Taking knowledge of the secret command, the bodiless Archangel went with haste to Joseph’s dwelling, and said to her that knew not wedlock: “He who in His self-abasement bowed the heavens and came down, is housed wholly and unchanged in thee. I see Him take the form of a servant in thy womb, and in wonder cry to thee: Hail, Bride without bridegroom.”

Second koukoulion

To thee, our leader in battle and defender, O Theotokos, we thy servants, delivered from calamity, offer hymns of victory and thanksgiving. Since thou art invincible in power, set us free from every peril, that we may cry to thee: Hail, Bride without bridegroom.

FIRST STASIS

Ikos 1

A prince of the angels was sent from heaven, to say to the Theotokos, Hail! [three times] And seeing Thee, O Lord, take bodily form at the sound of his bodiless voice, filled with amazement he stood still and cried aloud to her:

The Holy Maiden, seeing herself in all her purity, said boldly unto Gabriel: “Strange seem thy words and hard for my soul to accept. From a conception without seed how dost thou speak of childbirth, crying: Alleluia!”

Ikos 3

Seeking to know what passes knowledge, the Virgin said to the ministering Angel: “From a maiden womb how can a Son be born? Tell me.” And to her in fear he answered, crying:

Then the power of the Most High overshadowed her that knew not wedlock, so that she might conceive: and He made her fruitful womb as a fertile field for all who long to reap the harvest of salvation, singing: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

Bearing God within her womb, the Virgin hastened to Elisabeth; whose unborn child, knowing at once the salutation of the Theotokos, rejoiced and, leaping up as if in song, cried out to her:

Tossed inwardly by a storm of doubts, prudent Joseph was troubled: knowing thee to be unwedded, O blameless Virgin, he feared a stolen union. But when he learnt that thy conceiving was from the Holy Spirit, he said: Alleluia!

SECOND STASIS

Ikos 7

The shepherds heard the angels glorify Christ’s coming in the flesh. Quickly they ran to the Shepherd, and beheld Him as a lamb without spot, that had been pastured in the womb of Mary; and they sang praises to her, saying:

Seeing the star pointing to God, the Magi followed its radiance. Keeping it before them as a beacon, with its help they sought the mighty King; and attaining the Unattainable, they rejoiced and cried to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

The children of the Chaldaeans saw the Virgin holding in her hands Him who with His hands fashioned mankind. Though He had taken the form of a servant, yet they knew Him as their Master. In haste they knelt before Him with their gifts and cried out to the Blessed Virgin:

Ikos 13

A new creation has the Creator revealed, manifesting Himself unto us His creatures. From a Virgin’s womb He came, preserving it inviolate as it was before: that, beholding the miracle, we might sing her praises, crying:

The Word uncircumscribed was wholly present here below, yet in no wise absent from the realm on high: God descended to earth, yet underwent no change of place. He was born of a Virgin, overshadowed by divine power, and unto her we sing:

Eloquent orators we see dumb as the fishes in thy presence, O Theotokos, for they are at a loss to say how thou remainest virgin and yet hast power to bear a child. But we, marvelling at the mystery, cry aloud with faith:

O Mother worthy of all praise, who hast borne the Word, the Holiest of all Holies [three times]:accepting this our offering, deliver from every ill and from the punishment to come all those who cry aloud to thee: Alleluia!

And then again the Second Koukoulion:

O Tebe Raduetsya
Text in Slavonic:
О Тебе радуется Бплагодатная всякая тварь ангельский собор и человеский род освяшенный храме и раю словесный девственная похвало из Неяже Бог воплотися и Младенец бысть прежде век сый Бог наш ложесна бо твоя престол сотвори и чрево твое пространнее небес содела. О тебе радуется Благодатная всякая тварь слава тебе.

Text in English:
All creation rejoices in thee, O Woman full of grace, the assembly of angels and the race of man. O sanctified temple and mystical paradise, glory of virgins, from whom God was incarnate and became a child: our God before the ages. He made thy body a throne and thy womb he made more spacious than the heavens. All creation rejoices in thee, O Woman full of grace. Glory to thee!

The Akathistos Hymn

The Akathistos Hymn is one of the finest examples of the early Byzantine genre of poetic homilies known today as the kontakion (named after the scrolls upon which they were written). Probably written early in the sixth century to be sung shortly after Christmas, the hymn is a rapturous meditation in 24 stanzas (one for each letter of the Greek alphabet) on the cosmic role of the Virgin Mary (the Theotokos) as mother of the incarnate Word of God. Each stanza is followed by one of two refrains. Originally these refrains would presumably have been sung by the congregation, which would have gathered around the ambon (a large pulpit in the center of Early Christian basilicas) to hear the hymn during the course of an all-night vigil (pannychis). After Annunciation was made a separate feast occurring nine months before Christmas, performance of the Akathistos Hymn was eventually transferred to the Lenten period on or around March 25.

The hymn evidently continued to be sung regularly in Constantinople’s urban churches long after its composition. With the miraculous lifting of a siege of Constantinople in 626, the hymn acquired both a new prologue (koukoulion) and its name, “Akathistos” (Greek for “not seated”). The koukoulion hails the Mother of God as protector of Constantinople, while the term akathistos refers to a custom of remaining standing throughout the hymn’s performance.

Today the Akathistos Hymn remains one of the most beloved hymns of the Orthodox Church. It is sung in its entirety at either Compline or Matins on the fifth Saturday of Lent. In modern Greek practice, it is also sung at Compline in four sections (staseis) over the first four Friday evenings of Lent. The Akathistos also continues to serve as a poetic model for new hymns, notably the Akathist of Thanksgiving recently set to music by John Tavener.

The English translation of the Akathistos Hymn used by Ivan Moody was made by the Bishop Kallistos Ware and Mother Mary for their celebrated edition of The Lenten Triodion, the book of Eastern Orthodox hymns for the Lenten season. Scored for multi-part a cappella chorus and solo male voice, this reverent work skillfully combines traditional Byzantine melodies—which appear unadulterated (complete with microtonal ornaments) in the Greek-language refrains—and Russian choral textures with original melodies suited to rendering in English. In this way, The Akathistos Hymn is reminiscent of Mr. Moody’s highly praised oratorio Passion and Resurrection, in which he achieved a similar blend of ancient and modern material. These similarities are not mere coincidence, for the creation of Mr. Moody’s Akathistos was stimulated by Cappella Romana’s acclaimed performances of his earlier oratorio in 1996. Bearing in mind Cappella Romana’s special commitment to early and contemporary Orthodox music, Mr. Moody began to plan a setting of all 24 stanzas of the Akathistos Hymn, something that had not been attempted since the late Middle Ages. Dedicated to Bishop Kallistos Ware and Alexander Lingas, the work was completed in autumn of 1998 and was given its world premiere by Cappella Romana in January 1999. Cappella Romana reprised the work in 2001 in preparation for this recording.

O Tebe Raduisa

O Tebe  raduietsa is a setting of the megalynarion, or hymn to the Mother of God, from the Divine Liturgy of St Basil, celebrated in the Orthodox Church during Great Lent and at certain other times. The text speaks exultantly of the cosmic nature of the Mother of God: “All creation rejoices in thee, O Woman full of grace.” The musical material of the work is entirely derived from a Russian znamenny chant. The work dates from 1990 and was premiered in London by the Kastalsky Chamber Choir under the direction of the composer.