Russian Choir Goes Viral With 'Let My Prayer Arise' Chant - Staff Picks

You’ll hear why this Russian choir went viral with their ‘Let My Prayer Arise’ chant!

If you’ve never heard a choir sing live inside an old, large church, be prepared to be amazed. It sounds as if there is literally a choir of angels singing all around you. In this case, the angels are four men performing this ancient Christian orthodox chant.

‘Let My Prayer Arise’ is sung during the Lenten season and is based on Psalms 141. In the video, you can hear the men singing the chant in what seems to be in ‘Church Slavonic.’ This is a liturgical language often used in Orthodox churches in Bulgaria, Poland, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.

Some regional differences exist within the language, and Church Slavonic can also be heard in conservative Orthodox churches in America.

The Russian Orthodox choir of priests in the video seems to perform the chant for a crowd of possible tourists. In a regular Russian Orthodox service, the people would be kneeling during the chant.

The chant in English translates to:

Let my prayer arise in thy sight as incense, and let the lifting up of my hands be an evening sacrifice. / Lord, I have called to thee, hear me! Attend to the voice of my prayer when I call to thee! / Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord, keep watch over the door around my lips! / Incline not my heart to words of evil, to invent excuses for my sins. / Let my prayer arise in Thy sight as incense, and let the lifting up of my hands Be an evening sacrifice.

After the choir finishes the chant, one member addresses the people. Then all four bow together and walk off to the side.

I don’t know about you, but this video is going to lead me into an evening of binge-watching choirs singing in churches!