Zema means a pleasing sound, a song or a melody in Geʽez,[1][4] the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church.

[5] Saint Yared has been credited with the invention of the musical tradition of Ethiopian liturgical chants.

[7] According to Ethiopian Christian tradition St. Yared was divinely inspired to create three forms of chanting.

According to tradition, from that moment onward St. Yared began to take inspiration from the beauty of nature and the singing of birds to create his chants.

Ancient chanted liturgy with congregation participating with clapping, ululation and rhythmic movements has been retained from that era.

[7] Students of Ethiopian liturgical chants study the Geʽez language, and begin to practice singing at no later than five years of age in a local elementary school called nebab bet.

Here the students undergo five stages of training where they are expected to commit to memory passages of the bible such as the First Epistle of St. John, the Acts of the Apostles, and, most importantly, the Dawit (The Psalms of David).

The students remain in elementary school until they are about 12 years of age and have completely memorized and mastered the recitation of the Dawit.

[15] Ethiopian Church music remains tightly bounded within the communities and rarely attracts attention by outsiders.

[17] However, Ethiopian Churches in smaller communities face challenges in maintaining the liturgical cycle and musical tradition.