1072 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



men and boys, uniformed like Russian 

 soldiers. 



A MARVELOUS VOICE 



There was no organ or musical instru- 

 ment to accompany the voices, but the 

 great arched dome, bare of drapery, act- 

 ing as a sounding board, helped wonder- 

 fully to supply the omission. After the 

 opening of the service, both choirs were 

 massed on a platform directly in front 

 of the chancel and about 40 feet back. 



As we entered the auditorium the choir 

 was chanting one of the canticles of the 

 Greek church. Its peculiar melody was 

 very tuneful and most effective as sung 

 by the male chorus, while beneath all, in 

 a different measure, but in perfect har- 

 mony, was a deep resonant voice, the vi- 

 brations of which resembled the rumbling 

 of distant thunder. The obligato, occa- 

 sionally heard in a short burst of tone, 

 was in quality like the rich diapason of 

 a great pipe organ. 



Wonderful at all times, the priest 

 singer was simply superb in his intonation 

 of the succeeding prayers. Beginning 

 about low "C," at the ending of the 

 phrase he modulated one-half tone higher, 

 and after a short, impressive pause started 

 the next line in the new key. He sang 

 each verse in a similar manner, through- 

 out the octave gradually increasing the 

 volume of tone, until the last verse was 

 finished, when the refrain, taken up by 

 combined chorus, culminated in a great 

 flood of harmony. 



The enormous temple, with its dazzling 

 array of precious stones, decorations, and 

 paintings, costing fabulous sums, sinks 

 into utter insignificance in the recollection 

 of that marvelous voice. 



Its possessor was a long-haired, bearded 

 priest, a man of large stature, combined 

 with the finest musical sensibility, which 

 enabled him to use his great organ in this 

 most effective manner. His voice was 

 beyond the power of description in its 

 grandeur and richness of tone, still with 

 no indication of its limitations having 

 been reached. 



The priesthood and choirs of the Greek 

 church contain many remarkable voices, 

 and, while no instruments are employed, 

 music forms a prominent and attractive 



part of each service. Although for the 

 most part the choirs are composed of 

 male voices, there are some very fine or- 

 ganizations which include only female 

 voices. 



The chancel of Saint Saviour's Ca- 

 thedral was so beautiful that a resolve 

 was at once made to try for a picture, 

 and a visit was made with the kodak 

 later in the day for this purpose (see 

 page 1066). 



THE WONDERS OE THE KREMLIN 



The Kremlin, like the Forbidden City 

 in Peking, is inclosed by a wall entirely 

 independent of that encircling the city. 

 It marks the part which escaped the great 

 conflagration when the outlying districts 

 of Moscow were burned by the Russians, 

 who were besieged by Napoleon. The 

 present wall replaced one of oak — some 

 500 years ago — which, like the Great 

 Wall of China, was erected as a defense 

 from the Tartars (see page 1062). 



Within this inclosure is located the 

 Imperial Palace, the Treasury, the Arse- 

 nal, and three cathedrals, which for cen- 

 turies have respectively been the places 

 of the crowning, the marrying, and the 

 burying of the Tsars of this great nation. 

 The inclosure also contains a convent 

 and many great monuments. On one 

 side, far below, flows the River Moskva, 

 from which the city takes its name. 

 From the river's opposite bank the view 

 of the splendor of this collection of build- 

 ings is unsurpassed. 



Probably nowhere in the world does 

 an inclosure of the dimensions of that 

 described by the wall of the Kremlin 

 contain precious stones approximating 

 the value of those displayed here. It has 

 been aptly stated that they should not be 

 counted by thousands, but measured by 

 the peck. To guard them 800 soldiers 

 are constantly in and around these build- 

 ings. 



The Ivan or Bell Tower is the most 

 conspicuous structure in the inclosure 

 and contains 36 bells, two of which are 

 of silver, the largest of the collection 

 weighing 65 tons (see page 1062). 



This large bell seems to lose its mag- 

 nitude when we come to examine the 

 one resting on a stone foundation just 



