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Coptic chant

Coptic chant is the vocal liturgical tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church, transmitted chiefly through oral teaching and distinguished by melodic formulae, extended vocal ornamentation, and melodies associated with particular seasons and occasions.[^1][^2][^3]

Also known as: Coptic Orthodox chant · Coptic liturgical chant · Coptic liturgical music · Coptic melodies · Coptic Orthodox chants · Coptic music

Published 10/1/2026Updated 6 revisionsPage history

In brief

Coptic chant is the vocal musical tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church, central to the Divine Liturgy, daily prayers, and seasonal worship. Transmitted chiefly through oral teaching, it combines monodic singing, recurring melodic formulae, and extended vocal ornamentation, with limited percussion and distinct melodies for particular feasts and occasions.

Character and liturgical setting

Coptic chant is the vocal musical tradition of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Its music is monodic and predominantly unaccompanied, although small hand cymbals and the triangle accompany specified pieces during certain services. The Divine Liturgy forms its core; the supplied account describes its texts as intended for singing except for the Creed and Dismissal.1

The liturgical singing is performed by men, apart from responses assigned to the whole congregation, and this tradition differs from the musical practices of Egypt’s Greek Orthodox, Coptic Catholic, and Protestant churches.54

The percussion instruments are played by deacons and/or the cantor, both to signal congregational participation and to unify the singing.18

Chant also belongs to the morning and evening Offerings of Incense, the canonical hours, and the choral service of Psalmodia.567 In Psalmodia, the four hos comprise biblical canticles and selections from the Psalms.7

The Euchologion contains the texts and rubrics for the three liturgies and the Offering of Incense, with a final section devoted to chants and hymns for particular liturgical seasons.19 Its texts are in Bohairic, accompanied by line-by-line Arabic translations and Arabic rubrics; the source also notes that Sahidic may be heard in Upper Egypt.20

The music entry describes a liturgical service requiring about three hours of singing, with special Holy Week services extending to six or seven hours.55 In its account of liturgical usage, Saint Basil’s liturgy serves throughout the year except at Nativity, Epiphany, Resurrection, and Pentecost, when the more ornate music of Saint Gregory’s liturgy is used; Saint Basil’s is also celebrated daily in monasteries.56 The same account reports that most melodies of Saint Cyril’s liturgy, also called Saint Mark’s, had been lost, recalling its regular celebration by Patriarch Macarius III in 1942–1945 and occasional performances by Abuna Pachomius al-Muharraqi.57 Burmester identified two surviving chants from that liturgy: the conclusion of the Commemoration of the Saints and an extract from the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed.58

The Offering of Incense includes the Hymn of the Angels, while the morning service, originally preceding the liturgy, is often incorporated into it in practice.59

Liturgical voices and ceremonial use

The officiating priest offers prayers called awshiyyah, plural awashi, either silently or aloud, using traditional melodies adapted to the season or feast.60 His sung prayers employ recurring psalmodic formulae, often becoming progressively more elaborate before ending with especially rich melismata, in free rhythm generally following textual accents and meters.61 The deacon relays the officiant’s biddings, reads lessons, and leads responses and congregational hymns; his cantillation is generally more rhythmic than the priest’s, alternating duple and triple meters according to textual accents.62

Chant also accompanies ceremonial movement: priests and deacons carrying lighted candles precede a bishop entering the church in procession, singing appropriate hymns.63 Father Athanasius Iskander describes deacons intoning or humming “o-wǀw” as the priest leaves the sanctuary before the Absolution of the Servants, while the congregation bows its heads; he explains this action through Sirach 50:16–22, where the sons of Aaron make an audible acclamation and the people prostrate themselves.64

Antiphonal and responsorial performance

Antiphonal chant is performed by two cantors or groups, called the northern and southern choruses according to their positions beside the iconostasis, each singing four verses alternately; this form is common in annual and Kiyahk psalmody.21 In responsorial chant, a cantor sings verses of the Psalms and the other cantors or congregation answer with a refrain, which may be a single word such as “Alleluia,” a fixed phrase, or a short petition.22 The responsory entry describes tractus, in which a single cantor sings while the congregation listens, as usual at vespers, while responsorial singing is particularly suited to long night vigils.23

The antiphon entry locates biblical precedents in David’s organization of the Levites in 1 Chronicles 25, the sons of Asaph in Ezra 3, the two choirs at Jerusalem’s wall dedication in Nehemiah 12:27–42, and the seraphim calling to one another in Isaiah 6:3.65 It also records competing Christian origin traditions: some associate antiphony with Saint Peter, Socrates attributes its introduction at Antioch to Saint Ignatius’s vision of angels singing alternately, and Theodoret credits Flavianus and Diodorus with dividing choirs while they were still laymen.66

Specific responses include “O Lord Jesus Christ help me” in Sunday psalmody, “My Lord Jesus Christ, my good Savior” in Saturday psalmody, and the repeatedly sung “Lord have mercy” in the Divine Liturgy.67 An early historical example appears in Athanasius’s Apology for Flight: during a military incursion into a vigil in February 356, he directed a deacon to read a psalm and the people to respond “For His mercy endureth forever” before dismissing them to their homes.68

Psalmodia is technically a daily service, but daily performance is confined to monasteries, with other churches singing it when the Divine Liturgy is to be celebrated.24

Canonical hours and the Psalmodia repertory

The canonical hours are contained in the Horologion, called al-ajbiyyah or salawat al-sawa‘i in Arabic; monasteries add the Prayer of the Veil, salat al-sitar.69 Their musical sequence includes assigned Psalms, a cantillated Gospel, two strophic troparia and two further troparia called Theotokia invoking the Virgin Mary, the cantillated Lesser Doxology, the Kyrie, the Prayer of Absolution, and responses.70 Although Greek Orthodox offices also contain troparia and Theotokia, their melodies and order differ from those of the Coptic hours.71 Because the hours do not require priestly direction, a cantor can lead their musical portions in towns and cities; early monastic reservations about singing contrast with later practice among monks trained as deacons, and predominantly Arabic recitation occurs alongside a revival of Coptic in some monasteries.72

Psalmodia denotes both the choral service and its choirbook, and belongs to the little synaxis—the Psalms and hymns preparing worshippers for the great synaxis, or Divine Liturgy.73 Originally consisting only of Psalm recitation, the service subsequently incorporated hymns, while retaining an annual order with modifications for Lent and major feasts.74 Its prescribed positions are immediately before the Evening Offering of Incense, after Midnight Prayer, and between Morning Prayer and the Morning Offering of Incense; the music entry particularly describes Saturday-night performance in city churches.75 The annual book is al-Absalmudiyyah al-Sanawiyyah, while al-Absalmudiyyah al-Kiyahkiyyah supplies the Advent repertory.76

