GREGORIAN CHANT IN THE PRACTICE OF THE SAXON UNITARIANS IN TRANSYLVANIA PART 2
GREGORIAN CHANT IN THE PRACTICE OF THE SAXON UNITARIANS IN TRANSYLVANIA PART 2

Summary/Abstract: This study examines the antiphon repertoire of the MSU 1042 manuscript, a 1622 German-language gradual compiled for the Saxon Unitarian community in Cluj. The source comprises 285 pages of meticulously notated music, including seventeen antiphons, which represent the core of this analysis. The antiphons are compared with Hungarian Reformed, Lutheran, and Unitarian sources, as well as with medieval Latin models. The analysis demonstrates that, although some items appear in Hungarian Unitarian collections, the majority of the Saxon antiphons are closely related to Reformed and Lutheran sources, particularly the Öreg gradual. The texts are predominantly biblical, often corresponding to Luther’s translations, but doctrinal adaptations were made to align with Unitarian theology. The study shows that the Saxon Unitarian antiphons, while smaller in number than the Hungarian Unitarian repertoire, cover all liturgical cycles of the ecclesiastical year. They reflect a high degree of creative independence, pairing newly adapted texts with melodies derived from, but not identical to, medieval Gregorian chant patterns. MSU 1042 thus provides valuable insights into the musical practice, liturgical adaptation, and theological orientation of the 17th-century Saxon Unitarian community in Cluj.

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