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Tune / melody family
Hymns & Music
Liturgy & Rites

Kiahk Tune

The Kiahk tune is a Coptic melody type associated with Advent, distinguished by an orally transmitted structure in which musical formulae occupy consistent positions.[^1][^2]

Also known as: Kiyahk tune · Kiyahk melody · Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ

Published 10/1/2026Updated 6 revisionsPage history

In brief

The Kiahk tune is a principal seasonal melody type in Coptic Orthodox worship, associated with Advent and the month of Kiahk. Preserved through oral teaching, it is recognized by traditional musical formulae in consistent positions and belongs to a season of psalmody celebrating the Incarnation and praising the Mother of God.

Identity and liturgical use

The Kiahk tune, named Ⲭⲟⲓⲁⲕ and transliterated Kiyahk in the sources, is one of six principal melody types used in Coptic music for ordinary days and special occasions; it is associated with Advent.1 Coptic melodies are classified according to liturgical occasions rather than the eight-mode system known as the Oktoechos.2

The Arabic term [[Lahn|lahn]], plural alhan, designates a recognizable, named melody or melody type in Coptic usage; translations such as “tone,” “air,” and “melody” convey only part of its meaning.15 The other principal types in Kuhn’s classification are al-sanawī for daily use, including Adam and Batos; al-faraiḥī for feasts, weddings, and baptisms; al-ṣiyāmī for fasting periods; al-sha‘anīnī for Palm Sunday and feasts of the Cross; and al-ḥazainī for the week before Easter.16

Musical structure

Magdalena Kuhn identifies Kiahk as a well-known melody whose structure is largely established by oral tradition: different cantors sing its musical formulae in identical positions.2 These formulae are clusters of notes that may recur within a chant, sometimes at different pitches or in sequences.3

In Kuhn’s account of Coptic melodic practice, the opening formula identifies the melody associated with a particular feast and is fixed by tradition.3 Kiahk exemplifies the relative stability of familiar melodies, in contrast to less familiar melodies whose placement of formulae may vary more between singers.2

Kuhn specifically places the daily al-sanawī melody alongside Kiahk as an example of traditional stability, contrasting both with al-sha‘anīnī and al-faraiḥī, whose use of formulae can vary more.17 A formula does not possess a distinctive character in isolation: its position within the melody gives it significance, making placement and overall structure important to recognition.18 In the broader formulaic system, a cantor can lengthen or shorten a vocalise, repeat a formula at different points, and use the same formula in more than one melody.19

In Coptic chant, familiar melodies serve as memory aids for singing different hymn texts.7 Kuhn also explains that a chant’s high, middle, or low vocal register has no symbolic meaning and may be adapted to suit each singer’s voice.8

Kuhn distinguishes syllabic singing, in which a note corresponds to each syllable and textual rhythm determines melodic rhythm, from neumatic singing, with one or two notes on an important syllable, and melismatic singing, with a group of notes on a single syllable.20 Her discussion of extended vocalises emphasizes their placement on one or two vowels of an important word, their organization by traditional rules rather than unrestricted embellishment, and their purpose of inducing deep meditation.21 The intervals between successive notes in her account of Coptic melodic practice are normally small.22

Context in Kiahk psalmody

The special choirbook al-Absalmudiyyah al-Kiyahkiyyah contains the hymns sung during the month of Kiyahk.4 The seasonal psalmody is popularly called “seven and four,” referring to its seven Theotokia and four odes, and is characterized by joyful singing in expectation of Christ’s coming.5 Its themes include the incarnation of the Logos, the Son of God, and praise of the Theotokos, the Mother of God.6

Antiphonal singing is common in Kiahk psalmody: two cantors or two groups, called the northern and southern choruses according to their positions beside the iconostasis, alternate four verses at a time.9 Because assembling a congregation every night throughout the month is difficult, a custom developed of singing the complete sequence of Theotokia on Saturday night, with odes and psali inserted before the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Theotokia.10 Arabic mada’ih, or songs of praise, are also sung after each part of the Kiahk psalmody.11

