RE: History of Jewish Music

[moshe denburg <denburg...>]

On Tue, 01 Oct 1996 09:13:03 -0700, luttrell (at) planetc(dot)com wrote:

>I am doing an in-depth study of Jewish music, particularly the styles 
>used in Jewish music. We know, according to scripture, many in early 
>Israel such as Miriam and David danced before the Lord. In what way was 
>synchopation and rhythm used in the music of Israel? Was it similar to 
>contempory music today in terms of the blend of polyrhythms and melody? 
>Was the beat emphasized or was it hidden within the melody such as in 
>what we know as classical music? How did Jewish music change down through 
>history if at all?
>
>Regards,
>Tim Luttrell
>
>
Tim,

There are no extant musical examples from ancient times, only musicological
speculations. Thus it is impossible to ascertain any of the musical elements
of the ancient music of Israel.

The general historical development of Jewish Music is a large musicological
subject. I suggest you begin by looking up the article on Jewish Music in
the Encyclopaedia Judaica. You will find many references there that will
take you further.

The oldest extant form of Jewish Music, I believe, is the system of Biblical
Accents (in Hebrew - T'amim), which are the markings appended to all
biblical texts, each of which represents a melodic utterance. Originally,
these biblical accents were not for music making per se, but rather to parse
the biblical passages in such a way as to make them comprehensible to a
congregation when read aloud in public on specific days. This practice dates
back to the time of Ezra (5th Century B.C.E.). I do not know when exactly
these accents took on a musical flavour, though it may be reasonable to
assume that the musical practice formed a part of the public reading almost
from the first. However, I am not aware of the most recent erudition on this
musicological question.

According to my sources, the accents were codified in written form around
the 6th and 7th centuries C.E.  The musical equivalents vary from place to
place in Jewish musical practice, and thus, up to the present day, there
exist a wide variety of melodic formulas that the accents represent.

The office of the Cantor (in Hebrew - Hazan) likewise evolved over time into
the practice of chanting the prayers utilizing specific modes. These modes,
over time, became associated with specific festivals and passages. Thus, on
Shabbat, certain modes are utilized, which are different from the modes used
on Rosh Hashana, and then again differentiated from those sung on Festivals
(Succot, Pesach, Shavuot). Then again, the morning service may utilize one
mode, the Musaf service another, and the afternoon and evening services yet
others. These modal associations are meant to inculcate an atmosphere
appropriate to the occasion. To someone familiar with the traditional modes
of prayer, to hear a Rosh Hashana mode on, let's say, Shabbat, would sound
singularly out of place and time.

The biblical accents are varied along these lines as well, not only, as
above mentioned, according to the geographical/National separations between
Jewish communities, but also, according to function. Thus, there is one
musical formula for the accents when reading the Torah (the Five Books of
Moses), another for the Haftarah (the Prophets), and yet others for the
Megilloth (Esther, Lamentations, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes). 

To my best knowledge, the oldest forms of Jewish Music are those associated
with the acts of worship, namely, Biblical Cantillation (utilizing the
Biblical Accents) and the Cantor's art (utilizing the modes of prayer).

The more popular forms that we know today, Klezmer, Jewish Folksongs,
Sepahardi and Middle Eastern musical forms, etc., are of relatively recent
vintage. With few exceptions, melodies have only been written down for two
centuries. Some melodies have a longer lineage, such as Sephardic songs,
which may stem from as far back as the 14th century, but there is no easy
way of knowing to what degree these melodies have been transformed, over
time, by oral transmission. 

One interesting note however is that there are correspondences between the
modes utilized in popular forms and those of the Cantor's art. A well known
example of this is Klezmer, whose chief modes are identical, in overall note
structure if not in every detail of usage, to the modes of prayer.

If you'd like some additional discussion and references to take you a bit
further in your research, please see my essay on Jewish Music on the TZIMMES
website, at the following address:
http://www2.portal.ca/~jsiegel/tzimmes.html

All the Best,

Moshe Denburg