Venerable Barsanuphius of Optina and musical culture

The history of the Church of Christ, the history of monasticism, is filled with numerous examples of genuine Orthodox asceticism, revealing to the world the imperishable beauty of the Gospel truth to this day. Nevertheless, modern times know, perhaps, few examples of such contact between holiness and the world, ascetic discipline of the spirit with the elements of the soul, which was revealed “to the outside” (1 Tim 3:7) by the Optina elders. Before the revolution of 1917, there were more than 1000 monasteries and about 100 thousand churches in the Russian Empire. However, it is difficult to say with certainty whether there has ever been a place in Russia in its entire history, other than the Optina Hermitage, where a society of people approached to such an extent the ideal of Christian relations, despite trials, tribulations, mistakes, and where the holy brotherhood would have such an extensive sanctifying influence on its people. The main defining feature of the asceticism of the Optina saints was their senile service. It was the living water for which people of various classes resorted to Optina, as a multi-healing source, for a century: peasants and representatives of the upper strata of society, illiterate craftsmen and highly educated writers, philosophers, artists, statesmen, people of outstanding intelligence and talent. None of those who came with a sincere heart remained unheard. The elders found an approach to the soul of each visitor, speaking to him as necessary in a language he understood, sometimes complex concepts borrowed from philosophy and science. All this was done to “straighten” the soul suppressed by sins, which recognized the voice of the Father in the elder’s sayings and, according to the word of its Creator, announced through his servant the elder, regained health - often along with physical health. Thus, an amazing phenomenon took place, and possible only in Orthodoxy: as obedience to the elder and love for him increased, the inner freedom of the soul increased, feeling the true word of the Savior: “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). Optina Pustyn was inextricably linked with Russian culture of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Seeking a solution to spiritual and everyday perplexities and recognizing the image of the uncreated light in the faces of the Optina saints, it was to this quiet, previously unremarkable monastery that many representatives of Russian culture came: the Kireevskys, N.V. Gogol, V.A. Zhukovsky, F.I. Tyutchev, I.S. Turgenev, P.A. Vyazemsky, F.M. Dostoevsky, V.S. Soloviev, S. M. Solovyov, K. N. Leontiev (in the monasticism of Clement), S. A. Nilus, E. A. Nilus, S. A. Yesenin, V. V. Rozanov, I. M. Kontsevich, E. Yu. Kontsevich (in the monasticism of Nektarios). The monastery was visited by P. I. Tchaikovsky and his brother M. I. Tchaikovsky, N. G. Rubinstein, the Goncharovs (almost all of A. S. Pushkin’s relatives by wife), Count L. N. Tolstoy, Count A. P. Tolstoy, Grand Duke Konstantin Konstantinovich Romanov (president of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, religious philosopher, playwright, poet), his children - great princes: Oleg (poet), Igor, John, Konstantin (tortured by the Bolsheviks in Alapaevsk), Grand Duchess Tatiana (in monasticism Tamara), prmts. Grand Duchess Elizabeth and many others. Most of the above-mentioned persons not only visited the monastery, but were spiritual children of the Optina elders. Now we can say with all certainty that the influence of Optina is not limited by time, just as the Gospel gospel is not limited by time, and our acquaintance with the spiritual heritage of the Optina elders is an entry into the grace-filled world of living Church Tradition, the opportunity again and again to come into contact with the experience of perfect faith and true communication with God, science and at the same time the art of the arts, the art of the arts - the internal transformation of the individual, leading to the deification of human nature and evangelical perfection. Among the names of the great Optina elders, the name of St. Barsanuphius (Plikhankov) occupies a special place. Having left the world at an advanced age with the blessing of Elder Ambrose, the former staff officer, colonel, who led a moral life in the world, came to the Optina monastery on the Nativity of Christ in 1891 and became a novice and spiritual child of Elder Anatoly. Educated, literary gifted, all directed towards God, he immediately began an ascetic life. Not being in his teacher’s cell, he nevertheless went to Father Anatoly every evening for three years for long spiritual conversations and training in mental prayer, and after the death of his elder, he spent almost a whole decade in seclusion, studying patristic literature. His spiritual formation and ascent is the path of the chosen, for quite soon he became the confessor of the brethren, the monastery leader, and, finally, a spirit-bearing elder, one of the spiritual