Antiquity of melodies. Was: eliyahu hanovi / dayenu

[Joel Bresler <joel.br...>]

At 01:33 AM 11/26/2003 +0100, you wrote:
> >This traditional Passover song is over a thousand years old.< (from Zemerl).

Hmm. Folks are always mixing up the antiquity of _song texts_ with 
_melodies._ I wonder what's meant here? I'd be interested in what folks can 
contribute to a discussion of

1)      What are the oldest known Jewish melodies? In which traditions?
2)      How do we know how old they are?

On point one, for instance, no one has _ever_ definitively traced the 
melody of a current Judeo-Spanish secular song back to peninsular Spain. (I 
don't know about religious works, but I don't think they have been proven 
out, either.) So feel free to enjoy "early music" renditions of Sephardic 
music, just take them with a shaker of salt.

On point two, obviously written versions of music that have come down to us 
today and can be conclusively dated in some fashion would offer proof. But 
we hear all the time of tunes "MiSinai", in other word, MUCH older than 
that, and I would be interested in the examples themselves and the proof 
offered.

Thanksgiving Sameach!

Joel

P.S. The fragment set down by Ovadiah Ha Ger, early 12th century, is 
online! See: http://www.lib.cam.ac.uk/Taylor-Schechter/animated-genizah.html



Joel Bresler
250 E. Emerson Rd.
Lexington, MA 02420
USA

781-862-4104 (Telephone & FAX)
joel(dot)br (at) verizon(dot)net

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+