The case of Petro Kasenkov, graduate of the Annunciation Seminary for Teachers of Orenburg Educational District

Do you know anything about Oleksandr Tarnovsky, director of the Annunciation Seminary for Teachers of Orenburg Educational District and Petro Kasenkov, a graduate of that Seminary?

Ecclesiastic Council of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra denied to satisfy the request of Oleksandr Ternovsky “to hire Petro Kasenkov, a graduate of the Seminary, and train him as a might-be singing teacher at this theological school”.

The reason of the denial was explained in the letter of May 27, 1897. The elders of the Council stressed that church singing in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was the oldest one and was used in Lavra only. At the same time, that type of chant was not convenient to be performed in parish and other churches because of its specific melody style and large number of singers required to make it sound.

It is hardly worth wondering why the Director of the Seminary did not know anything about the phenomenon of Lavra’s church singing. It looks like he was not aware of the specifics of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Natalia Lytvyn

Captions to the illustrations:
1. The title page of the publication “Note Circulation of Kyiv-Pechersk Assumption Lavra. Musical score” (Printing House of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, 1910)