www.byzcath.org Forums Mysteries: The Life of Worship Vespers, Matins & the Divine Liturgy 1970 Prešov Irmologion (Papp) Excerpts

After a period of more than sixty years, finally we are publishing once again a Greek Catholic liturgical chant, as it was adapted and developed in the Eparchy of Mukačevo. The first and only edition of our liturgical chant was printed in 1906, under the title „Cerkovnoje Prostopinije." It was long ago exhausted and became a collector's item.

There were also other reasons, which prompted this new edition, like a proper training of our young cantors; uniformity and cultivation of our liturgical singing in the churches; necessity of making some corrections and supplementations in the spirit of the liturgical renewal indicated by the II Vatican Council.

The book is published under its traditional title — „Irmologion", since its pristine title „Cerkovnoje Prostopinije" (The Church Plain Chant) doesn't express properly its contents and music. Simultaneously, we made available the music of the entire „Irmologion" on long-playing records. Thus we hope to bring about the renewal of our liturgical chant and, to some extent, solve the problem of training of our new cantors.

The subtitle explanes the place of origin of our liturgical chant, i. e. the Eparchy of Mukačevo. We have to remember that the Eparchy of Mukačevo is the mother of several Greek Catholic Eparchies, where the Carpathian chant was adapted, namely: the Eparchy of Prjašev in Czecho-Slovakia, Hajdudorog in Hungary, Oradea Mare and Maramures in Rumania, Križevci in Jugoslavia, and the Metropolitan Province of Munhall in U. S. A. Our liturgical chant developed several centuries ago, when all above mentioned eparchies and their faithful formed the integral part of the venerable Eparchy of Mukačevo. Therefore, in order to place the evolution of our liturgical chant in its proper historical setting, we called it: ,,The Chant of the Eparchy of Mukačevo."

A detailed description of the formation of our liturgical chant is given to our readers in the essay: „The Development of the Liturgical Chant in the Eparchy of Mukačevo", printed at the end of this book.

Stefan Papp
[From the Introduction of the book]

The early Christains, during their liturgical gatherings, recited psalms and sang spiritual canticles taken directly from the Holy Books. Soon; the inspired writers began to compose their own spiritual songs, which gradually were instroduced into the liturgy. Unfortunately, their names, during the first three centuries, are unknown to us. It is only in the fourth century, that we meet the names of the great Fathers of the Church, like St. Basil the Great (+379) and St. John Chrysostom (1407), who can be called the first liturgical codifiers and reformers of the Byzantine Rite Liturgy.

Following the fourth century we find a list of liturgical composers, called melodists or hymnographers, among whom special mention deserve : St. Anatolius[i/] (+458), [i]St. Euthymius the Great (+473), St. Roman the Melodist (+beg. of VI c.), St. Sabas (+532), St. Sophronius (+ea. 638), St. Andrew of Crete (+720), St. John Damascene (+749), St. Cosmas the Hymnographer (+781), St. Theodore Studite (+826), St. Theophanes Graptos (+845) and many others. The result of their sacred compositions are our inimitable liturgical books, the Octoechos, the Triodion and the Menaia.

The first melodies adapted to the Christian worship were of Jewisch origin, since the Jews were the first to embrace the Christian faith. When Christianity began to Spread among the Gentiles, they brought with them also their native melodies into the liturgy. The Fathers of the Church tried then not only to rearrange the liturgical services, but also to fix their musical rendition. Since certain musical system was not as yet adapted to the sacred chant, they were unable to develope an organic system of liturgical music. It was done only by St. John Damascene who, naturally, based his system of eight tones on the popular Byzantine melodies.

Accepting Christianity in the Byzantine Rite, our fore-fathers in Carpathia accepted also the Byzantine system of liturgical music. Thus, the Byzantine sacred music can be considered as the basis of our liturgical chant in the Eparchy of Mukačevo. Since there are very few testimonies concerning the development of our liturgical chant, it is very difficult to reconstruct its complete history. Consequently, there are various opinions about its historic development.