The term hos derives from Egyptian h-s-j, meaning “to sing, to praise,” and the four odes have unrhymed strophes following Coptic biblical versification, sung in a definite duple-meter rhythm.77 The first ode is the Song of Moses, Exodus 15:1–21; the second is Psalm 136 with an Alleluia refrain in each strophe; the third is the Song of the Three Holy Children; and the fourth comprises Psalms 148–150.78

Oral transmission and preservation

Coptic music has been transmitted from person to person through oral teaching and rote learning. Comparisons of transcriptions and recordings suggest considerable continuity in basic melodies, alongside variation in solo embellishments and melismata.2

Hans Hickmann interpreted this transmission as the custody of a sacred trust, maintained through strict instruction, and proposed that music had deliberately been left unwritten to prevent its falling into unsuitable hands.79 Marian Robertson’s comparisons of transcriptions made decades apart, together with comparisons of recordings at the Institute of Coptic Studies, found particularly strong consistency in choral pieces, including the placement of embellishments.80

Encouraged by Pope Cyril IV, the deacon Abuna Takla traveled throughout Egypt collecting old chants and also composed liturgical melodies. Ragheb Moftah regarded these melodies as a foundation of the contemporary traditional repertory.4

Takla also collected old folk songs, although his first priority was finding the earliest records of church chants.25 Kuhn reports that some 600 traditional liturgical melodies survived through oral transmission from the middle of the nineteenth century and were recorded on audio tapes.26

In 1931, Alfred Berner recorded eleven wax cylinders performed by the cantor Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouny. Between 1935 and 1957, Moftah assembled a further collection, again largely performed by al-Batanouny; the collection was subsequently preserved on tape and in digital form and is housed in the Library of Congress.4

The wax cylinders are deposited in Berlin’s Phonogramm-Archiv, while digital files of the later Moftah collection were also preserved at the German Center of Music in Hannover.27

Kuhn emphasizes a limitation of this documentary foundation: the repertory available for structural study was collected and partly created by Takla and recorded predominantly through one performer, al-Batanouny.81

Recordings edited by Moftah at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies include the complete Liturgy of Saint Basil in 1965, another performance by Mu‘allim Sadiq in 1968, Holy Week services in 1972, evening prayers in 1976, and midnight prayers in 1978.82 Further documented recordings include the Resurrection ritual in 1974, hymns for patriarchs and bishops in 1980 and 1983, and Saint Gregory’s liturgy, the marriage service, and doxologies for the Virgin Mary and saints in 1984.83

Transcription and musical study

Possible evidence of notation using dots and primitive ekphonetic signs exists, while Guillaume André Villoteau’s transcription of a liturgical Alleluia in the 1809 Description de l’Egypte was the first attempt to transcribe Coptic melodies in Western notation.28 Working with Moftah and listening to chanters including Mikhail Girgis, Ernest Newlandsmith produced some sixteen folio volumes of transcriptions during a project lasting approximately from 1926 to 1936.29 In 1976, Nabil Kamal Butros completed a master’s thesis, “Coptic Music and Its Relation to Pharaonic Music,” which compared transcriptions of one hymn as sung by several choirs.30

Later nineteenth-century publications included Jules Blin’s Chants liturgiques coptes in 1888 and Louis Badet’s Chants liturgiques des Coptes in 1899; Blin’s transcriptions are unreliable but Badet’s reasonably accurate in their general melodic outlines.84 Newlandsmith worked for part of his project as Moftah’s guest on a Nile houseboat, hearing chanters for extended daily sessions, and also worked with him at Abu al-Shuquq in 1929.85 Coptic melodies entered Newlandsmith’s own compositions, including the Oriental Suite for violin and piano and the Carmelite Rhapsody for solo violin, both dating from 1929.86 Butros was a violin teacher at Helwan University’s Faculty of Music Education and a member of the Arabic Classical Music Ensemble, bringing a comparative performing background to his research.87

Musical styles and ornamentation

Biblical texts are commonly delivered in melodic recitative, with microtones and a free rhythm adapted to the words. Magdalena Kuhn distinguishes three further styles used for psalms, hymns, and liturgical chants:8

  • Syllabic: one note corresponds to each syllable, with a short ornament on the final note; textual rhythm governs the melody.8
  • Neumatic: one or two notes fall on an important syllable within or at the end of a verse.9
  • Melismatic: several notes extend a single syllable of an important word.9

Extended vocalises, called al-hazzāt, are a characteristic form of ornamentation. Kuhn describes them as supporting deep meditation, with their length depending on the occasion and especially the cantor’s knowledge and skill.9

Kuhn places vocalises on one or two vowels of an important word and describes characteristic vowel changes: “i” and “e” usually become “ei,” while “a,” “o,” and “u” become “aw” or “ow.”31

She translates al-hazzāt as “vibration” and reports that cantors prioritize vowels rather than grammatical constructions in these passages, sometimes binding other words together within the musical flow.88

Accounts of their duration and terminology differ. Vocalises have been described as lasting between one and twenty minutes, whereas an alternative distinction separates rhythmically pulsed vocalises from freer melismata, with typical melismata lasting ten to twenty seconds and some vocalises continuing for a full minute.910

Wide vibrato and an independence of musical phrasing from textual syntax also occur: in Saint Basil’s liturgy, priestly solos and pre-anaphoral hymns exhibit enjambment, while the Maundy Thursday hymn “Judas, Judas” can place a musical cadence within a word.89 Musical treatment may alter syllabic stress and length, especially in Greek texts, so textual analysis alone cannot establish the musical form.90 Melodies commonly proceed diatonically within about five tones, with a characteristic half-step–whole-step–half-step progression in either direction; thirds occur, augmented seconds are rare, and diminished fourths occur relatively often.91 Microtonal intervals resist accurate reproduction on a keyboard, and the implied tonal center can shift almost imperceptibly by a minor third or more.92

Melodic formulae and seasons

Ornamentation is governed by traditional structures rather than unrestricted improvisation. Repeated clusters of notes, or formulae, help cantors remember melodies and extend or shorten vocalises. The opening formula identifies a melody associated with a feast, while later formulae allow greater flexibility.11

Formulae may recur at higher or lower pitches, in sequences, at different positions within a chant, or in different melodies.32 Kuhn finds more consistent placement of formulae among cantors in familiar daily and Kiyahk melodies, and greater variation in less familiar Palm Sunday and festive melodies.33 She distinguishes this organization from Arabic maqām and from classification in the eight-mode Oktoechos system.34

For Kuhn, a formula does not have an intrinsic special character: its position within the melody gives it significance, making placement and overall structure essential to recognition.93 The music entry identifies three broader constructions: short phrases woven into usually three or four recurring sections with a prescribed cadence; longer self-contained phrases repeated as strophes or refrains; and simplified, text-led syllabic melodies sometimes spanning only two or three tones.94 Newlandsmith isolated ten “typical” musical phrases in the first of these constructions, which is especially associated with extended vocalises and melismata.95

