Plainchant
The Carpatho-Rusyn Slavonic plainchant (prostopinije) is a typical and distinctive feature of Rusyn culture. Where did it come from?
No single answer can be given, because the prostopinije is a composite chant system, including elements from various sources.
The oldest of these is the znamennyj chant, and it is remarkable that this chant, which has almost disappeared in Great Russian church singing, is preserved in a few still-living traditions: the chant of the Russian Old Believers, the "Ukrainian Chant" of Galicia and other western Ukrainian provinces, and the Carpatho-Rusyn prostopinije.
(from ACROD)
Here is a sampling similar to what is sung in our church:
Blessed is the Man
The Lord is King
The above MP3's are from St. John of the Ladder (Greenville SC), Holy Apostles (Columbia, SC), and Holy Ascension (Charleston, SC).
Let My Prayer
Mp3 from the American Carpatho - Russian Orthodox Diocese of the United States website.
(you can also download these songs from the freebies page)
Freely Ye Have Received Freely Give
December 3rd, 2005 at 12:58 pm
If you don’t have a fast connection: Samples may sound choppy THE FIRST TIME THROUGH. Simply let them play through once all the way. This loads the songs to your computer cache. Then play them through again. The second time you play them, they should play without any distortion. However, if you close your browser between the first playing and subsequent playings, your cache might not be saved. As such, you have to play them twice SUCCESSIVELY (or go through the “first run” choppy version every time you wish to listen to them)