v.a. - Ethiopie - Musiques Vocales Et Instrumentales [Disc 2] [1971]

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    with full booklet   

Sofia Shibabaw - Fikir Kemekbir Belayi [1996]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       Sofia Shibabaw is Amharic gospel singer (mezmur) from Ethiopia with an extraordinary singing voice. She is one of the best recent Christian artist. So far she have two fantastic albums and also have many records with various Christian artists in different albums.

01. Sofia Shibabaw - Oh Enie Man Negne (6:50)
02. Sofia Shibabaw - Leka Alie Dagna (5:24)
03. Sofia Shibabaw - Keberigne (6:04)
04. Sofia Shibabaw - Alemayehu (5:41)
05. Sofia Shibabaw - Ethiopia (5:51)
06. Sofia Shibabaw - Fikir Kemekbir Belayi (5:03)
07. Sofia Shibabaw - Fikir Chemere (4:46)
08. Sofia Shibabaw - Endantie Yele (7:00)
09. Sofia Shibabaw - Yelewetgne (7:09)
10. Sofia Shibabaw - Edil Fenitaye (6:25)
11. Sofia Shibabaw - Lehiyiwetihe Waga Site (6:01)

Sofia Shibabaw & Tekeste Getnet - Eyesus Eyalefe New [2005]

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01. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Eyesus Eyalefe New (7:25)
02. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Endegena Lebe Tenesa (5:15)
03. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Yechinket Qen Saymeta (6:46)
04. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Track 04 (5:33)
05. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Man New (4:36)
06. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Setngale Getaye (7:33)
07. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Bkoras Men Alle (6:15)
08. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Re Aewkut Kuter (6:22)
09. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Zarem Dagm Lawra (3:43)
10. Sofia Shibabaw &Tekeste Getnet - Askedmie (5:56)

Ethiopian jewish liturgy [1993, re-rel. 2003]

     

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       Ethiopian Jews were an integral part of Ethiopia, and in most of their customs resembled their neighbors. 

       Their religious music, sung by the "Kess" (priests) was very similar to their neighbors', as well. However, the wonderful music on this CD was recorded in 1986 in Jerusalem, Israel. The performers were all Ethiopian Jews and the liturgies were all from the Ethiopian Jewish tradition. The music on this CD is very spiritual. It is fully within the Ethiopian musical tradition, and the vocals sometimes remind me of the sound of the masinko instrument (one string fiddle). 

       I heartily recommend it to anyone interested in Ethiopian Music. 

1. Hale-Luya  [Morning office for the New Year Hale-luya Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

2. Zegevre   [Morning office for the New Year Zegevre, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

3. Prieres Pour La Cloture De Kippour  [Prayers for the closing of Yom Kippur, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

4. Wi' Itu Amlakeeye Isebho  [Morning office for Pessah Wi'itu amlakeeye isebho, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

5. Qil'E Tsilat   [Morning office for Shavuot Qil'e tsilat, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

6. Wanevivo Egzee Aviher Limusye   [Morning office for Rosh-Hodesh Wanevivo egzee'aviher limusye, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

7. Bila'Wotsegiv   [Bila'wotsegiv (song for the closing of the Sabbath meal),

Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

8. Yitbarek   [Yibarek (blessing of the sacred Sabbath bread),Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

9. Bihateetu    [Morning office for the Sabbath Bihateetu, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

10. Sibhatat   [Sibhatat (song for the Sabbath), Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

11. Afgirnaki   [Morning office for the Sabbath Afqirnaki, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

12. Tsiwa Ikuki Egzee O Eetitsimmeni  [Morning office for the Sabbath Tsiwa'ikuki 'egzee'o eetitsimimeni, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

13. Chants Pour La Circoncision   [Songs for circumcision, Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous] 

14. Prieres Pour La Ceremonte Du Mariage  [Prayers for the marriage ceremony

Composed by Ethiopian Jewish Liturgical Chant Anonymous]

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L'eglise orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jerusalem - [1992]

   R   E   U   P   L   O   A   D   

       According to an ancient tradition, the first great evangelizer of the Ethiopians was St. Frumentius, a Roman citizen from Tyre who had been shipwrecked along the African coast of the Red Sea. He gained the confidence of the emperor at Aksum and eventually brought about the conversion of his son, who later became Emperor Ezana. Ezana later introduced Christianity as the state religion around the year 330. Frumentius was ordained a bishop by St. Athanasius of Alexandria and returned to Ethiopia to help with the continued evangelization of the country.