lights of Russia in the most difficult pre-revolutionary period of 1903–1913. The gift of prophecy, revealed by Schema-Archimandrite Barsanuphius, was combined with the gift of the deepest understanding of the Holy Scriptures and the Tradition of the Orthodox Church. His fame spread throughout Russia and, like people rushing to the blessed Optina monastery to the blessed Optina monastery to the Monk Barsanuphius “for the healing of not only their bodies, but also their tormented, sin-weary souls, they sought an answer to the question: how to live in order to be saved?” He saw the human soul; and through his prayers, the most hidden things in a person were revealed to him, and this made it possible to raise up the fallen, direct them from the wrong path to the true one, heal mental and physical illnesses, and cast out demons.” Himself exhausted from numerous painful ailments, he accepted everyone without refusal, healed, instructed, directing them on a narrow and sorrowful, but the only saving path. But all this happened later, during the period of spiritual maturity and Christ-like service to others through the gift of elder care. And before that... Cadet corps, military service, a brilliant career... Acquaintance with the best works of fiction and classical musical heritage, poetic experiments that testify to extraordinary artistic talents. According to the recollections of the elder himself, in the world he “was a great lover of music and played the harmonium himself,” while believing that “the piano cannot convey the depth of feeling like that.” To improve his playing, he took lessons from the composer V. N. Paskhalov, a student of N. G. Rubinstein. In his musical hobbies, he preferred, in his words, “serious music” - the works of Beethoven, Schubert, and loved opera. As for the actual “musical theme” in the spiritual heritage of St. Barsanuphius, it can be conditionally divided into several thematic sections. Conditionally because: firstly, the very form of the narrative (and this is most often a spiritual conversation, reflection, covering a whole range of issues of spiritual life) does not imply a strict conceptual presentation of the material, dividing it into parts delimited by a specific topic; secondly, the style and nature of the teachings of the Monk Barsanuphius is faithful to the general tradition of teaching and enlightenment of the Optina elders, who followed the Savior’s commandment: “Be wise as serpents, and simple as doves” (Matthew 10:16). Hence the artlessness and ease of presentation, when one topic of conversation follows from the previous one, imperceptibly intertwining with others and organically complementing one another. This nature of edification is more a spirit than a rationally thought-out presentation of the material. They contain the spirit of patristic teaching, clear and most necessary teachings, and at the same time almost artistic verbal illustrations - examples from their own life, from what they read not only in spiritual, but also in worldly books. Analysis assessment of the work of some composers Discussions directly on this topic by the Monk Barsanuphius are quite rare. They are laconic in content and somewhat abstract in nature. So, to the question “Why is there such sadness and dissatisfaction in the works of our writers and in the works of famous composers: Beethoven, Mendelssohn?”, the elder answers: “Because they do not live the life that the Gospel commandments prescribe.” According to the reverend, in the works of great writers and artists one can see “the longing for lost bliss,” “but nowhere is this sorrow, akin, however, to consolations, expressed as strongly as in our church hymns and prayers.” Using examples from the field of musical culture for spiritual and moral instructions, when understanding certain phenomena of spiritual life. Here we encounter the amazing ability and grace-filled gift of the Monk Barsanuphius to raise the mind and soul of those listening or reading “mountain”, from earthly to heavenly, from spiritual to spiritual, from created to uncreated, from temporary to eternal. Speaking, for example, about the composer W. A. ​​Mozart, he says: “Everyone knows the great composer Mozart. His name acquired immortality. One day a German, also a musician, wanted to see Mozart... and suddenly he learned the sad news - Mozart had died. The musician was in great grief, but they calmed him down: - The father died, but the son lives... - Okay, I’ll look at my son. He was told where he could be seen: he worked in a bank. The musician came to him and found him sitting behind the counter... – Do you love music as much as your father? Have you probably already written some immortal work? - None, I assure you. This is the only music that I love,” and Mozartson rattled the ducats, “but I can’t stand any other music.” The disappointed German told the assembled comrades about his visit to Mozart. Everyone thought about it, and one of the listeners said: “Yes, not like my father”... A sad story! We are perhaps inclined to condemn Mozart, but look better at yourself. We are all children of the Heavenly Father and should be like Him. What happens in reality? And about us you can say: “Not in the Father!”