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APenchois and Meghalo

Daniel_Kyrillos
in Hymns Discussion
A couple questions regarding these two hymns for Lent:
1- Why is Meghalo chanted during Lent? It's words seem to not fit the Lenten message.
2- When in the Liturgy is APenchois chanted? I've heard that it is chanted after the conclusion of the 2nd verse of Agios, but I've also seen it before Agios all together, like on feasts, and also after the first verse.
2.5- Where does Meghalo fit in to all of this?

Comments

  • minatasgeelminatasgeel
    I feel like I spoke about this before somewhere...But, Megalou is a hymn that is set for Great Lent. It's originally Greek of three parts (http://tasbeha.org/hymn_library/view/2552):
    Megalou Ar,y`ereuc ic touc `e`wnac a,ranton. `Agioc `o :eoc.
    Kata tyn taxin tou Mel,icedek telioc. `Agioc Ic,uroc.
    `Ocarkw;enta ek `Pneumatoc `Agiou ke `agiac Mariac tyc Par;enou mega to muctyrion. `Agioc `A;anatoc@ `ele`ycon `ymac.

    I didn't look into any sources but Albair's 3rd edition khidmit shamas put a greek text for it, and says he fixes 2 or 3 linguistic "mistakes" in the Coptic. 

    `A Pen[oic is the "mohayyar" hymn for Lent. Kiahk has one alike and most of the major feasts. I think, and a couple of friends agree on this, that the Agios that is said in recordings is a unique way to end Megalo, and start `A Pen[oic. I think this resulted from taking the last part of each of the Megalo paragraphs: `Agioc `o :eoc. `Agioc Ic,uroc. `Agioc `A;anatoc@ `ele`ycon `ymac. The first is already said as part of Megalo, and the rest is said fast considering that not many say all parts in the long tune. M Tawfik records the 2nd paragraph of Megalo, following the hazzat of the first. I am not sure if he does too for the 3rd paragraph. But recently, there was a quick way to say the 2nd and 3rd paragraph--not sure of its source, but it's acceptable to say. 

    I wonder if i answered all these questions. 

  • minamakar
    The short way for the second and third line of Meghalo were chanted and recorded by Cantor Habib Hanna El-Mirahim.


    The entire hymn was chanted long and recorded by Cantor Tawfik

  • Amoussa01
    here is a nice article: http://www.copticheritage.org/studies/meghalo
  • minasafwat
    Look, Meghalo comes specifically from upper egypt liturgy. The liturgy of upper egypt that were prayed till the tenth century in saint shenoute and pachom monastries is fairly different in many aspects..
    One aspect of them is the "trisagion hymns" the trisagion hymns are christologic hymns that talk about the christ in a theologic way..the hymn is composed of verses each verse ends with one of the three agioses in its short type.. Meghalo and agios of omonogenis are examples that survived and found their way into lower egypt liturgy..
    On the other hand.. There was a different type of hymns called "hymn on gospel" this type was chanted after reading the gospel and was mainly focusing on the gospel topic and the occasion in general...
    The hymn meghalo is supposed to be chanted comletely .. But in the last 100 years they started to adopt cairo hymns only ..the cairo hymns are too long in an unexplained way.. So that they only say the first verse due to the unlogic length of the hymn.. In the 1980s cantor Habib from alexandria made a fast tune for the rest of the verses.. Which is a very brilliant move.. Lately in the last 6 years they adopted cantor habib tune for the rest of the verses...

    Apenchoic in its acurate position is after the trisagios.. But in the last 80 or 90 years they moved it before the trisagios.. This is evident in manuscript number 117 rites in the patriarchia library which was written in 1907.. And titled the mohayer after agios and not before it as nowadays...anyway the change of its position before agios is not a big deal
    Sorry for may bad language ..
    Greetings
  • Daniel_Kyrillos
    @minasafwat Im guessing tar7 3ed al-eyama (chi-o-oini) is one of those hymns on the gospel? 
    Thank you for the history of the hymns :) God be with you

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