On December 9 at 7:00 PM, the Refectory Chamber of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will host a unique musical event – the only Kyiv concert by “Homin”, the choir of the Lviv Organ Hall, featuring a program of early Ukrainian partes concerts from the 17th–18th centuries.
Partes singing is a unique form of multi-voiced choral art that blends Western European polyphony with the ancient choral traditions of the East. This music is distinguished by its virtuosity, depth, monumentality, and emotional openness.
At the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – one of the principal centers where choral art flourished – partes compositions were performed several centuries ago. Now they return once again.
The Homin choir will present a number of rediscovered and reconstructed works that for decades were considered lost.
For the first time in Kyiv, partes concerts by an unknown composer from the Kyiv-Sophia Monastery collection will be performed:
- “The Body of Christ”
- “It Is Truly Meet”
- “Rejoice, O Righteous”
- “Thy Lamb, O Jesus”
These works were found in archival chantbooks and reconstructed by musicologist Ihor Kolomiiets. Their world premiere took place in early 2025 at the Lviv Organ Hall.
The program will also feature premiere performances of the partes concerts:
- “O Wretched Soul”
- “The End Draws Near, O Soul” (edited by Ihor Kolomiiets)
In addition, the concert will include partes works by Mykola Dyletsky and Herman Levytsky, edited by musicologist Olha Shumilina – compositions that form part of the canon of Ukrainian Baroque polyphony.
Ukrainian partes music combines monumentality with profound spirituality. It captivates with its virtuosic polyphony and Baroque expressiveness, and its return to the walls of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra becomes an event that allows us to hear the living voice of our cultural history.