MUK – Musik und Kunst Privatuniversität der Stadt Wien

Institut für Wissenschaft und Forschung

Musikgeschichte 01, LV Nummer 010.058

Susana Zapke
Wintersemester 2018/2019

Glagolitic chant

Vorgelegt von
Lucija Rako
61805539
l.rako@students.muk.ac.at

Wien, Februar 2019

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Contents

1. Introduction
2. Historical context
2.1. Glagolitic alphabet-Saints Cyril and Methodius
3. Glagolitic chant
3.1. Legacy
4. Conclusion
5. Bibliography
6. Appendix

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1. Introduction
My name is Lucija Rako and I am a student at the Musik und Kunst – Privatuniversität der
Stadt Wien. In this seminar I would like to explore what is the glagolitic chant and how it
came to be. One reason why I chose this topic is because I, myself, am from Croatia and want
to show some of my country’s folklore and history. Another reason is because I would like to
present this theme as something new and interesting. There were so many historical
circumstances, influences and in the end, accidents, that led to developing this musical
phenomenon, which serves as a great inspiration for many artists today.

2. Historical context
The Croats arrived to the present location – central/southeastern Europe, on the Adriatic Sea
in the 7th century. With their arrival began a very important process for them and the
neighboring countries/kingdoms – Christianizing, which came from two directions- the
Frankish and the Byzantine Empire. By the 9th century Croatia was organized into two
duchies. Each duchy was governed by their own prince: Borna in the Dalmatian Croatia and
Ljudevit in Pannonian Croatia. Both of them were under the rule of the Franks until 812.,
until the revolt against the Franks by prince Ljudevit. Since then, most of the territory stayed
under the rule of Franks, except a few coastal cities and most of the islands.1
2.1. Glagolitic alphabet - Saints Cyril and Methodius
Cyril and Methodius, “the apostles of the Slavs”, were two brother missionaries whose
mission was to Christianize the Danubian Slavs. They invented two Slavic alphabets:
Glagolitic and Cyrillic. Cyrillic became, with slight modification in each case, the national
script of the Bulgarians, Serbs, Montenegrins, Russians, Belarusians, and Ukrainians. Other
Slavic people—the Slovenes, Croats, Bosnians, Czechs, Slovaks, Wends, Lusatians, and
Poles—use the Latin alphabet. The Glagolitic alphabet, along with Slavonic liturgy was
introduced in the second half of the 9th century into the Moravian kingdom, but, together with
the liturgy, it was not accepted and was banned by the pope. It was, however accepted in
Bulgaria and Croatia. It spread along the Dalmatian coast southward into Montenegro and
westward into Istria, but soon disappeared among the Greek Orthodox Slavs, because of the
popularity of Cyrillic. Leaving Croatians (predominantly the Dalmatian coast, Istria and the
islands), who were practicing the Roman rite, to use the Glagolitic script and practice the
Roman liturgy in Old Slavonic. The priests who were spreading the glagolitic script and
liturgy in old church Slavonic were called Glagolitic priests (cro. Popovi Glagoljaši). After
some time, the pope gave his permission. The Croats located along the Adriatic coast were
using Old Church Slavonic in liturgy, while all other nations could use only Latin until up to
the 1960’s Second Vatican Council reform.23

1
Van Antwerp Fine, John: The Early Medieval Balkans. A Critical Survey from the Sixth to the Late Twelfth
Century, Michigan 1991, S. 252-264

2
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Saint Cyril and Methodius, Encyclopaedia Britannica,
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saints-Cyril-and-Methodius [9.2.2019.]
3
Encyclopedia of World Biography , Saint Cyril and Methodius, Encyclopedia.com
https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/saints/saints-cyril-and-methodius [9.2.2019.]

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 3. The Glagolitic chant
Out of these aforementioned circumstances Glagolitic chant came to be. What makes it
interesting is not only the language and unique alphabet, but the influence of folk music.
Prof. Livio Marjan describes the chant:
„ […] This is a unique phenomena and it is known as the Glagolitic liturgy. It created a
specific liturgical, sacral, artistic and literary culture, and also a specific form of liturgical
chant known as Glagolitic chant, which in contrast to Gregorian or Byzantine, has a very
strong folk music influence. Sometimes it can be barely distinguished from the folk chants of
Istria or Dalmatia […] The Glagolitic chant is still in use in many small coastal and island
parishes in Croatia. In Dalmatia it was the Glagolitic chant that gave birth to the famous
Dalmatian male `klapa' singing.“.4
The Parisian Songbook (cro. Pariška pjesmarica),
part of the Code Slave 11, is the oldest croatian
songbook. It dates back to the year 1380. and
contains 10 songs written in old Croatian language.
Two of those songs are Christmas songs: Proslavimo
otca Boga, and Bog se rodi v Vitliomi. The Code
Slave 11 is kept in Bibliothéque Nationale in
Paris.(Picture 1.01)56

