Recordings of Twentieth Century Serbian Church Chant – Material Evidence of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Abstract

Traditional Orthodox Serbian church chant, based on the older Greek, Byzantine and Serbian church chant tradition, was set on its course at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century. In the history of Serbian church music this was a turning point to the new period. After the Great Migrations of the Serbs to the Habsburg monarchy (at the end of the seventeenth century), the musical tradition with Byzantine basis and with the roots in the work of the brothers Cyril and Methodius continued its living and gradually modified in the new cultural space. Serbian, that is, Byzantine musical practice was ’confronted’ with the music of Western Europe and Europeanized Russian church music. Among the other influences, the diverse musical life in the new environment encouraged ’adaptation’ to the European musical style. Nevertheless, the need for preservation of the national identity and religious affiliation was dominant among Serbs in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.