A recording of the Imperial Pushmari congregation chanting the Tëwėlwīrė Nėřëu (Hymn to the Nurturer). Below is the transliteration and translation, and under the read below is more information about the hymn itself, as well as the aspects of the chanting itself.
"I humble myself before The Nurturer, and cleanse myself of all impurities in Your presence."
"O Nurturer, The Shining One, You who Illuminate the Heavens and the Earth, The Eternal Flame, the Flower which Blooms Endlessly in All Directions, born from the Spark of the Stars, Firstborn Amongst All, Ruler of all the Universe, Great God of the Sun;"
"You are the supreme god above all else, whose light and warmth reaches into every corner of the universe. How beauteous Your form, how perfect Your will, how resplendent Your warmth. Your light is so luminous, shining forth from Your tail, that it obscures Your face in glowing aurora. The wandering stars of Adam and Eve trace a path in the sky, and all of the World rejoices in Your splendor and Your perfection."
"By the warmth of the Nurturer, it shall be so."
On the hymn:
The Tëwėlwīrė Nėřëu is a famous liturgy recited often in the Imperial Custom of the Empire of Pushmar. It is a hymn dedicated to Tëwėlwī (The Nurturer), the Pushmari god of the Sun and supreme god of the Imperial Custom. It is one of many hymns dedicated to the Nurturer, but is notable in that it is the first one to be written in the Pushmari Canon. It is often chanted at the beginning of morning services to purify the hearts and minds of the rrōñolwī (sages, clergy) as they begin their preparations to perform their duties. Being one of the older hymns, it is written in the traditional Hymn style which is as follows:
Ñëmyal [ɲǽ.mʲal] (Ablution, lit. "washing") - an declaration, usually a stock phrase, affirming that one intends to present themself honorably before the Gods and purify themselves of darkness and impurity.
Lōñal [lɔ́.ɲal] (Invocation, lit. "calling, summoning") - an address to the god(s) whom the prayer is intended for, often listing many of their titles and epithets.
Ëñwėlo [ǽ.ɲʷæ.lɔ] (Veneration, lit. "celebrating, honoring") - a celebration of the god's many attributes, often referencing well known stories pertaining to their triumphs or generosity.
Ëñėlo [ǽ.ɲæ.lɔ] (Incantation, lit "making pray, worship") - a mantra encapsulating the essence of the hymn itself and invoking the will of higher powers/deeper magics.
On the chant:
The Pushmari style of chanting follows a specific format. In this instance, since it's the first hymn of the day, special rrōñolwī know as ōlwi (horn players) announce the beginning of the hymn and of the period of chanting, prayer, and ritual purification. Then, the ringing of the ēmya řëubarr (great bell) signals the lōñolwī (lead chanter) to begin singing the ñëmyal (this will usually be done by the highest-ranking sage in the temple). Unlike the majority of the chant, the ñëmyal is sung in a specific style known as wōjonōw lā (turning/spiralling way) marked by expressive use of microtonal glides and transitions, vocal flips, and drawn-out, unstructured changes in meter.
The ēmya řëubarr is struck once more, and the lōñolwī leads the rest of the congregation in the main chant. Several instruments also accompany them, mainly for the sake of keeping time. The main beat is kept by the ñā cujōz (hand drum), while the larger tōmwėo cujōz (standing drum) provides a contrasting WHOLE WHOLE HALF-WHOLE pattern. The ījel řëubarr (flat bells/chimes) keep time by ringing on the stressed/high-pitched syllable of every word, and the iřeb řëubarr (small bell) is struck for the first syllable of every word.
The chanters themselves chant in a specific style (in this case they're chanting in F minor pentatonic), mainly chanting the stressed syllable of words in the tonic, while unstressed syllables are chanted on the minor 7th. Each syllable is chanted for one beat, except for dipthongs, which are chanted as two half-beats. For diphthongs starting on stressed syllables, the notes fall from the tonic to the minor 7th, while in diphthongs starting on unstressed syllables the notes fall from the minor 7th to the 5th. The entirety ėñwėlo is chanted in one continuous phrase. The ėñėlo, on the other hand, is chanted at a slower tempo without the accompaniment of other instruments, with the final syllable ending on the 5th.
The ījel řëubarr are struck nine times to invoke the powers of the Three Sacred Roots (The Nurturer [sun], The Protector [moon], The Firmament [earth]) and the Six Children of Heaven (The Canopy [sky], The Ashen [fire], The Minstrel [thought], The Ocean [sea], The Thresher [harvest], The Misfit [death]), and the ēmya řëubarr is struck for a final time, concluding the recitation of the hymn.