... The saints were in the Father. They are called venerable, that is, eminently like God. And we, sinners, should at least be like us, so as not to lose Eternal Life.” Reflecting on the mysteries of Communion with God, the conditions for its implementation, the Monk Barsanuphius notes: “In order to find Him (God. - I. L.), to enter into Communion with God, deeper natures strive for solitude, fleeing from human noise and vanity. After all, in order to properly appreciate a work of art, for example, some piece of music, you need to go deep into it and concentrate. There is a well-known poem by a young poet and music lover who promised to be a luminary in talent, but died early. In it, the poet expresses the idea that knocking, applause, exclamations, etc. are not at all a sign of a good assessment, but, on the contrary, all this shows insufficient penetration into an artistic work, that a person experiencing high pleasure remains in silence.” Asking the question why our heart becomes coarse, why a person is overcome by petrified insensibility, reading the Holy Scriptures and prayer becomes an ordinary activity, devoid of genuine spiritual sensations, the elder recalls the following incident: “I knew one young man who passionately loved music. When the concert began, he sat at a distance, covered his face with his hands and was completely immersed in listening to his favorite music, not wanting to see or hear anything extraneous. But we get used to the Holy Scriptures and prayer, and they no longer affect us...” As we see, in these teachings of the Optina Elder we find neither preaching pathos nor moralizing - everything, on the contrary, is simple-minded, affectionate, even seemingly ordinary. Here wisdom is not naked, but hidden, and it is communicated only to loving knowledge, which is inalienable from faith. The elder’s sayings that define his attitude to art, artistic creativity, and musical culture. First of all, I would like to draw attention to one very important, in our opinion, remark of the reverend, testifying to the sobriety and realism of the old man’s instructions, alien extremes and unjustified rigorism. In his opinion, in addition to purely spiritual work, “there are also earthly joys that ennoble the soul. There is no sin, for example, to enjoy the beauties of this world." At the same time, reflecting on why some ascetics turned their gaze away from the sinful world, the Monk Barsanuphius explains: “He who has known the highest bliss is insensitive to earthly consolations. But for this knowledge you must have a high soul." Another significant point that takes place in the assessment of musical art by the Monk Barsanuphius of Optina is the following of the general patristic tradition, according to which, “the human soul, united by nature, has two directions, two orientations: firstly, the power of the soul, directed towards eternity and the spiritual world, called spirit...; secondly, the forces of the soul directed towards the earth, called the soul itself.” The properties of the spirit include religious feeling, internal logos, the capacity for spiritual love and a sense of truth. The properties of the soul include logical reason, the ability for creativity and imaginative thinking, the area of ​​emotions, willpower, the area of ​​subconscious innate instincts. Thus, the area of ​​culture, scientific and artistic creativity is the area of ​​the soul. And what is especially important for us here is: “Only through the grace abiding in the Church, the powers of the spirit awaken and are freed from enslavement to the soul.” It was precisely this kind of rebirth and awakening of spiritual powers that the Monk Barsanuphius himself once experienced. In his memoirs we find a curious incident that reveals to us the secret of this rebirth, testifying to the special action of God's Providence and the wondrous care of the saints in the life of the Optina elder. “It was a long time ago, when I was still Pavel Ivanovich. One day I went to the theater. The Huguenots were walking for the first time. I sat with my boss. They sing love songs on stage, and it comes to my mind: “What if I die now, where will my soul go? Certainly not to heaven. But if not to heaven, then where?” I felt scared, I didn’t even want to look at the stage. And the inner voice says: “Get out of here!” But how to leave? The bosses are sitting there, uncomfortable. And my inner voice kept repeating: “Go away, go away...” I got up, quietly walked to the door and went out... I really wanted to find out after a few years who helped me leave the Huguenots. It turned out that the Huguenots marched for the first time on October 4, when the memory of St. Barsanuphius is celebrated. I realized then that this saint had convinced me to leave the theater.” Elsewhere we read: “When I was in the world, I loved opera. Good, serious music