Konkani liturgical music refers to the sacred music used in the

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

in the Konkani language. Konkani is used in liturgy in the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman, and the dioceses of Mangalore, Karwar, Udupi and Sindhudurg. Kallke ratintli

History

Prior to Vatican II, most of the liturgy was in Latin. When liturgy in vernacular languages was introduced in Vatican II, Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ led the effort to compose the needed Konkani liturgical music. Goan composers developed a rich and unique form of motets for the Lenten season, which were accompanied by violins,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

s and double bass. Goan church authorities had obtained special permission from the Holy See to use these instruments during the Holy Week services. Unfortunately, most of these Konkani motets were not preserved and have been lost. There were similar efforts made independently in Mangalore in the field of Konkani liturgical music.

Choirs

There are organised choirs in most Catholic churches. A notable choir from Goa is the all-male seminarians' ''

Santa Cecilia Choir The Santa Cecilia Choir ( pt, Coro di Santa Cecilia) is a polyphonic male choir composed of seminarians of the Rachol Seminary of the Catholic Archdiocese of Goa and Daman in Goa, India. History In compliance with the wishes of Dom Antonio Seba ...

'' (Coro di Santa Cecilia), part of the over 400 year old Rachol seminary (''Seminário de Rachol)'' of Goa''.'' The choir has also been known to use a 16th-century restored

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

for its concerts.

Publications

Gaionancho Jhelo ''Gaionancho Jhelo'' (Konkani: Garland of hymns) is the official hymnal of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman. It was first published a few years after liturgy in vernacular languages was introduced in the Second Vatican Council. The latest edition ...

, the official hymnal of the Archdiocese of Goa. * Devacheam Bhurgeanhim Gitam, a

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...

periodical, of the Archdiocese of Goa. * , a compilation of Konkani hymns, including many hymns that are much older than the Gaionancho Jhelo.

Notable personalities

* Fr. Vasco do Rego SJ wrote lyrics for over 300 Konkani hymns, and composed music for over 50 Konkani hymns. He commenced the compilation of the Gaionancho Jhelo. He also wrote the first Konkani

carols A carol is a festive song, generally religious but not necessarily connected with Christian church worship, and sometimes accompanied by a dance. A caroller (or caroler) is someone who sings carols, and is said to be carolling (or caroling). T ...

. * Fr. Lourdino Barreto was an expert in both, Western and Indian music. He was the president of Goa's Diocesan Commission for Sacred Music, and has been described as "the best musicologist East of the Suez".

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Konkani hymns with staff notation
Konkani Christian liturgical music Catholicism in India