The Arabic term [[Lahn|lahn]] (plural alhan) designates a recognizable melody or melody-type, often bearing a descriptive name; translations such as “tone,” “air,” and “melody” do not convey its full meaning.35

Other musical directions in liturgical books include echos, adopted from Greek, and Coptic bohem or ouohem, meaning “response”; descriptive melody names include lahn al-tajniz, for the dead, and al-lahn al-ma‘ruf, the familiar melody.96

Kuhn identifies six principal melody types for ordinary days and special occasions:3

  • Al-sanawī: daily melodies, including Adam and Batos.3
  • Al-faraiḥī: feasts, weddings, and baptisms.3
  • Kiyahk: Advent.3
  • Al-ṣiyāmī: fasting periods.3
  • Al-sha‘anīnī: Palm Sunday and feasts of the Cross.3
  • Al-ḥazainī: the week before Easter.3

Intervals are normally small, and the vocal register may be adjusted to suit the singer rather than carrying symbolic meaning.3

Psalis and Kiyahk psalmody

Psalis are metrical hymns accompanying a Theotokia or hos, described in the music entry as containing twenty-six to forty-six strophes, each a rhymed quatrain.36 Their strophes are often alphabetic acrostics, sometimes double or reversed, which help singers remember the complete hymn without omissions.37 A refrain usually repeats the fourth line of each strophe, although sometimes both the third and fourth lines are repeated.38 Psalis are also unusual in identifying their authors within their texts, often with a plea for mercy; the source identifies a few Kiyahk paraphrases as the other exceptions to the usual anonymity of Coptic musical texts.39 Most Psalis use Adam or Batos according to the day of the week, with rhythmic, syllabic melodies generally spanning four or five tones and showing little melisma or improvisation.40

Arabic names for the form include absaliyyah and madih, meaning praise or laudation; editions by Muyser and Yassa ‘Abd al-Masih draw on fourteenth- and eighteenth-century manuscripts and demonstrate sophisticated handling of Coptic rhyme and rhythm.97 Some Psalis prescribe the melody of another named Psali or familiar hymn rather than simply specifying Adam or Batos, and their delivery is characterized as quasi-parlando.98 In Kiyahk paraphrases, an author’s name may appear as an acrostic across the strophes of one hymn or across a sequence of hymns.99

Kiyahk psalmody centers on the incarnation of the Logos and praise of the Theotokos.41 Its common Arabic designation, “seven and four” [sab‘ah wa-arba‘ah], refers to the seven Theotokias of the week and the four odes of the daily Psalmodia following Midnight Prayer.42 Because assembling a congregation every night for a month is difficult, a custom developed of singing the whole sequence of Theotokias on Saturday night, interspersed with odes and Psalis.43 The account also notes the singing of Arabic mada’ih, or songs of praise, after each part of the Kiyahk Psalmodia.44

In this extended sequence, odes and Psalis are inserted before the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Theotokias; each Theotokia has one or more preceding Psalis and ends with its lobsh and tarh, while the tubhat and doxologies follow the third ode and its Psali before the Friday Theotokia.100 A mu‘aqqab is sung with other tafasir at the Saturday Theotokia before the Evening Offering of Incense during Kiyahk, and optionally during Lent.101 The month’s special fraction prayer likewise connects the incarnation and the Virgin’s undefiled womb with angelic praise, culminating in the acclamation of the Lord of Sabaoth whose glory fills heaven and earth.102

Manuscript hymnography

Two late ninth-century manuscripts in New York’s Pierpont Morgan Library preserve important Sahidic hymnographic evidence: M574 contains thirteen hymns on Christ, the Virgin Mary, and saints, while M575 contains the earliest Sahidic antiphonary.103 The M574 hymns have twenty-four strophes arranged as Greek-alphabet acrostics, including one reversed acrostic, and use Sahidic with some Fayyumic admixture; the poetry entry suggests that such earlier hymns may preserve models underlying later Bohairic Psalis.104 M575 includes hymns on martyrs, saints, and famous monks as well as Christ and the Virgin, with parallels in the later Bohairic Difnar and Theotokia; the Bohairic Difnar provides two hymns for each day of the ecclesiastical year, honoring either one saint or two saints commemorated together.105

Cantors

Cantors direct the chanting of the choir and congregation and teach hymns to deacons and other worshippers.12 The sources differ in describing their clerical status: the separate entry on cantors calls the cantor usually a deacon, though sometimes a layman, while the music article describes the professional cantor as not belonging to the ordained clerical orders.1213

The professional cantor is called ‘arif, “one who knows,” or mu‘allim, “teacher,” and is employed by the church to ensure correct performance at the appointed services, thereby receiving his livelihood.106 The music entry associates the frequent employment of blind cantors with an old popular belief that loss of sight heightened hearing and musical sensitivity, rather than presenting that belief as a physiological fact.107 It preserves an appointment prayer asking God to illuminate the singer for the sweet rendering of holy words and grant him understanding in chanting spiritual hymns, while the cantor entry stresses careful selection and knowledge of hymnology, psalmody, responsory, ritual, and tradition.108

Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouny was blind and served as master chanter of Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo and as a teacher of church music at the Clerical College.45 While teaching at the school for the blind in Zeitoun, he used Braille for Arabic and adapted the same method to the Coptic alphabet.46

Al-Batanouny, also known as Mu‘allim Mikha’il Jirjis, lived from 1873 to 1957 and learned tunes previously specialized in by Mu‘allim Armaniyus and Mu‘allim Salib.109 He attended Abu al-Sa‘d’s Coptic elementary school in Cairo’s Azbakiyyah quarter from 1879 to 1881, studying Psalms, hymns, Coptic, and Arabic, and graduated from the Clerical College in 1893 under Yusuf Manqariyus’s administration.110 His teaching at Zeitoun began in 1895 and included ritual, religion, Coptic, and Arabic; Pope Cyril V selected him for his cathedral and college responsibilities, and in 1954 he collaborated with Moftah at the newly founded Higher Institute for Coptic Studies.111 He also translated the Coptic service into Arabic with the cathedral priest Qummus Philuthawus Ibrahim, and his instruction extended to correcting Coptic pronunciation among his pupils, some of whom were themselves blind.112

Language and historical origins

Comparative studies described in the sources indicate that melodies can remain substantially intact when texts alternate between Coptic, Greek, and Arabic. Reports of simplification in Arabic coexist with examples preserving melodic lines, rhythms, and considerable ornamentation; the source therefore calls for further comparison.14

