Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.music/perform.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/2004718267
Collection material in Coptic, English, and Arabic.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
Gift; Ragheb Moftah, 1991-2001.
The materials in the Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns were donated to the Library of Congress by the late Dr. Ragheb Moftah, between 1991 and 2001. The initial gift of twelve audio tape reels and twenty-five audio cassettes was made in 1991 by Dr. Moftah. Thirty-one reel-to-reel tapes and thirty-two cassettes were added to the collection in 1992. In 1994, Moftah added letters from Ernest Newlandsmith to Ragheb Moftah to the collection. In 1996, Moftah donated fourteen volumes of Coptic music transcribed by Newlandsmith. The remainder of the Collection was acquired from his niece, Laurence Moftah, in fulfillment of his instructions.
No further accruals are expected.
The Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns was processed in 2002 by Deborah Crall. The original finding aid was prepared with Corel WordPerfect 8. In 2004 the Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns finding aid was coded for EAD format by Michael A. Ferrando. Janet McKinney revised and re-coded the finding aid in 2009 to incorporate additional materials. Chris Hartten made additional revisions to the finding aid later in 2009.
Video tapes and sound recordings were transferred to Library of Congress, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the Ragheb Moftah Collection (MAVIS collection nos. 8476 and 13541). This material includes audio tapes of Coptic chant music recorded by Moftah between 1940 and 1985, with the bulk recorded in 1965 and 1975-1985; four videotapes which include a biographical interview of Dr. Moftah conducted by Raymond Stock for a Library of Congress oral history project as part of its World Heritage series (1996-1997); a recording of Ragheb Moftah's one hundredth birthday party (December 21, 1998); Moftah's funeral (June 19, 2002); and an interview with Margit Toth and Dr. Martha Roy (March 13, 2002) conducted by Laurence Moftah.
The status of copyright on the materials of the Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.).
The Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants is open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Performing Arts Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Certain restrictions to use or copying of materials may apply.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: container number, Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
Ragheb Moftah was born on December 21, 1898, in Egypt, the son of Habashi Moftah. He was a musicologist, scholar, and a pioneer of the preservation of the Coptic liturgical music heritage. This heritage of the Coptic Orthodox Church springs from perhaps the oldest musical tradition in the world. Ragheb Moftah’s recordings of the orally transmitted Coptic Liturgical chants were collected from authoritative cantors throughout most of the twentieth century.
Moftah traveled to England where he met Ernest Newlandsmith, who was a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Newlandsmith became intrigued with Moftah’s idea of transcribing the music of the Coptic Orthodox Liturgical chants. Moftah and Newlandsmith collaborated together from 1927 - 1936.
In 1931 they again traveled to England to lecture on Coptic liturgical music at Oxford, Cambridge, and London Universities. Thereafter, Moftah and Newlandsmith made their way back to Cairo, and were more determined than ever to finish their goal of transcribing this unique tradition.
In those pre-tape-recording days, Newlandsmith took down the notation from live performances of the liturgies that were chanted by the great master cantor Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouni, who was chosen by Ragheb Moftah and Newlandsmith for his rich baritone voice, and accurate rendition of the Coptic Orthodox liturgical chants. The legendary great master cantor Mikhail Girgis al-Batanouni worked assiduously with Ragheb Moftah from 1928 – 1957.
Newlandsmith compiled some 16 folios of music notation, including the Liturgy of St. Basil (used in the Coptic Church throughout the year except during the feasts), the Liturgy of St. Gregory (used during the four major feasts of Nativity, Epiphany, Resurrection and Pentecost), and a number of special services like the ordaining of new priests, festivals, weddings, funerals and many other Coptic Orthodox occasions.
In 1932 Moftah was chosen by the Egyptian government to present the Coptic Music in the Arab Music Conference that was held in Cairo, and was sponsored by King Fuad. Bela Bartok, the composer and ethnomusicologist who visited Egypt to attend the Conference, was intrigued by Moftah’s endeavors, and promised to work with him, but he was unable to do so as he was called away to a more urgent project in Turkey.
