FROM THE KOINONIKON TO THE PRICEASNĂ: THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE LITURGICAL SOUNDSCAPE AND THE DIGITAL INFLUENCE IN CONTEMPORARY ROMANIAN ORTHODOX MUSIC

Abstract

This article investigates the transformation of the liturgical soundscape associated with the Koinonikon (Communion chant) in contemporary Romanian Orthodox practice. The study combines quantitative and qualitative research methods, integrating survey data collected from theology students, chanters, and choir members with an analysis of the circulation of devotional repertoire in the digital environment, particularly on the platform YouTube. The results indicate a significant shift in musical practice within many Transylvanian parishes. Survey data show that in approximately 86% of the communities represented in the sample, the traditional Byzantine Koinonikon is frequently replaced by the paraliturgical devotional genre known as the priceasnă. This substitution reflects not only a change in repertoire but also broader transformations in musical authority, devotional sensibility, and the mechanisms through which liturgical music circulates. From a musicological perspective, the phenomenon involves a transition from the modal structures of Byzantine psaltic chant toward tonal and strophic musical idioms influenced by vernacular traditions. At the same time, digital media platforms contribute to the standardization and dissemination of a limited corpus of highly visible devotional songs. The article argues that the growing prominence of the priceasnă should be interpreted as a process of liturgical hybridization in which traditional chant, folk religiosity, and contemporary media culture interact. By examining this transformation, the study contributes to current scholarship on Orthodox liturgical music, vernacular devotional practice, and the impact of digital media on religious soundscapes.