The Lobsh Watus has a distinct seasonal form for Kiyahk, separate from those for feasts and days of rejoicing and for the remainder of the year.12 The 1911 Kiahk psalmody book includes additional lobsh sections after the original lobsh of each Theotokia; these optional additions are selections from explanations, interpretations, or paraphrases.13 The Tobhat, the litany of intercessions in midnight psalmody, contains eighty-three verses or prayers in Kiyahk rather than the seventy-four used during the rest of the year, and is sung, like the doxologies, to a Watus melody that varies with the season.14

The term Psalmodia denotes both the choral service and its choirbook, and the service belongs to the little synaxis of psalms and hymns preparing for the great synaxis, the Divine Liturgy.23 Its regular liturgical positions are immediately before the Evening Offering of Incense, at the conclusion of Midnight Prayer, and between Morning Prayer and the Morning Offering of Incense.24 The general service developed from the recitation of psalms through the subsequent incorporation of hymns; alongside antiphonal performance, responsorial alternation between a soloist and the congregation is sometimes used.25

The seven Theotokia correspond to the seven days of the week, while the four odes belong to the daily psalmody following Midnight Prayer.26 In the extended Kiahk sequence, each Theotokia is preceded by its own psali, with one or more such hymns assigned to each day.27 The Tobhat and doxologies follow the third ode and its psali, before the Friday Theotokia.28

Hymnody, texts and terminology

The four odes

The four hos, or odes, combine Old Testament canticles with psalm selections: the first is the Song of Moses in Exodus 15:1–21, the second is Psalm 136, the third is the Song of the Three Holy Children, and the fourth consists of Psalms 148, 149, and 150.29 Their strophes follow the verse divisions of the Coptic biblical text, are unrhymed, and are sung in a definite duple-meter rhythmic pattern; the second ode includes an Alleluia refrain in each strophe.30

Psali and mnemonic forms

A psali is a metrical hymn accompanying a Theotokia or an ode, and the corpus has twenty-six to forty-six strophes per hymn, each formed as a rhymed quatrain.31 Strophes are often arranged as Coptic or Greek alphabetic acrostics, sometimes doubled or reversed, providing a mnemonic framework that helps singers complete the hymn without omissions.32 The refrain usually repeats the fourth line of the strophe, although some psalis repeat both the third and fourth lines.33

Psalis are also unusual because, apart from certain paraphrases reserved for Kiahk, they are the pieces of Coptic music whose authors identify themselves in the texts, often through a plea for mercy in a strophe.34 In the paraphrases, the author’s name may instead be encoded in the initial letters of successive strophes or of a series of hymns.35 Detailed editions by Muyser and Yassa ‘Abd al-Masih, drawing on manuscripts from the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, demonstrate the technical accomplishment of psali authors in handling Coptic rhyme and rhythm.36

Most psalis use Adam or Batos melodies according to the weekday, although some prescribe the tune of another familiar psali or hymn; their music is generally rhythmic and syllabic, with little melisma or improvisation and a range of four or five tones.37

Adam, Watus and seasonal forms

The names Adam and Batos, also called Watus, derive from the opening words of the Monday and Thursday Theotokia respectively, the latter referring to the bush seen by Moses.38 Hymns labeled Adam normally belong to Sunday through Tuesday, whereas Batos applies to Wednesday through Saturday and also to evening services and Holy Week; the two differ in verse structure, length, and mood, but their music differs little in contemporary practice and both may occur within one service.39

A lobsh, from the Coptic word meaning “crown” or “consummation,” is a concluding stanza and closes the Theotokia except on Sunday.40 The Saturday Theotokia’s lobsh has two sections called the first and second sharah, while the lobsh of the Monday and Tuesday Theotokia use Adam and those of Wednesday through Saturday use Watus.41 A Lobsh Adam follows the first and second odes, whereas the second psali following the third ode is properly a Lobsh Watus.42

