24 April—Today is Easter as celebrated by the autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Christian churches. The autocephalous part—from Greek αὐτοκεφαλία, meaning “being self-headed”—tells us that the archbishop doesn’t report to any higher-ranking prelate. The term is used primarily in the several Eastern and Oriental Orthodox churches.

But that’s all the pedantry I’ll bore you with today, because I want to get right to the magnificent Russian Orthodox liturgical music. No, it’s not Rimsky-Korsakoff’s melodious Russian Easter Overture. That’s not liturgical, just eminently musical.

Rather, it’s “Christ is the true light,” a short a capella chant by a mellifluous lyric tenor, followed by the so-called “Short Liturgy” for Easter, also a capella (as is the custom), by a sonorous basso profundo (as is the custom) and lyric tenor with choral obbligato.

Happy Russian Easter, but not to you know who . . .