       Around the year 480 the “Nine Saints” arrived in Ethiopia and began missionary activities. According to tradition they were from Rome, Constantinople and Syria. They had left their countries because of their opposition to Chalcedonian christology and had probably resided for a time at St. Pachomius monastery in Egypt. Their influence, along with its traditional links with the Copts in Egypt, probably explains the origin of the Ethiopian Church’s rejection of Chalcedon. The Nine Saints are credited with largely wiping out the remaining paganism in Ethiopia, with introducing the monastic tradition, and with making a substantial contribution to the development of Ge’ez religious literature by translating the Bible and religious works into that classical Ethiopian language. Monasteries quickly sprang up throughout the country and became important intellectual centers.

       The Ethiopian Church reached its zenith in the 15th century when much creative theological and spiritual literature was produced and the church was engaged in extensive missionary activity.

        The very negative experience of contact with Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries in the 16th century [Ethiopian Catholic Church] was followed by centuries of isolation from which the Ethiopian Church has only recently emerged.

        This church is unique in retaining several Jewish practices such as circumcision and the observance of dietary laws and Saturday as well as Sunday sabbath. This is probably due to the fact that the earliest presence of Christianity in Ethiopia had come directly from Palestine through southern Arabia. But there is a tradition that Judaism was practiced by some Ethiopians even before the arrival of Christianity. There have also been some unusual christological developments, including a school of thought that holds that the union of Christ’s divine and human natures took place only upon his anointing at Baptism. These teachings were never officially adopted and have mostly died out.

       The Ethiopian liturgy is of Alexandrian (Coptic) origin and influenced by the Syriac tradition. The liturgy was always celebrated in the ancient Ge’ez language until very recent times. Today a translation of the liturgy into modern Amharic is being used increasingly in the parishes. A strong monastic tradition continues.

       From ancient times, all bishops in Ethiopia were Egyptian Copts appointed by the Coptic Patriarchate. Indeed, for many centuries the only bishop in Ethiopia was the Coptic Metropolitan. In the early 20th century the Ethiopian Church began to press for greater autonomy and the election of native Ethiopian bishops. In 1929 four native Ethiopian bishops were ordained to assist the Coptic Metropolitan. With the support of Emperor Haile Selassie (reigned 1930-1974), an agreement was reached with the Copts in 1948 which provided for the election of an ethnic Ethiopian Metropolitan upon the death of Metropolitan Qerillos. Thus when he died in 1951, an assembly of clergy and laity elected an Ethiopian, Basilios, as Metropolitan, and the autonomy of the Ethiopian Church was established. In 1959 the Coptic Patriarchate confirmed Metropolitan Basilios as the first Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

1. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Du chant d’entrée à la doxologie solennelle (8:39)
2. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - S’alwota-’at’ân. Doxologie et adoration, au cours de la "Prière de l’Encens" (5:42)
3. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Hymne à la Mère de Dieu et le Tri sagion (5:36)
4. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - "Notre Père" (4:21)
5. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Prière de pénitence et les quarante et une invocations "Seigneur prends pitié de nous, ô Christ" (6:51)
6. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - "Seigneur prends pitié de nous, ô Christ" (6:28)
7. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Chant de communion et chant d’actions de grâces (4:39)
8. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Extrait de la 5e grande litanie avec tambour et sistres. Veillée du "Felseta Maryam" (Assomption) (15:17)
9. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - La première partie des Vêpres (28:44)
10. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - Seconde partie des Vêpres du Temps ordinaire (8:39)
11. L'Eglise Orthodoxe Ethiopienne de Jérusalem - 11e jour du carême de l’Assomption. Les deux premiers choeurs litaniques des Vêpres anticipées (31:20)

Eglise orthodoxe ethiopienne de jerusalem: l'Assomption à Däbrä Gännät, monastère du Paradis - Jérusalem, Israël.

Samuel Tesfamichael [ethiopia]

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       Samuel Tesfamichael is a gospel song writer and singer (mezmur), based in Addis Ababa Ethiopia. His Facebook page describes his interest as "Guitar, Worshiping & Meditating on the Word of God! Singing, Traveling, spending time with his beautiful Wife!".