In the 1911 Kiahk choirbook, supplementary lobsh sections appear after the lobsh of the odes as well as the Theotokia, and the additions conclude with a tarh.43 The explanatory selections associated with the Theotokia are represented in manuscripts published by De Lacy O’Leary, whose The Coptic Theotokia appeared in 1923; the 1911 Kiahk psalmody volume was reprinted in Cairo in 1982.44 A mu‘aqqab is sung with the other tafasir at the Saturday Theotokia before the Evening Offering of Incense on Saturdays in Kiahk, and optionally during Lent.45

The singular tubh is an Egyptian Arabic ecclesiastical term derived from Coptic tobh, meaning prayer, and the midnight Tobhat combines a list of saints with prayers beginning with the invocation to pray to the Lord.46

Theology and seasonal meaning

In the account of Advent by Archbishop Basilios, the preparatory fast lasts six weeks, beginning on 16 Hatur and ending on 29 Kiyahk, the date of the Nativity feast.47 The season also directs attention beyond the commemoration of Christ’s birth to his Second Coming in power and majesty, with reference to Matthew 24:42 and John 14:2, while acknowledging that its day and hour are unknown.48

The associated Divine Liturgy includes a special fraction prayer that addresses God as unseen, unlimited, unchangeable, and incomprehensible, and describes the only-begotten Son as the True Light and eternal Logos who dwelt in the Virgin’s undefiled womb.49 The prayer affirms that Mary remained a virgin in giving birth and concludes with the praise of angels and the heavenly host, proclaiming the Lord’s holiness and the filling of heaven and earth with his glory.50

The antiphonal manner of seasonal praise belongs to a wider scriptural and ecclesiastical tradition: alternating choirs are related to David’s organization of the Levites, the dedication of Jerusalem’s wall in Nehemiah 12:27–42, and the seraphim calling to one another in Isaiah 6:3.51 Accounts of its Christian introduction differ, with one attributing it to a vision of angels experienced by Ignatius of Antioch, while another credits Flavianus and Diodorus with dividing choirs to sing the psalms.52

Oral transmission and the historical record

Knowledge of the early structure of Coptic melodies is limited by the absence of an early Coptic musical notation, and the surviving manuscript and printed tradition chiefly records texts and rubrics rather than the music itself.53 Transmission consequently depended on person-to-person teaching and rote learning, with strict instruction preserving a repertory regarded as a sacred trust.54

Marian Robertson’s comparisons of transcriptions made decades apart suggest that simpler melodies may have remained intact for centuries, while comparisons of recordings at the Institute of Coptic Studies found stable basic melodies and embellishments recurring in the same positions.55 These findings apply particularly to choral compositions, whereas solo singing allows more variation and improvisation in ornamentation and melismata.56

Within the broader history of the repertory, Abuna Takla, a nineteenth-century deacon, was encouraged by Pope Cyril IV to collect old chants and traveled through Egypt’s villages and towns in search of them.57 He also collected folk songs and composed liturgical melodies, which Ragheb Moftah described as forming the basis of contemporary traditional Coptic liturgical music.58 Kuhn reports that approximately 600 traditional liturgical melodies survived through oral transmission from the middle of the nineteenth century and were subsequently preserved on recordings.59

The earliest audio recordings identified in her account are eleven wax cylinders made in 1931 by Alfred Berner, featuring the cantor Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouny, and deposited in Berlin’s Phonogramm-Archiv.60 Between 1935 and 1957, Moftah assembled a further collection of traditional chants, again largely performed by al-Batanouny; the collection is housed in the Music Division of the Library of Congress and was also preserved digitally at the German Center of Music in Hannover.61 Kuhn cautions that this recorded basis for studying the tradition is concentrated around the collecting and composing activity of Takla and the performances of al-Batanouny.62

Cantors and practical preservation

A cantor’s responsibilities extend beyond leading worship to teaching hymns to deacons and members of the congregation, requiring knowledge of hymnology, psalmody, responsories, ritual, and church traditions.63 The professional cantor is called an ‘arif, one who knows, or mu‘allim, teacher, and is entrusted with the correct delivery of hymns and responses at their appointed services.64