A specific example is “Remember me, O Lord,” sung in Coptic and Greek at the Sixth Hour on Good Friday without a change of music; “Judas, Judas,” sung on Maundy Thursday in Greek and Arabic, similarly illustrates preservation of melodic lines, rhythms, and ornamentation across languages.113 Rubrics may identify hymns as Rumi, referring to Byzantium, or as Beheiri, Sa‘idi, and Masri, referring respectively to northern, southern, and central Egypt; these designations establish textual or regional associations rather than necessarily proving the origin of the melody.114

Jewish, Greek, and ancient Egyptian traditions have been proposed as influences. The supplied historical accounts treat particular musical connections cautiously and emphasize the need for further research rather than establishing direct continuity for specific ancient melodies.151617

The Psalter, Alleluia, and Sanctus are important Jewish textual antecedents, and John Gillespie also proposed adoption of the benediction Baruh Ahtah Adonai, “Thanks be to Thee, O Lord,” but the historical account reports no specific melodies identified as common to Jewish and Coptic traditions.115 Similarly, the Greek and Coptic traditions share the texts of the Trisagion and The Only-Begotten while singing them to entirely different melodies, demonstrating why common wording alone cannot establish musical continuity.116

Proposed Egyptian antecedents include antiphonal singing in the Songs of Isis and Nephthys, Hickmann’s suggested connection between the Kyrie and rites of the sun-god, and Baumstark’s comparison with a litanic Isis prayer in Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1380.117 Hickmann also interpreted repeated syllables in Middle Kingdom texts as possible vocalises, while the historical survey notes Gnostic vocalises on seven “magic vowels,” the term “kalophony” in Pseudo-Demetrius of Phaleron, and possible continuities in blind professional singers and ritual percussion.118 Hickmann and Borsai compared village folk melodies and rhythms with Coptic chant, but the survey explicitly calls for much more research into these suggested connections.119

For early Christianity, Baumstark regarded much primitive liturgical wording as improvised within gradually developing regional rites, while De Lacy O’Leary proposed that the earliest Psalm-like hymns preceded the second half of the third century.120 O’Leary connected the Gloria in Excelsis, Trisagion, and Prayer of Esaias with Syrian or Byzantine rites; the last, based on Isaiah 8–9, was no longer found in the recent Coptic liturgical books consulted by the music entry.121

The poetry entry identifies Byzantine influence on Coptic hymnography through headings referring to the modes of the Oktoechos, while emphasizing that Coptic poets developed forms and treatments of content substantially different from Byzantine models.47 The historical music account states that the precise musical consequences of separation after the Council of Chalcedon are unknown.48 It nevertheless records continued contact with Syrian church music, including Coptic monks studying at the music school of the Monastery of Saint Sabas near the Dead Sea during the fifth and sixth centuries.49

The History of the Patriarchs supplies evidence of the social importance of sung worship, recalling rejoicing at the restoration of Coptic liturgies under Patriarch Isaac in 686–689 and monks of Dayr Anba Maqar greeting an exiled patriarch with traditional sacred songs.122

Instruments and patristic interpretation

The hand cymbals are known in Arabic as sanj or colloquially sajjat, and the metal triangle as muthallath or turianta.123 The historical discussion places their restricted liturgical use against early Christian objections to instruments: Clement of Alexandria opposed the psaltery, trumpet, timbrel, and pipe, although he apparently tolerated the lyre and kithara because of their association with David.124 Origen interpreted the trumpet as the power of God’s word, the tympanon as the destruction of lust, and cymbals as the eager soul’s love of Christ; Athanasius likewise assigned instruments symbolic meanings, while Cyril I described a psalm as a musical utterance accompanied rhythmically by an instrument.125 Arabic manuscripts at Saint Catherine’s Monastery dated 977, the eleventh century, and the twelfth century preserve hymn and Psalm texts naming cymbals, drums, stringed instruments, and rattles, documenting knowledge of such instruments rather than by themselves establishing their use in Coptic worship.126

Related devotional music

Liturgical chant is distinct from nonliturgical Sunday-school songs called alhan, including thirteen songs honoring the Virgin Mary designated taranim.50 These songs have strophic texts of praise and worship and are sung monophonically, either antiphonally or in unison, by men and women.51 Their Western-influenced style includes violin, piano, and/or organ accompaniment with rudimentary harmony, and some borrow phrases from familiar Western melodies.52

The examples include “Joy to the World” and “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”; these songs are attractive to young people but drew objections from purists who regarded them as lacking the dignity and spirituality of the ancient liturgical repertory.127

At Coptic pilgrimage sites, worshippers may perform a tamjid, or song of praise, before an icon, tomb, or relics of a venerated saint, accompanied by rhythmic cymbals.53

Language adaptation and contemporary concerns

Liturgical performance in French, English, and German occurs among Copts living abroad, together with concerns among some specialists that translation could alter the distinctive musical expression of the tradition.128 Relatively recent Arabic mada’ih introduced into the liturgy also drew criticism: despite their popular melodies and rhythms, some defenders of older practice questioned their theological and spiritual value.129 These judgments represent positions within the discussion of preservation, rather than demonstrations that a change of language necessarily destroys a melody, since examples of melodic continuity across languages also exist.130

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Is Coptic chant accompanied by instruments?
It is predominantly unaccompanied and monodic. Small hand cymbals and the triangle accompany specified hymns and responses, helping signal participation and coordinate the singing.
How has Coptic chant been preserved?
Cantors have passed it down through oral teaching and memorization. Modern preservation also includes Western transcriptions, wax-cylinder recordings, audio tapes, and digital collections associated especially with Ragheb Moftah and Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouny.
What distinguishes Coptic vocal ornamentation?
Extended vocalises prolong vowels through recurring musical formulae. Traditional rules shape their structure, while the occasion and the cantor’s skill affect their length and elaboration.
What is the Kiyahk “seven and four”?
It refers to the seven weekly Theotokias and four odes of Psalmodia. A customary Saturday-night observance combines them with Psalis and other hymns centered on the incarnation and praise of the Virgin Mary.
Are Coptic chants sung only in Coptic?
No. The sources describe singing in Coptic, Greek, and Arabic, as well as French, English, and German in diaspora communities. Some comparative studies show substantial melodic continuity when the language changes.

