Abstract: The principle that every nation should praise God in its own language is foundational to every Byzantine church. Unlike the Roman Church, Byzantine missions to neighbouring nations included the deliberate translation of the entire rite into local languages. This is evident, among other sources, in the zealous debates of the Slavonic apostles Constantine and Methodius with Roman scholars who accepted only three liturgical languages. What these hagiographies do not mention is that alongside the translation of texts, music also needed to be addressed. Medieval Slavonic manuscripts with musical notation show that hymns were translated in tandem with liturgical music. This interplay of word and melody remains relevant today. While translation studies is a developed field, musicology lacks a branch to explore this parallel phenomenon in music. Consequently, each church tends to adopt its own approach.
This paper analyses this process within the Slovak Greek Catholic Church, focusing on Slovak translations and Slavonic musical traditions in the heirmoi of the canons for the feasts of the Entry and the Annunciation of the Theotokos. A detailed analysis may offer guidelines for developing a more systematic method for future translation projects – or for reassessing existing ones – helping to preserve both the living tradition of liturgical music and text, and their inherent unity.

Author: Škoviera, Samuel

DOI: 10.17846/CL.2026.19.1.52-69

Publication order reference: Mgr. Samuel Škoviera; Slovak Academy of Sciences, Institute of Musicology, Dúbravská cesta 5819/9, 841 04 Bratislava 4, Slovakia; Charles University, Faculty of Arts, Institute of Musicology, Nám. Jana Palacha 2, 116 38 Praha 1, Czech Republic; email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; ORCID ID: 0009-0000-1351-2089, WOS Researcher ID: PJC-2025-2026

Source: Konštantínove listy, 2026, vol.: 19, issue: 1, pages: 52-69 (PDF file)

Keywords: LITURGICAL TRANSLATION, BYZANTINE RITE, SLOVAK GREEK CATHOLICH CHURCH, SLAVONIC CHANT, CARPATHIAN PLAINCHANT, PROSTOPINIJE, HEIRMOS

Language: ENGLISH

Recommended Citation:
Škoviera, Samuel. 2026. Translating Liturgical Texts and Music into the Vernacular: The Heirmoi of the Entry and the Annunciation of the Theotokos in the Slovak Greek Catholic Church. In Konštantínove listy [Constantine’s Letters] 19/1, 52-69.