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Exclusive Interview with Cantor Ibrahim Ayad
Tasbeha.org will have the chance to conduct an exclusive interview with Cantor Ibrahim Ayad who leads the cathedral chorus and teaches at several hymn institutes. The interview will be broadcast live online on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 8pm EST.
We are asking our community to join us in this interview by submitting their questions ahead of time. Questions will be reviewed and asked live during the interview. Please post your questions in this thread.
We are asking our community to join us in this interview by submitting their questions ahead of time. Questions will be reviewed and asked live during the interview. Please post your questions in this thread.
Comments
Question: What are the possibilities of doing on-line courses for chanting? [straight from Egypt/seminary] In essence: straight from the mouth. Thus, avoiding some of the loose interpretations that happen when things are secondhand and thirdhand, etc.
Comment: sometimes situational ad hocs become institutionalized precedence and tradition eventhough it was never intended.
Example: Dramatic reading in Arabic/English of Omonogenees or Fai etafenf (etc) after it is chanted in the churches during Pascha. These have been done on the tapes and CD's as a revelation of words to the listener (on a personal/home basis) and do not have a place in the church during the rites and services. This is not a criticism of CIA, but rather at the blind pick-up by deacons who do not have his perspective. The criticism is of the local deacons and parishes.
Question: What is the role of the seminary in disseminating proper chants?
Question: What is the possibility of having exchange students?
Question: What is the possibility of sending graduates of the seminary to do seminars in different regions of the diaspora?
Question: Are there any specific adjuncts to the Papal chants ascribing the different regions of the diaspora?, i.e., North and South America, Europe, and the little island down under--Australia?
Question: Who is his favorite saint?
Comment: He looks better in the seminarian black robes on a regular basis.
Question: Does he have any siblings?
Question: Does he have a signal with the Pope, when the Pope wants him to cut things short?
Question: What did it feel like to leave his family and spend so much time away while a youth?
Question: Does he do any vocal exercises?
Question: Any home remedies for the throat that he uses?
Question: Is there was a time when he was too sick to do the Liturgy but he did anyway?
Question: What would he label as the most significant contribution of a particular revitalization of a particular chant/hymn?
Question: What is his favorite hymn (not ecclesiastical chant)?
Question: Would he consider becoming a Yankee fan? {a joke but it would add levity}
Question: Does he need anything specific for the service in the seminary?
Question: Who was the bishop (outside of His Holiness) that has mentored him?
These are some questions, for now. I will let others post before I add a multitude more. I'm sure there will be a lot of questions about rites. I am more intent about the spirit beyond his years as a cantor.
What was the criteria for being a Cantor back then as opposed to now? We have more resources available to us now via internet and CDs; does that mean anyone (girls included) is fitted to be a Cantor, so long as they know all the hymns?
How did you get to where you are right now (what steps did you take)? Which people (bishops) did you connect with that led you to your position?
If you were to give one advice for deacons, what would it be?
What's your view on the "deaconesses", the girls that chant with uniforms? Yes, we have them in America.
How long have you been the Pope's deacon?
Are you a fast learner with hymns?
Have you ever learned a hymn from a recording, or was all your learning done through personal mentoring? Who taught you the majority of the hymns you know?
What is your favorite day of the year? Why?
What are your top 5 hymns?
Can you say Akechi in one breath? Only kidding :)
Real question: How fast can you say Akechi?
2. Is it possible for you to do the following?
- Record the Rites and Hymns of:
- The Apostle's Fast/Feast
- St. Mary's Fast/Feast
- Engagaments and/or Weddings
- Annual hymns because of the new proper pronunciation of some of the hymns that are causing confusion among churches now.
- Re-Record the Rites and Hymns of:
- Nayrouz Feast
- Holy Week
- Feast of Nativity
3. What is the order of chanting the Festive Verses of the Cymbals? Is it just to chant "Kerileson" and then the proper part for the occassion or to say "Tenousht" or "Amoni" before the proper part for the occassion?