References

Sources

  1. 1.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 72)
    The following remarks pertain only to the music of the Coptic Orthodox Church. Other Christian churches in Egypt (Greek Orthodox, Coptic Catholic, Protestant, etc.) have their own musical practices. ... It is monodic, vocal, and sung a cappella solely by men, with the exception of some responses assigned to the whole congregation. Small hand cymbols and the triangle are employed with specified pieces during certain services (See Musical Instruments, below). ... The core of Coptic music lies in the Divine Liturgy (Arabic: quddas), whose texts are all meant to be sung, excepting the Creed and th
  2. 2.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    From the beginnings of the church, the music has passed from one person to another, from one generation to the next, by oral teaching and rote learning. Thus Coptic music has always depended on a continuous oral tradition. ... These studies indicate that the simpler melodies may have remained intact for centuries. Other comparisons of recordings made years apart at the Institute of Coptic Studies also show that the basic melodies have remained unchanged, and that even the embellishments, though varying slightly, occur in the same places throughout the melody in question. ... In the case of sol
  3. 3.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    Different hymns are sung to well-known melodies that are used as a kind of memory aid. In Coptic music, six main types of melody are used for ordinary days or special occasions: al-sanawī daily melody (ADAM and Batos); al-faraiḥī for feasts, weddings, baptisms, etc.; Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ (Kiyahk) during Advent; al-ṣiyāmī during fasting periods; al-sha‘anīnī on Palm Sunday and feasts of the Cross; al-ḥazainī in the week before Easter. The intervals (the distance from one note to the next) are normally small. The level of the melody of a chant—high, low, or middle of a vocal register—has no symbolic meaning. I
  4. 4.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    Abuna Takla was encouraged by Pope CYRIL IV (1854-1861) to collect old Coptic chants. He traveled the length and breadth of Egypt from north to south, from isolated villages to small towns, in search of old Coptic melodies. ... Abuna Takla’s quest enabled him to compose liturgical melodies himself. Moftah noted that these melodies are still the basis of contemporary Coptic traditional liturgical music. ... The first audio recordings, 11 wax cylinders of Coptic music, are deposited in the Phonogramm-Archiv in Berlin. They were recorded in 1931 by Alfred Berner, a German specialist in Arabic mus
  5. 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    They are known as the Morning (or Evening) Offering of Incense (Arabic: Raf‘ Bukhur Bakir and Raf‘ Bukhur ‘Ashiyyah). ... Like the liturgy, these two services are cantillated.
  6. 6.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 79)
    A great wealth of Coptic hymnology may be heard in the canonical hours, which are prayers performed by lay people in the city churches and by monks in the monasteries.
  7. 7.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    In addition to the canonical hours, there is a special choral service known as Psalmodia ... They comprise two biblical canticles (see Canticles, below) from the Old Testament (Hos One and Hos Three) and two Psalm selections (Hos Two and Hos Four).
  8. 8.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    In the traditional Coptic music culture biblical texts are rarely read in the manner of an everyday text, but are recited in a melodic recitative style: Recitative style: this style contains many microtones and has a free rhythm, where the rhythm is adapted to fit the text. Psalms, hymns, and liturgical chants are performed in three different styles: 1) Syllabic style: a single note is assigned to each syllable in the corresponding text with a short ornament on the final note. The rhythm of the text defines the rhythm of the melody.
  9. 9.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    2) Neumatic melodies: one or two notes are placed on an important syllable in the middle or at the end of a verse. 3) Melismatic melodies: a group of notes is performed on a single syllable of an important word. Vocalises: (Arabic: al-hazzāt, vibration): This variation of a melismatic melody includes extremely long vocalises, mostly constructed by formulae. It is a common characteristic, and indeed a kind of specialty, of Coptic music. ... A vocalise can last between one and twenty minutes. Its length depends on the day, the occasion, and the liturgical feast, but especially on the cantor’s kn
  10. 10.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 76)
    This phenomenon may take two forms identified by scholars as vocalise, when the vowel is prolonged with a definite rhythmic pulse, and melisma (pl. melismata), when the vowel is prolonged in a free, undefined rhythm. A melisma generally lasts from ten to twenty seconds, but some vocalises may continue for a full minute.
  11. 11.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    Such mnemonics can be found in the texts of the chants, but also in the musical formulae. ... Formulae permit a cantor to lengthen or shorten vocalises, both in daily use and on special feast days. ... As previously noted, a vocalise is not an unbounded improvisation. Rules and tradition govern their composition. The first formula serves to identify the melody for a certain feast day. This formula is fixed by tradition and is the same for every singer, whether professional or lay people. ... A cantor is more or less free to select other formulae in different positions in the same melody, wheth
  12. 12.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 374)
    CANTOR, leader and director of the chanting of the choir and the congregation during the liturgy and other occasions such as ceremonial processions. He is usually a deacon but may also be a layman. ... His duties also include the teaching of hymns to other deacons and members of the congregation.
  13. 13.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 103)
    Because members of the clergy were not equally talented as singers, it became and has remained the tradition to entrust performance of the music to a professional cantor ... The cantor is not an ordained member of the clerical orders, but in times past, a prayer used to be said for him as the appointed singer in the church.
  14. 14.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 90)
    Initial investigations have revealed that when texts are sung interchangeably in different tongues, the melodies remain essentially intact. ... Scholars have observed that, with the translation of the liturgies and numerous hymns into Arabic, those melodies put to an Arabic text have tended to become simpler, shorter, and less ornamented than the original Coptic version. ... However, the few studies made of pieces sung interchangeably in Coptic (or Greek) and Arabic seem to show that the basic melodic lines and rhythms are kept intact, and that even the ornamentation is maintained to a remarka
  15. 15.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    There are three primary traditions from which Coptic music very likely absorbed elements in varying proportions: the Jewish, the Greek, and the ancient Egyptian. ... However, how much Jewish liturgical music came into the Coptic church, either from Jerusalem or Alexandria, must remain a matter of speculation at this point. To date, no specific melodies have been identified as belonging to both traditions.
  16. 16.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 93)
    Although it is obvious that many texts are common to both the Coptic and Greek Churches, it does not necessarily seem to follow that the melodies have been held in common as well. ... However, since the relation of Greek and Coptic music is a study still in its infancy, no comprehensive or definitive statement can be made about this problem at present.
  17. 17.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 94)
    Another Coptic musical characteristic that might have existed in pharaonic Egypt is the vocalise and/or melisma ... Hickmann and Borsai felt that the folk songs of Egyptian villagers have melodies and rhythms similar to those of Coptic chant. Much more research needs to be done, however.
  18. 18.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    each played by one of the deacons and/or the cantor. Providing a rhythmic accompaniment to specified hymns and responses sung by the choir and/or congregation, they signal the congregation to participate and unify the singing.
  19. 19.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 74)
    The texts and rubrics for the three liturgies and the Offering of Incense are to be found in the EUCHOLOGION ... The last section of the Euchologion contains the texts of many chants and hymns proper to the various liturgical seasons.
  20. 20.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 74)
    The texts are written in the Bohairic dialect (in Upper Egypt the Sahidic dialect may be heard), and are accompanied by a line-by-line translation in Arabic, with the rubrics all being in Arabic as well.