gave me pleasure, and I always had a subscription - a seat in the stalls. Subsequently, when I learned other, spiritual, consolations, opera ceased to interest me. When the valve for worldly pleasures closes in the heart, then another valve opens for the perception of spiritual ones. But how to acquire this? First of all, peace and love for your neighbors...” In this saying of the monk I would like to draw attention to some significant points: a) at one time (being in the world) “good serious music gave pleasure” to the future elder; b) he considers serious music a consolation, but not spiritual, but spiritual; c) worldly pleasures and spiritual sensations are incompatible, there is a certain order of their perception: from mental to spiritual; d) the ability for spiritual perception is not an ordinary, natural predilection for the “old man”; it must be acquired through peace and love for one’s neighbor. A similar line of thought is found repeatedly in the elder’s teachings. For example, in one of his conversations he describes the following incident: “I’m just coming from a concert. An acquaintance meets me and asks: -Where are you coming from, and why are you so joyful and solemn? - I was at the concert. What wonderful music! What delight it brings to the soul! - No, there are other higher delights, higher than any delight from music. You should go to someone like this, he will lead you into another area, into the area of ​​ecstasy from prayer. And he didn’t lie... So now you will go to the all-night vigil, pray there, try to pray well, try to go in and go deeper into yourself. After all, in each of you there is a world of indescribable beauty, in which lies many pure delights, unspeakable joys. Enter into yourself - and they will open to you." So, the region of highest delights, unspeakable joys is beyond music and other worldly consolations. This is the area of ​​prayer and communication with God. At the same time, according to the testimony of the saint, “in its longing for the City of the Lord, the soul sometimes finds consolation in music.” This is not surprising. The spiritual experience of St. Barsanuphius is a living example of this. “When I was still living in the world,” says the elder, “I was once in an aristocratic house. There were many guests. The conversations were very boring: they conveyed news, talked about the theater, etc. ... One of the guests turned to the owner’s daughter with a request to play something. She agreed, went up to the marvelous concert piano and began to sing and play: “An angel flew across the midnight sky, and he sang a quiet song. And the moon, and the stars, and the clouds in a crowd listened to that holy song. He sang about the bliss of sinless spirits under the bushes of the Gardens of Eden, he sang about the great God, and his praise was unfeigned,” the girl sang, and the surrounding situation was so consistent with this song. All this happened on a large glass terrace, it was night, from the windows one could see the old noble garden, illuminated by the silver light of the moon... I looked at the faces of the listeners and read concentrated attention and even tenderness on them, and one of the guests, covering his face with his hands, cried like a child - and I had never seen him cry. But why did this singing touch everyone so much? I think that this happened because singing tore people away from earthly worldly interests and directed their thoughts to God, the source of all blessings. These poems were written by Lermontov, a sinful man, and they were not sung by a saint, but the words of this beautiful poem made a strong impression. All the more so, the words of church hymns (not just the Gospel), troparions, and canons can fill a soul that is not yet completely mired in the sea of ​​life with bliss.” The above can be summed up in the words of St. Theophan the Recluse, an extensive extract from whose works we find in the cell notes of St. Barsanuphia. “Exquisite works of art delight not only with the beauty of their external form, but especially with the beauty of their internal content, intellectual, ideal beauty. Where do such phenomena in the soul come from? These are guests from another realm, from the realm of the spirit. The leading Spirit of God naturally comprehends the beauty of God and seeks to enjoy it alone... The beauty of God to contemplate, taste and enjoy it is the need of the spirit, it is his life and the life of heaven. Having received knowledge about it through combination with the spirit, the soul is carried away after it and, perceiving it in its own spiritual image, then in joy it rushes at what in its circle seems to be a reflection of itself (amateurs), then it itself invents and pronounces things in which a part will reflect it, as it presented itself (artists and performers)… I note that of the works of art I classify in this class only those whose content is the beauty of invisible divine things, and not those that, although beautiful, represent the same usually mental and physical life or the same