Author: Rev. Prof. Codruț-Dumitru Scurtu (“Saint Nicholas” Theological Seminary, Râmnicu-Vâlcea)
Keywords: music, choirs, harmony, conductors, composers, concerts
Abstract:
After 1948, and especially between 1965 and 1989, Romania was under the rule of an atheistic Communist regime. During this age of censorship and oppression, the harmonic choir tradition was continued as a mass cultural activity, although the repertoires suffered significant changes. Since the atheism of the Communist regime only allowed historical, patriotic, and folkloric content, the religious repertoire was restricted (and sometimes fully abandoned). After the path towards national freedom was opened, in 1990, Romania experienced a genuine development of the harmonic choir tradition, as the Church was able to take the necessary measures for the reintroduction of church choirs in the life of the Romanian society and to rehabilitate the thesaurus of the old religious music after the abolishment of the atheistic censorship. Therefore, the Romanian harmonic choir music was officially adopted and supported by the Church, by the organisation of national religious festivals and choir competitions.
Pages: 170-201