I ran across information at the Carpatho-Rusyn or Lemko website about a man who travelled Pennsylvania and took a sociological snapshot of the parishes to identify the customs/culture etc.. That would be neat to see.
Also, I think it would be very very very worthwhile RIGHT NOW to travel the mid-atlantic and norteast and record the various Liturgical services. Actually, thinking about it this should have been done years ago, but there is no time like the present. With many of the more rural parishes dwindling in membership we may loose some of the local/specific culture/customs (more than we've lost already).
So then what survives? We know we have a vast array of music/customs that flourish today. Will the parishes that survive incorporate what is being done or was done in the past?
Perhaps further explanation is needed. I know some parishes in rural areas. The membership consists of the descendants of people who all came from a specific area in say, what is now Poland.
So have we kept any of their traditions? Will the music style continue? Or will four part choirs and simplified Byzantine chant take over and replace the plaint chant singing as the congregations in the flourishing parishes continue to consist of converts and those who never became acquainted with the simple village singing?
Surely in some parishes the simple chant will be used in the future. So at that point could we say that Carpatho-Rusyn chant has matured in the USA? Will we have done a dis-service by not having preserved the vast treasures that we may have already lost?
Perhaps a project getting people to record their parishes and placing them in a central digital library would be worth pursuing.

It would be interesting I think to know what was the country of origin for the migrants. Particularly as different waves of migrants arrive and the political boundaries change in the areas of origin.

Some of my older Russian freinds arrived in Australia as Poles. The reason being is that they were told to say that after the war as Russians were being sent back to the tender embrace of uncle Joe. Some of the older Ukrainians have Austrian Birth certificates. I wonder how they were recorded on entry to the country.

Like studies of family trees you can never get started on them early enough, before people with the info start going to God.

ICXC
NIKA

Pyrohy, it is this sort of undertaking that established the early reputations of Bela Bartok and Zoltan Kodaly in Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. They recorded folk music on cylinders in an effort to prevent local music from disappearing. It would make a wonderful project for a musicologist (specialist in music history), or other academician to devote a part of their career to, wouldn't it?

It would be an excellent field of study for anyone pursuing an advanced degree in a related field.
I mean we are talking about something very significant to our country's history. I know many great people exist that have dedicated much of their lives to this already, it would be nice to see as much catalouged in a central place as possible before we loose our chance.

As I say it's like family trees you can never start early enough to get the info together. it would be interesting to know if the different waves of imigrants from the same place brought different chants, as the political boundaries shifted over the homeland.

ICXC
NIKA

I anticipate posts from a few good people that can help answer your thoughts Pavel.

The Library of Congress could possibly take an interest in prostopinije. They may already have some recordings from an earlier age. Worth checking I'd say...

What is needed is a contemporary Alan Lomax.

+T+
Michael

Actually it sounds like it would be awesome to do from all angles. Seeing that Пенсилвенія is right under my feet as we speak, getting a start would mean putting my shoes on and finding my keys.

Almost 50 years ago, the present Metropolitan Nicholas did a series of tapes of various portions of Carpatho-Rusyn liturgical chant, as he had learned it from older cantors (all of whom are probably dead by now). It would be worthwhile asking Metropolitan Nicholas if he still has the tapes - or if the seminary has them - and if he would make them available for recording on CD.

Incognitus

Seriously thank you so much Icognitus for that information.

I wish I knew this sooner I had a chance to sit with Metropolitan for about 1/2 hour back on April 1st and another few minutes on April 2nd. I would have asked him. Hopefully, I'll remember next time.

Anyone have any recordings around that they haven't put on the web yet of Carpatho-Rusyn chant?

There is a short history of prostopinije on the following website that should be of interest:

http://www.carpatho-rusyn.org/spirit/chant.htm