The Onoranda Company of Singers of St. Martin Parish is one of the few activities throughout the Alps and unique in its characteristics. Its origins are certainly prior to 1761 data detected from the Book of the different endings of Messrs Cantori that refers to a reorganization of the Choir; this suggests that it existed before this date. It consists of twelve members with charging for life: six singers are from Cercivento di Sopra and six from Cercivento di Sotto; functions in the two groups are arranged evenly on the left and right of the altar.
The statute dated March 24th 1761 that specific rules for the selection and appointment of the Singers of the brotherhood and for life with some interesting notes about the behavior in certain traditional rituals. Several resolutions have as argument the singing of Jesus, Jesus every man call Jesus laud the '400 written by the Florentine Feo Belcari and landed, no one knows how and when, in this little reality in the mountains of Carnia; already in 1761, the document makes explicit reference confirming that even then the custom was in force.
The last day of the Cantori formulated with the ancient melody of the song familiarly known as Gjesù cjamìn their wishes for "Bon finiment e bon prinsipi" and the families of the country. Today as in the past the family grant sop or a small sum of money as a thank you for the work done during the year by Cantori.
But not always gone so considering that in the Book of termination dated November 22nd 1761 reads as follows: given that the abuse has come, the last day of the year, in which Messrs Cantori them according to custom go for each of the two fire houses receiving usual Soppi them, and these not only are no longer data according to custom, but much to the contrary, so will the debt of Messrs Heads of Cantori present, and their successors of operating where there administer the right, then to them Messrs singers become to those resolutions and decisions which in their just pareranno.
The sop harvest, was once divided between the singers participating in the begging, today is partly used as well for the traditional and annual snack, even for the recovery of the artistic heritage of the old parish church of San Martino. But, over the years, the maintenance of this old tradition of the traditional song of the year-end must necessarily have created some problems among the Singers considered that the resolution of 21 May 1899 reads as follows:
Gathered the undersigned Cantori today in Canonica, to address questions which are born each year during the last year, in the collection of sops, the snack and division of money, become for them, absent and successors to establish the following:
1 ° All the singers have an obligation to act in the hand of Jesus, Jesus .... all in both villas, being always subordinate to the rules that they believe to adopt the Cantori bosses.
2nd will be dispensed only that Cantore he had a legitimate impediment that must be recognized by the whole body of the Singers.
3 ° Those who will not intervene without having legitimate and recognized impediment will not be a participant in the relative share of sops, neither in nor in the snack money.
4th From the entire collection will be taken sops amounting to make the snack: which will be entitled to participate in all and only those involved in Boys' Choir sing.
The 5th place for a snack will be set in advance by Cantori Heads, that although it was to sing does not intervene to snack will not be entitled to receive refund, but will only be entitled to its share for the rest.
6 ° The civanzo of sops paid after the snack will be divided equally among all ruled out, however, that the Cantor did not intervene in the collection and had no legal impediment.
The current assets of singing Onoranda Company consists of several religious songs and the result of oral transmission among various singers that have come and gone over the years.
In recent times, the singers have engaged in the recovery of some songs, no longer in use, but still alive in the memory of the old country; the songs, in fact, also were widely known by the people. This is due to the fact that when the church was used Latin, during the week the Holy Mass was sung in that, by statute, was to secure the presence of a number of singers. With the advent of the use of the Italian language in the liturgy it went gradually diminishing the use of songs in Latin replaced by new ones in Italian.
Nevertheless the Onoranda Company has managed to take several ancient melodies and between these noteworthy is undoubtedly the recovery and reintegration in the repertoire, an ancient sung Mass (probably of Aquileia origin) who for 50 years was not more tuned in religious functions.
Currently the Onoranda Company intervenes to complete only in the most important liturgical feasts, singing ancient songs of oral tradition:
New Year's Day, Epiphany, Valentine's Day (February), St. Margaret (February), Holy Thursday, Easter Eve, Easter, Octave of Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Corpus Christi, Vesper St. John B. (June 24th), Mass and Vespers of the Assumption procession (August 15th), Assumption Eighth procession in Cercivento di Sotto, Feast of all Saints (November 1st), Vespers of the living and the dead (November 1st), for evening Mass all Souls (November 2nd), St. Martin, and the dedication of the Church (November), Immaculate Conception (December 8th), Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.
Being the only existing Cantoria in the area is often called upon to solemnize, with ancient melodies, the various religious festivals in the valley countries.
The Onoranda Company consists of:
Cercivento di Sopra - PITT Antonino (1928), DASSI Duilio (1954), VEZZI Celestino (1955), PITT Luigino (1959), DASSI Giuliano (1956);
Cercivento di Sotto - DELLA PIETRA Renato (1953), DELLA PIETRA Fabrizio (1954), BOSCHETTI Mario (1954), DELLA PIETRA Edimiro (1958), MENEANO Luciano (1950), ZANIER Federico (1967).