Maronite Chant

gmcbroom · #1 Jul 16, '12, 2:38 pm

Anyone know where I can find some Maronite Chant for private use?

malphono · #2 Jul 16, '12, 2:47 pm

Exactly what is it that you're looking for? Recordings? Sheet music? Hymnals? And of what type?

If what you want is the stuff currently in use in the US, try this link.

gmcbroom · #3 Jul 17, '12, 11:38 am

a hymnal or sheet music. To put it in perspective. I'm curious if there is an equivalant to byzantine chant, Gregorian chant, anglican chant,etc. Some chant unique to the Maronite tradition. If so, what and where can I find it? I have a prayer for the faithful book set with a few songs in them but there is no meter to it so I just try my best to sing it or say it.

malphono · #4 Jul 17, '12, 2:24 pm

To answer the question about chant more directly, (well, yes, I know what follows is still a little oblique, but that's as far as I'm going to go here), the Maronite Church (which generally shares its chant heritage with the Syriac Church) does indeed have its own. So, too, do the Coptic, Armenian, Chaldean, and Ethiopian Churches. (And I might add, so do both the Syro-Malankara and Syro-Malabar Churches, and each differs somewhat from that of their "mother" Churches.) You won't, however, find much in the way of "hymnals" etc for Syriac or Chaldean Chant.

Although it's not in English, the "Book of Hymns" on the link posted earlier is probably closest to what you're looking for. A lot of that stuff has been "translated" (well, at least that's what they call it) into English, so you could also try contacting the director of music at the chancery about that.

In any case, I normally classify the stuff as "neo-Maronite" and none of it is exactly what I'd call authentic. Not quite what I was accustomed to but, whatever I may think of it, it is what it is. I'll end there and not say more lest I get off on a rant.

Trebor135 · #5 Jul 17, '12, 8:33 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by malphono

To answer the question about chant more directly, (well, yes, I know what follows is still a little oblique, but that's as far as I'm going to go here), the Maronite Church (which generally shares its chant heritage with the Syriac Church) does indeed have its own. So, too, do the Coptic, Armenian, Chaldean, and Ethiopian Churches. (And I might add, so do both the Syro-Malankara and Syro-Malabar Churches, and each differs somewhat from that of their "mother" Churches.) You won't, however, find much in the way of "hymnals" etc for Syriac or Chaldean Chant.

Although it's not in English, the "Book of Hymns" on the link posted earlier is probably closest to what you're looking for. A lot of that stuff has been "translated" (well, at least that's what they call it) into English, so you could also try contacting the director of music at the chancery about that.

In any case, I normally classify the stuff as "neo-Maronite" and none of it is exactly what I'd call authentic. Not quite what I was accustomed to but, whatever I may think of it, it is what it is. I'll end there and not say more lest I get off on a rant.

Do you know of any YouTube videos which present what you would consider "authentic" Maronite chant?

Credo ergo sum · #6 Jul 18, '12, 2:15 am

I could post some Gregorian chants now, but that would not be a nice thing to do

malphono · #7 Jul 18, '12, 2:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trebor135

Do you know of any YouTube videos which present what you would consider "authentic" Maronite chant?

Brother dzheremi would probably know more specifics, but there are some. IIRC, there's a channel on YouTube called "Maronites" (I think) which has a few, and there may be others.

dzheremi · #8 Jul 18, '12, 5:50 pm

Here is said YT channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/maronites

If I recall correctly, this channel also features some Syriac Maronite chant, or at least chant by Syriac Maronites (Wadih al Safi, Abeer Nehme, etc.): http://www.youtube.com/user/StEphrem84 http://www.youtube.com/user/StEphrem84

Also courtesy of the channel "Beith Souryoye Morounyoye" (The Syriac Maronites), there is a (mostly) Syriac Maronite Mass (as in, almost all in the Syriac language), in seven parts: [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOfFm888Zfg&feature=relmfu"]Part 1/URL] (the others can be found in the related videos side tab or via the channel itself)

As to how traditional any particular video you'll find on YT is (including via the channels above), it varies widely. You'll get a sense of what's what after you've listened to enough, if you care to.

dzheremi · #9 Jul 18, '12, 6:41 pm

Oops. Posted the link to the channel "StEphrem84" twice by accident. Sorry.

So as to make this post somewhat useful, here is my new favorite thing in the world of YT Maronite things: Maronite Christmas Chant by Cypriot Maronite singer Solomos Agapiou

Even though it's all in Arabic, the style of chant is probably closer to Syriac Orthodox chant than what is often found under the "Maronite" tag on YT.

malphono · #10 Jul 19, '12, 2:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzheremi

So as to make this post somewhat useful, here is my new favorite thing in the world of YT Maronite things: Maronite Christmas Chant by Cypriot Maronite singer Solomos Agapiou

Yes, in fact the piece done by the older gentleman in the video is one of the "old style" Arabic translations of a Syriac text (meaning that it was done for fidelity to the text rather than the neo-maronite way of forcing some sort of pseudo-text to fit the music which itself has been altered to make it more "modern"), and is done to a true Syriac tune. Although it has rarely been done in Syriac in some 500 years, it does exist. It's been many years since, but I was fortunate to have heard it done once in Syriac, (in a monastic setting of course, and no, it wasn't 500 years ago

although sometimes it feels like it).

Trebor135 · #11 Jul 19, '12, 7:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzheremi

Oops. Posted the link to the channel "StEphrem84" twice by accident. Sorry.

So as to make this post somewhat useful, here is my new favorite thing in the world of YT Maronite things: Maronite Christmas Chant by Cypriot Maronite singer Solomos Agapiou

Even though it's all in Arabic, the style of chant is probably closer to Syriac Orthodox chant than what is often found under the "Maronite" tag on YT.

Thanks for the material in this thread and elsewhere on CAF, Dzheremi--you're a wellspring of YouTube chant videos.

dzheremi · #12 Jul 19, '12, 7:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trebor135

Thanks for the material in this thread and elsewhere on CAF, Dzheremi--you're a wellspring of YouTube chant videos.

Hahaha. I am? You're welcome, I guess. I don't actually spend very much time on YT, so that's funny to me, but I guess it's easy to go there to find videos to illustrate whatever point I'm trying to make at the time. Usually anything you type into Google results in a bunch of YT video links before you can get to any text/page results, so...