Tsenatsel: The enigmatic, unexplored melodic instrument

When we talk of Tsenatsel or sistrum – a religious instrument used in Orthodox liturgy during chanting and liturgical dance-it is common to associate the name Saint Yared, the great Ethiopian composer, chorographer and poet. St. Yared, who composed many chants and hymns for the liturgy of the church and invented a system of musical notation for the guidance of musicians and dancers, is attributed for the introduction of the Tsenatsel; and even in paintings, he is often depicted playing the instrument-Tsenatsel.

As documents indicate, Tsenatsel or sistrum is considered to be the oldest best known percussion-idiophone musical instrument used in Ethiopian Orthodox Christian Churches in concert with other instruments such as kebero /drum/, harp, praying stick or Mequamiya to accompany sacred chants, honor the Lord and make the song more melodious.

This religious instrument has been known in Ethiopia since ancient times and it plays an important role in the liturgy of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. As various writings demonstrated, Tsenatsel is played only by male deacons and priests to accompany sacred chants.

According to a research paper wrote by the late Professor Ashenafi Kebede, Tsenatsel or Sistrum is made of three or four metal rods that are horizontally drawn through a bow or U-shaped frame with a handle. It is of wood, porcelain, or pottery; the more recent standard type is made of metal. The instrument is equipped with movable discs, threaded on the rods, which jingle or clash when the instrument is shaken and it is played by male priests.

Made from bronze, metal or wood (as other stated) the instrument provided rhythmical accompaniment to other instruments, particularly in religious rites and festivals. Played by shaking the instrument like a rattle, moveable objects on the horizontal bars or the free movement of the bars themselves against the frame, produced sounds. The effect produced by the Tsenatsel – when shaken in short, sharp, rhythmic pulses – is to arouse movement and activity.

The different movement and rhythms of Tsenatsel correspond to aspects of the song and vocal style: if there is a long vocal style, you move right and left, and up and down with mequamia. The corresponding pattern in the Tsenatsel is called maragd. For a short vocal style you lift the mequamia and push the bottom forward. All vocal styles have specific motions and all movements are guided by the zema.

The singers chant in a choir in harmony with the melody, slowly moving their  prayer sticks back and forth or up and down in an orchestrated movement known as tirkeza. The beating of the drums and the rattling of the sistra also join in to make the music more melodious

In the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the U shaped instrument, Tsenatsel, symbolizes a number of matters. For instance, the sound is supposed to imitate the sound of the whipping of Christ at the hands of the Jews and Gentiles. It also goes back-and-forth (like the whips). Further, it is said that during Lord’s Passion, the crowds were so immense that the Son of God was pushed side-to-side and back-and-forth, hence it some of the patterns of the wo’reb (the sacred dance). The forward and backward movements of the Tsenatsel also portray the sufferings of Jesus by the hands of Jews, pushed by them from one end to another and backward and forward plus His fallings. The wooden handle represents the Holy Trinity.

All the hymns composed by Yared continue to be sung in churches all over Ethiopia by priests and choirs of debteras. These hymns are accompanied by various musical instruments created by Yared giving the performance more fullness. The singers chant in a choir in harmony with the melody, slowly moving their prayer sticks back and forth or up and down in an orchestrated movement. The beating of the drums and the rattling of the Tsenatsel also join in to make the music more melodious

The Ethiopian Herald August 5, 2020

 BY STAFF REPORTER