According to dr. Miho Demović, another Croatian

Christmas song, U se vrime godišča, also has
Glagolitic roots. The oldest script of this song dates
back to the 14th century and it is suspected that the
song itself dates to the 12th century. The song is still
sung today, it has more versions (the version from
Dubrovnik has 31 verses) and gained most of its
popularity in the coastal regions. Dr. Demović says
the song has nothing to do with the song In hoc anni
circulo, which was suspected to be the same song,
only translated from latin.7

1.01. The Parisian Songbook

In the 19th century, croatian glagolitic priest,
philologist, lexicographer and linguist Antun Dragutin Parčić was working on a new
glagolitic missal, because there was a great need for Croatian glagolitic liturgical books. The
books that were used in parish churches were old, ruined and altogether full of non-Croatian
words. He was using the Karaman and Levakovic missals as templates, where he was

4
Livio Marijan, Croatian glagolitic chant, The Archdiocese of Zadar
http://www.croatianhistory.net/glagoljica/livio_marijan.html [9.2.2019.]
5
Darko Žubrinić, Pariška pjesmarica iz 1380. najstarija hrvatska pjesmarica, croatianhistory.net,
http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/pariska.html [9.2.2019.]
6
Darko Žubrinić, Hrvatska glagoljička kultura s osvrtom na Francusku, croatianhistory.net 2009.
http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/francegl.html [9.02.2019.]

7
Demović, Miho/Babić, Marko: Rasprave i prilozi iz stare hrvatske glazbene prošlosti, Zagreb 2007. S. 130-138

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replacing Russian and other words of foreign origin with Croatian words.That was a
remarkable event because the Croatian people finally got the rite book in the pure Old Church
Slavonic language of the Croatian recension, in the glagolitic script. The book was his life
achievement and the Pope appointed him Honorary Chamberlain and awarded him the gold
medal Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice.The name of the missal in question is Missale Romanum
Slavonico Idiomate or better known simply as The Parčić Missal. It was printed in 3 editions:
first in 1893., second in 1896. and the third in 1905. Parčić gifted one copy of the first edition
missal to the monastery of st. Mary in Glavotok on the island of Krk. Today it is preserved in
a glagolitic monastery of st. Francis in Ksaver in
Zagreb.According to some sources, a priest from Nin
held liturgy using this missal until 1961.8

2.01. Excerpt from the Parčić Missal 2.02. The Parčić Missal

3.1. Legacy
The chant, being a unique part of Croatian tradition, was to no wonder an inspiration for
many composers.
Istrian composer Ivan Matetić Ronjgov (1880.-1960.) was one of the first people to notate the
chants.
In the years 1955.-1957., Vinko Žganec recorded Croatian Glagolitic chants on the islands of
Krk, Rab, Pag, Brač, in Istria and other coastal cities. Most of the recordings are located at
the Old Church Slavonic Institute in Zagreb.9

Kamilo Kolb (1887.-1965.), Franciscan, composer and organist, inspired by the glagolitic
chant composed two masses: Staroslavenska misa sv. Andrije (1913.) and Misa na čast sv.
Jeronima (1926.), which were also written in Old Slavonic language.

This musical phenomenon also influenced the composer Krsto Odak, who inspired by old
Slavic liturgical texts, composed many works. The motet Ispvjem se Tebje, The old Slavonic
Mass op.12 (Staroslavenska misa) for mixed choir and orchestra (1929.), Psalm 130 op. 6a

8
Antun Josip Soldo, Antun Dragutin Parčić i njegov glagoljski misal in Slovo - Old Church Slavonic Institute
magazine, 39-40, 1990., S. 167-186
9
Vladimir Lončarević, Vinko Žganec - afirmator narodne glazbene baštine in Glas Koncila 48 (2013) S. 19

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and Psalm 123 op. 6b for baritone and orchestra (1934.), Svrši stopi moje op. 19 for bass and
alto solo, mixed choir and organ (1939.), Hvali duše moja Gospoda etc.

Božidar Širola (1889.-1956.) composed an oratorio Život i spomen slavnih učitelja sv. Braće
Ćirila i Metoda. (Life and teachings of the famous teachers Cyril and Methodius) It was his
most famous work, played in Zagreb and Berlin, for which he received a prize in 1927. in
Frankfurt am Maine.

Albe Vidaković (1914.-1964.) composed three old Slavic masses: Istrian old Slavic mass for
four voices and organ (premiered in Salzburg in 1950./1951.), Three voice Old Slavic mass
for three voices and organ and Two voice Old Slavic Mass.

