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Manuscripts
Antiphonary of Saint Yared (Deggwa)
ድጓ
The great hymnary for the church year, attributed to Saint Yared. Small letters written above the lines are a system of musical signs that remind the trained singer how each phrase is chanted.
Why it matters
Students spend years in the zema schools learning to read these signs and to sing the three modes: Ge’ez, Ezel and Araray.
Object details
- Date
- 19th century
- Material
- Parchment
- Dimensions
- 30 × 26 cm
- Origin
- Church school (Zema Bet)
- Gallery
- Manuscripts
Look closely
- Musical notation (melekket) above the text
- Arranged by the feasts of the year
- Used by the debtera (cantors)
Illustrative record — to be replaced with the church’s documented object and photograph.