I have always been fascinated with the idea of singing the Psalms. How beautiful they are, how poetic, how musical and heart-gripping! Through the years, of course, various and sundry melodies have been composed for different Psalms, but have you ever wondered what melody David sang his Psalms to? How did it sound when the Israelites sang a melancholy song of repentance as they were led to Babylon in captivity? Or when Jesus sang a hymn with His disciples right before His time of greatest grief and suffering, what music did they use to sing the words of Scripture? If you have ever wondered this, then take a look at this fascinating video! While taking a music history class some time ago, I stumbled across this clip that makes the intriguing case for the original music being contained in the Hebrew manuscripts! Did you know there were characters in the Hebrew manuscripts, the meaning of which even the scholars are unsure of? Did you know that one Suzanne Haik-Vantoura, born in 1912, believed she discovered the original meaning?
Watch this video, hear the traditional Jewish melodies as compared to the meditational melodies based on the mysterious Hebrew characters, and decide for yourself! Mrs. Haik-Vantoura's work is controversial among scholars, but that does nothing to negate the music you are about to hear and the story you are about to learn. Let me know what you think, but I know that goosebumps were prominent on my arms when I first heard this hauntingly beautiful music!
For more information, check out Suzanne Haik-Vantoura's book and cd.
WOW even if are not sure if they are the exact notes thats so awesome to have the Bible written to music! Thanks for sharing what you learned in your music history class. I will be taking music history next year as well for my music major. So that is really neat!
ReplyDeleteIn Christ,
Rebecca
That was really cool! Some of the Psalms have assigned tunes, such as "Do Not Destroy" and "Lily of the Covenant." I would love to see the sheet music for those tunes!
ReplyDelete