This audio recording of the solemn sung Qurbana in Syriac is a significant addition to the archives of the Aramaic Project. The celebrant, Rev. Msgr. Dr. Jacob Vellian (b. 1934), is both an excellent singer and an accomplished scholar of the Syro Malabar liturgy.
The hymn is from the night prayers (lelya) for Sundays in Advent and Christmas in the East Syriac tradition. This couplet appears in the Thesbohtha (“praise”) that contains several verses. Often, this couplet is treated as a separate chant. In this case, the chant appears at the end of Purathunamaskaram (Hours outside the church) at Kaduthuruthy Valiyapalli.
This video may be a breath of fresh air for the viewers of theCMSIndia channel. It brings out the inspirational story of a young Malayalee couple, Binu and Deepa Mathirappuzha, which sings Syriac chants with a smile.
Here is a chapter from the annals of the history of the St. Thomas Christians in Kerala, India. Caution: Although the film was made in 1985, it is not a representation of Christian marriage in Kerala, in the 20th century; rather, it recreates a traditional wedding from a bygone era, when youngsters were given in marriage as soon as they reached puberty.
This hour-long interview is interesting because of the wide range of topics that it covers. Manohar Thomas is a well-known social leader among the Keralites in New York, and is well versed in the literary and cultural history of Kerala.
Extract From Dr. Joseph J. Palackal's interview on Pravasi Channel, USA
This conversation on Mūnnu nōmbu (Malayalam, three-day lent/fast) of the St. Thomas Christians is a useful resource for researchers on the history of Indian Christianity, Eastern Syriac liturgy, as well as Syriac music.
Reference to this unique song came about in the form of a spontaneous outburst from Dr. George Kaniarakath, CMI, when we met after many years at the CMI house at Via Martino in Rome, on 20 March 2017.
Trilingual (English, Syriac, Malayalam) mass at the Syro Malabar Cathedral Church in Chicago on St. Thomas Day 2017. Celebrant: Rev. Dr. Joseph J. Palackal, CMI. The entire congregation warms up to the melody of Qandisa Alaha.
Recorded at St. John Damasceno College, Via Boccea, Rome.18 March 2017.
