What tunes are used by the Coptic Church in her worship?

There are five tunes that the Church uses in worship:

• a. The Annual tune. Used on regular days throughout the year.

• b. The Hosanna tune [Arabic: Sha’aniny ]. Used on Palm Sunday when the multitudes, children, and infants welcomed the Lord Christ as He entered Jerusalem. “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word that means “save us.” The Lord Christ entered Jerusalem as the Lamb of God who carries the sin of the world, offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross. It is also used on the Feasts of the Cross.

• c. The Paschal tune. Used in Passion Week, it expresses a kind of awe of the crucified and risen Lord who grants the soul peace. The mystery of this tune lies not in asceticism in food and drink, but rather in the desire to repent from sins. Some call it the “Mournful tune” [Arabic: Hazainy ] but this term was not known to the Church of the first five centuries.

• d. The Kiahk tune. Used in the month of Kiahk, in which we remember St. Mary, to whom the Archangel Gabriel announced the incarnation of the Word by the work of the Holy Spirit who would descend upon her and prepare her for the fulfilment of this annunciation. We, too, in the Nativity Fast, proclaim our longing to fix our eyes on His kingdom that is within us (Luke 17:21), yearning for the Word of God to be formed in all humanity, that we may all become a heavenly bride for the heavenly Bridegroom. During this month of Kiahk, the Church proclaims her joy at the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ: this birth that elated the inhabitants of heaven as He revealed to them the mystery of His divine wisdom for the salvation of faithful humans.

• e. The Joyful Tune. Used for major and minor feasts of the Lord, as well as during the Holy Fifty Days after the Resurrection, the period from Nayrouz (the Coptic New Year) to the Feast of the Cross, and from the Feast of Nativity (Christmas) to the Feast

606 See Deacon Mina Azer’s English article on Church Hymns.

of the Circumcision. Our souls exult in the salvific work of the Lord Christ; whether in His birth, transfiguration, resurrection, or ascension to heaven. This work is strongly evident in the lives of the martyrs whom we celebrate from the day of Nayrouz to the glorious Feast of the Cross each year.⁶⁰⁷