01. Samuel Tesfamichael - Bemegemerya Lamesgen (9:00)

02. Samuel Tesfamichael - Chheten Sema (5:24)

03. Samuel Tesfamichael - Ketefat Godana (4:36)

04. Samuel Tesfamichael - Endante Yale Yelem (5:50)

05. Samuel Tesfamichael - Leul Egziyabeher (5:45)

06. Samuel Tesfamichael - Yasgerimal (5:37)

07. Samuel Tesfamichael - Eyesus Sirah (8:47)

08. Samuel Tesfamichael - Selante (5:06)

09. Samuel Tesfamichael - Limenaye (5:15)

10. Samuel Tesfamichael - Zendiro Sewoch (5:03)

Dawit Danny Wolde - [2005] - Mezmur 91 [ethiopia]

01. Dawit Danny Wolde - Intro (1:11)
02. Dawit Danny Wolde - Lene yehe kebre new (5:51)
03. Dawit Danny Wolde - Amesegnalehu (5:17)
04. Dawit Danny Wolde - Eyesus getaye (5:50)
05. Dawit Danny Wolde - Afen Molla Besak (5:41)
06. Dawit Danny Wolde - Ene yemamelkew (4:55)
07. Dawit Danny Wolde - Yetsena genb (5:27)
08. Dawit Danny Wolde - Mezmur 91 (5:57)
09. Dawit Danny Wolde - Ejen yezo (4:51)
10. Dawit Danny Wolde - Geta Endetenagere (4:06)
11. Dawit Danny Wolde - Manew yemidersew (5:37)
12. Dawit Danny Wolde - Outro (2:54)

Aqwaqwam - Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church [2005]

                                         R E U P L O A D   

       Christianity came to Ethiopia in the 4th century and received no outside influence for many years due to its geographic isolation. Its musical and gesture practices thus appear to reflect ancestral Christian rites. The Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Church is a Monophysite Church. It considers that Christ has only one nature, the divine nature which absorbs the human nature. It shares these Christological theses with the Coptic Church under whose supervision it remained until 1959. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been autocephalous since 1959 and is now led by the Patriarch ’Abuna Õawølos.

       Orthodox Christianity is the majority religion in present day Ethiopia, including slightly more than half of the population. Orthodox Christians are found mostly in the north of the country, on the northern high plateaus,the historical heart of Ethiopia. Christianity was introduced via the kingdom of Axum,which corresponds to the northern part ofEthiopia and Eritrea.

       The religious music of the Ethiopian Church is designated by the generic term zemæ. According to legend, Saint Yæred discovered and established zemæ in the 6th century with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Three birds from the Garden of Eden guided Saint Yæred to the heavenly Jerusalem where zemæ was revealed to him. He saw twenty-four priests of Heaven dancing, accompanied by the instrumentsthat the Ethiopian Church still uses today. For Ethiopian Christians, ’aqwaqwam, which is a part of zemæ, is an accurate reproduction of the dance and music of heaven taught to people by Saint Yæred. Saint Yæred is an important saint for Ethiopian priests and cantors.The entire Ethiopian liturgy is sung, in unison, with the exception of the Scriptures,

which are read. The chants are sung in Gueze, a Semitic language from Axum which is now used only in the Ethiopian Christian Church. Three modes are used: gø‘øz (hemitonic pentatonic), ‘øzøl and ‘ÄrÄrÄyø (anhemitonic pentatonic). The formulism on which this music is based brings it homogeneity.