  21. 21.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    ANTIPHON, a form of liturgical chant performed by two cantors or two groups of cantors, referred to as the northern and southern chorus with regard to their position next to the iconostasis where they stand in the church. Each sings four verses alternately. This form is commonly used in the annual and Kiyahkian psalmody.
  22. 22.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 59)
    RESPONSORY, a form of liturgical chant wherein a cantor says verses of the Psalms and the whole group of cantors or the congregation responds with a refrain. This refrain may take one of several forms: (1) it may be one fixed word, such as "Alleluia," ... (2) it may be a fixed group of words ... (3) it may be a short petition
  23. 23.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 59)
    tractus (where a single cantor sings and the congregation listens) ... Thus, at vespers, which is a comparatively short service, the tractus system is the one usually followed, whereas in long night vigils, the responsory proves to be more suitable.
  24. 24.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 812)
    Although technically speaking, the Psalmodia is a daily service, only in the monasteries is it performed every day. Elsewhere it is sung only when the Divine Liturgy is to be celebrated.
  25. 25.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    In the course of his mission, Abuna Takla’s first priority was to find the earliest records of Church chants, but he also collected old folk songs.
  26. 26.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    As an oral tradition, some 600 Coptic traditional liturgical melodies have survived from the middle of the 19th century to the present day, and have been recorded on audio tapes.
  27. 27.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    The first audio recordings, 11 wax cylinders of Coptic music, are deposited in the Phonogramm-Archiv in Berlin. ... It has also been saved in digital files at the German Center of Music in Hannover
  28. 28.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 114)
    Although there may be some evidences of a notation system using dots and a primitive ekphonetic notation for Coptic music ... Guillaume Andre Villoteau, a French scholar who was part of Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt, was the first to attempt such a transcription when he devoted some five pages of his Description de l’Egypte (1809) to an Alleluia from the Divine Liturgy.
  29. 29.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 113)
    Here, as the guest of Mr. Moftah, he lived in a houseboat on the Nile, notating the music as chanters—among them the great master chanter Mu‘allim MIKHA’IL JIRJIS ... sang their time-honored melodies ... The complete project lasted about ten years (1926-1936), and during this time, Newlandsmith transcribed some sixteen folio volumes of music
  30. 30.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    In 1976, Nabil Kamal Butros ... completed a master’s thesis, “Coptic Music and Its Relation to Pharaonic Music,” in which he made a comparative transcription and analysis of one hymn as sung by several different choirs.
  31. 31.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    A vocalise is always placed on one or two vowels of an important word in a text ... The vowels “i” and “e” in a word usually become “ei,” while the vowels “a,” “o,” and “u” become “aw” or “ow.”
  32. 32.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    a group can be repeated in a higher or lower pitch, or even in sequences ... The same formula can be repeated on the same vocalise in different positions: at the beginning, in the middle, or at the end of a song. One formula can also be used in different melodies.
  33. 33.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    Very well-known melodies, such as the daily melody al-sanawī, or the ADVENT melody Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ (Kiyahk in Arabic), are largely constructed by tradition. In these chants, we find formulae sung by different cantors in identical positions. Less well-known melodies, such as the al-sha‛ānīnī melody for Palm Sunday, or the al-faraiḥī melody used for weddings and special feasts, can vary in their use of formulae.
  34. 34.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    This system is very different from the Arabic maqām or the Byzantine, Syrian, or Jewish melody types called Oktoechos (the eight-mode system used for the composition of religious chants during the liturgical year).
  35. 35.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    the Arabic LAHN (pl. alhan) ... Western scholars have translated lahn as “tone,” “air,” and/or “melody,” but none of these words conveys its full meaning. ... in Coptic music it refers basically to a certain melody or melody-type which is readily recognized by the people and known by a specific, often descriptive name
  36. 36.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    The Psalis ... are metrical hymns that accompany either a Theotokia or hos. ... Every Psali has from twenty-six to forty-six strophes, each of which is a rhymed quatrain
  37. 37.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    The strophes are often arranged in acrostic order according to the Coptic or Greek alphabet by the first letter of each strophe. Some are even in double acrostic, and others in reverse acrostic. Such patterns serve as mnemonic devices, enabling the singers to perform the hymns in their entirety with no omissions.
  38. 38.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    Usually the refrain is made by repeating only the fourth line of the strophe, but sometimes both the third and fourth lines are repeated.
  39. 39.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    except for a few paraphrases reserved for Kiyahk, these are the only pieces of Coptic music whose authors are identified in the texts. The writer’s name may be found embedded in a strophe, with a plea for mercy and pardon from sin
  40. 40.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    Most Psalis are to be sung either to the melody-type Adam or Batos, depending on the day of the week ... These melodies are rhythmic and syllabic, that is, the notes match the texts with little trace of melisma or improvisation; their range usually covers four, or at most, five tones
  41. 41.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 222)
    Throughout the month of Kiyahk, the church uses the Kiyahkan psalmodia, which revolves around the themes of the incarnation of the Logos, the Son of God, and the praise of the Theotokos (mother of God).
  42. 42.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    SAB‘AH WA-ARBA‘AH, an Arabic ecclesiastical idiom commonly used by Copts in reference to the PSALMODIA for the month of Kiyahk. It literally means "seven and four." The seven refers to the seven Theotokias of the week, one for each day. The four refers to the four odes of the daily Psalmodia that follows the Office of Midnight Prayer.
  43. 43.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    As it is not easy to assemble a congregation every night for a month, the custom has arisen of using the whole consecutive series of Theotokias on Saturday night, breaking the monotony by inserting the odes and psali (metrical hymns)
  44. 44.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    Arabic mada’ih (songs of praise) are now sung after each part of the Psalmodia during Kiyahk.
  45. 45.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    MIKHA’IL JIRJIS, MU‘ALLIM (1873-1957), master chanter of the Cathedral of Saint Mark in Cairo ... He was a blind man ... He was chosen by CYRIL V as church singer of the cathedral and as teacher of church music at the Clerical College.
  46. 46.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    In 1895 he was asked to teach church ritual, religion, Coptic, and Arabic in the school for the blind, set up at Zeitoun, a suburb of Cairo. He used the Braille method in teaching Arabic, and designed the Coptic alphabet after the same method for teaching Coptic.
  47. 47.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 724)
    Byzantine hymnography had some influence on Coptic poetry. This is shown by the references in some headings to the modes of the Oktoechos of Saint John of Damascus ... they created their own poetry, which differed substantially in form and treatment of content from Byzantine hymnody.
  48. 48.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 98)
    After the Council of Chalcedon, the Copts severed ties with the Byzantine and Roman churches ... What exactly happened regarding music is unknown.
  49. 49.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 98)
    the Copts continued to maintain contact with the Syrian church and its music. During the fifth and sixth centuries, there was a flourishing music school at the Syrian Monastery of Saint Sabas near the Dead Sea where Coptic monks came to study.
  50. 50.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    strictly nonliturgical songs have been developed for use in the Sunday schools. They bear the general title alhan, but thirteen, composed especially in honor of the Virgin Mary, are designated taranim
