SYMBOLS AND INTERPRETATION OF THE ETHIOPIAN MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS IN THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX TEWAHIDO CHURCH

Are there any special musical instruments for the EOTC? YES! In the EOTC, all the properties of the church used for the religious service are termed as Newaye Kidusat (Holy Treasure). And there is no music but Song. Therefore, we call what others call musical instruments as song instruments. If it is so, there are six major song instruments in the EOTC. These are: Kebero (large drum) Tsinasil (sistra) Inzira (large flute) Masinquo (a one-stringed violin) Begena (great harp) Mequamiya (standing stick) All these song instruments play a very important role almost in all church services mentioned F.1. But Begena (great harp) is a musical instrument which is exceptionally used by the church during fasting season only.

Mesenqo /The Ethiopian Single string violin/ The name Mesenqo is derived from the Geez word, Senqewe meaning to sing or to beat. Like the other Ethiopian musical instruments, Mesenqo has its origin in the Old Testament (Isaiah 5:12, 23:16 and Job 21:12). The Orthodox believers symbolize Mesenqo with St. Mary. The horsetail strings of Mesenqo must be rubbed with incense to produce the sound. According to the believers interpretation, the incense is the example of Jesus Christ. The strings produce sound after rubbed by the incense; St. Mary is known to be the most respected Holy Lady after she has given birth to Christ. The incenses are also related with the incense that the three wise men delivered to Christ at His birth with gold and myrrh. The straightness and singleness of the string exemplifies the Orthodox Tewahido Faith. In Greek, Ortho means correct/faultless and Dox means belief and Tewahido represents unity. Accordingly, Orthodox stands for one belief that is correct or faultless. The rainbow-like handle of Mesenqo also symbolizes the rainbow that good showed to Noah as a promise not to punish the world again with water, and the cross at the top reminds believers the cross on which Christ was crucified. The box of the Mesenqo, which is made up of leather is also the example of Noah`s boat in which he saved himself from the storm. Here, Noah`s boat in turn exemplifies St. Mary and the

storm exemplifies the hell. This has a very propounding lesson to the believers that as Noahs boat saved him from the storm, St. Mary saves the world as She gave birth to Christ . Meleket /The Trumpet/ Meleket has its origin dating back to the Old Testament (Genesis 4:21,10:1) and psalms 60:3). Peoples used Meleket to announce both good and bad, news, meaning happiness and sadness. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church relates this with the Day of Judgment (i.e. the second coming of Christ for the last Judgment). According to this interpretation, the good news is the call for those who fulfilled his orders to be saved in the heaven forever while the bad news if for the sinners to be thrown to the everlasting hell. Meleket is also to declare war. Likewise, the believers relate this with the declaration of the closeness of the day of the Last Judgment for the Christians to prepare themselves for the heaven fulfilling Christ's orders. In other words, it awakens them to fulfill Christ's orders and be ready for the heavenly life. Begena /The Ethiopian Harp/ The name Begena is derived from the Geez word Deredere, meaning, to beat. Its origin also dates back to the Old Testament (Genesis 4:21 and psalms 32:1-4 and 91:3). Begena has ten strings made from horsetail, which symbolize the ten commandments of Christ. The two wooden standings (one on either side) are interpreted as the notifications of the Old and the New Testaments. The horizontal one that connects the two stands represents the Holy Bible that consists of the two stands represents the Holy Bible that consists of the Testaments. The classical sound of the Begena is believed to be a reminiscent of St. Mary prayer to Her child, Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of the signers. Embilta /A Pipe- Like, wind instrument/ Embilta has also been used to praise God beginning from the Old Testament (Psalms 150:4, 1Chronicles 15:28 and Job 21:12). Regarding the symbolic interpretation, Embilta and Trumba (another trumpet) have the same interpretation as Meleket. Washint /The flute/ Washint also its origin the Old Testament (Daniel 3:5). According to the Orthodox believers, Washint represents the Gospel, which is the declaration of the coming of Christ. The four holes of Washint are the examples of the four Evangelists: Mathew, Mark, Luke and John. Though they are not parts of the above-mentioned traditional musical instruments, the writer would like to interpret the symbols of Qeshemara (The Tingdereb) and Maharam (The hand kerchief) Sistrums