       The liturgical chant of the Ethiopian Church involves long prayers. The pieces are built on the principle of text repetition, often sung very slowly and with rich ornamentation. We must take the time to listen to the pieces all the way through in order to hear the whole text and to follow the development of the chant, which becomes more intense and fervent as it goes on. The ’aqwaqwam principle, pieces of which are presented in these recordings, is above all one of endurance in prayer: ’aqwaqwam means literally “the (right) way to stand”. This word refers to the long services during which the cantors must remain standing. When God is praised using ’aqwaqwam, this is always during important ceremonies where a beautiful and dignified posture is called for, which means standing for the Ethiopians. ’Aqwaqwam, is not so much a dance in the strict sense, but above all an idea of stature in the etymological sense of the word – from the Latin stare, “to stand”. While the movements of ’aqwaqwam can appear as choreographies during which the participants change places, they are often relatively simple and “static”: the cantors move the top halves of their bodies back and forth in a rocking motion, moving their arms from right to left or playing a musical instrument so that it becomes a “dance instrument” while the lower half of the body remains immobile. Beyond its etymology, ’aqwaqwam is a generic term that covers chants accompanied by instruments and movements. The instruments used are the sistrum, the drum and the prayer stick, which provide purely rhythmic accompaniment. Mäqwamøya, or prayer stick, is an Amharic term with the same etymology as the word ’aqwaqwam. It serves as a support for the cantors who remain standing throughout the ceremonies. Holding it is part of the noble appearance sought for the ’aqwaqwam services. It is made of wood with a head of ivory, wood or metal – iron, copper, silver or gold –, which represents, with its horn shapes, the head of a lamb, the symbol of Christ. The overall shape of the mäqwamøya evokes Christ’s Cross. This is the only instrument allowed during Lent. The sistrum, or ñänañøl, has a wood, horn or metal handle topped by a trapezoidal frame made of ornately worked iron, copper, silver or gold. Two thin metal bars horizontally connect the two lateral uprights; they each support metal loops or squares which strike each other and bump against the sides of the trapezoid when the cantors shake the ñänañøl. There are five small metal loops or squares representing the five mysteries of the Ethiopian orthodox religion: the Holy Trinity, the Holy Incarnation, the Holy Baptism, the Holy Eucharist and the Holy Resurrection. Each cantor holds a ñänañøl in his right hand and moves it back and forth. According to some informants, the sound of the ñänañøl symbolizes the sound of the wings of the seraphim and cherubim that Saint Yæred heard in heaven. The symbolism attached to the instruments often seems to be a later interpretation however: the Ethiopians interpret the shape and the sonority of the sistrum from a Christian standpoint, although the instrument existed in Egypt at the time of the pharaohs 

       The kabaro is a membranophone. It is a conical wooden drum with two cowhide membranes. It is wrapped in a cloth covered with strips of cowhide which tie the two membranes together and hold them against the body of the drum. The small membrane is struck with the left hand (bare handed), the large one with the right hand. There are two playing positions: sitting or standing. The number of players varies as a function of the space in the church, the ideal number being two. The ’aqwaqwam is sung during festive services: annual and monthly celebrations and on Sundays. Outside of these occasions, i.e. outside of ’aqwaqwam, the chants are a cappella,

with no movements and no instrumental accompaniment. The cantors (mazamrÄn) take places according to their hierarchy in a space reserved for them within the church, the qøne mæÉølet.

       Only men are allowed to perform the services. They are dressed in white. Some are professionals, others are students of liturgical chanting (see diagram next page). The ’aqwaqwam takes the form of chants that can be antiphons (’angargæri, ’øsma la‘ælam…), poems (malk) or improvised texts (qøne). Depending on the particular celebration, the ’angargæri type antiphon, for example, may have a different text but with formal and musical constants. The musical principle of ’aqwaqwam is as follows: the cantors sing a given text in several successive versions that correspond to the same number of musical categories. The melody, rhythm, instrumental accompaniment and gestures vary from one category to another. While the various versions of a given malk, for example, are related, the links to be found are more those between two identical musical categories from two different malk. There are seven categories: zømame, qum ñänañøl, märägd, óøfat, wäräb, ’amälaläs and ÜäbÜäbo. Not all of the chants are sung in the seven versions, for some there are only two or four… 

       The recordings illustrate each of these categories at least once. ’Aqwaqwam is taught within churches by a master cantor known as märi geta. Each church follows a certain school of chanting, which defines, for certain pieces and certain categories, musical and movement performance elements that distinguish it from other schools. Depending on the church in which the cantor learned ’aqwaqwam, he will perform it in a certain manner, different from that of churches that follow others schools of chanting. There are four different schools of chant: taÜ bet, layø bet, sankwa and täkle. While belonging to a given school of chanting influences the musical execution of a piece, it does not modify the basic principle of ’aqwaqwam, i.e. the successive performance of several musical versions of the same text. The four schools use the same musical categories.

We have indicated below the schools to which the cantors who sing the various pieces belong.