Without being exhaustive, here are my suggestions for why psalms, and some psalms in particular, begin on a note other than the tonic.
This post continues the question I asked here in January.
What are possible explanations? How is it that the whole Psalter begins on 'f'? Why is 9 saying something about 8? or 22 about 21? And so on. What do you think?
Psalm | First Note |
|
1 | f | Psalms continues and comments on Torah and Prophets |
2 | g | Psalm 2 continues Psalm 1 |
9 | g | Psalm 9-10 (acrostic) is a celebration of Psalm 8 |
22 | g | Psalm 22 outlines the cost of the monarch's role in Psalms 20-21 |
40 | f | Psalm 40 expresses the confidence that psalm 39 requests |
48 | f | Psalms 47 and 48 share 25% of their words, most significant perhaps is the recurrence of Yahweh the great king and the kings of the earth. |
60 | g | Psalms 59 and 60 share just under 25% of their words. Psalm 60 is repeated in part in Psalm 108, along with part of Psalm 57. Psalms 56 to 60 are a group of miktamim. Perhaps 60's start on the third note of the scale rather than the first is an indication of the end of this group. |
66 | g | Psalms 65 and 66 share 30% of their words. The inclusio here is prayer. |
70 | f | This analysis gives some room to interpret the psalms that repeat. Psalm 70 is a repeat of part of Palm 40. So it is a commentary, recalling the context of Book 1, on Psalm 69. |
83 | g | The Most High in the context of speech in Psalm 82 and silence in Psalm 83. |
88 | f | 87-89 form the hope of Israel contrasted with two great laments over its failures. |
89 | f | |
91 | g | 90 and 91 share 27% of their words - but there are adjacent pairs of psalms that share many words yet are not connected musically. Psalm 90 is a response to Psalm 89 and the laments in Books 2 and 3. Psalm 91 in turn is a response to Psalm 90, an answer to the prayer. |
95 | g | The series 94-96 connects 92-93 to the final royal celebrations of 96-99. |
96 | B | |
102 | g | Is the prayer a response to the annihilation of Psalm 101? |
108 | g | 107, 108 and 109 appear to be a unit - why? |
109 | g | |
111 | f | Psalms 111 and 112 (acrostics) celebrate psalm 110 |
112 | f | |
113 | f | 113 continues the trio of 110-112. |
115 | C | Psalm 115 - non nobis domine is a counterfoil to psalm 114 - in exitu Israel |
116 | g | 116 is unique in this series from 110 in its singular view. It is a solo song rather than a chorus hymn. |
122 | f | Among the Sons of Ascent (120-134) there is a very detailed structure. See Mitchell, The Psalms of Ascent. Brief summary here. Mitchell does not mention a non-tonic starting note. I suspect it would support his closely reasoned structures. |
124 | f | |
127 | f | |
130 | f | |
131 | f | |
133 | f | |
135 | f | |
137 | f | 135 and 136 are very closely related as if each was commenting on the series from 120-134. How is it that 137 refers back to this whole series? |
139 | g | Psalms 138 and 139 share 33% of their words. 139 elaborates on the last verse of 138. |
147 | f | Psalms 146 to 50 are a single continuous praise -- so they are joined by the music. |
148 | f | |
149 | f | |
150 | f |
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