The Feast of the Epiphany (Three Kings) celebrated on January 6 closes the two-week period of Christmas in the Western Christian tradition. This holiday is associated with liturgical ceremonies in the ecclesiastical environment of monasteries and churches as well as traditional processions and carol singing. Until recently, Epiphany music was on the fringes of interest in Slovakia as the least reflected part of the musical culture of the Christmas period. This has been changed by scientists from the Slovak Academy of Sciences who have studied the history of the unique Epiphany music repertoire from the territory of Slovakia, and are currently putting out a new publication.
“The oldest musical pieces for the Feast of the Epiphany from the territory of Slovakia date from the end of the 12th century. The first historical evidence of Epiphany carol singing dates from the end of the 16th century and relates to the region of Gemer,” explains the director of the Institute of Musicology at the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Hana Urbancová, who, together with her colleagues, has evaluated both well-known and newly discovered musical sources from the Middle Ages up to the 20th century.
The research brought together experts in music historiography and ethnomusicology and presents their results in a new bilingual Slovak-English publication, Music for the Feast of Three Kings in Slovakia: From the Middle Ages to the 20th Century.
These scholars bring a new perspective to Epiphany music. They reveal how the music and singing associated with this holiday have changed in style and genre from the end of the 12th century to the beginning of the 21st century. They take into account the chronological sequence of historical sources and the four main types of Epiphany music: Gregorian chant, spiritual songs, pastorals and carols.
Source: Slovak Academy of Sciences