  51. 51.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    Both the alhan and taranim have texts of praise and worship, strophic in form. Sung antiphonally or in unison by both men and women, they are monophonic.
  52. 52.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    they betray much Western influence, for example, the singing is always accompanied by the violin, piano, and/or organ; this instrumental accompaniment has rudimentary harmony; and some songs borrow phrases from well-known Western melodies
  53. 53.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 680)
    During the pilgrimage, many pilgrims present themselves before the icon of the Virgin or before the tomb, relics, or icon of the venerated saint, where they perform a tamjid, or song of praise, accompanied by the rhythmic clanging of cymbals.
  54. 54.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 72)
    Other Christian churches in Egypt (Greek Orthodox, Coptic Catholic, Protestant, etc.) have their own musical practices.
  55. 55.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    The entire service may require some three hours of singing, and during Holy Week, the special services may last six or seven hours.
  56. 56.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    the Liturgy of Saint Basil is celebrated throughout the year except for the four major feasts of Nativity, Epiphany, Resurrection, and Pentecost; also, it is used daily in the monasteries whether there is a fast day or not
  57. 57.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    Unfortunately, most of the melodies of the Liturgy of Saint Cyril have been lost, and it can no longer be performed in its entirety.
  58. 58.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    According to BURMESTER, only two chants have survived: the conclusion of the Commemoration of the Saints
  59. 59.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 73)
    Today, in actual practice, the Morning Offering of Incense is often incorporated into the liturgy itself.
  60. 60.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 74)
    It is the role of the officiant to offer the prayers (Arabic: awshiyyah, pl. awashi), which may be recited silently or sung aloud, according to the traditional melodies adjusted to the festal and seasonal requirements.
  61. 61.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 74)
    Since they become more and more elaborate as they continue, and conclude with a formula comprised of the richest of melismata, they may be rather lengthy.
  62. 62.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 74)
    His melodies are generally more rhythmic than those of the officiant, with duple and triple metres alternating according to the textual accents.
  63. 63.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 333)
    During processions, bishops enter the church preceded by priests and deacons carrying lighted candles and chanting relevant hymns.
  64. 64.Understanding the Liturgy — Father Athanasius Iskander (p. 14)
    While the priest is on his way out of the sanctuary, the deacons start intoning or humming, “o-wǀw…… o-wǀw …,” while the congregation bows their heads.
  65. 65.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    In the days of Nehemiah at the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem the Levites were brought to celebrate this event in two choirs singing to the accompaniment of cymbals, lutes, and harps (Neh. 12:27-42).
  66. 66.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    Ecclesiastical historians differ as to the time and the process by which antiphonal chanting was introduced into the Christian church.
  67. 67.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 59)
    "O Lord Jesus Christ help me" in the Sunday psalmody; or "My Lord Jesus Christ, my good Savior" in the Saturday psalmody
  68. 68.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 59)
    I sat down on my throne and desired the deacon to read a psalm, and the people to respond "For His mercy endureth forever." Then I bade them all return to their own houses.
  69. 69.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 79)
    In the monasteries, the Prayer of the Veil (Arabic: salat al-sitar) is added. The book containing these prayers is the Book of the Hours or HOROLOGION
  70. 70.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 79)
    The canonical hours consist of the reading of the Psalms assigned for each hour, followed by the cantillation of the Gospel, two short hymns written in strophic form, known as troparia
  71. 71.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 79)
    Although troparia and Theotokia are also heard in the canonical offices of the Greek Orthodox church, their order of performance is different from that of the Copts. The Greek and Coptic melodies differ as well.
  72. 72.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 79)
    Since the hours are not dependent on priestly direction, in the towns and cities, the musical parts of each hour are led by the cantor
  73. 73.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 812)
    The service of Psalmodia is part of the little synaxis, which consists of the recital of the Psalms of the canonical hours and the singing of hymns in preparation for the great synaxis, that is, the Divine Liturgy.
  74. 74.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 812)
    Originally the Psalmodia consisted only of the recitation of Psalms, but various hymns were later incorporated into the service.
  75. 75.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    performed immediately before the Evening Offering of Incense, at the conclusion of the Prayers of the Midnight Hour, and between the Office of Morning Prayer and the Morning Offering of Incense
  76. 76.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    The texts and order of the prayers, the hymns, and the lections are to be found in the book, al-Absalmudiyyah al-Sanawiyyah. Also, a special book, al-Absalmudiyyah al-Kiyahkiyyah, contains the hymns to be sung for Advent
  77. 77.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    They are strophic, with their strophes following the versification given in the Coptic biblical text. Unrhymed, they are sung to a definite rhythmic pattern, in duple meter.
  78. 78.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    Hos Three, the Song of the Three Holy Children
  79. 79.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    According to Hans Hickmann (see Musicologists, below), this music was held as a sacred trust by those who learned it, and indeed, was purposely not transcribed lest it fall into the wrong hands.
  80. 80.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    Other comparisons of recordings made years apart at the Institute of Coptic Studies also show that the basic melodies have remained unchanged, and that even the embellishments, though varying slightly, occur in the same places throughout the melody in question.
  81. 81.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    unfortunately collected and created by one single chanter, the deacon Abuna Takla, and mostly performed by one professional musician, al-Batanouny
  82. 82.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 118)
    The Complete Liturgy of St. Basil, ed. Ragheb Moftah. Recorded at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies. Cairo, 1965.
  83. 83.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 118)
    The Coptic Liturgy of St. Gregory, ed. Ragheb Moftah. Recorded at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies. Cairo, 1984.
  84. 83.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 119)
    The Ritual for the Feast of the Resurrection, ed. Ragheb Moftah. Recorded at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies. Cairo, 1974.
  85. 84.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 114)
    Whereas Blin’s transcriptions are unreliable, those of Badet are fairly accurate as to the general scheme of the melodies.
  86. 85.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 113)
    as the guest of Mr. Moftah, he lived in a houseboat on the Nile, notating the music as chanters
  87. 86.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 114)
    two, dating from 1929, remain significant: his Oriental Suite for violin and piano, and the Carmelite Rhapsody for solo violin
  88. 87.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    Nabil Kamal Butros, violin teacher in the Faculty of Music Education at Helwan University and a member of the Arabic Classical Music Ensemble
  89. 88.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    Coptic cantors claim that the grammatical constructions of the texts are not important in vocalises. The vowels are the most important part in these kinds of chants.
  90. 89.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 76)
    in some hymns a musical cadence may occur even in the middle of a word (“Judas, Judas,” heard during Holy Week on Maundy Thursday, is a case in point)
  91. 90.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 76)
    the music may distort the stress and length of the syllables, especially if the text being sung is Greek
  92. 91.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 76)
    Melodies tend to proceed diatonically, usually within a range of five tones, with a characteristic progression of a half-step, whole step, and half-step, both descending and ascending.
