Mezmurs
Music of Our Church
Singing and Chanting in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are usually rendered in the Classical Ethiopian Language of Ge'ez. The Clergy and parishioners of Debre Ganet Kidus Gabriel strive to understand and practice the teachings of the faith in English, bridging the Ancient Order and modern language.
"Mezmur" refers to Spiritual Songs of the Faith, written or inspired by Saint Yared. "Wereb" describes a particular style of worship lead by Clergy involving slow melodic chanting punctuated by the sound of sistrum.
Where does Ethiopian Orthodox Church music come from?
St. Yared was responsible for teaching the Zema (melody) of the chanting heard in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which is still used today. We commemorate St. Yared during the feast day of May 19th (11 Genbot).
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Saint Yared was a kinsman of Abba Gideon a priest of ‘Aksum, which city held the first church that was built in the country of Ethiopia, and in [this church] was first preached the Faith of our Lord Christ, and it was consecrated (i.e. dedicated) in the name of Our Holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, the God-bearer. When this Abba Gideon began to teach the blessed Yared the Psalms of David, he was unable to keep him with him for many days at a time, and then when he beat him, and made him to suffer pain, he fled into the desert and took up his abode under a tree. And he saw a worm (caterpillar) which was climbing up the tree, and when it had climbed up half way it fell down upon the ground; and this it did many times, because of the difficulty of climbing the tree. And when Saint Yared saw the perseverance of the worm, he repented in his soul and returned to his teacher and said unto him, “Forgive me, O father, and dispose of me as thou wishest.” And his teacher, a spiritual man, received him, and having asked God with tears He opened the thoughts of Yared’s understanding, and he learned in one day the Books of the Old and the New Testaments; and then he was made a Deacon.
Now in those days there was no singing of hymns and spiritual songs in a loud voice to well-defined tunes, but men murmured them in a low voice. And God, wishing to raise up to Himself a memorial, sent unto him three birds from the Garden of Eden, and they held converse with Yared in the speech of man, and they caught him up, and took him to the heavenly Jerusalem, and there he learned the songs of the Four and Twenty Priests of heaven. And when he returned to himself, he went into the First Church in ‘Aksum, at the third hour of the day, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Hallelujah to the Father, Hallelujah to the Son, Hallelujah to the Holy Spirit.” The first Hallelujah he made the foundation, and called it “Zion.” In the second Hallelujah he showed forth how Moses carried out the work of the Tabernacle, and this he called a “Song of the heights.”
And when they heard the sound of his voice, the king, and the queen, and the bishop, and the priests, and the king’s nobles, ran to the church, and they spent the day in listening to him. And he arranged hymns for each season of the year, for summer and winter, and spring and autumn, and for festivals and Sabbaths, and for the days of the Angels, the Prophets, the Martyrs and the Righteous, in three modes, that is to say, the first mode to be used on ordinary days, the second mode to be used on fast days and days of mourning, and the third mode to be used on the great festivals. And there were not lacking in these three modes any of the sounds that are made by men, and birds, and beasts.