Other Croatian composers inspired by this traditional chant, who mostly wrote old Slavic
masses were Anđelko Klobučar, Ivan Brkanović, don Mijo Ćurković, Adalbert Marković.10

Igor Kuljeric (1938-2006), distinguished Croatian composer and conductor, also found
inspiration in this very old Croatian heritage. Here are his reflections about Croatian
music: “Pluralism and rich diversity of Croatian musical heritage - from the oldest, almost
archetypal times till contemporary musical art - are rare in world's proportions. It is
particularly valuable for us and I am firmly convinced that we should not neglect, not to say
renounce, any layer of this national heritage. Renouncing would mean disrespect of our
predecessors, and it would not be forgiven by our descendants...”11

A very important scholar responsible for spreading the knowledge of medieval Croatian
music, who is also active today, is PhD musicologist and a singer is Katarina Livljanić. She is
a Maître de conférences in medieval music at the Sorbonne University in Paris, where she
directs a Masters programme in medieval music performance. Katarina is also a member of
the research center Institut de recherche en musicologie (CNRS - Université Paris Sorbonne),
of the Laboratoire d’excellence Religions et Sociétés dans le Monde Méditerranéen, and of
the Cantus Planus research group of the International Musicological Society. She founded a
French international Dialogos Ensemble in Paris in 1997. This vocal ensemble has singers
from all around the world, specialized for Middle Age music and liturgical tradition among
Mediterranean cultures. Through the research made by Katarina Livljanić, their program also
includes old Croatian glagolitic singing, having 3 albums featuring Glagolitic chants: Terra
Adriatica (1998), Tondal’s Vision (2003) and Dalmatica (2015). 12

4. Conclusion
This simple piece of music, the Glagolitic chant, developed by a mix of circumstances:
Croatia being in between the Frankish and the Byzantine Empire, the Roman and the
Orthodox Christians. Both of the forces wanting to have an influence on this area were
sending missionaries. That is how the Glagolitic alphabet came to existence and in the end
the Glagolitic chant and liturgy, where simple folk could praise their Lord in their own
mother language. Because they could understand the music sung in the church, it was
influenced by folk music, making the chant more interesting and rich. Today it is a rich and
unique part of Croatian historical legacy.

10
Darko Žubrinić, Hrvatsko glagoljaško pjevanje, croatian history.net 2009.
http://www.croatianhistory.net/glagoljica/gl_pjevanje.html [9.02.2019.]
11
Igor Kuljerić, from the essay Glagoljaška pasionska nadahnuća, Zagreb 2002. S.6
12
Internet page of the ensemble Dialogos http://www.ensemble-dialogos.org/en/ [9.02.2019.]

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5. Bibliography

Antun Josip Soldo, Antun Dragutin Parčić i njegov glagoljski misal in Slovo - Old Church
Slavonic Institute magazine, 39-40, 1990., S. 167-186

Darko Žubrinić, Hrvatska glagoljička kultura s osvrtom na Francusku, croatianhistory.net

2009. http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/francegl.html [9.02.2019.]

Darko Žubrinić, Hrvatsko glagoljaško pjevanje, croatian history.net 2009.

http://www.croatianhistory.net/glagoljica/gl_pjevanje.html [9.02.2019.]

Darko Žubrinić, Pariška pjesmarica iz 1380. najstarija hrvatska pjesmarica,

croatianhistory.net, http://www.croatianhistory.net/etf/pariska.html [9.2.2019.]

Demović, Miho/Babić, Marko: Rasprave i prilozi iz stare hrvatske glazbene prošlosti, Zagreb
2007. S. 130-138

Igor Kuljerić, from the essay Glagoljaška pasionska nadahnuća, Zagreb 2002. S.6
Ensemble Dialogos http://www.ensemble-dialogos.org/en/ [9.02.2019.]

Encyclopaedia Britannica, Saint Cyril and Methodius, Encyclopaedia Britannica,

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saints-Cyril-and-Methodius [9.2.2019.]

Encyclopedia of World Biography , Saint Cyril and Methodius, Encyclopedia.com

https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/philosophy-and-religion/saints/saints-cyril-and-
methodius [9.2.2019.]

Livio Marijan, Croatian glagolitic chant, The Archdiocese of Zadar

http://www.croatianhistory.net/glagoljica/livio_marijan.html [9.2.2019.]

Van Antwerp Fine, John: The Early Medieval Balkans. A Critical Survey from the Sixth to
the Late Twelfth Century, Michigan 1991, S. 252-264

Vladimir Lončarević, Vinko Žganec - afirmator narodne glazbene baštine in Glas Koncila 48
(2013) S. 19

6. Appendix