SSCN Voumes 1-10, 1994-2004

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

Pascha I tune and the last two in Festal III tune. It is only used in the Morning Raising of Incense of the Bright Saturday service. On the basis of the length of the Psalm, this recitation may have possibly been in the form of a full 4-stanza chanted in the Pascha I tune and followed by a full 4- stanza chanting in the Festal III tune. Alleluia response is found at the Introduction, after the 1 st and 2 nd stanzas, and at the Conclusion. Bright Saturday II (Pascha I-Annual II): This tune is chanted in the same way as the Bright Saturday I, except for the last two stanzas chanted in the Annual tune used in the Liturgy celebrated in non-festal and non-kiahk days. It is used in this service in four places, the Prayer of the 3 rd hour, Prayer of the 6 th hour, the Prayer of the 9 th hour, and the Liturgy Psalm reading. The Alleluia response is the same as Bright Saturday I. The last of our biblical Readings is the Gospel . Only two distinct tunes are currently used. One for Pascha Gospel readings, and another for the rest of the Gospel readings in the Liturgy or other services. There is also a mixed one of the two tunes, used only in the five Bright Saturday Gospel readings. It is characterized by a moderately long Introduction, simple tune, and short Conclusion. Aside from the Psalm readings, they are probably the only one that was read in full, as evidenced in the later Coptic liturgical manuscripts. What is not Known: There are several other biblical readings used in the Coptic Church services that their tune is not known or clearly established. A short list of such items are as follows:  Gospel and Psalm Readings of the Procession of the Cross: There are 12 sets of these readings that are used in the Morning Procession during the feasts of the Cross and 12 more sets in the similar procession at the Morning of Palm Sunday.

 Prophecy Readings of the Lent Days: The tune of these readings was once heard by the author during a Lent Liturgy several years ago in St. Antony Monastery in California. However its authenticity can not be confirmed.  Prophecy Readings of the Laqan, Genuflection, and Bright Saturday: The tunes of these readings are probably lost.  Psalm Reading During Lent: There is no known distinctive tune for the reading of the psalm during the Lent Season. On the basis of the general change in tunes in the chants during this season, one or possibly two different tunes would have been used for such readings.  The Full Psalm Readings After the 12 th Hour of Good Friday: The tune of this reading is not known. However, the tune of its concluding Psalm, Psalm 151, is preserved though rarely heard. It has a long Alleluia response in the Introduction with multiple 3-Alleluia responses in the Body as well as the Conclusion.  The Odes Recited after Psalm 151 in the Bright Saturday Service: These Odes have preserved in Coptic manuscripts of the Psalms at an early age. Their tunes have not been preserved. Currently two of the lections which are the same as the text of the 2 nd and 3 rd Odes of the Coptic Psalmodia, are sung in the same tune as that found in the Midnight Hymnology. However, this seems to be a later adaptation and not an original tune.  The Apocalypse, or the New Testament Book of Revelation: This book, according to the extant manuscripts is read in Coptic in its entirety, which presumes that it is done in a special tune. Needless to say, only some of the choir responses during the reading has survived. It is difficult to determine if the actual reading resembled these responses in tune. What is Heard Now in Coptic Churches in America: Currently in the Coptic churches in America, it is a rarity to hear a Coptic reading at a regular Liturgy. During the Pascha Week, one would most likely hear Psalm's Pascha I tune. Pascha II tune is probable but only during the

St. Shenouda Coptic Newsletter

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