4. When are the papal hymns properly chanted? The hymns I'm specifically refering to are:
- Pi-ehmot ghar (short and long)
- E-ghapi
- Shenouti to makario
- Ti-met esnoti
- Shani rompi
To be more specific, is it proper to chant anyone of them after the Coptic Pauline Epistle even when the patriarch, a metropolitan, or a bishop is not present (in which case, just chant anyone of the above mentioned hymns up until the patriarch's name and not include a name of a metropolitan or a bishop)? Just as an added note, when is "Shani rompi" chanted? After the Coptic Pauline? If not, when?
Just as another question with regards to the papal hymns. If a church is part of a diocese that already has a bishop assigned to it and a visiting bishop prayers a liturgy at that church without the assigned bishop attending as well, is the name of the assigned bishop to the diocese mentioned in addition to the visiting bishop?
If the question doesn't make sense, maybe an example would help. St. Thomas the Hermit Church in Southern California is part of the diocese that is under Bishop Serapion. Suppose Bishop Youssef from the diocese of the Southern United States attends a liturgy there when Bishop Serapion is not attending, is Bishop Serapion's name mentioned in addition to Bishop Youssef's name?
5. Why does the chorus chant the extra verses for the Gospel Response on the Feasts of the Nativity and Resurrection? Are there extra verses that he chants for the Gospel Response for the Feast of Theophany?
6. In the recent liturgies of the Nativity, a new hymn, "Egennises" is chanted, why? Was it one of the hymns that has been recently re-discovered?
2. Which person/Cantor had the most influence on him & who is his favourite/hero cantor?
3. How old is he & how did he learn all these hymns that he knows?
4. What is his advice to small churches that don't have many deacons?
5. What does he think about time issues? i.e. not having enough time to chant hymns in the church? Does he suggest continuing to learn hymns, even though there might be no chance to chant them in the church?
6. Why did not he record some of the rites of the church? i.e. Fast of the Apostles, St Mary's fast etc.
7. What is his relationship with other cantors? i.e. Cantor Gad, Zaher, etc.
8. Did he learn hymns & never got a chance to chant them?
9. What does he think is the biggest challenge to coptic hymns nowadays?
10. What does he think about chanting hymns in other languages than coptic? i.e. english?
11. What does he think about learning coptic hymns using a map?
12. What does he wish to see from every deacon?
13. What does he think we should do (as deacons) when people attack us in a rude way?
14. What was his relationshio with the following people: Dr Ragheb Moftah, Cantor Farag, Cantor Sadek, Cantor Tawfik, Abouna Metias Nasr?
Lastly, can someone, please, record this interview & make it available to download?
Can I do the interview?
i might be there....so be ready to meet me.
Mina, can you please make sure that you upload a video of the interview for download like how you did before? thanks a lot man, by the way, Cantor Ibrahim just released Apostles Fast Rites, St Mary's Fast Rites, & 29th of coptic month rites. I'm not sure if you know this :)
well....i am not sure about the details yet really. but i am sure it will be uploaded....most likely on our archive on blip.tv.
Mina, can you please make sure that you upload a video of the interview for download like how you did before? thanks a lot man, by the way, Cantor Ibrahim just released Apostles Fast Rites, St Mary's Fast Rites, & 29th of coptic month rites. I'm not sure if you know this :)
Can you send to me, please? I greatly appreciate it. Thanks a lot.
Also, this may be inappropriate, but was it ever about the money for him? Did he ever get away from the service and get caught up in the hype of the moment and seize opportunities that wouldn't last?
Does he have any regrets? Anything he would have done differently?
Lastly, who will be his 'successor'? Let's admit it (no matter how hard it may be for some), CIA is getting old and his voice a bit raspy. . .who will lead the choir and be the pope's official deacon after CIA is finished? Does he have any say in this decision?
I'm curious as to how he raised his kids. Was he teaching them hymns as children? Did he push them in this path? If so, why? Do they sit at home and chant all day, back and forth? Did they even want all this? How have they handled the pressure? A glimpse into his parenting would be interesting.
Also, this may be inappropriate, but was it ever about the money for him? Did he ever get away from the service and get caught up in the hype of the moment and seize opportunities that wouldn't last?