The Egyptian and Ethiopian sistrums are probably the oldest and best known idiophone types. Both are made of three or four metal rods that are horizontally drawn through a bow or Ushaped frame with a handle. They are of wood, porcelain, or pottery; the more recent standard type is made of metal. Both are equipped with movable discs, threaded on the rods, which jingle or clash when the instrument is shaken. It is interesting to note here that these ancient sistrums of African origin later spread to Greece, Rome, and other cultures around the Mediterranean as well as to other countries on the African continent. The sistrums used in Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Churches as well as in the Fellasha Synagogues are known as tsenatsil. Its social function is evidenced by its popularity in many Jewish Communities of North Africa, and the Middle and Near East, where it accompanies exclusively sacred chants. It is also interesting to indicate here that the four jingling metal bars on the sistrum are linked with the elements of nature: fire, water, air, and earth. In most of the cults, the sistrum was identified with votive power. The sistra of contemporary Ethiopia are strictly religious instruments played only by male deacons and priests to accompany sacred chants. In this case, close relationships exist between Ethiopian and Jewish practices in the use of the sistrum; and in both cultures, it is played by male priests. Metallic idiophones had a universal role of protecting the bearer against evil spirits. In many oriental cultures of Africa and the Near East, for example, jingles are used in the rites of initiation and circumcision. These extra-musical roles associated and interrelated with magic and religions are by no means limited to the non-European world. It is also practiced in Europe; in A.D. 900, for example, Pope John IX ordered that bells be used in the Catholic Church as a defense against thunder and lightning. It is edifying to know the roles musical instruments play in religious, magical, and other symbolic services in societies, east and west. The Ethiopian kebero is an excellent example of a large double-headed cylindrical drum. It is made of a hollowed-out log. The interior and exterior are iron-filled and smoothed with sandpaper. It is covered by hide or membrane in two ways: there are drums that are laced with leather cord, and those whose bodies are entirely covered with ox-hide. In the first case, the skins of the two faces are stretched and laced on top of the wooden body. Often enough, the stretched membrane is treated with animal fat oil to prevent it from breaking. The kebero is always played with the bare hands; the right hand plays on the big face and the left hand on the small side. It is often suspended horizontally from a strap around the players shoulders. Ethiopia is the only country in the world where the box-lyre begena is found as part of the living tradition today. Wood from eucalyptus or juniper trees is ordinarily used in making the frame of the sound box. It is then covered by parchment made of ox-hide. The box is sometimes made of a hollowed-out piece of wood of appropriate circumference and depth. The begena do not have rattles on their surface as some of the other African lyres do, such as the lyres of Uganda and Zaire, for example. The begena plays a semi-sacred role in the hands of the solo performer. Though completely out of the sphere of the strictly sacred practices of the dominant religions, it is not either used in the performance of really secular music. For example, it is primarily used to accompany Dawit's (Biblical David's) Psalms during Lent or other fasting periods of the Christian population; again, members of the Fellasha (Black Jews) use it in a similar manner. Consequently, and following oral tradition, it is nicknamed "Dawit's Harp;" it is the instrument, they say, that David played to soothe King Saul's nerves and saved him from madness. It is also claimed that the instrument

was introduced to Ethiopia by the Israelites who came to Axum from Jerusalem escorting Menelik I, the alleged Son of Solomon and Queen Sheba. On the other hand, the begena is found depicted on Ethiopian manuscripts of the early fifteenth century. Nowadays, the modernists are complaining consistently about the use of these instruments by the Church. They want some modern instruments to be used, substituting the traditional ones. However, the Church strongly refuses such attitudes because of the above-mentioned reasons and to preserve these traditional musical instruments symbols, as they are our heritages. The Church also argues that instruments used for secular occasions must not be used in the Church for rituals. The church also advises the young chanters to reduce their too fast rotation while beating the kabaro (the drum). Too fast rotation while beating the drum is not welcomed by the church for it is not its tradition. May the blessing of God be with as all ! Amen! Source: Qirs Magazine July 2002 By Bantalem Tadesse