Victor Pokrovsky

Victor Pokrovsky

Victor Alexandrovich Pokrovsky was a choir director, translator, and music arranger. He worked for the Metropolitan Sergius (Tikhomirov) of Japan at Holy Resurrection Cathedral (Tokyo, Japan) from 1924 until 1962—except for during World War II and some of the first decade after the war. He followed in a tradition of Russian missionaries of bringing the Gospel to new people in their language. In Japan, he followed in the tradition of Ss. Innocent of Moscow and Nicholas of Japan, and of Nicholas's successor Sergius. In regard to liturgical music of the Japanese Orthodox Church, Victor Pokrovsky was to Sergius as Yakov Tikhai was to St. Nicholas. Victor successfully brought the Russian liturgical music masters to the Japanese in their own language. Metr. Sergius invited Victor, an émigré of the Russian civil war, to Tokyo to help him introduce 19th and 20th century Russian liturgical works in Japanese. Their close collaboration continued until World War II brought it to an end.