Customer Reviews

Chants sacrés de l'Orient (tradition melchite)

5 star:		(5)
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3 star:		(1)
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I'll give this record the full 5 because when I first heard it in the store, it brought tears to my eyes.
Sister Marie Keyrouz's voice is pure peace and faith. It is no less grandiose than one of J.S. Bach's cantatas. Ornate chants form winding, exulting paths up into the sky. She captures the essence of worship into sound in a way that might seem unusual to Westerners. I could feel my own spirit join in, and I'm not a practicing Christian.
As for the theme of the record, as you already know, it consists of Melchite liturgical chants dating from the fourth century A.D. Interestingly enough, all the texts are adressed to the Virgin Mary, even though they are destined to be performed at various celebrations. My personal favourite is #9, Inna-l Malak, the Office of Easter.
NOTE to musicians and theorists: the booklet includes the ancient modes(echos) in which the pieces are written. I also recommend this record for supporting research on Judeo-Christian musical traditions, as well as Gregorian Chant, which lists Byzantine religious music as one of its influences.

I can only say this. I was listening to track 9, "Inna al malak", and I couldn't breathe anymore.

If you wanna "see" a glimpse of what might heaven be, listen to this album

--The word, -the sound, -the meaning in the mind of the believer. -The voice of Marie Keyrouz is compelling. --It transports and elevates...though mostly of a subdued nature, there is occasionally a note that is sung quite loudly. ---Except for the first in greek--all the tracks are sung in arabic. --It's unfortunate that the arabic words are not printed in the liner notes as are the full translations in french, english, and german (only the first lines). ---alot of subtle changes in dynamics contibute to make a music that pulls the heart strings, harmonizes the emotions, and brings clarity to the mind.--It should be pointed out that some of this music is a little raw---sounding--- ...if not improvised, ---rather free and spontaeneously rendered.

I'm not Catholic but I'm still a huge fan. This album blows me out of the water. If there were such a thing as Christian jazz, this would be it.

To western ears, such as mine, it comes as quite a shock to hear Christian service music that sounds so Arabic. Sister Marie Keyrouz sings chants from the Melchite Church in Arabic and Greek in a rich contralto, sparely accompanied by a generally droning male chorus. The melodies are fluid, modal and rhapsodic. The effect is totally entrancing. Although the price is a bargain, the performance and recording quality are pure gold, and you'd be silly to pass this up.

This woman has a voice like an angel, but the style of chanting is not soothing. If you listen to this whole set of chants non-stop, you will feel your sin. It is a good way to get into the mood if you want to examine your life.