Romanian vs. Greek-Turkish-Persian-Arab: Imagining national traits for Romanian church chant

Romanian cantors, clergymen and musicologists debated the problem of a national church chant from the late 19th century onwards. Amongst other things, they tried to define the specific traits of Romanian chant, to place these traits in opposition with Turkish and Oriental ones, and to show that traits of Romanian chant bore witness to a European and not an Oriental identity. This paper discusses various views on the traits of Romanian chant and the composing techniques of the “Romanianization” of Greek pieces, and points to the connections between these traits and national myths and symbols shared by Romanians.