Album Notes

This production contains the most accurate versions of every hymn of the Kiahk Midnight Praise, which is also called the “Seven and Four Vigil,” according to the Coptic tradition.

It consists of all the melismatic and recitative tunes for the rite, where the melismatic hymns are based on the oral and recorded tradition of Cantor Mikhail Ghabrial Girgis El-Batanouny.
This production is the largest one made by the HCOC thus far, as it consists of 3 sets of 13 audio CD discs, with 12 CDs of recordings by the choir and 1 CD of sources for some of the noteworthy hymns. Since the price of the production would increase due to the number of CDs, the choir is releasing 3 of the CDs in this production for FREE, so you only pay the cost of 10 CDs.*
There are hymns recorded in Coptic and Arabic, and there are also historical introductions to the rite of the Kiahk Midnight Praise in both the Arabic and English languages.
The set contains many melismatic hymns in full, such as the Alleluia of Midnight (Alle-nos-el-lil), the Great Canticle of Kiahk (el-hos-el-kebeer), Tenen, Tenou-eh enswk of Kiahk, and the Exposition of the Saintly Workers. It also consists of short and easy hymns such as the Fourth Canticle, the Adam and Watos Psali’s and Explanations.
Since many of the hymns in the Kiahk Midnight Praise were authored in Arabic, for this reason you will find many of the Arabic hymns, both popular and unknown, in this production.
Many gifted priests, deacons, and cantors participated in this production, including the Hegumen Fr. Mettias Nasr, Fr. Philopatir Kamal, Cantor Gad Lewis, Cantor Satir Mikhail, Cantor Osama Fawzy, Deacon Wagdi Bishara, Deacon Boles Malak, and Deacon Diaa Sabry.
The CDs were recorded and mastered digitally in professional studios.