Search - Orthodox Chant :: Ethiopian Liturgy

1 extra star for being the only CD of an Ethiopian liturgy -

Billy B. Basstard | Anywhere but there. | 04/06/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"- the other 2 earned because it's not a very good CD.



Here I am going to stress a point - I enjoy the CD, but it is poorly recorded. But first a digression. . .



Ethiopian Christianity is the second oldest form of that religion in the world, just after Armenia. Dating from the 3rd century, the religion has had a fascinating presence and life in that country, which is to interesting too shrink into a paragraph. Given that, I would like to describe the ritual.



The Ethiopian Liturgy is an Africanized form of the Coptic (Egyptian Christian) liturgy used in Alexandria from the time of St. Frumentius (Abba Salama, in Ethiopia). Both being members of the Oriental Orthodox (not Eastern Orthodox)church(s), they are monophystic and non-Chaldean, meaning they deny the doctrine that Christ had both a human and divine spirit and say that Christ had one divine nature. Oriental Orthodox churchs (Syrian, Indian, Ethiopian, Coptic, Armenian and Assyrian) are independent of other Orthodox beliefs because of this, and they are among the earliest Christian churchs ever. Because of that, they don't have a common set of rituals betwen them, but the Ethiopian church is unique in that it belonged to the Coptic church until 1959 and was subject to that church's authority and dogma. The Ethiopian liturgy, therefore, is a fantastic piece of art, being one of the oldest Christian liturgies in the world, and being the only sub-Saharan African one. The haunting music was developed by St. Yared, along with many other hymns. Sang in Geez (the ancient Axumite language with a position much like Latin in the west), this beautiful liturgy is absolutely breathtaking and unlike any other Christian music, or any other African folk music in general.



Unfortunately, it is hard to hear on this CD. More unfortunate, this, to my knowledge, is the ONLY recording of this liturgy, which really is a shame because it is a credit to East African Christian culture. Holyland Records, the company that produced it, is a wonderful company with some of the best and rarest Christian music available and they have many great CD's. But they could have done a better job with this one. For the most part, the actual singing done sounds something like a drunken African soccer team in a bomb shelter. I am not critizing anything but the choice of performance, actually - the recording itself is crystal clear and beautiful, the production masterful and full. But it was recorded LIVE at the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church in Jerusalem. I have no problem with live performances and I think that Holyland Records really wanted to capture the live, raw spirit behind and of the music (and I salute them for it). But it doesn't translate to CD. Alot of people are out of key and out of time, there are numerous coughs and shuffling of papers and feet, a baby cries and at one point you can even hear an ambulance faintly in the background!



That is really the only criticism I have. The sound quality is excellent, but the performance is bad - a fairly common problem in recording not only Christian but most religious chants and liturgies. It might have been better if it had been rehearsed and recorded in the studio. But I am beginning to see why Holyland wanted a live performance - the participation of the leity is central in any Ethiopian ceremony, and it is evident in this record. It might not sound very good with just the choir and priest chanting, but that still doesn't save this CD from being listenable only for people that are really into Ethiopian or general Christian music.



In conclusion: 2 stars for the recording, 5 for Holyland Records and their interest in real music to do this recording, and 10 stars for them (or anyone) to record a better version in the future."

CD production could have been better

M. Sindel | Jacksonville, FL USA | 03/06/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a rare recording in that it is the only cd I know of available in the English-speaking world that contains an audio recording of the Ethiopian Divine Liturgy service. As a member of the American Orthodox church, I recognize the basic structure of the service as being very similar to that of other Orthodox churches, with a few exceptions, even though the only word I can recognize on the recording is "Amen".



In terms of production, the cd consists of one track lasting over an hour (kind of annoying to have to fast forward to parts you want to hear) and while the liner notes tell a little about the Ethiopian church they tell almost nothing about the recording. There are points where this live recording goes from barely audible to very loud, as if it was recorded in the back of the church with a single microphone with no compression at all. It should be remembered this is a recording of a church service sung by non-professional singers who are worshipping God, not putting on a performance. Still, there are some beautiful and interesting melodies sung by a soloist about 45 minutes to an hour into the recording. To me they sound similar in melody to North Indian singing, very melismatic. I would have given 3 stars but it is the only recording by the only sub-saharan african christian church more than 600 years old, being founded by one of Christ's apostles."