.V. Spassky was celebrated on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his activity as a choir director. The Divine Liturgy and the thanksgiving service were celebrated by Archbishop George (Tarasov), the clergy of the cathedral and the protodeacon Vassily Degtiarev. Two choirs sang: the episcopal choir, under the direction of the hero of the day, who was replaced during the moleben by E.I. Evetz, and the Finnish choir from Joensuu Cathedral, who came especially for the occasion. The hero of the day received an icon of the Ascension from the Cossack Union, the Knights of St. George and the Atamantsy, as well as an icon of Saints Sergius and Germanus of Valaam, from the Finnish choir. Father Pierre Struve read a long series of letters and telegrams received for the occasion from various corners of the world, from clergy, organizations, choirs, choir directors, artists, composers and individuals.

Le choeur Spassky

The death

In 1968 P.V. Spassky suffered from heart disease, but hid it and continued to serve zealously in the kliros. In April, on Holy Wednesday, after the divine service, during which he sang for the last time the song “I see Your palace, O my Savior”, he felt bad, was taken to a clinic and a month later , in a convalescent home near the town of Dreux, he died on May 30, the feast of the Ascension of Christ.

Due to the well-known events of "May 68", entry to Paris was prohibited and there was no transport. The funeral was celebrated in the church of the Dormition cemetery in Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois and the burial in the adjacent Russian cemetery. The funeral service was presided over by Bishop Methodius (Kuhlmann) surrounded by archpriests Alexander Tchekan, Alexander Ergine, Nicolas Obolensky and the protodeacon Michel Storojenko. A choir of 26 singers sang under the direction of Eugène Evetz. Before the funeral, Father Tchekan delivered a tribute to the deceased in front of many faithful who, in these difficult days, having used all kinds of means of transport, had come to accompany the newly deceased reader Pierre with their prayers and songs. Eternal memory!