useful things that make up the always-present environment of that life. The soul, led by the spirit, does not only seek beauty, but expression in the beautiful forms of the invisible beautiful world, where the spirit attracts it with its influence.” In general, Rev. Barsanuphius believes: “Some say that science and art, especially music, regenerate a person, giving him high aesthetic pleasure, but this is not true. Under the influence of art, music, singing, a person really experiences pleasure, but it is powerless to regenerate it.” Let us note, however, that in these words of the great Optina elder, who through many years of struggle with passions acquired the “mind of the Lord” (Rom. 11:34), is by no means hidden the pathos of cultural warfare or the complete denial of musical art as such. Rev. Barsanuphius, like no one else, knew and understood that not everyone can completely devote themselves to God. For such people, the best works of art can become that saving thread that will help them find some guidelines “in the soul’s striving for the city of the Lord.” These words contain evidence of the Truth, a reminder to people of the creative environment of the words of Christ the Savior: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). In confirmation of the above, Rev. Barsanuphius repeatedly mentions the life tragedy of the composer Paskhalov. During lessons on playing the harmonium, despite the fact that the lessons were going well, the future elder was sad that Paskhalov had completely moved away from the Church, and repeatedly had conversations with him with the following content: “You say that art regenerates the soul, but in reality it turns out differently. You drink, you know that it’s bad, but you can’t quit – you don’t have the strength. They divorced their wife, did not remain faithful to her, and the Holy Scripture says that neither fornicators nor drunkards will inherit the Kingdom of God. Paskhalov thought about it. Apparently the conversation made a strong impression on him. Three days passed, and Paskhalov came to me with a notebook in his hands. “Let me play my latest piece,” he said, pointing to the notebook. “Please,” I answer, “but why the latter?” - That's how I feel. I recently leafed through Polonsky’s book and stopped at the poem “Bad Dead Man,” so I decided to set it to music for the last time. Never before, neither before nor later, have I heard such sounds, full of power and inspiration. “I won’t study music anymore... I don’t want to split my mind, I feel that you are right,” said Paskhalov, calming down somewhat, “remember the story about the great artist Van Dyck?” When he went to the monastery, he no longer wanted to be divided between the love of God and art, and therefore, despite the advice of the abbot, who suggested that he paint icons, he threw his brush and paints into the Tagus River flowing near the monastery. I will leave everything and come to you for instructions. “Oh no,” I exclaimed, “I can’t teach you, you’d better go to the professor of the Kazan Theological Academy, Father Anthony (who later became the Metropolitan of Petrograd), he will instruct you.” And most importantly, stop drinking wine! Paskhalov promised. Several days passed. Suddenly an acquaintance who knew Paskhalov well comes to see me. “I come to you with news,” he began. - Paskhalov died. Then he told the sad details of the death of the famous composer. Paskhalov fulfilled his word and visited Father Anthony, who, among other things, advised him not to give up music, but to start transcribing church hymns. I also made him promise not to drink. Paskhalov did not drink for three or four days, but on the fifth day he left home and returned late at night. The maid, who opened the door, saw with horror that Paskhalov was being led by some kind of “scary monster” with huge sparkling eyes... Paskhalov was completely drunk. The next morning he was found to have committed suicide. And the enemy appeared to one of the composer’s relatives and shouted with hellish laughter: “Ah! He wanted to be saved! No, I’ll strangle him!” And he really strangled him. All of Kazan came together for the funeral of the famous composer... I, too, was at the funeral and, walking behind the coffin, I thought sadly: what does he need this celebration for now, when his soul has perished. Of course, it is unknown what God’s will is, but may the Lord save us all from such a death.” It is impossible not to hear in these final words of the great Optina elder, filled with love and compassion, the sorrow and pain of the Church for the lost soul of the composer. In conclusion, I would like to quote the words of Rev. Barsanuphius of Optina, who, perhaps, can best sum up what was said above: “To save life, you need to sing to the Lord not with your voice, but with your very life. In the Holy Scriptures, life in Christ is called singing. “The Lord is my strength and my song, and he will be my salvation” (Ps 117:14). “I will praise the Lord in my belly, I will sing to my God until I am” (Ps 145:2).