Back to the accents over and under the Hebrew text of the Bible

 We must have been here before. But why do I think I am missing the basic visual facts of these marks of taste? Because I hear conversations where we are either tied up in knots over naming these marks, or tied up in melismata over interpreting them. Updated 2024-08-18 : it's really difficult to get these right because there is a lot of confusion in the names and in the coding. 

Here's the table of accents again. 

The Accents of the Hebrew Bible relating to the Music
Below the text- Governs recitation pitch					Above the text- Ornament relative to the recitation pitch
Reciting Note		Unicode 14||	Accent name			Abbreviation	Shape	Full name	Unicode 14||
c*	֧	47	דַּרְגָּ֧א	darga	֝֗	ger-rev**	+2+0-1+0	revia-mugrash	37-31	רְבִ֝יעַ֗־מֻגְּרַשׁ
d*	֛	35	‫תְבִ֛יר	tevir	֙	pas*	+0+1	pashta	33	‫פַּשְׁטָא֙
d	֪	50	יֶרַח גָ֛לגַל	yerah (galgal)	֝	ger	+2+0	geresh muqdam	37	גֵ֝רֵשׁ־מֻקדַם
e	ֽ	69	סִלּוּֽק	silluq	֜	azl*	+0+2	azla	36	אַזְלָ֜א
f/f#	֥	45	מֵרְכָ֥א	merkha	֞	tar*	+2+0+2	tarsin (gershaim)	38	תַ֞רְסִן  גֵּרְשַׁ֞יִם
g**	֭	53	דְּחִי	d'khi	֡	paz	+2+1	pazer	41	פָּזֵ֡ר
g/g#	֖	30	טִפְּחָ֖א	tifha	֔	z-q*	-1	zaqef-qatan	28	זָקֵף קָטֹ֔ן
A	֑	25	אֶתְנַ֑חְ	atnah	֕	z-g*	-1-2	zaqef-gadol	29	זָקֵף גָד֕וֹל
B	֣	43	מֻנַּ֣ח	munah	֨	qad	+1-0	qadma	48	קַדְמָ֨א
C*	֚	34	יְ֚תִיב	yetiv	֒	seg*	-1-0-1	segol	26	סֶגּוֹל֒
C	֤	44	מַהְפַּ֤ךְ	mahpakh	֘	zar	-1+1-0	zarqa	32	זַרְקָא֘
dm*	֦	46	מֵרְכָ֦א־ כְפוּלָה	merkha kefulah	֮	tsi	-0-1+1	tsinnor	54	צִנּוֹר֮
					֩	t-q*	+1+2+3	telisha qetana	49	תְּלִישָׁא־ קְטַנָּה֩
					֠	t-g*	+3+2+1	telisha gedolah	40	תְּלִישָׁא־ גְדוֹלָה
					֟	qar*	+1+2+3+3+2+1	qarne farah	39	קַרְנֵֽי־פָרָ֟ה
					֓	shl	-3-2-1	shalshelet	27	שַׁלְשֶׁ֓לֶת
					֬	ill**	+4	illuy	52	עִלּוּ֬י
					֫	ole**	+3+0	ole	51	עוֹלֶ֫ה
					֗	rev	-0-1 prose -1+0 poetry	revia	31	רְבִיעַ֗

If the accents under the text are a scale, then there is an implied harmonic substructure to be discovered. The deciphering key inferred by Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura shows this underlying harmonic structure. Given a trained musical ear, her selection passes the tonus peregrinus test.

Even given the scale, there is a great deal more to discover about the usage of the accents. Some of what can be discovered is illustrated by the music I have developed and transcribed using the deciphering key inferred by Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura. This blog contains enough examples to see the clarity and potential impact of her work.

See also my series on the Ladder or see volume 10 of the translation series, The Progression of the Music. This book lays out motifs and phrases used for every verse of Scripture and shows where they are unique and where they are identical. For an introduction to the deciphering key and the rationale behind it please see The Song in the Night.