Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, a pioneering pianist, composer and nun passed away at the age of 99. Her life was nothing short of extraordinary as she was a trailblazer for women's equality and lived a reclusive life in a monastery in a remote part of Ethiopia after spending her earlier years as a free-spirited modern woman who performed in the court of the country's last emperor, Haileselassie I.
Emahoy's unique sound and style were a reflection of the way her life oscillated between two parallel worlds. Although she was trained in Western classical music, she was also heavily influenced by traditional Orthodox Christian chants and tunes. One of her works can be disconcerting as the time signature appears to shift and the scale drifts in and out of familiarity. Her musical voice was distinct, intimate, meditative, and unsettling as she produced melancholic pieces that were informed by a fascinating life punctuated by the momentous events her country experienced during the last century.
Born into a prominent aristocratic family in Addis Ababa in December 1923, Emahoy's given name was Yewubdar, which means "the most beautiful one" in Amharic. She was sent to Switzerland with her sister at a young age, where she encountered Western classical music for the first time and began playing the violin and piano. However, she felt alienated in Europe and returned to Ethiopia at the age of 11. War and tragedy struck soon after when Benito Mussolini's Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1936, resulting in the killing of three of her family members and her forced exile on an island in the Mediterranean.
After five years of occupation, the Italians left Ethiopia, and Emahoy returned home, where she began working at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the first female secretary. She was also a rare sight on the road, driving cars at a time when most Ethiopians used horses and carts for travel. Emahoy was determined that her gender would not get in the way, saying that "even in my teenage years, I would say: 'What is the difference between boys and girls? They are equal." She then traveled to Cairo to study music under the Polish violinist Alexander Kontorowicz but could not handle the searing heat and returned to the cooler climate of Addis Ababa with her teacher.
Emahoy seemed to enjoy the favor of Emperor Haileselassie I, but not all in the aristocratic class were impressed with her. When she was given the chance to continue her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London, she was not permitted to travel, which changed the trajectory of her life. Heartbroken and sick, she took a deep dive into religion, eventually abandoning music and the city for a hilltop monastery in a remote part of northern Ethiopia. She became a nun, shaved her head, and stopped wearing shoes.
After 10 years of isolation, she returned to the capital due to the death of the monastic community's archbishop and problems with the soles of her feet. Emahoy resumed playing music, but she continued to shun the spotlight. Her compositions took off around this time, and her years of solitary musings and the dramatic episodes of her eventful life were reflected in her works. Titles such as The Homeless Wanderer, Mother's Love and Homesickness hinted at the melancholy and yearning that she conveyed through her music.
She may be gone, but her music lives on, reminding us of the power of art to transcend borders and unite people from different cultures and backgrounds. Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou was a true pioneer and her contribution to the world of music will be felt for generations to come.
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