RE: jewish music in bible

[medelman <medelman...>]

Rosowsky's book is more about the theory of the te'amim than music theory.
In any case, it has been superceded by the even longer "Chanting the Hebrew
Bible" by Joshua Jacobson (Jewish Publication Society, 2002).  That is the
book about cantillation that serious students will be quoting in generations
to come - especially since Rosowsky has long been out of print.

Marsha Bryan Edelman

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of Eliott Kahn
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 3:30 PM
To: World music from a Jewish slant
Subject: Re: jewish music in bible



>I studied theory for four years. Do you think that I could apply that to
biblical poetry, and particularly the megillot, in terms of creating a
deeper understanding of their composition? (i.e. meter, rhyming schemes,
various structures and cadences...?)
>
>Thanks again to all of you for your thoughtful suggestions.
>
>Malka
>

One man's lifelong study of cantillation from an educated music theorist's
perspective is THE CANTILLATION OF THE BIBLE: THE FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES by
Solomon Rosowsky (New York: Reconstructionist Press, 1957).

I have never taken the time to delve into the book--it's very
theory-oriented--but the author was a gifted composer and theorist educated
at the St. Petersburg Conservatory before the Russian Revolution. He also
had instinctive knowledge of the Lithuanian trope system from his father
Boruch Leib Rosowsky, who was Obercantor in Riga, Latvia for forty-plus
years.

Hope that's helpful.


Dr. Eliott Kahn
Music Archivist
Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027
WK: (212) 678-8076
FAX (212) 678-8998
elkahn (at) jtsa(dot)edu




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