Bogoroditse Devo Archives - Behind the Music

Yes. A full performance of the entire special service in the Russian Orthodox Church can indeed last pretty much all night, but be aware that the time is filled with much more than music–litanies (petitions and responses), Scripture readings, prayers, etc. A composer wouldn’t have to come up with hours and hours of music. Also, the service is often/usually cut, with the full version being performed very rarely.

I ran across a fascinating article describing a 1911 performance that reproduced the long form. It lasted from 6:00 PM to 1:50 AM the following morning, so almost eight hours. If certain parts of the service had been performed in an even earlier form, it would have lasted three or four more hours. Here’s a little snippet from the article:

Leonardo da Vinci, “The Annunciation,” via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

It fits in as the precipitating incident of the story as a whole, since Christmas revolves around the birth of Christ. “Hail, Mary!” is the greeting that the angel Gabriel gives to Mary when he appears to her and tells her that she will be the mother of the Messiah. This event is typically called the “annnunciation,” or announcement. Note that this event happens nine months before the birth of Christ, not at Christmas itself. A version of the angel’s words has been incorporated into the worship services of both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches. Let me begin with a literal word-for-word translation from both languages involved, Latin and Russian.