Prostopinije (Slav. prostopinije, "simple chant") is the traditional liturgical chant of the Rusyn peoples of the Carpathian Mountains, and of their descendants who emigrated to other more
parts of the world. This chant is sung in the parishes and monasteries of the Byzantine (Ruthenian) Catholic Church and the Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Church in the United States, and in the Ruthenian Catholic dioceses of Mukačevo (Ukraine), Prešov and Kosice (Slovakia), Hajdudorog (Hungary), Krisevtsi (Croatia), and Ruski Kerestur (Serbia) in Europe.
Prostopije is a descendant of the ancient znammeny chant common to Slavic Christianity. Used for centuries among the Carpathian mountains, prostopinije absorbed melodies from Greek and Bulgarian sources, as well as indigenous Slavic folk music. Eventually, this chant was standardized in both Church Slavonic and Hungarian, but continued to show variations from one region or village to the end.
Prostopinije is essentially traditional - that is, it has been passed down from one generation to the next. For centuries, it has been both an aural tradition (passed on by hearing and memorization) and a written one (passed on with the help of chant books or manuscripts). Generally speaking, the more ornate or seldom-used melodies were written down, while the simpler and frequently used melodies were simply sung from memory.
This collection is two-part, containing small publication books as well as manuscripts. Both represent melodies that were committed to a written form in the early 20th century when immigrants from Eastern Europe came to America. These musical materials are from Byzantine Catholic (also known as Greek Catholic) parishes in or around Western Pennsylvania and represent a unique historical heritage. less