Al-Batanouny, also known as Mu‘allim Mikha’il Jirjis, was the blind master chanter of Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Cairo and became a teacher of church music at the Coptic Clerical College after graduating in 1893.65 In 1895 he began teaching at the school for the blind in Zeitoun, using Braille for Arabic and adapting the Coptic alphabet to that method; he later collaborated with Moftah when the Higher Institute for Coptic Studies was founded in 1954.66

The wider liturgical performance tradition is predominantly monodic and vocal, with small hand cymbals and a metal triangle accompanying specified pieces rather than providing continuous instrumental accompaniment.67 Played by a deacon or cantor, these percussion instruments provide rhythm, signal congregational participation, and help unify the singing.68

Questions

Frequently asked questions

When is the Kiahk tune used?
It is associated with Advent, especially the month of Kiahk, when the Church uses its special seasonal psalmody in preparation for the Nativity.
What makes the Kiahk tune recognizable?
Its traditional opening formula identifies the melody, and familiar musical formulae recur in consistent positions across different cantors’ performances.
Why is Kiahk psalmody called “seven and four”?
The name refers to the seven daily Theotokia and four odes, often brought together in an extended Saturday-night service.
Is Kiahk psalmody sung entirely to one melody?
The seasonal service also uses forms identified as Adam and Watus, including a distinctive Kiahk Lobsh Watus and a seasonally varying Watus melody for the Tobhat.
How has the tune been preserved?
Like the wider Coptic chant repertory, it has been transmitted through oral teaching and memorization, supported in modern times by recordings and the work of trained cantors.

