Affixing Appalachia: Textual Authority, Authenticity, and the Development of an American Orthodox Christian Musical Style

The Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition has long been associated with emphases on conservatism of its liturgical forms, and musical settings are typically no exception. However, the recent growth of Orthodox Christianity in the United States, particularly from converts of Evangelical backgrounds, has begun to challenge the primacy of Orthodox Christian music’s predominantly Russian and Greek origins. This paper will examine recent developments in Orthodox Christian liturgical music in the United States, particularly the emergence of what is sometimes referred to as an “Appalachian” or “American” Orthodox style that melds the textual and liturgical roots of with American folk music by analyzing the role of textual primacy (Seeger 1986) in three English-language hymns that typify various stages of an emergent American Orthodox musical genre. Ultimately, the musical identity that is produced maintains Orthodox Christianity’s distinctiveness from other Christian musical traditions while also satisfying nostalgic desires for authenticity in religious music.