Does he have any regrets? Anything he would have done differently?
Lastly, who will be his 'successor'? Let's admit it (no matter how hard it may be for some), CIA is getting old and his voice a bit raspy. . .who will lead the choir and be the pope's official deacon after CIA is finished? Does he have any say in this decision?
Hello Unworthy1,
Very interesting questions. Especially the one about the regrets. I think he set it up very nicely and smoothly so as to have either Anton by himself or Anton and Mina take over after him. You can tell by the following instances that I've noticed:
- Anton reading the gospel on a more frequent basis rather than before, where CIA would be the one that reads the gospel.
- In previous liturgies, the chorus would alternate with CIA only but now, on some occassions, the chorus would alternate with CIA and Anton. The responses they would alternate with are the intercessions, praxis response, or any other responses.
- In previous liturgies, there was no triangle being played; only he would play the cymbals. However, now that the triangle is being played, his son is always the one who plays it.
Please do not confuse my interpretations as antagonistic against CIA; I love the guy. I even have a signed kholagy of him. This is just some of the things I noticed of how he is trying to get his kids to take over little by little.
It is purely at the discretion of the Patriarch; no different than in a given parish at the discretion of the given Priest.
From what I gather then Cantor Ibrahim Ayad is in the States (NJ?)? If so, does anyone know his schedule for the upcoming weekend (Saturday and Sunday June 18 and 19) or know who would know or how to get in touch? We would live several hours away but would love to drive down to attend a service that he was at but would need to know where he will before we come make the trip and hotel reservations etc. Can anyone please help or have more information?
He will pray a liturgy in Saint Mark's in Jersey City, NJ on Saturday the 25th.....this is for sure.
Thank you very much for the information. If anyone has information about June 18 and 19 as well I would appreciate it. Also, if anyone knows how to get in contact with him, I would appreciate that as well.
Tasbeha.org will have the chance to conduct an exclusive interview with Cantor Ibrahim Ayad who leads the cathedral chorus and teaches at several hymn institutes. The interview will be broadcast live online on Tuesday, June 21, 2011 at 8pm EST.
We are asking our community to join us in this interview by submitting their questions ahead of time. Questions will be reviewed and asked live during the interview. Please post your questions in this thread.
Can you please ask Cantor Ibrahim Ayad why he seems to change some of his tunes for instance (Asomen)?
When he hands down hymns, does he also hand down the spirituality of the hymn and why the hymn sounds the way it does? Is it possible to publish these explanations written or recorded?
He is still in the United States? I thought he went back to attend the Feast of Pentecost?
i heard he will be leaving june 26th
Can you ask him if he willing to record a liturgy in English?!
That will be kind of hard for him, don't you think?
Can you ask him if he willing to record a liturgy in English?!
He doesn't know english....the most he would say is "Lord have mercy".....he supports the Seraphim Chorus for the tarkeep of english responses and hymns that can possibly be chanted in english and still sound good.
[quote author=Unworthy1 link=topic=11631.msg139779#msg139779 date=1308340736]
Can you ask him if he willing to record a liturgy in English?!
That will be kind of hard for him, don't you think?
I assumed he knew English since he was leading a convention in the US.
I assumed he knew English since he was leading a convention in the US.
it was an alhan convention.....what is needed is coptic.....he was teaching hymns with simple arabic that all can understand being deacons (and talented girls--just so they don't kill me) who should be able to respond in the 3 languages used in our churches here in the states.
Beside Arsani Sidarous (who doesn't record much english), there is no real individual akin to Ibrahim Ayad in the U.S. . .is there?
I thought he only had Anton??
Woah!!! Arsani Sidarous is his son!? :o
I thought he only had Anton??
No, Arsani Sidarous is not his son! Arsani is Abouna Louka's son.
Ibrahim Ayad has two sons: Antoun and Mina.
Unworthy1 was just making a reference to compare who in the United States is comparable to Ibrahim Ayad or in other words, trying to find the "Ibrahim Ayad of the US."