Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 13 July 2020
music: comparison of st. basil liturgy greek responses
in the coptic and byzantine traditions
Michael Henein, Joseph Paliouras, Mina Salama, and Osama Fathy Keywords: Anaphora of Saint Basil; Arabic Maqam; Byzantine music; Coptic Chants; Coptic Church; Coptic music; Coptic Orthodox Church; Coptic studies; Coptic Orthodox liturgy of St. Basil; Liturgical music; St. Basil Liturgy Introduction The anaphora of saint basil is the commonly used liturgy in the Coptic Orthodox Church. Its two other less frequently practiced liturgies are the anaphora of saint gregory and the anaphora of saint cyril. In the Greek Orthodox Church, in contrast, the St. Basil liturgy is used less frequently, in comparison with its own commonly used liturgy, attributed to St. John Chrysostom.1 The St. Basil liturgy consists of priest’s prayers, deacon responses, and congregational or choir responses. As to the use of musical instruments, the Copts use only the cymbals and triangles to keep the rhythm of the congregational responses, and the Greeks sing the Icon, the continuously steady note, to keep the correct harmony.
The exact history of the St. Basil liturgy in the Coptic Church is not known, but Greek references in the Patrologia Graecolatina mention a letter of Leontius of Byzantium (written in 444), which states that Theodore of Mopsuestia tried to make corrections to the liturgy of Basil. This is the first mention of the St. Basil liturgy in patristic writings.2 Leontius’ letter also points out St. Basil’s disciples compiled the liturgy text in his honor, as did St. Gregory’s disciples, rather than two saints having composed the liturgies themselves and commanded their use. Although in the Coptic Church the responses in the St. Basil liturgy are chanted predominantly in the Coptic language, a few pieces are sung in Greek, for example Kyrie Eleison, Agios, and so on. This raises a question concerning potential similarities between the music of the Greek responses as they are practiced in the two churches, and various other developments that took place over the centuries. In view of the many shared responses in the St. Basil liturgy that are practiced in Greek language in the Coptic church, we sought to compare the full lyrics and music of those Greek responses shared between the two churches, which might shed light on more historical details of the liturgy. While comparing the lyrics can be expected to be simple, comparing the music is a difficult task, due to the difference in musical notation in the two traditions. Byzantine music has its own well-established notation system.
Meanwhile, Coptic music notation only started a century ago, using conventional Western notation system, while applying the Arabic music scales (or maqams) with their well-known Persian names. Thus, the comparison strategy must rely, to some extent, on audio analysis of the music in addition to a comparison of the two types of notations. Despite what has been written and notated by Ernest Newlandsmith, Hans Hickman, Margit Tóth (Moftah et al, 1991) and others (Kuhn 2011, Kuhn 2014, and Ramzy 2014) about the Coptic music, we believe that this is the first documentation of the detailed analysis of the music of the St. Basil liturgical Greek responses practiced in the two traditions, the Coptic and the Byzantine.
Developing a Comparison Scheme The authors obtained a Greek and a Coptic liturgy of the St. Basil written in English language, produced by two eminent American churches, and claimed to be the most accurate translations 4 from Greek and Coptic languages, respectively.3 We attempted to critically match different © Claremont Graduate University 1 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 sections of the two liturgies without including the priest’s silent (or inaudible) prayers and the deacon responses for either liturgy. We also excluded the Matins prayers and the liturgy of the Word, which are quite different in order and contents between the two churches, as well as not being directly related to the St. Basil liturgy.
To assure a critical script comparison, the Greek English lyrics were sent to Father Maximos Lavriotis, a bilingual Greek Archimandrite and scholar, to confirm their accuracy. Also, the dated English text of the lyrics translated from Greek language was replaced by contemporary English. Finally, the Greek-language responses currently used in the Coptic church were identified, and their Byzantine notation collected, with the help of the School of Byzantine Music in London. They were notated (see Table) by senior musician Mina M. Salama,5 using conventional Western notations. The music of the two traditions was then critically analyzed and compared. In addition, the thirteen Greek-language responses that both churches share were sung by the first two authors (Michael Henein6 and Fr Joseph Paliouras7) at the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in London (see photographs on next page). The performance was videoed by George Dergham and posted online at YouTube.8 This video was then sent to senior musician Osama M. Fathy,9 an eminent musician with more than 50 years of experience in Arabic, Turkish, and Western music ethnography and patterns, for his professional opinion concerning the patterns of the two music styles and scales using the well-10 11 established Arabic maqams.
