Our Plainchant Heritage

"In Subcarpathian Rus’ in all the villages both among the [Greek Catholics] and also among Orthodox, there was always practiced only congregational singing of the complete services, not excluding the changeable (proper) hymns in all the varied chants. They sang according to the ‘Great Zbornik’ (collection of prayers and liturgical texts) containing every necessary text. The numerous chants (not excluding all the podobny, not even found in the Synodal notated liturgical books) were known by everyone, even the children of school age. The leader of song — the most experienced singer from the parishes—standing at the kliros sang the chant. As soon as the worshippers would hear the hymn, they would join in the chant and the entire church sang all the stichiry, all the tropars, all the irmosy—in a word, everyone sang properly according to the established canonical parts of the Liturgy.  They sang in unison and whoever could, imitated or reinforced the bass. The impression proved to be overwhelmingly strong."

— Johann von Gardner (1898-1984)
[based on his personal observations and witness, while living in Subcarpathian Rus' from approximately 1917 to 1921]