1. Yitbārek ‘Egzi’abǝḥer… Wazǝntu Wǝ’ǝtu Samāy

The text of this prayer can be found on any Sabbath during the year. However, in this recording, it is specifically related to the beginning of the fourth Sabbath of the fifth month but the melody is identical to that of all other Sabbaths. The text refers to the observance of the Sabbath, as stated in Biblical sources and as shaped by the Beta Israel. T his observance is attributed to the authority of Moses. It draws mainly on Exodus (31:14 and 15b; 20:8-10) and ends with a paraphrase of Deuteronomy 27:15, a curse directed towards the idolaters who do not maintain God’s commandments. Written sources of the Beta Israel liturgy include several textual variants of this prayer.

This piece is sung in a responsorial form by a soloist Qes (A) and a choir of Qessoch (B). Each verse sung by the soloist is completed by the choir. The piece is unmeasured – without regular beat. Numerous individual melodic variants emerge among the singers of the choir in addition to the slight temporal discrepancies between them creating a heterophonic texture.