References

Sources

  1. 1.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    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
  2. 2.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. Hence, well-known melodies are constructed by oral tradition, while less well-known melodies are more likely to vary (Kuhn 2011). This system is very different from the Arabic maqām or the Byzanti
  3. 3.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    All three kinds of improvisation melodies are composed in clusters of notes, called modus or formulae. One group of notes can be repeated once or multiple times in a chant. Moreover, a group can be repeated in a higher or lower pitch, or even in sequences (sets of notes that follow each other in a particular order). Formulae permit a cantor to lengthen or shorten vocalises, both in daily use and on special feast days. 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
  4. 4.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    Also, a special book, al-Absalmudiyyah al-Kiyahkiyyah, contains the hymns to be sung for Advent, that is, during the month of Kiyahk.
  5. 5.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 162)
    Throughout the month of Kiyahk, the Kiyahkian psalmodia is chanted in a manner popularly known as the "seven-and-four" psalmodia (sab‘ah wa-arb‘ah), so called because it includes seven Theotokia and four hos and is characterized by joyful singing in expectation of the coming of Christ (see MUSIC, Sec. 1).
  6. 6.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).
  7. 7.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.
  8. 8.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    The level of the melody of a chant—high, low, or middle of a vocal register—has no symbolic meaning. It has to be convenient for the human voice and can be adapted to the voice of every singer.
  9. 9.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.
  10. 10.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) before the Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Theotokias.
  11. 11.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.
  12. 12.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    It should be noted that the Lobsh Watus varies according to the season. Thus, there is one for the feasts of the Lord and the days of rejoicing, another for the month of Kiyahk, and so on. These are in addition to the one used for the remainder of the year (al-Lahn al-Sanawi) and sometimes called Bikawarnidas.
  13. 13.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    In Al-Absalmudiyyah al-Muqaddasah al-Kiyahkiyyah (1911), additional sections, each called a lobsh, are written after each lobsh of the odes and theotokia, and are concluded by a TARH. Those additional lobsh sections given after the original lobsh of each theotokia are in fact selections of the various explanations, interpretations, or paraphrases given in detail in the manuscripts published by De Lacy O'Leary. Their use is optional.
  14. 14.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 594)
    The Tobhat in the midnight psalmody for the whole year consist of seventy-four verses or prayers, but for the month of Kiyahk they consist of eighty-three verses or prayers. The Tobhat, like the Doxologies, are sung to a melody type called WATUS, which varies according to the season.
  15. 15.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 77)
    Western scholars have translated lahn as “tone,” “air,” and/or “melody,” but none of these words conveys its full meaning.
  16. 16.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    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
  17. 17.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.
  18. 18.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.
  19. 19.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    Formulae permit a cantor to lengthen or shorten vocalises, both in daily use and on special feast days. 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.
  20. 20.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 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.
  21. 20.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 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.
  22. 21.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, whereas other words can be bound together.
  23. 21.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 2)
    The purpose of vocalises is to induce a deep meditative state. In Coptic hymns, traditional rules govern these kinds of ornaments.
  24. 22.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 3)
    The intervals (the distance from one note to the next) are normally small.
  25. 23.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 812)
    an ecclesiastical term used in two senses: a special choral service, and the choirbook containing the hymns therefor. The service of Psalmodia is part of the little synaxis
  26. 24.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.
  27. 25.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 812)
    The Psalmodia is usually sung antiphonally, but the responsorial style—wherein the chant is performed alternately by the soloist and the congregation—is sometimes used. Originally the Psalmodia consisted only of the recitation of Psalms, but various hymns were later incorporated into the service.
  28. 26.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    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.
  29. 27.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
  30. 28.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 91)
    The tubhat (singular TUBH) and DOXOLOGIES are sung after the third ode and its psali, before the Friday Theotokia.
  31. 29.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    Hos Four, Psalm 148
  32. 29.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    They are Hos One, Song of Moses (Ex. 15:1-21
  33. 29.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    Hos Two, Psalm 136
  34. 29.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    Hos Three, the Song of the Three Holy Children
  35. 30.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.
  36. 30.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 80)
    with an Alleluia refrain in each strophe
  37. 31.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    Every Psali has from twenty-six to forty-six strophes, each of which is a rhymed quatrain; the rhyming schemes may vary.
  38. 32.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
  39. 33.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.
  40. 34.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.
  41. 35.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.
  42. 36.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. Their articles serve to demonstrate the high level of technique in handling Coptic rhymes and rhythms attained by Psali authors.
  43. 37.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 83)
    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
  44. 37.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
  45. 38.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 78)
    Batos is the first word of the Theotokia for Thursday
  46. 38.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 78)
    The two names derive from the Theotokia for Kiyahk (see below), in which Adam is the first word of the Theotokia for Monday
  47. 39.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 78)
    Although they are distinct from each other in verse structure, length, and mood, their music differs little in contemporary practice, and both may be heard in the same service.
  48. 39.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 78)
    Hymns labeled Adam are to be sung Sunday through Tuesday, and also on certain specified days, while hymns labeled Batos are reserved for Wednesday through Saturday, for the evening service, and for Holy Week.
