Hymns and Songs during Communion

ebnyasoo3

Hello,

I wanted to know what songs or hymns does your church sing during communion in annual days after Psalm 150.

Are there specific hymns/songs that we are supposed to sing during communion? Are there hymns/songs that we should not be singing during communion.

We have one priest so the communion usually takes about half an hour if not more.

God bless
Ebnyasoo3

Amoussa01

Hello,

Yes there is a rite and order for how the communion is conducted. The typical order is:

1. Psalm 150 in Coptic and language of interpretation (English, Arabic, both...)
2. Ekesmaro-oot
3. Pi-Oik (this can be said in Coptic and other languages)
4. Melody for communion called "our Father"
5. There is another melody called "listen O Christ's congregation"

there are more melodies you can say but I think this should keep you busy for more than half an hour :)

mabsoota

i would also really like to know if there is a longer list of allowed songs as it really helps in churches which are reaching out to the community around them to sing songs in a language people understand and with tunes that are not too hard to sing along to.

i mean i love 'pi oik' (bread of life) but after 5 years of being orthodox and 3 years of regular visiting before that, i can only sing along to about half the tune as it is really difficult for a european tongue to follow. it does not easily fit into english (but this is another topic...)
we need more ORTHODOX songs in english that express the beauty of Holy Communion.
one good example i can think of is 'night of the last supper' it is not at all difficult to sing in english, and if you have several people who don't know english, you can do one verse in english, one in arabic etc.

what other hymns are there that we are allowed to sing for communion?

oh, and another thing, i wish people wouldn't use communion songs to 'fill the time'. yes, we are orthodox and actually taking Holy Communion is the main thing and the singing is secondary (God save us from 'performing' music to the congregation!) but i think the communion songs should be accessible to visitors, as they do go on for a long time and the visitor will find it hard to concentrate and appreciate what's going on if they can't relate to what is being sung. coptic chanting in the service is ok (indeed very beautiful and wonderful), but these chants are just a few minutes long, and then the visitor has something in english (or whatever is the language of your country) to listen to after and understand.

we need a good balance of mystery and accessible teaching in my opinion.
:)

Amoussa01

Hi Mabsoota,

I understand where you are coming from. At the same time, I feel like we should have the same structure (#1-3 on list), however, I do think its important not to neglect those who are still relatively new to our Coptic hymns (especially if they make up a good number of your church). With that said, we should consider this and accommodate to their needs. In my personal opinion, I think there is nothing wrong in saying certain orthodox songs during communion as long as they focus on God and the Holy Eucharist. Night of the last supper is a good example of an acceptable song. I just hope that the deacons do not lose sight of our Orthodoxy by including other things. This sort of rite should be dealt with care...

mabsoota

i agree completely, that is why i don't want to add anything to the songs that are already allowed.
i just want to find out where our boundaries are and work within them.
i think our liturgy and our church are very special and beautiful. i want to emphasize some parts that we already have (not add new ones) that would make it a bit more accessible.

i will always be grateful for the depths of God's love and grace that i found in the coptic orthodox church and that were missing from my life for more than 30 years.
:)