Creating our own trop

[Ralph Isberg <risberg...>]

Josh Gluckstern-Reiss said:

>Most of the discussion I've seen seems to be about
>"the Right way to do things"  "The Authentic way to do this"  "The True
>Origins of the trop I use"  etc. etc.

>I also wonder about these things sometimes.

>Although the origins and evolution of our different Trop traditions are
>not cut and dry, I think most will agree that our different musical
>traditions resulted from the influence and musical assimilation of our
>peoples into their respective contemporary societies.

>Does anyone else think that we may be missing the boat?  Rather than
>"clinging" to the past, in search of historicaly authentic ways, that
>the way to leyn authentically is for us to create our own trope using
>the influences of our society?

>Josh G.R.

          I would say ³yes and no.²  I am not a musicologist (obviously), but 
I think that the way trop assimilates the culture of a contemporary 
society is to  use a meter or beat that is familiar in that society, as 
well as a scale that is used in the folksongs or popular songs of the 
culture.   This then ³adapts² the traditional trop pattern to the way 
people in that society deal with music.  The basic pattern in the trop 
is there, and apparently evident to musicologists, across a variety of 
cultural groups.  Fluorishes are added to the trop that are consistent 
with the songs of the folk traditions of the society.  A ³new² trope 
does not suddenly get created, but evolves so that it is pleasing to 
people in that society.  You might want to look at [Avenary, Hanoch. The 
Ashkenazi Tradition of Biblical Chant between 1500 and
1900. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University Press, 1978].  I can't agree with 
everything he says (musicological methods are not familar to me), but he 
has some discussion on how trop change over time.

We don't have to try to make changes, they come naturally.  There is no 
way that the trop I sing sounds oriental, so I don¹t even try to get 
perfect meter, just consistent treatment of the Masoretic accents.  
After spending my life listening to rock and jazz and blues, those 
traditions cannot get wiped out when I chant torah. This is no different 
then what happened in previous ages, I am sure.  As an example, why 
don¹t you look at the way you chant ³munach zarkah munach segol.²  It is 
very easy (I find unavoidable) to rock and roll this combination.  I 
know a seventy year-old man who chants a very traditional sounding 
eastern European trop, but when he hits this combination, his beat 
changes to give it a very contemporary sound.  Pazer on the downbeat 
also must be treated differently today than it was 50 years ago.

So if one were to think about devising a ³new trop,²  to me it is just 
the old trop, changing the beat to take into account what people find 
pleasing in that society, adding socially-acceptable fluorishes, but 
being meticulous about what to emphasize in the text, when to speed up, 
when to slow down, when to take deep breaths.  This is what I think we 
are trying to convey to each other, plus a little insight into how 
different cultures sing the same accents

Now if someone could just tell me how to solve cottonmouth in front of 
400 people in a socially acceptable manner that doesn¹t cause me to put 
a p¹sik at the wrong place in the text. . . 


Ralph Isberg