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Catherine Felix plays the Syriac chant "Bar Maryam" (Son of Mary) on piano.

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AP 185 - Catherine Felix plays the Syriac chant "Bar Maryam" (Son of Mary) on piano.
Call Number

AP 185

Part Number Part I - Syro Malabar Church
Title Catherine Felix plays the Syriac chant "Bar Maryam" (Son of Mary) on piano.
Duration 2:43
Place of Recording Residence of Felix Northern Virginia, USA
Date of Recording 2 April, 2020
Youtube URL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LQeIAIS3Kw
Video Segment (s)

 

Notes

Catherine Felix plays the Syriac chant "Bar Maryam" (Son of Mary) on piano.

Catherine Felix of Northern Virginia, USA, plays the melody of Bar Maryam on piano. Music notation by S. Sebastian. Text and staff notation, see: thecmsindia.org/bar-maryam-son-of-mary

The centuries-old Syriac chant, Bar Maryam (Son of Mary) has captured the imagination of generations of St. Thomas Christians in Kerala and abroad. Besides the Christological and Mariological significance of this chant, the simple but haunting melody plays in the mind like in a loop after one hearing. S. Sebastian (Atlanta, USA) notated the melody for the use of the choir at the Syro Malabar Convention in Houston (1 August 2019). Catherine, daughter of Felix Simon, the co-founder of the Aramaic Project, experimented with the melody on her piano at home. This is the first time we hear this melody with the sonority of a piano. Catherine makes two iterations of the melody with two different ways of chordal accompaniment. The second iteration is her own improvisation on the harmony.

Earlier in 2014, we saw Catherine at her First Communion, leading the Lord's Prayer in Aramaic (see Aramaic Project 21 ). Catherine kept up her interest during the ensuing years.

We are glad to see that young Syro Malabar Catholics in the USA are warming up to the traditions of their forefathers.

For more information on the text, melody, staff notation, and theological significance of this chant, see our Encyclopedia of Syriac chants: thecmsindia.org/bar-maryam-son-of-mary

Joseph J. Palackal, CMI
New York
9 April 2020

Keywords: Catherine Felix , S. Sebastian , Bar Maryam , Syriac chants , Aramaic chants in the USA

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