In 1945, Moftah established a center to teach Coptic chant melodies. By 1954, Moftah was among the founders of the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies, and established the Music Division. From 1954 until his death in 2001, Dr. Moftah recorded the entire corpus of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical chants and hymns in the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies (HICS). The Collection includes the St. Basil’s Liturgy, the St. Gregory’s Liturgy, parts of the St. Cyril’s Liturgy, and many other hymns and chants for various occasions. He was also responsible for training cantors at the Higher Institute of Coptic Studies (HICS), as well as students at the Coptic Clerical College. Each summer he ran a camp in Alexandria for additional instruction, which was all by rote memorization.
In 1970, Ragheb Moftah commissioned Margit Toth to transcribe the music notation of the
Moftah’s work is of interest not only for spiritually engaged people both within and without the monotheistic tradition, but also to Egyptologists, Coptologists, historians of religion, and ethnomusicologists. Moftah died on June 16, 2001.
By Laurence Moftah (niece of Dr. Moftah)
The Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns consists of transcriptions of Coptic chant music by Ernest Newlandsmith (compiled 1926-1936) and Margit Toth (begun 1970). Both contain transcriptions of the Liturgy of St. Basil. Marian Robertson Wilson created a guide to Moftah's audiotapes of Coptic chant music in 1996, which consists of transcriptions, transliterations and translations into English of the texts sung on the tapes. Wilson also devised a new order for the pieces on the tapes, putting them in a more logical order, as used in the context of the liturgy. The most important part of the correspondence consists of letters from Ernest Newlandsmith to Ragheb Moftah concerning their collaboration.
Writings in the collection consist of a paper written by Moftah, typescript, and an autobiography, in both manuscript and printed forms. There are notes about chant music written by Moftah. The collection contains articles written by Marian Robertson Wilson concerning Coptic chant music from the transcriptions Moftah contracted. Other materials include clippings, tickets, receipts, photographs, and a few legal papers.
The Ragheb Moftah Collection of Coptic Orthodox Liturgical Chants and Hymns is organized in 6 series:
Transcriptions by Ernest Newlandsmith, compiled between 1926 and 1936, which include the Liturgy of St. Basil and other liturgies, chants and hymns for various occasions. Bound volumes, manuscript. Volumes 5 and 7 are missing. The unnumbered volume is a draft version of volume 1, the Liturgy of St. Basil. An index to the titles of individual chants is found in the Index.
Transcriptions by Margit Toth, begun in 1970, of the Liturgy of St. Basil, consisting of typescript and photocopies. The transcriptions by Margit Toth are preserved in the order of use in the Liturgy of Saint Basil.
Arrangement is by provenance.
Guide to the Ragheb Moftah Coptic chant collection of audio tapes. Marian Robertson Wilson prepared the Guide for the audio tapes, housed in the Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division. The Guide includes a transcription of the words, as well as transliteration and translation; annotations place the chant in its liturgical context. The Guide is divided into four categories: Liturgy of St. Basil, Liturgy of St. Gregory, excerpts from the liturgy, and special hymns, which are used during festival periods and various occasions. The hymns are organized into function, such as funeral or wedding, and according to use in the Christian year, such as Lent, Easter, and Christmas. An index to the Guide is found in the Appendix. The LC numbers refer to the numbers of the tapes in the collection housed by the Library of Congress.
Draft versions of the
Arrangement is by genre.
General correspondence, letters to and from Ragheb Moftah.
Arrangement is alphabetical by correspondent.
Contracts, copies and originals, between Moftah and Ernest Newlandsmith, Margit Toth and the Coptic Church. Included are papers and notes written by Moftah in manuscript, as well as articles about Ernest Newlandsmith and articles written by Marian Robertson Wilson about Moftah's work on Coptic chant music.
Arrangement is by format.
Photographs of Moftah, others, and his funeral.
Arrangement is by subject.
A printed and bound textbook.
Arrangement is by title.