The famous church father St. Jacob d’Orhoy (of Edessa) (+708) managed
the whole calendar year
of the Syriac Orthodox Church in a special order beginning
from the Sunday of “Church Consecration” (the first Sunday in
November every year) until the same Sunday at the following year. He
divided the year into periods or cycles and each
period or cycle consisted of eight Sundays. Because of the its richness
with melodies he gave a special
melody for each and every Sunday in the cycles. Each cycle shall commence
with “Qadmoyo” (the first melody) and terminate with “Tminoyo” (the
eighth melody). Syriac Music will provide you with information about these cycles
by stages.
The currant cycle is the period between Epiphany and Lent.
As we mentioned above that the cycles have to be divided into eight
Sundays, the period between Epiphany and Lent consists of eight Sundays
too. This cycle commences with the first Sunday after Epiphany. If Epiphany
occurred in the middle of the week, the cycle has to begin at the Sunday
following the Epiphany day, while if Epiphany took place on a Sunday, the
cycle begins at the coming Sunday and continues with other seven Sundays
in succession.
During this cycle he commemoration of “Jesus’ entrance to the
Temple” (Feb. 2nd) takes place. This occasion shall take place between
the fourth and the fifth Sunday.
Prayers during this period discuss the liturgy of Epiphany. Melodies of
this period begin with “Qadmoyo” (the first melody) which shall be the
melody of the first Sunday after Epiphany and continue as a chain until
the sixth Sunday after Epiphany. This cycle ends with a period of
transition which consists of two Sundays, Sunday of priests and Sunday of
departed. Melodies of these two Sundays must continue the succession of
the melody and that is why “Shbi’oyo” (the seventh melody) is the melody
of the Sunday of priests and “Tminoyo” (the eighth melody) for the Sunday
of departed. These two Sundays are placed especially here as a preparation
for the believers to end the period of joy (Christmas and Epiphany) and to
begin the period of forgiveness (the Lent).
The cycle of Lent begins with Sunday of the “wedding at Cana of
Galilee”.
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Between Epiphany and Lent