  49. 40.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    LOBSH, Arabic term (from Coptic lobs (lobsh), crown, consummation) used for the title of the final stanza in certain hymns. A lobsh serves as a conclusion for THEOTOKIA except on Sunday.
  50. 41.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    The lobsh of the theotokia of Saturday has two sections known as the first and second SHARAH. The many lobsh of the theotokia for Monday and Tuesday are sung to an ADAM melody. Those for Wednesday through Saturday are sung to a WATUS melody.
  51. 42.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    A Lobsh Adam (sometimes called psali) follows the first and second odes (see HOS), but the second psali, which follows the third ode, is properly a Lobsh Watus.
  52. 43.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    additional sections, each called a lobsh, are written after each lobsh of the odes and theotokia, and are concluded by a TARH.
  53. 44.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    Cairo, 1911. Reprinted Cairo, 1982.
  54. 44.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    given in detail in the manuscripts published by De Lacy O'Leary.
  55. 44.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 316)
    O'Leary, De L. The Coptic Theotokia. London, 1923.
  56. 45.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.
  57. 46.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 594)
    consisting of a listing of saints (Arabic, majma‘ al-qiddisin) and a series of prayers, each beginning with twbh mp[c (tobh amebshays), meaning "Pray to the Lord."
  58. 46.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 7 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 594)
    TUBH, an Egyptian Arabic term (plural tobhat) meaning "prayer," from Coptic twbh (Tobh, pray, prayer).
  59. 47.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 162)
    In the Coptic church this period lasts six weeks starting on 16 Hatur and ending on 29 Kiyahk. It is a period of fasting in preparation for the celebration of Christ's coming.
  60. 47.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 239)
    The feast of the Nativity of Christ is kept by the Coptic Church on 29 Kiyahk.
  61. 48.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 162)
    also looks forward to His Second Coming, the day when the Lord comes in power and majesty (Mt. 24:42; Jn. 14:2). Although Christ has warned that the day and hour of His coming no one knows (Mt. 24:36)
  62. 49.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 222)
    O Master Lord our God, who art unseen, unlimited, unchangeable and incomprehensible; who sent us the True Light, His only-begotten Son Jesus Christ, the Logos; who abideth everlastingly in Your Fatherly bosom, and came and dwelt in the Virgin's undefiled womb.
  63. 50.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 4 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 222)
    She gave birth to Him, remaining a virgin, and her virginity is sealed. 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.
  64. 51.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    In 1 Chronicles 25 we learn how David divided the Levites into groups to perform before the tent
  65. 51.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    the Levites were brought to celebrate this event in two choirs singing to the accompaniment of cymbals, lutes, and harps (Neh. 12:27-42). It was also in antiphonal singing that Isaiah heard the seraphim praising the Lord
  66. 52.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    They were the first to divide choirs into two parts, and to teach them to sing the psalms of David
  67. 52.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    Flavianus [bishop of Antioch] and Diodorus [bishop of Tarsus]
  68. 52.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 1 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 380)
    Ignatius, third bishop of Antioch in Syria from the apostle Peter, who also had held intercourse with the apostles themselves, saw a vision of angels hymning in alternate chants the Holy Trinity.
  69. 53.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    All the manuscripts discovered and books compiled to date record only texts and rubrics.
  70. 53.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    In the early days of Coptic Christianity, there was no Coptic musical notation. As a result, we know very little about the structure of early Coptic melodies.
  71. 54.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    this music was held as a sacred trust by those who learned it
  72. 54.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.
  73. 55.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    Marian Robertson has compared transcriptions of the same piece of music written decades apart by different scholars. These studies indicate that the simpler melodies may have remained intact for centuries.
  74. 55.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
  75. 56.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 88)
    This is especially true for those compositions sung by the choir. In the case of solo performers, variation and improvisation are to be found, particularly in the embellishments and melismata
  76. 57.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.
  77. 58.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    he also collected old folk songs.
  78. 58.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    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.
  79. 59.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    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.
  80. 60.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. They were recorded in 1931 by Alfred Berner
  81. 60.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    performed by the professional musician and cantor Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouny (1873-1957).
  82. 61.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    The entire Moftah collection is housed in the United States in the Music Division of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. It has also been saved in digital files at the German Center of Music in Hannover
  83. 61.Coptic Melodies: Structure and Significance — Magdalena Kuhn (p. 1)
    Between 1935 and 1957, Moftah put great effort into building up a collection of known Coptic traditional chants. These chants were also mostly performed by al-Batanouny.
  84. 62.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.
  85. 63.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. His duties also include the teaching of hymns to other deacons and members of the congregation.
  86. 64.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.
  87. 65.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
  88. 65.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 5 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 685)
    He graduated in 1893 and was appointed teacher of church music there.
  89. 66.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.
  90. 66.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
  91. 67.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    Today, two percussion instruments are used in the rites of many of the Coptic churches: the small hand cymbals
  92. 67.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 72)
    It is monodic, vocal, and sung a cappella
  93. 67.The Coptic Encyclopedia, Volume 6 — Aziz S. Atiya (Editor in Chief) (p. 106)
    and the metal triangle
  94. 68.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.

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This article was drafted from the sources listed above with AI assistance and reviewed by an editor before publication.