2 languages
Ethiopian church chant
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Genre
Ethiopian church chant · According to Ethiopian tradition, Saint Yared arranged the church chant, the zema, in Aksum in the sixth century into three modes: ge'ez for ordinary days, ezel for Lent and araray for great feasts. He is also said to have devised a notation of his own for it. Trained church singers, the debtera, still sing this centuries-old liturgy in Ge'ez. They are accompanied by the large drum kebero and the sistrum tsenatsel, and keep time with a prayer staff.
Listening
Listening tip. Listen in this Halleluja from the Ethiopian Orthodox Eucharistic service, the kidase. Does the melody move in large leaps, or does it circle in small steps around a few notes?
Hale Luya (kidase) · Melake Genet Gezahegn Kristos, 1999
Fragment uit de Ethiopische liturgie · Ethiopisch-orthodoxe zangers in het Heilig Land, 1999
Lofzang op de begena · Alemu Aga, 2006
See also
- Alemu Aga
- Melake Genet Gezahegn Kristos
- Ethiopisch-orthodoxe zangers in het Heilig Land
- Psalms and temple chant
Categories: Genres