Sárospataki Füzetek 15. (2011)

2011 / 1. szám - TANULMÁNYOK - A. Molnár Ferenc: Összevont zsoltárversszakok a mai magyarországi református énekeskönyvben

A. Molnár Ferenc

Abstract

Contracted psalm strophes in the present psalter Hymnal of the Reformed Church of Hungary

The Hungarian translation of the whole Book of Psalms in verse — to Genevan and French melodies and by mainly translating from Ambrosius Lobwasser’s German text — was first published by Albert Szenei Molnár in 1607. Ever since that collection of songs has become an exceptional part of Hungarian Protestant, especially Calvinist, church singing and it has also played an important role in Hungarian literature. However, in the 19*- 20* and 21st centuries various modifications were made on the Szenei Molnár text versions or several strophes were sometimes omitted or not recommend for worship purposes in the widely-used church psalter hymnals. The opinion has been formed that some Psalms are too detailed or too closely related to Old Testament Judaism, or some words or phrases of the Hungarian text have become obsolete or easily misunderstood in the meantime. The Psalter Hymnal in present use, Hnekeskönyv Magyar reformátusok simára {Psalter Hymnalfor Hungarian Calvinists; first published in 1948 and mainly edited by Kálmán Csomasz Tóth) made some modifications on the texts, but retained all the 150 Psalms and 74% of the strophes. However, it omitted strophes in eight cases by contracting two strophes while omitting halves or some lines of the strophes. This study examines those eight cases. The author finds the contractions acceptable in some cases and unfortunate, from the point of content or linguistic formulation, in other cases. There have always been debates on the possibility of omitting parts from the Szenei Molnár texts. If yes, how much and what can be omitted? When and in what ways can modifications be made? The lately started Hungarian Calvinist liturgical and psalter hymnal reforms make this debate and thinking especially timely. This article, by a question of detail, wishes to contribute to this process and also to the examination of the questions of textual bequeathing in the Hungarian history of language.

58 Sárospataki Füzetek 2011/1