Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - The Legacy Of The Piano Queen
Channeling Christ and the almighty anthems throughout various churches and the sacred landscapes of supreme spirituality, Ethiopian Orthodox nun, pianist, and composer Yewubdar Guèbrou, known professionally around the world as Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru, sought a sonic sanctuary in a wicked world filled with chaos and fleeting peace by any means necessary. Born just a few weeks shy of Christmas on December 12th, 1923, in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, to a wealthy Amhara family, Yewubdar (meaning the most beautiful one in Amharic), was eventually sent to live with her politician sister in Switzerland, where she iconically began learning the violin and piano, making both the siblings the first Ethiopian women to receive degrees overseas. As if her foundational flirtation with some of the most sophisticated spiritual sounds to come from the soul wasn’t enough, Guèbrou’s dynamical drive to take life head-on has made her one of the most celebrated and highly influential figures in Ethiopian history and culture of all time. Due to the oppressive ‘Derg Party’ that took place in the mid 1970s, a PMAC influenced agenda that explicitly expressed military and government-based music, the 'piano queen' wasn’t permitted to release any of her original material for nearly two decades, inevitably adding to her liberating legacy that would eventually engulf the senses of her future listeners around the world.
Stomping around Jerusalem, wielding her mighty piano, organ, and the holy harmonium, Guèbrou advanced in the almighty atmosphere of worldly worship by demonstrating a brilliant balance within her carefully constructed craft. Its ethereal echoes hum through some of the most holy grounds on Earth, as she later spent the rest of her life settled in the Kidane Mehret Church in West Jerusalem, performing very seldom. Her historically hermetic ways made her a melodic mystery as she conquered a riveting past filled with war, murder, displacement, and isolation. While most people would fold under the pressures of instability and a reckless route dictated by others, Guèbrou dug her barefooted heels into the ancient anatomy of the land and made the best of her situation, no matter the outcome. From Addis Ababa to Germany, where she released her first album in the mid to late 1960s, the late musician’s riveting tale in music and archaic approach to her limitless process in the arts took a biblical backseat as she lay dormant in the halls of the hermit lifestyle for nearly three decades before emerging for essential performances only a select few were blessed to witness in the 2010s.
Photo: Gali Tibbon
Mixing jazz, blues, meditative melody, and holy harmonies to her carefully constructed compositions, Guèbrou’s poetically perfected style reached countless plateaus with celebrated works like 1963’s “Spielt Eigene Kompositionen,” the archival releases from Mississippi Records, “Jerusalem,” “Souvenirs,” and most recently, the highly anticipated summer release of “Church of Kidane Mehret” that brilliantly showcases her ancient abilities to conjure the most secretive sounds from one of the most mysterious, and respected instruments one could master. With tracks like “Via Dolorosa, XIth Station of the Cross,” “Mesbak, Yet My King is From Old (Ps. 74:12-13),” and “Essay on Mahlet, The Prayer of Saint Yared” diving in and out of the spiritual swells of some of the late musician’s most compelling work. Set for release in late May, “Church of Kidane Mehret” ultimately explores the undefined universe by quickly manifesting Guèbrou’s glorious take on life, love, prayer, and the consistent connection to Christ’s unwavering vision for the people’s peace. Guèbrou passed in the spring of 2023 at the age of 99. Her melodic memory will live on through her timeless music and the fierce foundation she set in stone, supporting those who need what she spent a lifetime securing throughout her countless compositions.
