Lent 2013 Day 11: The Arabic-Byzantine cocktail :)

There are many similarities between the Byzantine tones and Arabic Music especially when it comes to tones that use scales with uneven distances between the steps of the scale versus western music scales that have equal distances.

Aside from theories and the proper melodies of Byzantine chant, there is great room for creative mixing between the two. Actually, sometimes I feel it is impossible for us Arabic speakers to ignore this influence and some gestures we introduce by default in our chanting without giving it much thought.

Fr. Nicola Malik is a pioneer in the Arabization of byzantine chants and composition of Arabic church music. Furthermore, his book “Sonooj Al Tahleel” meaning Cymbals of Joy contains most of the Psalms set in Byzantine Notation and some contain Arabic music motifs. Here is Fr. Malik chanting Axion Estin in Arabic:

Chant Text:
It is truly right to bless thee, O Theotokos,
ever blessed, and most pure, and the Mother of our God.
More honorable than the cherubim,
and beyond compare more glorious than the seraphim.
Without corruption thou gavest birth to God the Word.
True Theotokos, we magnify thee.

— Jack Rabah