The Music of the St. Basil Liturgy In the Coptic tradition, the priest’s prayers are all in the Coptic language, except for the introduction of the Liturgy of the Sacrament (O God the great and eternal…) and the sacrament declaration prayers (Amen, Amen, Amen, I believe…), which are in Greek language. In the Coptic church, the entire St. Basil liturgy is chanted in a well-standardized, established melody, but in the Greek liturgy, it is only read aloud. Of further interest are the congregational responses to the few Greek-language prayers in the Coptic church, which are similar to their counterparts in the Greek church, and thus suggest that the music and the text may have a potential common root. A good example is the response Ke tw `pneumati cou to the priest’s Iryni paci. Overall, the liturgical responses in the Greek Church seem to be sung by the choir, whereas in the Coptic church they are sung by the whole congregation, led by the choir.
Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 2 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 From left, Professor Michael Henein and Fr. Joseph Paliouras standing before the iconostasis of St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral in London, chanting the 13 Greek responses of the St. Basil liturgy (August 2019). Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 3 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 Analysis of the Thirteen Responses Shared by the Greek and Coptic Traditions 1. Kurie Ele`ycon Kurie Ele`ycon Kurie Ele`ycon Greek: This hymn is in the fourth tone (mode) and Ajam maqam. It consists of six pieces of Kurie Ele`ycon, where each is composed of eight notes representing a full octave. These six pieces arise in note degrees according to their scale, in that the first and the second pieces are on the third degree of the Ajam maqam; the third piece is on the fifth degree, and the fourth piece on the fifth; and then the notes start to descend, with the fifth piece on the sixth degree of the maqam, and then the sixth piece on the fifth degree of the maqam, until the hymn ends, back at its starting note. Coptic: The response starts on the tunic (the first half) of the Hejaz maqam, or Sekah (balady). It consists of three pieces of Kurie Ele`ycon, which are repeated similarly in a descending manner consisting of the first five notes of the maqam.
The second Kurie Ele`ycon is exactly the same as the first, and the third and final Kurie Ele`ycon is in the Saba maqam in an organized ad-lib manner.
2. Doxa Patri ke `Uiw ke `agi`w `Pneumati. ke nun ke `a`i ke ic touc `e`wnac twn `e`wnwn amyn Greek: This response is in the second tone. It starts in the Kord maqam and changes to the Turkish Zangaran maqam, which is a combination of Ajam and Hejaz maqam. It is an ad-lib ascending pitch and consists of five notes. It seems that this response forms a bridging between other hymns. Coptic: This response is in the Saba maqam and could be described as a double rhythm song. 3. Ke tw `pneumati cou Greek: This response is in the fourth tone and the Nahawand maqam. It consists of three notes, sung in an ad-lib manner.
Coptic: This hymn is sung in the Saba maqam. It is in double rhythm and is formed of eleven bars. This is the first ever Coptic musical piece we found that consists of eleven bars, suggesting that it is new to Coptic music.
4. Agioc O;eoc Agioc Ic,uroc Agioc A;anatoc Greek: This hymn is in the second tone, a unique Greek maqam, and it continues into the Hejaz maqam. It is made of double rhythm.
Coptic: This hymn starts in the Saba zama maqam, made of eight bars. In the ninth bar, the hymn moves into the Jaharkah maqam, which ends after the 11th bar. This hymn is designed for a congregation to sing, rather than a soloist, as is the case with the comparable Greek Agioc above. 5. Doxa ci Kurie Greek: This is another second tone and Ajam maqam, which is sung ad-lib within the full scale of seven notes.
Coptic: This is a simple melody in the Huzam maqam, sung using only five notes.
Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 4 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 6. Eleoc `irynyc ;uci`a `enecewc This sixth response is a good example of similarity between the Greek and Coptic melody, both in maqam and melody.
Greek: This response is in the second tone and Hejaz maqam, and is based on the tetrachord, which is formed of four notes. It seems that this song is a link between others in the liturgy. Coptic: This response is in the Hejaz maqam.
7. Ke meta tou `pneuma toc cou Greek: This response is in the second tone and Kord maqam.
Coptic: This response is in the Hejaz maqam. It then moves to the Saba maqam and ends by returning to the Hejaz maqam.
8. E,omen `proc ton Kurion This is another example of two similar, Greek and Coptic, responses in maqam and structure. Greek: This response is in the second tone and Hejaz maqam.
Coptic: This response is in the Hejaz maqam.
9. Axion ke dikeon Greek: This response is in the second tone and Turkish Hejaz maqam and moves to the Kord maqam occasionally.
Coptic: This response is in the Saba maqam.
10. Agioc Agioc Agioc Kurioc cabaw; `plyryc `o ouranoc ke `y gy tyc agiac cou doxyc Greek: This hymn is in the second tone and starts in the Bayati maqam, saying Agioc three times in a descending manner twice, and on the third, the maqam changes to a Turkish Zangaran: a combination of the Hejaz tunic and Ajam branch. The hymn thereafter is sung with ascension and descension, using the full maqam.
