Composing My Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom

By Peter-Anthony Togni - Composer, Canada

For many years I wanted to write a setting of The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom, the heart and mysticism of this beautiful liturgy is deeply moving. It is the merging of heaven and earth, and the setting by Sergei Rachmaninoff is deep in my bones.

I remember hearing a recording of the movement, To Thee we Sing, a few years ago when I was driving through a rather run down part of the city where I live, the depth and power of this recording moved me to tears and was such a hopeful contrast to the humble and difficult surroundings I was in.

It brought to mind, the idea of the need for true compassion and how God shows his unending love for us through the gift of music. It was my dear friend the late Archimandrite David (Edwards), the Rector of St Vladimir Orthodox Church in Halifax who asked me to compose this setting.

The Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is the most celebrated divine liturgy in the Byzantine Rite. It is named after its core part, the anaphora attributed to Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople in the 5th century. He was famous for his incredible insight and powerful preaching. It has been said that he memorized the entire Bible. 

He was always doing much for the poor, he said once, “what good is it if the Eucharistic table is overloaded with golden chalices when your brother is dying of hunger? Start by satisfying his hunger and then with what is left you may adorn the altar as well.”

My setting of the liturgy certainly embraces the richness and wonder of Divine worship but also draws upon a certain simplicity and directness that was so much the center of the life of St John Chrysostom. As much as the work embraces the wholeness of liturgical practice, writing it led me to ask questions, mostly of myself and my own commitment to the poor and for me the work is a simple offering to God and a prayer for peace, most certainly a prayer for peace in Ukraine. It is most wonderful that this liturgy is celebrated in the Orthodox church and in the Eastern Catholic churches.

Rachmaninoff wrote his setting of the Divine Liturgy in 1910, after a series of very successful concerts in America. But he was not that comfortable while he was there, he felt it was too much about business and not enough about art. When he returned to Russia, he went to his country estate, his summer residence in Ivankova and, though not a church goer as he often said, he returned to his childhood Orthodox roots by writing his Liturgy.

The work by Rachmaninoff was a kind of soundtrack for my own spiritual journey. I sang in the choir at St Vladimir Orthodox Church in Halifax for five years, and actively participating in the liturgy helped me greatly in my compositional process. I hope this work, beyond the spiritual setting, will suggest the need for human connection and transcendence and our need for light, joy and peace.

The sound of my work is deeply inspired by the great Rachmaninoff setting, the idea of iconography becoming sound! It is liturgical, at times operatic and symphonic.

At times I quote from Rachmaninoff’s liturgy directly and I am influenced by his rich harmonic fabric, in my own harmonic and melodic language. I have also written the chants that are sung between some of the movements.

Eastern Orthodox churches vary in their use of liturgical languages. Koine Greek (Hellenistic Greek) and Church Slavonic are the main sacred languages used, but other languages are also permitted. Each country often has the liturgical services in their own language. The text for my setting is in English. Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine Rite typically celebrate the Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom as the normal Eucharistic liturgy.

Writing this work was a true labour of love, with many months studying and listening to Rachmaninoff’s setting. It has been a deep spiritual and personal journey as much as a musical one. Some of my major works have been performed expertly by Pro Coro Canada, in particular the Flame of Love in 2019. And I am excited about this performance of my Liturgy by Pro Coro Canada and Kappella Kyrie under the artistic leadership of Maestro Zaugg.

Peter-Anthony Togni, October 2025

Pro Coro Canada commissioned and premiered The Living Flame of Love by Peter-Anthony Togni in 2019. The composition was scored for SATB choir, harp and accordion. This is a documentary by Michael McDonald on the creation of the work.