Abstrakt:
The process of separation of sacral and profane music in the Czech Republic and Slovakia was different from other countries because of the Communist system, which promoted atheism in the years 1948 through 1989. New religious media, concerts and festivals, publishers and agencies with a focus on the sacral music began to shape their activities after 1989. Nevertheless, during the totalitarian regime, about 40 albums were secretly issued, recorded in the illegal studios, which later represented marketing potential for a developed market after 1989. A gospel music band Radostné srdce (Joyful Heart) proves success of samizdat: the CD Vianočné koledy (Christmas Carols), issued in 1990, immediately after the revolution, sold 90 000 copies. Although the sacral and profane scene has an independent music industry, the only single identifier, which separates the sacral music from the profane music is the lyrics, the expression and the social function of music. All other styles and genres used in the current Christian music (gospel music) are consistent with the profane scene. About 240 albums of the Slovak contemporary Christian music were issued during the period 1989 – 2009.