Review article
From Glagolitic to Populous Church Singing - Historical View - Tradition of the Vicarious Church Choir
Dragan NIMAC
Abstract
The article presents a historical in-depth study on church singing in the parish Zaton near Šibenik, from its beginnings, that is glagolitic singing, across the singing in ancient Croatian language, to singing in traditional Croatian language that is taking place after II Vatican council. The temporal framework, presented by this article, grasp the period from XVI to XXI century, while the territorial framework is much smaller, it considers the parish Zaton compared with other parishes in the Diocese of Šibenik and elsewhere where people were taking care of traditional singing. The author’s intention is to point out the importance of this kind of singing in a vernacular language since it represents a unique cultural and historical heritage on the Croatian and world stage. Related to this topic, the article wants to shed light on the continuity of the singing in this area, what is corroborated by the arguments from the parish chronicle, from the diocese reports and by other expert literature as well as the testimonies of the eyewitnesses. In view of these presented sources, it becomes clear that church singing in Zaton has a long tradition that changed from time to time, what means that something old was abolished and something new was implemented. Likewise it occurred in the other parishes, the changes related to the way of singing and adjustments to new circumstances were stimulated by social, politic and Church reforms. Nevertheless, despite the threat of this reforms and today’s new threat by the secular and consumer society that is sometimes negatively related to traditional values, it appears a certain awakening of consciousness in regards to importance of traditional values and styles. This facts as well as the fact that up to now it was passed on only by oral way, approves the charm and strength of the traditional singing, which is still very popular in the parish Zaton and which is preserved during the centuries thanks to the determination and desires of the parish people and the parish priests as well.
Keywords
glagolitic, Church, traditional singing, Zaton, Diocese of Šibenik
Hrčak ID:
206415
URI
Publication date:
28.12.2009.
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