Serbian Osmoglasnik

_cizinec_ · Post by **_cizinec_** » Mon 23 February 2004 6:17 pm

Yes, my priest has one, but does anyone know where I can get a nice copy of the Serbian Osmoglasnik in Serbian (I have the one in English)?

Also, I noticed that the monastary of Voljavca publishes a nice cd series on the Serbian Osmoglasnik (http://www.barac.co.yu/). I sent them an email, but haven't heard back on how to order. I read music, but I still like the idea of hearing them sung when learning as opposed to seeing the strict notes as absolute.

I have the Ruthenian Prostopinije and enjoy it a lot. Call it a weird hobby. Since I'm becoming Serbian Orthodox, I thought I should spend at least as much time learning the Serbian tradition as I have the Ruthenian.

Anyone have some good sources/resources??

P.S. Our church choir is not a member of SOCA or any other Serbian singing organizations (a shame), so I don't really know how to get access to the materials they have without being a member.

Mary Kissel · Post by **Mary Kissel** » Tue 24 February 2004 12:47 pm

what is a serbian Osmoglasnik or the Ruthenian Prostopinije?

_cizinec_ · Post by **_cizinec_** » Tue 24 February 2004 2:54 pm

During liturgical services (vespers, matins, Divine Liturgy, etc.) certain melodic structures are used to which text for the tropar, kontakion, etc. are taken. These tones were passed down through tradition. Mokranjac recorded these on paper in his Osmoglasnik. Their have been other publications of the Serbian tones other than that by Mokranjac.

Other churches recorded their tonal structures in other books. Cerkovnoje Prostopinije is one record for the Ruthenian tones, which are a variant of Znamenny.

It's a lot more complicated than this and my wife knows a lot more than I do. This is one of the most beautiful parts of Orthodoxy. I have noticed that some churches that would not endure a half-way approach to iconography or church architecture are happy to relegate the music of the Church to something they don't understand and in which they aren't very interested as long as it sounds pretty. Orthodoxy takes a much deeper approach to what is sung at liturgy and I have noticed more and more people trying to understand the tonal cycles. It's especially bad if music leaders are more interested in sounding pretty than in presenting to the people what is proper. That limits the people's understanding and experience of the Church Calendar. I personally hope that people will begin to realize that they shouldn't be hearing the exact same thing every week and that there are special "songs" for different parts of the liturgical year.

If you're lucky, you have a great cantor and you get to experience this part of the Church without too much work. A good cantor can help you understand the traditions of your jurisdiction.