The main reason why our ancestors were unable to develope a complete original system of sacred music, was the lack of musical training and liturgical books. Thus the faithful at the liturgical services became not so much performers, but rather listeners of the sacred songs. This only facilitated the introduction of some local melodies into our liturgical chant, thus the uniformity of sacred music in the vast Eparchy of Mukačevo became destroyed. Only a few melodies, fixed in the memory of the people by the so called "Cantors' Tones" (secular verses supplied by the cantors for the eight leading melodies), retained their originality and gave to our liturgical chant a certain pattern.

Our liturgical music began to flourish again during the Golden Era of our religious and cultural life under the Bishop Andrew Bačinskyj (1773-1809). During this period our cantor-musicians appeared, and supplied our churches with hand-written "Irmologions", fixing the sacred melodies by musical scores. The most outstanding of them was John Juhasevič, (1741-1814), who left behind more than 30 such Irmologions, provided with music.

Another boost to our liturgical chant was given by Rev. Andrew Popovič (1809-1898), who compiled and printed first "Velikij Sbornik" (Great Collection), in 1866. Placing into the hands of our people a text of liturgical services, he enabled them once again to take an active part in the divine worship. Once again the sacred chant was heard in our churches.

The sacred music passed from one generation to another by oral tradition, since neither the cantors nor the faithful were acquainted with the theory of music. There was no uniformity of the liturgical music within the vast territory of the Eparchy of Mukačevo. It was Bishop Julius Firczak (1891-1912), who decided to reform the liturgical chant and achieve some kind of uniformity in the whole Eparchy. Thus, under his auspices, the "Cerkovnoje Prostopinije" (Church Plain Chant) was published, in 1906. It was first complete collection of the liturgical melodies in Carpathia. The singing was executed by Joseph Malinč (+1910), cantor of the cathedral in Užhorod, while the music was arranged by Reverend John Bokšaj (+1940), director of the famous Cathedral Choir in Užhorod, between 1899-1909. The "Prostopinje" had many shortcomings, but it was a giant step in the development of our liturgical chant.

Now the question arises : — The melodies of which district had been introduced into the "Prostopinije"?

Cantor Joseph Malinč was born and grew up in Radvanka, near Užhorod. He studied at the School for the Cantors in Užhorod. He first served as the cantor in village Chonkovci (not far from Užhorod), and later he became the cantor at the cathedral in Užhorod. Thus we can conclude with the certainty, that they were melodies of the district of Užhorod. Nobody knows if Malinič also knew the melodies of other districts, or which melodies he preferred to use in the arrangement of the "Prostopinije". But it is certain, that Father Bokšaj did compare his music with other written sources, especially with the "Irmologion'' of Juhasevič.

Since the "Cerkovnoje Prostopinije" was approved by the Bishop, it was immediately introduced into the Eparchial Seminary and the School for Cantors. Thus eventually the uniformity of church music was achieved in the Eparchy, while the mentioned book became a guideline of Carpathian liturgical chant.

The second question: — What is the origin of our liturgical chant and how did it develope?

Receiving Cyrillo-Methodian Christianity, our ancestors received with it also the Byzantine chant somewhat modified in Macedonia, the home-land of SS. Cyril and Methodius. In the course of time this Byzantine-Macedonian music was modified and adapted to the genius of our people, giving rise to our own liturgical chant. The neighbouring Galicia also had a great influence on the development of our liturgical music, especially in the western part, known to us as the Eparchy of Prjašev (separated from Mukačevo Eparchy, in 1818), where to this some Galician melodies are used.

The liturgical chant as arranged in the present "Irmologion" is generally used in the Eparchies of Mukačevo, Prjašev, and Hajdudorog, Hungary; more extensively in the Eparchy of Križevci, Jugoslavia; also in the Rumanian Eparchies of Transylvania; as well as in the Metropolitan Province of Munhall, in the United States.

(From pages 198-199)