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Pekethronos

St. PachomSt. Pachom
edited March 2014 in Coptic Orthodox Church
Can someone give a brief history of the hymn for pekethronos? Why do we call its hymn the Royal "Tune" if it is only used for Pekethronos and half of the Covenant Thursday Psalm? It does not seem like a tune but rather just a specific hymn. Why is it also called the Syrian tune? 
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Comments

  • Amoussa01
    The hymn "Pekethronos" has the following translation: "Your throne O God is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom." This hymn is talking about God and His throne so it makes sense for us to refer to the tune as the "royal tune" (even though this same tune is chanted for the psalm "Avchnoun"). The tune is also referred to as the "Shami tune" which is a region in Jerusalem; the place where the tune originated.
  • St. PachomSt. Pachom
    Amoussa01, Currently, is this tune used in any other psalms/hymns/ churches?
  • Amoussa01
    No. 
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    The hymns is a psalm for the 12th hour of good friday. It's a bible text. I'd like to think that's important :-)
  • joekelinyjoekeliny
    Does anyone have a link to any sermons on the Hymn? I remember seeing contemplations on it by HG Bishop Youssef and HG Bishop Rafael... Anything would be much appreciated!
  • St. PachomSt. Pachom
    edited March 2014
    I would like a contemplation on it. I was mainly wondering if this "Syrian Tune" is used anywhere else. I know the text, grammar and use. Thank you for the responses. Pray for our "chorus" of deacons as we perfect ke eperto. We hope to sing as a chorus this and other hymns during Holy Week. Pray that our guys really pray in these hymns, not just sing. 
  • Pefethronos
    Amoussa01, Currently, is this tune used in any other psalms/hymns/ churches?


    Yes, avichinon.

    The tune itself is used 4 times. Twice with the words of Pekethronos and twice with the words of avichinon.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    Even thoo in arabic the tune is called "El-Shammi" but i really believe that it doesn't refer to it being from El-Shamm which is modern Syria. Some more research needs to be done aboutt hat. 
  • [Deleted User]
    See this book .... about Pek-Ethronos but in arabic by Bishop Ava Domadios
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    i skimmed thought the book the only historic part is taken from Albair's book, 1st edition. I then looked at the same section in the 2nd edition and found great information. Then i found that info on the HCOC site :-):

    but the info above in the link is from the 1st edition. Not as detailed as the 2nd edition. 
  • St. PachomSt. Pachom
    edited March 2014
    Forgive my rudeness, but guys, I know we use it in Pekethronos and Avichnon. I already mentioned that. The reason I started this is because we call its hymn "Royal Tune" and I thought that is a misnomer because a tune is used for a season. If used for only one or two hymns I don't think it should be called a "tune". Therefore I was wondering if it is found elsewhere. (aimed toward the Syriac Orthodox Church) 
  • mshenouda
    edited March 2014
    I'm not sure if this can be found in any major resource but what I was taught was that this hymn is split in two tunes: the sad tune and the, for lack of a better word, joyous. The transition can be clearly noticed in I believe the word Alleluia in both Pekethronos and Avetchnon. I was taught that there is split because in the beginning we do realize that Christ was just taken down from the cross and he truly died for our sins. Hence, we are sad. However, we turn "joyous" because we also understand that salvation is fulfilled and Christ just trampled satan and freed those in Hades. After this crucial step we are able to join Christ in paradise after all these years.
    Edit: I just read HCOC's website and I found the same exact information. So I guess there is a source for what I said. All in all I think this hymn is a "Royal tune" because when you combine these two tunes and meanings, you would essentially get one great melismatic tune. But that's just my guess.
  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    An article posted on St Macarius Monastery site "From the Hymns of Good Friday" http://www.stmacariusmonastery.org/st_mark/sm041210.htm

    + ومزمور هذه الساعة (مز 45: 8،6؛ عب 1: 8) "Pek`qronoc" "كرسيك يا الله إلى دهر الدهور. قضيب الاستقامة هو قضيب مُلكك... كل ثيابك مُر وعُود وسليخة(10) ("المُر والميعة والسليخة من ثيابك")" يُرتَّل باللحن الشامي(11).

    Rough translation:
    + And the psalm of [the twelfth hour] (Ps 45:6,8; Heb 1:8) "Pek-ethronos" "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. All Your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes and cassia."10 (Myrrh and aloes and cassia are from your garments) and is chanted in the Shami tune11.

    (10) الذي يتكرَّر - كما ذكرنا - في الساعة الحادية عشرة من يوم الثلاثاء، حيث بدأت وقتها مشاورات المؤامرة للتخلُّص من شخص الرب.
    10-[This Psalm] is repeated, as we have mentioned, in the eleventh hour of Tuesday as it was the time when the conspiracies towards getting rid of the Lord has begin.

    (11) يُنسب هذا اللحن إلى قرية "شامة"، وهي قرية بالقرب من جبل شامة وبالقبطية Jhme في المنطقة الواقعة بين جبل بنهدب ومدينة قفط (قوص الحالية).
    11-This tune is attributed to the village of "Shamah," a village near the Mountain of Shama and in coptic ti-ehme (maybe something else since the text doesn't have the word in coptic font) in the area between the Mountain of Benhadab and the city of Qift (currently Qous)
    ***************************************************************************************
    A little early in the article i also found the following:

    ولكن هناك لحن آخر للمزمور هو "اللحن الملوكي" أو "اللحن الشامي الكبير" ونغماته ممتدَّة ومتنوعة ويختلط فيها الشجن بالابتهاج، وهو أمرٌ طبيعي.

    However, there is also another tune to the same called "The Royal Tune" or "The Great Shami Tune" and its tune is prolonged and diverse [in ornaments] and it mixes calmness with joy, which is a natural matter. 

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