Coptic: This hymn starts by chanting Agioc three times on the same note, in the manner of a tolling church bell, and then the melody continues in the Hejaz maqam but only within the four notes of the tetrachord. Toward the end, there is a modulation from the Hejaz maqam to the Saba (a sad maqam), which ends the hymn.
11. Ce enoumen ce eulogoumen ce eu,arictoumen Kuri`e ke de`ome; cou `o ;eoc `ymwn Greek: The melody is in the second tone and Turkish Hejaz maqam. At the end there is a modulation to the Jaharkah maqam that leads to the closing maqam, which again is Hejaz. Coptic: The beginning of this hymn is in the Huzam maqam. The melody is dual (i.e., it seems to be composed for the congregation to join) and is sung only within the limit of five notes, with an emphasis on the anchoring note of the Huzam maqam.
12. Kurie Eleicon Greek: This response is in the second tone and is sung in a melodic and rhythmic way in the Jaharkah maqam which uses the seven notes of the maqam.
Coptic: This response is typical Egyptian in the Huzam maqam and is sung in double rhythm to allow the congregation to join.
Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 5 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 13. Ic `opanagioc Patyr Ic `opanagioc Uioc `en to panagion `Pneuma `amyn Greek: This response is in the first tone, a liberally sung melody in the Turkish Hejaz maqam, with occasional modulation to the Saba maqam. It is sung within five notes and sounds very unique. Coptic: This hymn has the feature of being a concluding song in the Huzam maqam. It ascends and descends using different vowels. The closing part is in the Huzam tunic and the hymn concludes in the Jaharkah maqam, which is known for its cheerful and joyful nature.
Comparison of the Byzantine and Coptic Melodies of the Greek Responses in the St. Basil Liturgy In contrast to the Coptic singing of the Greek-language pieces identified above, the corresponding Byzantine melodies are all ad-libbed, and do not follow a specific rhythm. They are made of two voices: a main melody and a harmony (or Icon), whereas the Coptic melody is mostly rhythmic and monophonic, and use only one voice. This difference in melody styles explains the ability for the Byzantine responses to use a full seven-note scale, compared with the Coptic congregational responses, which use a maximum of five notes. This justifies dedicating many of the Greek responses to a well-trained choir in the Byzantine tradition, instead of to congregational responses, as in the Coptic tradition.
The microtones used in the Byzantine melodies are different from those used in the Coptic melodies. These Byzantine microtones are also based on the minor scale in its harmony form, Hejaz maqam, which constitutes the basis of all the pieces. In contrast, in the Coptic melodies, the Huzam maqam is commonly predominant. Of note, the Hejaz maqam, which is the second tetrachord of the Huzam maqam, is rarely used in Coptic responses in the St. Basil liturgy in general and is used in only one response of the 13 shared Greek-language responses analyzed above. Furthermore, some scales used in the Greek church start from the fifth note, thus suggesting a Kord maqam (related to Kurdistan). In addition, most Byzantine responses end with the same maqam they started on, in contrast to Coptic responses, which usually end in a maqam that is different from the starting maqam. In fact, some of the Byzantine melodies do not start on conventional notes, as is the case with their respective Coptic counterparts, thus justifying them not to be accompanied by instruments.
A significant limitation in the above comparison should be mentioned here, which is related to the music structure we used in comparing Byzantine and Coptic responses. The Byzantine musical scales are well-established, including Diatonic, Soft Chromatic, Hard Chromatic, and Enharmonic. The Byzantine music uses eight tones, three of which were identified in this comparison. Coptic music does not have such musical structure, but its melodies are mainly organised around different celebrations and seasonal events, for example Annual, Kiahk, Lent, Shaaneen, and Festive. The exact scales of Coptic music have never been critically described; therefore, we used the closest available recognized Arabic maqams in order to analyze and compare responses of the St. Basil liturgy. As a result, because we have used different measures of comparison, our overall comparison seems incomplete. Our only solution to this limitation was to rely on our own musical experience in analyzing the Byzantine pieces using the same Arabic maqams we used for the Coptic pieces. Despite these notable differences, only two of the responses, ‘Eleoc `irynyc and E,omen `proc’, are melodically very close, using the same maqam in both churches.
Similarities Between the Coptic and Byzantine Traditions The following features, therefore, suggest that the Byzantine melodies as performed in the Greek church represent a cultural bridge between Eastern and Western music. Its use of harmony that Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 6 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 does not exist in the Coptic music, somewhat different microtones, methods of singing, and close similarities between the language in these thirteen pieces from different parts of the liturgy, all follow the same musical mode. In contrast, the Coptic melodies differ according to their locations in the liturgy, as well as the use of microtones that give them different styles.
