Musical traditions at the great Samogitian Calvary Way of the Cross and other Catholic Church festivals

The paper deals with musical traditions at the Great Samogitian Calvary Way of the Cross (Žemaičių Kalvarija) and other Catholic Church festivals from they were first mentioned until present. Soon after Christianity had established itself in Lithuania and Samogitia the West European tradition of celebrating Christian festivals and playing music flourished. Academic wind and percussion instruments, used in European countries and by the army of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, merged with musical culture of manor houses and dioceses. Bands played in processions, at religious festivals, the Mass. Documents show that at the end of the 14th century wind and percussion instruments were played in the Vilnius Cathedral but no information about the situation in the diocese of Samogitia is available. According to written sources, these instruments appeared in the 17th century and were widely used in the second half of the 18th century when the Jesuits settled in Pašiaušė and Kražiai and organized the first solemn Corpus Christi processions and other festivals. Archival data show that there were brass and percussion instruments, usually two or more trumpets, French horns and kettledrums, in many churches and congregations during the Baroque period. Such musical accompaniment was necessary to properly hold a procession in the village or a neighbouring parish. The tradition of playing brass and wind instruments has been preserved in Samogitia although it disappeared in other regions of Lithuania. Bands still play at the religious festivals held in regions, parishes, at Easter and Christmas, other major Catholic festivals. Music plays an important part at the Samogitian Calvary Way of the Cross: the procession is very solemn, chants are sung, wind instruments and kettledrums are played. Although banned, the Samogitian Cavalry festival was still held during the periods of the tsarist oppression and Soviet atheism. Nowadays pilgrims take part in the procession, and brass and wind instruments are played. Brass and percussion instruments are played at the Easter Vigil, the Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, etc. Although the cannon is no longer fired to announce Jesus’ resurrection, kettledrums are still beaten, bells and hand bells are rung and brass instruments are played. Church brass bands play at the Mass and after it, in processions, smaller brass bands play at funerals, while praying for the dead, as accompaniment for chant singing