4.   Sepurina, the island of Prvic
 

Church singers from Sepurina, the island of Prvic, sing Kacic' Saint Helen song [11]. Male singers regularly perform this song in the church procession (3rd of May) that celebrate Saint Helen of the Cross [12], the patron Saint of old church in Sepurina. The distinctive feature of traditional church singing in Croatia is a specific symbiosis of ecclesiastical and traditional music, which influences the existence of traditional singing and church singing at the same time. The folk singers took over the choral psalmody, but they transform the church melodies in ways that have the stylistic features of traditional music in the region where they live [13]. The church singing repertoire still preserved in Sepurina includes numerous liturgical and paraliturgical chants distributed through the whole year. Present singing tradition of Sepurina can be classified as a newer tradition of polyphonic (diatonic interval style in small scale melodies without powerful tonal center) or a newer tradition of homophonic singing (klapa singing) [14]. Informants stated that the Omis festival [15] inspired them to start harmonizing in the four parts. The four-part homophonic singing, characterized by a slow (wide) tempo and the parlando-rubato styles of performance are the principal features of the most popular diatonic multi-part singing style in Croatia - klapa singing (Caleta 2003:244).

Singing in the past was distinguished between two-part, and, rarely, three-part, singing. Singing in parallel thirds is inherited from the tradition of singing Glagolitic melodies in Old Church Slavonic or living Croatian language with some archaisms i.e., Glagolitic chant [16]. Therefore, church singing in Sepurina, part of the existing practice of performance, relates to the Glagolitic chant singing tradition - a living tradition on the Zadar and Sibenik archipelago islands.

Sepurina, otok Prvcic

(file wmv, 55", 1.04 Mb)


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