Connections Between Eastern Rite and Catholic Church Music Traditions in Vilnius

Wandering Melodies with Local Attributions

Authors

• Margarita Moisejeva Department of Folklore Archives, Institute of Lithuanian Literature and Folklore https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5887-8487

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57050/jisocm.142317

Keywords:

Vilnius, liturgical music, wandering melodies, Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Uniate, Greek Catholic

Abstract

This paper explores the connections between the Orthodox, Uniate (Greek Catholic), and Roman Catholic communities in Vilnius in the historical and contemporary contexts of church music. Christian church music was heard in Vilnius even before the official baptism of Lithuania in 1387. The first Catholic and Orthodox communities settled in Vilnius in the thirteenth century. Over time, these and other religious communities grew, and the proximity of their neighbourhoods in the city may have enhanced the interaction between their musical traditions. Until now, this interaction has never been studied in the context of so-called “wandering melodies” which travelled through different places and religious communities, visited Vilnius, and received local attributions. While having a clearly transnational background, these melodies also indicate the locally significant shared musical heritage, used in local churches in different times. This article discusses this phenomenon in the context of the Orthodox Church that reflect its interactions with Uniate and Roman Catholic music repertoires. Through comparative analysis and drawing from historiographical and musicological methods, the article examines specific examples of such “wandering melodies.”