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-Excerpt from The Ethiopian Orthodox Synaxarium
Ge'ez:
Selami Lekee
Inze Nisegid niblekee
Mariam Imine
Nastebiqwi-akee
Imarwe ne’awee
Temahitsene bikee (2x)
Be’inte Hanna imekee
We’ Eeyaqem abukee
Mahiberene yom, mahiberene yom
Mahiberene yom, Dingil barikee! (2x)
English:
Peace Be unto thee
As we all bow down before thee
Mariam, Our Mother
We make petition to thee
Protect us from the beast wild and predatory (2x)
For the sake of Hanna your mother
And Eeyaqem your father
Our congregation today, our congregation today,
our congregation today ,
Oh Virgin Blessed ! (2x)
Ge'ez:
Misle Mikael we Gebriel
Ime Amlak Ne-ee Mariam (2x)
Ne-ee Ne-ee Ne-ee
Ne-ee Ne-ee Ne-ee
Ime Amlak Ne-ee Mariam (2x) Ehe
English:
With Mikael and Gebriel
Mother of God come unto us Mary (2x)
Come unto us Mary
Come unto us Mary
Mother of God come unto us Mary (2x)
Ge'ez:
Mahidere Melekot (2x)
Mariam Ime Bizuhan
Mariam Ime Bizuhan , Ehe (2x)
English:
The Dwelling Place of The Godhead (2x)
Mariam is the Mother of us All
Mariam is the Mother of us All, Ehe (2x)
Ge'ez:
Sibhat Le’Igzee-Abiher Be-semayati (2x)
WeSelam BeMidr Semrettu Leseb,
Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Amen, Hale Luya (2x)
English:
Glory Be to God in Heaven (2x)
And on earth Peace His Goodwill towards men,
Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Hale Luya, Amen, Hale Luya (2x)
Ge'ez:
Yee-beila hi-tsane le-Imu E’tefreh Ime E’tefreh Ime Nebelbale isat x2
Le-Ananiya we-Azariah we-Misael
Ze-adhanomu wi-itu yadhinene x2
English:
The baby said to his mother, don’t fear my mother don’t fear my mother for the flames of fire x2
As Ananiah and Azariah and Misael the One who saved them let Him save us also x2
Ge'ez:
Tseliyu beinte zatee Beyte Kristeeyan(2)
Mahibere ni'barikih iqeb be-Selam(2)
English:
Pray for this Holy Church and our congregation (2)
Oh Lord bless our congregation and keep us all in peace (2)
Ge'ez:
Mesqel birhan le-kwilu alem
Meserete biete kiristeeyan
We-habe selam medhane alem
Mesqel bie-zane le-ile amin
English:
The cross is the light for the entire world,
The foundation of the house of Kristeeyans
And peace be unto the savior of the world
The cross is the ransome for all who believe (2x)
Ge'ez:
Igzeeitine Igzeeitine nets’ree habene (2)
Selam Weld’ikee yehalu misleyne (4)
English:
Our Holy Lady Our Holy Lady look unto thy people(2)
May the peace of Thy Son be with all of us (4)
Ge'ez:
Eetigdfine eetigdfine we’eetmen’nene (2)
Amlake selam terad’ane (4)
English:
Do not reject us do not reject us and do not neglect us all (2)
God of peace help us we are Thy people (4)
Ge'ez:
Yomi-se Le-ihlee I-ye 2x
ehe
Abri-hee be-Mesqeli-ye
Abri-hee be-Mesqeli-ye
English:
Today is for each one of us 2x ehe
Let the light shine by my Cross 2x
Ge'ez:
Ri-ikiwa
Le Biete Kristeeyan (Amen)
Afkerkiwa
Le Biete Kristeeyan (2x)
Ze -Etiyopia
Ze - Etiyopia Biete Kristeeyan (2x)
English:
I Saw Her
The House of Kristeeyans (Amen)
I Love Her
The House of Kristeeyans (2x)
Of Etiyopia
Of Etiyopia, The House of Kristeeyans (2x)
Ge'ez:
Yiwedisiwa melaekti
Melaekti lemaryam (2)
Bewuste wusatie mentolati weyibilwa
Behakee Maryam hadasihu ta-ewa (2)
English:
The glory and praise of the Angels
Of the Angels to Mariam (2)
Inside the sanctuary
behind the curtains
they said to her,
Salutation Mariam
you are Virgin without spot (2)
Ge'ez:
Be Selam Be Selam
Ne-ee
Be Selam Ne-ee (2x)
Ehe Mariam, Mariam Ehe
Misle Mikael (2x)
English:
With Peace, With Peace Come
With Peace Come (2x)
Ehe Mariam, Mariam Ehe
With Mikael (2x)
Ge'ez:
Inze Tehakefee-o
Le-hisanekee
Ne-ee Mariam
Ne-ee, Ne-ee, Ne-ee Mariam
Ne-ee, Ne-ee, Ne-ee Mariam
English:
Like You Embraced
Your Baby
Hold Us Mariam
Ehe
Visit Us Virgin Mariam
Visit Us Virgin Mariam
Ge'ez:
Meserete Mariam Dingili (2x)
Mariam Dingili, Mariam Dingili
Mariam Dingili, Meserete Ehe (2x)
English:
The Foundation is Mariam the Virgin (2x)
Mariam the Virgin, Mariam the Virgin,
Mariam the Virgin, The Foundation Ehe (2x)