Egypt 1: Cairo Soundscape

Hip Deep October 25, 2011

Hip Deep's Egypt program series kicks off with a sonic tour of Cairo--the chatter of car horns on jam-packed streets, the persistent call to prayer broadcast from mosques city wide, koranic recitation, radio sounds, nightclubs, Ramadan concerts, Coptic hymns sung in ancient churches, bustling markets, and the lulling waters of the Nile. [Produced by Banning Eyre. Originally aired 10-04-2011]

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George Kyrillos on Coptic Hymns

George Kyrillos leads David Ensemble, a group specializing in performing hymns from the liturgy of the Coptic Christian Church in Egypt, and in composing music for the Psamls of David. He is a scholar, an accomplished musician, and a fine singer. He also curates a fantastic website, http://www.davidensemble.com/, rich in audio and video. Visit the Multimedia section there to hear and download music. Afropop’s Banning Eyre visited George at his home in the Maadi neighborhood of Cairo in August, 2011. They spoke without an interpreter, in English—not a language George speaks often, but he did well. Here’s an edited transcript of their conversation.