Interview with Dr Ragheb Moftah - Shenouda Mamdouh

Copts and Coptic Hymns
Interview with Dr Ragheb Moftah Habashy at his office in the Music Department of the Institute of Coptic Studies
Shenouda Mamdouh - March 1991

Vocal vs. Musical Instruments in Liturgical Services
In Jerusalem, there was one temple that used musical instruments, while synagogues everywhere else were not permitted to do so. With the advent of Christianity, the apostles adopted the synagogue's rite for the church, which relied solely on human voices. This practice was affirmed by St. Clement of Alexandria at the end of the second century. Until 100 A.D., all churches worldwide used only human voices. On Sundays, when the king attended church, he was accompanied by a "water organ," which was left 200 meters from the church as a sign of respect for the church's vocal musical tradition. This tradition has been preserved by many traditional and Oriental churches, including the Copts and Russians. The human larynx is considered the best musical instrument because it is alive and directly connected to the human soul and emotions./font>
The cymbals used in contemporary services are a recent and incorrect addition, derived from the older Naqûs (a small wooden bell struck from outside with a stick). The Naqûs was only used to maintain rhythm so that all the faithful could sing together. It is inappropriate to introduce harmony to Coptic hymns, as altering such an ancient tradition poses a significant risk.
Sources of the Coptic Musical Heritage
Each church, influenced by its national musical heritage, developed its liturgical music. Drawing from the rich traditions of Ancient Egypt, the Copts developed their unique liturgical music. This is why there are distinct traditional musical heritages among Ethiopians despite the connection between the two churches under the throne of Alexandria.
In 300 B.C., Valeron observed that Egyptian priests sang hymns using seven different vowels, known as the "magic" vowels. The Alexandrian philosopher Philo noted that early Christians adopted music from Egyptians and adapted it to their Christian norms. We still preserve names of cities in our musical heritage: the Atriby (sorrow) mode of the Holy Week is named after the city of Atrib, and the Singary mode after the city of Singâr.
Coptic music is unrelated to Arabic music. Hymns influenced by Arabic music emerged only after A.D. 640. The origins of most Coptic hymns are unknown, though the music of the hymn "O Monogenis" is attributed to St. Athanasius. A manuscript in the Library of the Old Patriarchate reveals that some hymns sung on Bright Saturday were lost, but most of the heritage, as documented by Shams El-Reassa Ibn-Kabbar (A.D. 1320) and Ibnel-Assal, remains.

Challenges in Preserving and Appreciating Coptic Hymns
Villoteau, a member of the French expedition to Egypt led by Napoleon Bonaparte, was disappointed when a cantor sang him a nonsensical three-page "Hallelujah," leading Villoteau to conclude that Coptic music was not descended from Ancient Egyptian music. Historically, Egyptians passed down their musical skills secretly from one generation to the next. This practice continues, with cantors often refusing to teach invaluable hymns even to theological seminarians. In 1950, I witnessed a European scholar trying to transcribe part of the liturgy with the help of a cantor who sang nonsense to her. Cantors, poorly paid, rely financially on their exclusive knowledge of hymns. Despite Villoteau's negative assessment 200 years ago, the Western world now greatly values Coptic music. The Library of Congress in Washington, DC, has a full set of Coptic music transcriptions, which it also provided to the Smithsonian Museum. James H. Billington, the library director, called the Coptic collection the most important ancient music collection they possess.
To truly enjoy Coptic music, performers must be gifted, trained, and spiritual, understanding and expressing the words they sing. However, since Coptic ceased to be a living language long ago, and many performers lack talent, the result is often disappointing, causing congregations to complain. If Beethoven's best piece were played incorrectly, no one would enjoy it, illustrating that the issue lies with the performer, not the composition.
From 1927-1936, with Ernest Newlandsmith and Cantor Mikhail Gerges El-Batanony, we transcribed the entire musical heritage into 16 volumes, which remain unpublished. About 30 years ago, I attempted to teach hymns using musical notation to theological students with the help of a Greek music teacher, but the effort failed due to the students' lack of background and the numerous other subjects they had to study. Copts work hard to preserve their heritage but lack references, which is why I dedicated my life to providing them. People need to learn solfege and read this heritage. With the right voices, Coptic hymns can be profoundly moving. While other countries cherish and analyze their 200-300-year-old heritage, we have thousands of years of heritage that is largely neglected.
Composing New Hymns in Coptic Music
The Coptic Church has established its rites for various occasions, such as Advent and Nativity Feast, Epiphany, Great Lent, Holy Week, Palm Sunday, Bright Saturday, and Easter, each with its own hymns. The church is entirely musical.
Singing Hymns in Translated Languages
There is a strong connection between language and music. Coptic hymns were composed to be sung in Coptic, and translating them into Arabic reduces their beauty by 70%. Some hymns are originally in Greek, the universal language of early times, which blend well with Coptic music. Greek texts integrate well with Coptic music and even some Western languages, but Arabic does not. Among the three liturgies used in the church today, only St. Basil's is slightly influenced by Hebrew and Byzantine music, while St. Gregory's and St. Cyril's remain intact.
Initially, our efforts focused on compiling hymns from the most reliable sources, transcribing them, and recording them on audio tapes for public access. A scholar like Nabil Kamal Boutros pursued an MA thesis on Coptic hymns, but he was the only one in 65 years. If musical notations were published, many more studies could be conducted.

Publicity and Preservation Efforts
I withdrew my audio cassettes from church bookstores to avoid them being placed alongside subpar music. Seeking Western church songs undermines our heritage.
Children and Coptic Music
Language is key to Coptic identity. The Spanish preserved their language and culture through centuries of invasion, whereas we lost ours. Teaching Coptic from early childhood is essential as children have a remarkable memory for languages. Restoring the Coptic language will help us regain our cultural identity. Now, we identify as Arabs, but with Coptic education, we can reclaim our identity as Egyptian Copts.