The similarities between parts of the lyrics, language, and music of the St. Basil liturgy in the Greek and Coptic traditions mirror their many other shared ecclesiastic traditions, including architectural design of the church buildings, domes, and bell towers; the shape of the cross; internal church design including the iconostasis; their icons themselves despite the slight difference in art styles depending on their age; and similarity between the wear of priests including black garments, beards, and hats. These unique similarities are not shared between the Coptic tradition and other orthodox churches.
Most congregational responses in the St. Basil liturgy of the Coptic church are originally in Greek language, suggesting an ancient root to them, since the Greek language was the formal spoken and written language of Egypt from the time of the Ptolemaic period until after the Arab Conquest. The original language of the liturgy was Greek, which was later translated into Coptic, but the exact chronology of that change is not known.
This study is limited to analysis of only thirteen responses that characterize different sections of the St. Basil liturgy according to the Coptic rite, and which are shared between the two churches. Musical analysis of the thirteen identified Greek-language responses showed significant differences in melodies based on the Arabic maqams we used to characterize them, in addition to the way they are sung in the two traditions. These differences reflect cultural impact, with the Greek melodies varying according to the mode of celebration, while the Coptic ones remain almost unchanged irrespective of the event, even for great feasts. As explained above, singing style also differs significantly between the two churches, being harmonic in the Greek tradition but rhythmic and monophonic in the Coptic tradition.
On the other hand, there are melodical similarities between the two traditions. The first shared feature is the way the melody is designed to paint the chanted words: for example, high notes for Heaven and low notes for Hell, although this is accomplished in different ways in the two traditions (Kuhn, 2011). Our analysis also identified two responses, ‘Eleoc `irynyc and E,omen `proc, which are almost melodically identical between the two churches, again suggesting a common root. Of note, these two responses are part of the introduction of the liturgy of the Sacrament, which is also lyrically similar in many other Christian churches, including the Catholic, Syriac, and so on. This finding suggests a potential commonly shared part of the liturgy between those churches, in particular the Coptic and the Greek church who also share, in addition, their music. Our findings also shed some light on the development of the St. Basil liturgy in the Coptic church over the centuries, in terms of both its lyrics and its music. Its shared text with the existing Greek version supports the possibility of a common root. The separation of the two churches for more than fifteen centuries following the council of Chalcedon seems to have resulted in significant individual cultural developments which affect the lyrics of the liturgy, the congregational responses, and the music.
This suggestion is supported by the maqam and music pattern analysis we presented above, making the Byzantine pattern of liturgical music an intermediate mix between Eastern “Coptic” and Western music, with their known features and performances, while the Coptic pattern remained in the middle of rich Arabic, Turkish, and Syriac music.
Despite our suggested historical explanation for the different musical patterns, we identified between the Coptic and Greek melodies other technical limitations should be mentioned, as Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia 7 Michael Henein et al, Music: Comparison of St. Basil Liturgy Greek Responses 13 July 2020 additional potential explanations. It should be acknowledged that the lack of liturgical Byzantine music documentation in conventional Western notation limits the extent of our analysis and comparisons; this could be a future project. Also, despite the well-established Byzantine scales, the reality of the unknown Coptic scales creates a limitation in understanding. The only current means to overcome such limitation is by using a Western notation system with the well-documented Arabic scales.
Coptic music has been transmitted via oral tradition for centuries. It is only since the 1930s that individual efforts have been made to notate some hymns using a Western notation system taught in Egyptian conservatories and schools of music. That probably was the reason why the late Ragheb Moftah appointed the well-known Western musicologists Ernest Newlandsmith,12 Hans Hickman, and Margit Toth (Moftah et al, 1991) to notate many of the Coptic hymns as well as the St. Basil liturgy itself (Moftah et al, 1998). Perhaps, had Moftah had the feasibility of appointing a Greek musicologist to notate the Coptic music, or at least the Greek-language hymns preserved in the Coptic tradition, a fruitful field for accurate comparison would have been now available. Unfortunately, given these limitations, our comparison of the Greek and Coptic music in the St. Basil liturgy can only be seen as partially accurate.
In conclusion, this study seems to have potential ecclesiastical implications. In addition to many shared lyrics and musical responses in the St. Basil liturgy, musical cultural differences add to the richness of the two churches. Drastic musical pattern changes are not to be expected in such large organizations as the Greek and Coptic churches, but adopting some of the different melodies to well-known lyrics can add more richness to worship material. This already occurred when Pope cyril iv (1854-1861) introduced 14 hymns from the Greek church into the Coptic church, which 13 now compose the main bulk of Coptic Easter celebrations. Implementing proper pronunciation and understanding of the actual meaning of the text of the Greek responses in the Coptic church could also be a valuable fruit of this study. Continuing on a path of shared academic musical studies between the two churches is likely to add spiritual fellowship to existing theological dialogues between the two churches that have recently succeeded in achieving Christological agreements.14