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Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty · Catechism · 1071

Faith Q&A › Catechism › 14. Church Hymns and the Heavenly Mindset

Why are Church Hymns sometimes chanted in an abbreviated short tune and sometimes in a long tune?

The answer

In the early Church, there were no churches in some villages, and many people would attend their nearest church from sunset on Saturday until the morning or dawn of Sunday to participate in the divine liturgy. The faithful would praise throughout their journey from their village to the church in town, and also after evening Vespers until the beginning of Matins in the morning, so that those present would not be distracted with temporal matters. Longer tunes were clearly useful in these circumstances. But the Church arranges worship according to the circumstances of her people.

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty, Catechism of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Volumes 1 and 2, Books 1–7. First English Edition, 2023. Published by St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, Sporting, Alexandria, and Queen St. Mary & Prince Tadros Coptic Orthodox Church, South Brunswick, NJ. Copyright © 2023. Translation and Editing: Youth of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Arabian Gulf, and Egypt.