Geneva, Sunday 18 December 2016, 11 pm – Presentation of the CD of the songs of the Maronite Community of Geneva by Elie Abi Chabel
On Sunday, 18 December 2016, after the mass of 11 pm, the CD “Chants de l’Eglise Maronite, Paroisse Maronite de Genève”, produced with the support of the Laus Plena Foundation, will be presented and offered on sale to the Maronite community of Geneva for the benefit of the activities of the Foundation.
The beautiful voice of Elie Abi Chebel recorded on the CD takes us through 32 well-known Maronite songs, most of which are traditional, with a few recent compositions. The Maronite rite, which today is held essentially in Arabic, is of Syriac (Aramaic) nature and origin; The traditional musical repertoire contains songs that are said to be among the most ancient forms of Syriac chant.
Elie Abi Chebel has been serving the Geneva Maronite Community, which holds a Maronite rite mass (Catholic Eastern rite) every month in the Catholic Church of Troinex. For several years of his presence in Geneva, he has been leading and defining the chant repertoire. Before coming to Geneva, Elie EAi Chebel was a student and member of the Choir of of Fr. Miled Tarabay, Byblos (Jbeil), Lebanon; He maintained strong ties to his much admired and loved professor. As Elie was set to return to Lebanon in 2016, the Community expressed the wish that his so appreciated voice would continue to accompany their liturgies, and that a recording of their favourite chants would be made. Also, the idea was that with a CD, new generations could learn the songs of their tradition in Arabic. The Laus Plena Foundation gladly picked up the wish, and recorded and produced the CD “Chants de l’Eglise Maronite”. The recording where made during the 2016 summer in the Catholic Church of Collex-Bossy (GE); the CD is now ready to be presented to the community.
In the next months, the Laus Plena Foundation will also produce a Chant booklet, which aim is to be used during the liturgies. It will contain the scores of the songs recorded on the CD, the texts of the chants, in Arabic and their translation into French. The scores will also comprise the transliterated Arabic texts. Rita Z. Abihanna has generously offered to do the translations from Arabic to French, and the “Qolo” School of Music of Fr. Miled Tarabay (Lebanon), together with Elie Abi Chebel and Br. Pole Gajuo (Lebanon), have very kindly provided the scores of the songs. Joseph Hazboun, Jerusalem, is working on transcribing the scores in a clean transliterated version to print.
The Laus Plena warmly thanks all persons that have contributed to the coming to live of this recording, and hopes that this project at the service of the local Maronite community will not only contribute to amplify the participation to the congregations's singing, but also to the transmission of the precious Maronite sacred music heritage to the young generation in the diaspora
Sunday 18 December 2016, 11 pm, Eglise Catholique de Troinex, Chemin Emile-Dusonchet 2, 1256 Troinex (Geneva, Switzerland)
To buy the CD, please contact Carine Layoun, +41792246313, carine.layoun@ifrc.org, or email the Laus Plena Foundation.
Donations on bank account at UBS Switzerland AG in the name of: Fondazione Laus Plena, Lugano.
The Foundation issues certificates of donation for tax deduction purposes.
Bank details. See below.
