Computational Analysis of Yaredawi YeZema Silt in Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Chants

TL;DR

This paper introduces a new dataset and neural network-based classification method for analyzing Yaredawi YeZema Silt, a mode of Ethiopian Orthodox chant, using music information retrieval techniques to enhance understanding and preservation.

Contribution

It presents the first dataset and classification experiments specifically targeting Yaredawi YeZema Silt in EOTC chants, advancing computational musicology in this cultural domain.

Findings

Effective pitch contour features for classification

Neural network classifier achieves promising results

Dataset availability promotes future research

Abstract

Despite its musicological, cultural, and religious significance, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) chant is relatively underrepresented in music research. Historical records, including manuscripts, research papers, and oral traditions, confirm Saint Yared's establishment of three canonical EOTC chanting modes during the 6th century. This paper attempts to investigate the EOTC chants using music information retrieval (MIR) techniques. Among the research questions regarding the analysis and understanding of EOTC chants, Yaredawi YeZema Silt, namely the mode of chanting adhering to Saint Yared's standards, is of primary importance. Therefore, we consider the task of Yaredawi YeZema Silt classification in EOTC chants by introducing a new dataset and showcasing a series of classification experiments for this task. Results show that using the distribution of stabilized pitch contours as the feature representation on a simple neural network-based classifier becomes an effective solution. The musicological implications and insights of such results are further discussed through a comparative study with the previous ethnomusicology literature on EOTC chants. By making this dataset publicly accessible, we aim to promote future exploration and analysis of EOTC chants and highlight potential directions for further research, thereby fostering a deeper understanding and preservation of this unique spiritual and cultural heritage.