''Adam's Lament'' (Russian: Адамов плач ''Adamov plach'') is a 2009 choral composition in
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
by
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
n composer
Arvo Pärt
Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...
on
Silouan of Athos
Silouan the Athonite (Russian: Силуан Афонский) also sometimes referred to as Silouan of Athos, Saint Silvanus the Athonite or Staretz Silouan (January 17, 1866 – September 24, 1938) was an Eastern Orthodox monk of Russian origin ...
's (Силуан Афонский) version of the old Russian Orthodox lament "
Adam's Lament Adam's Lament is an old Russian Orthodox lament, originally sung during Lent. Manuscripts of the lament date from the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. The lament tells Adam's regret over the loss of paradise.John-Paul Himka, Andriy Zayarnyuk Let ...
".
The work is scored for choir and orchestra, and is a setting of the words of
Saint Silouan.
Pärt has been reported to say that the
fallen Adam of the work represents "humankind in its entirety and each individual person alike".
Text
The poem by Silouan begins:
:"Адам, отец вселенной, в Раю знал сладость любвьи Божией,
:И потому, когда был изгнан из Рая за грех и лишился любвьи Божией,
:Горько страдал и с великим стоном рыдал на всю пустыню."
:"Adam, otets vselennoy, v rayu znal sladost' lyubvi Bozhiyey, i potomu, kogda byl izgnan iz raya za grekh i lishilsya lyubvi Bozhiyey, gor'ko stradal i s velikim stonom rydal na vsyu pustynyu."
:"Adam, father of all mankind, in paradise knew the sweetness of the love of God ; and so when for his sin he was driven forth from the garden of Eden, and was widowed of the love of God, he suffered grievously and lamented with a mighty moan. And the whole desert rang with his lamentations." (Translated by Rosemary Edmonds.)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam's Lament (Part)
2009 compositions
Compositions by Arvo Pärt
Choral compositions