  93. 92.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    by means of these microtones, the implied tonal centre of a given tune may shift imperceptibly, sometimes by as much as a minor third or more
  94. 93.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    A formula itself does not have a special character; it is a formula’s position in the melody which imbues it with significance.
  95. 94.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    analyses reveal that this music has been constructed according to definite forms, three of which may be described
  96. 95.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    Newlandsmith (see Musicologists, below) isolated ten musical phrases which he termed “typical.” The extended vocalises and melismata described above are found most often in this kind of piece.
  97. 96.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    the Coptic bohem (Bohem) or ouohem (ouohem), meaning “response”
  98. 97.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    Muyser and YASSA ‘ABD AL-MASIH have published detailed editions of certain Psalis, using manuscripts dating from the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries.
  99. 98.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    certain ones specify the title of another familiar Psali or hymn to whose melody they may be sung
  100. 99.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    In the paraphrases, the author’s name may be given in acrostic form as the first letter of each strophe of the hymn, or as the initial letter of each of a set of hymns arranged seriatim.
  101. 100.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    Each Theotokia is preceded by its psali, one or more for each day, and is ended with its LOBSH and TARH. The tubhat (singular TUBH) and DOXOLOGIES are sung after the third ode and its psali, before the Friday Theotokia.
  102. 101.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 839)
    A mu‘aqqab is sung together with the other tafasir at the Saturday theotokia in the PSALMODIA before the service of the evening offering of incense performed on Saturdays in the month of Kiyahk and optionally during Lent.
  103. 102.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 222)
    The angels praise Him, and the heavenly host chant unto Him, crying: Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are filled with Thy holy glory.
  104. 103.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 724)
    two manuscripts from the end of the ninth century belonging to the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York (M 574, published in part, and M575, unpublished)
  105. 104.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 724)
    Each of these hymns consists of twenty-four strophes; they are acrostics, each strophe beginning with the successive twenty-four letters of the Greek alphabet.
  106. 105.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 724)
    M 575 contains the earliest Sahidic antiphonary. It includes hymns on Christ, the Virgin Mary, martyrs, saints, and famous monks.
  107. 106.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 103)
    a professional cantor (Arabic: ‘arif, “one who knows,” or mu‘allim, “teacher”), who is employed and trained by the church to be responsible for the correct delivery of the hymns and responses in all the services
  108. 107.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 103)
    He is usually blind, due to the popular belief dating from ancient times that the sensitivity of eyesight was transferred from the eyes of a blind person to his ears, and that such transference enhanced musical skills.
  109. 108.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 2 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 374)
    He should have a thorough knowledge of hymnology, psalmody, and all forms of responsory, besides church ritual and traditions.
  110. 108.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 103)
    do Thou illumine him for rendering sweetly Thy holy words, and give grace to him to chant unto Thee, with understanding, the spiritual hymns
  111. 109.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    From his early youth he showed an outstanding aptitude to learn the tunes in which only two chanters specialized before him: Mu‘allim Armaniyus and Mu‘allim Salib.
  112. 110.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    There he remained for two years, from 1879 to 1881 during which time he studied the Psalms and hymns as well as the Coptic and Arabic languages.
  113. 111.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    When the Higher Institute for Coptic Studies was founded in 1954, he collaborated with Raghib Muftah, head of the department of Coptic music at the Institute.
  114. 112.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 686)
    His most important achievement was the translation of the Coptic service into Arabic, in collaboration with the qummus PHILUTHAWUS IBRAHIM
  115. 113.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 90)
    in the Easter hymn, “Remember me, O Lord” (performed on Good Friday during the Sixth Hour)
  116. 114.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 90)
    Other hymns are designated as Beheiri, from northern Egypt, Sa‘idi, from southern Egypt, or Masri, from the central part of the country.
  117. 115.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    To date, no specific melodies have been identified as belonging to both traditions.
  118. 116.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 93)
    the TRISAGION have the same text in both traditions, but the Greek and Coptic melodies for them are entirely different
  119. 117.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 93)
    Hickmann proposed a connection between the Kyrie and the ancient Egyptian rites of the sun-god, and according to Baumstark, a litanic form of the Isis prayer is found in the Oxyrhynchus Papyrus 1380
  120. 118.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 94)
    some Gnostic texts contain vocalises said to be built on the seven “magic vowels.” Pseudo-Demetrius of Phaleron referred to this phenomenon as well, calling it “kalophony.”
  121. 119.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 94)
    Hickmann and Borsai felt that the folk songs of Egyptian villagers have melodies and rhythms similar to those of Coptic chant. Much more research needs to be done, however.
  122. 120.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 94)
    De Lacy O’Leary, maintaining that the earliest hymns were composed in imitation of the Psalms, suggested that such works should be dated before the second half of the third century.
  123. 121.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 94)
    the GLORIA IN EXCELSIS (Luke 2:14), the Trisagion, and the Prayer of Esaias (excerpts from Is. 8 and 9, not to be confused with the canticles; see Canticles, above). This last hymn is no longer found in recent Coptic liturgical books.
  124. 122.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 98)
    Specific mention is made in the HISTORY OF THE PATRIARCHS of the people rejoicing when Patriarch ISAAC (686-689, see ISAAC, SAINT) had the liturgies restored in the churches of the Orthodox (Coptic)
  125. 123.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    the small hand cymbals (Arabic: sanj, or colloquially sajjat), and the metal triangle (Arabic: muthallath, or colloquially turianta)
  126. 124.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    Clement of Alexandria (c. 150-220) inveighed against playing the psaltery, the trumpet, the timbrel or tympanon, and the pipe.
  127. 125.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    Origen (c. 185-254) attributed definite spiritual qualities to the sound of certain instruments, with the trumpet representing the power of God’s word, the tympanon depicting the destruction of lust, and the cymbals expressing the eager soul enamored of Christ.
  128. 126.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    Three Arabic manuscripts from Saint Catherine’s Monastery (no. 30, 977; no. 21, eleventh century; no. 22, twelfth century) quote hymn and Psalm texts that name many different instruments suitable for praising the Lord
  129. 127.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 117)
    some songs borrow phrases from well-known Western melodies such as Handel’s “Joy to the World” and Mendelssohn’s “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.”
  130. 128.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    Copts now maintaining residence in foreign lands have begun to perform their liturgies in French, English, and German.
  131. 129.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 90)
    Those well acquainted with the age-old traditions aver that despite the popularity of the attractive melodies and rhythms of the mada’ih, these newer hymns contain little of theological or spiritual value.
  132. 130.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 90)
    the few studies made of pieces sung interchangeably in Coptic (or Greek) and Arabic seem to show that the basic melodic lines and rhythms are kept intact, and that even the ornamentation is maintained to a remarkable degree

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