Hos Erof Ari-hoo-o Chasf Sha Ni-eneh
"...Praise Him and exalt Him above all forever.”
The following passage is an excerpt from the book entitled "The Spirituality of the Holy Psalmody" by Matthew Massoud:
"This hymn is sung in a beautiful long tune. It is rich in Coptic hymnology and this hymn is able to bring the soul into the heights of heaven. We will meditate on the tune of Hos erof ari ho oo shasf sha ni eneh. The extensions of this long hymn are in “ari” and “sha”. They follow the same pattern, so we will meditate on them in a collective manner. This portion of the hymn begins with two parts of a very high, up-tempo tune. This beautiful up-tempo beat can be likened to our re-birth in Christ through the Holy Baptism or through its renewal in the sacrament of repentance and confession. We are made pure in these two sacraments, and the choir of angels rejoice in the salvation of our souls. The proceeding parts of this hymn are sung in a descending tune, becoming more sombre as the tune hits a very low key, making it difficult for some people to sing. This mimics two aspects of our spiritual lives. To the believers, this sombre tune may represent the hard-pressed feeling due to the persecution they are facing and the various trials and falls one might encounter. To the catechumen*11, this may be a remembrance of the life they once lived without our Lord Jesus Christ. A gloomy life that lacked all joy and was filled with feelings of depression and despair. The tune then starts to rise again, in gradual steps. This is likened to the climb of the believers. They start with a simple push, maybe through the Word of God, through the aid of their Confessor Fathers, or maybe through the lives of the saints. The believers then begin to rise from their evil ways and turn their eyes towards the Lord their God. The tune then hits two high repetitious parts, sounding almost like a cry for help, reminding us of the words of David the Prophet who cried out saying,
“Unto You I lift up my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens. Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, So our eyes look to the Lord our God, Until He has mercy on us. Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us!” (Psalm 123:1-3).
We will now focus on the beautiful meditation which comes from the final two parts of this long hymn. These two parts are repeats of the first parts, the high, up-tempo beat we have previously talked about, and now instead of just the choir of angels praising because of our salvation, we join with them, in perfect unison, chanting for the Glory of God. For through all the tribulations we faced, we are being purified to become like angels living on earth."
“Let all the torments of hell come upon me, for I suffer for the love of Christ” (St. Ignatius of Antioch)."
For the full text on the spirituality of the whole psalmody visit the following link:
[ Ссылка ]
This recording was chanted by the David Ensemble
+ Glory be to God Forever +
