Annabella Gecse: „Here a stranger chorister never sang… ”

The study of folklore deals extensively with folk music and religious practice, but it regards choristers – not baselessly – as a factor influencing folklore „from above”. However, the relation between the community and choristers, as well as their teachers leaves its mark on the community practice of music or religious music for a long time. The aim of my writing is the examination of this effect on Baraca in the 20th century. This Catholic settlement located in the Gemer region surrounded by protestant villages has lived out its religious beliefs in a very organized manner, from its own resources, until the middle of the 20th century, in accordance with state and church regulations. The church chorister practice is one of the „surviving” aspects of the continually decreasing religious organizational force (and the decrease and respective change in the member numbers of the religious community).

The formerly central religious village with its parish has become rather a place of exiled parsons onwards from the 1950s. The former regulated and strict structure however did not vanish at once, only begun to slowly disintegrate. In my study, I do not focus on the parsons and their work; however it is not possible to exclude the fact that they were still considered one of the most respected members in community along with teachers, even if their organizational work was not as effective as before the 1950s. This has only begun to change towards the end of the 1980s, when the assigned parson has refused to relocate to Baraca. The importance of the teacher’s role has moved from the religious to the community life, but their prestige has not change until this day, albeit the community itself has changed significantly.