Hey hey Johnny...missed your response earlier bud. Sorry for the late reply.
Yes, those are the lyrics you posted above. In the Coptic church, we have two ways we chant this Greek hymn. Actually, there is a Coptic version as
well with the lyrics chanted in the Coptic Language. The two Greek versions we chant are differentiated basically by a more melismatic version, and
the second one more straightforward that is not as long.
Melismatic Version
Shorter Version
Hymn chanted in Coptic
To me the catchiest version is the Fairouz one. :-)
By the way, Ibrahim Ayad is the main cantor at the Big Cathedral in Cairo. He is the one chanting the melismatic version above. His son, Anton, is the
one singing the a-capella version of Ya Maryam el Bekr that you posted. That was when he was probably 8 or 9 years old. He is now a grown man, and is
usually right next to his dad during major feasts and liturgies at St. Mark's Cathedral. He is a very talented cantor as well.
Wa Habibi is a beautiful song, but it is more melancholic, don't you think? It is a Good Friday song about the Crucifixion.
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