The Latter Prophets - with the music as derived from the accents

The Latter Prophets - Isaiah (iwyihu), Jeremiah (irmihu), Ezekiel (ikzqal), and The Twelve (tri ywr: howy, ioal, ymos, yobdih, ionh, mich, nkum, kbquq, xpnih, kgi, zcrih, mlaci).

You can tell from these how relatively big the job would be to sing the work from beginning to end. The Twelve give us 209 pages of music. The latter prophets in total are 979 pages in this form. Torah is 1032 pages. The former prophets are 913 pages. I had guessed years ago that the whole might be 6000 pages - slightly too high I think. Tell you in the next post.

Jonah - pondering bits and pieces of this story

Yesterday, there was an article here by Rabbi Bob (not me) on responses to Jonah by Kimhi and other sages. Kimhi notes that there is no mention of Israel. Answer: Nineveh on one warning turned completely from their evil compared to Israel, "rebuked from dawn to dusk" who do not turn. Radak then says that God granted the Ninevites mercy (even more so when they are many). He is seconded by R. Yehoshua ben Shuib.

These two are then contrasted with Don Isaac Abravanel and R. Meir Leibush ben Yechiel Michel Wisser who note that Nineveh is being preserved to correct Israel. (Maybe an unstated part of the story line.) Ibn Ezra is reported as noting the god-fearing nature of the Ninevites (3:3). That's interpreting Elohim as God rather than gods in this one verse -- a bit of a stretch.

Jonah is a very short book, full of subtlety and complexity. It is hard to sort out the motivations of each character.

I note a second article on Jonah by Yitzhak Peleg today -- He explains that Jonah is the focus of Yom Kippur. Both the writers use repentance as their gloss for תשובה. I never gloss this root wvb as repent, because repent is a religious word whose meaning in the modern mind has been associated with various theories of God. I always use the direct sense of the word: to turn towards or away from. Whether one is turning to the good or turning away from what is not good, turn is an active verb - not a religious thought process. 

What is Yahweh God doing with this tale? Peleg calls it a didactic lesson. Both articles are worth the read.

The music at the beginning shows an autocratic call in verse 2 -- preceded by a drum roll -- ornamentation around the tonic. Jonah was not your typical obedient prophet in whom the word of God burned till he paid attention, and we don't hear any initial complaint from him. His actions speak his response -- he obeyed the first part, he arose, but he ran in the other direction.

The first thing God does in this book is make the word happen to Jonah. It's the same phrasing as for Samuel or Nathan or Elijah and a few others in the stories in 1 Kings. This phrasing is more frequent in Jeremiah (27 times) and Ezekiel (43) and Zechariah (7). But it doesn't occur at all in Isaiah. Isaiah uses oracle 25 times. Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the twelve, even more frequently -- over 300 times. Is happen active or passive action on Yahweh's part? This word (to be) could just be: and the word of Yahweh was for Jonah. I used happen, since the gloss fits in a lot of other places as well. Who knows how the word of some mysterious being - whether autocrat or not - comes to a person? Perhaps happen is picking up on what happens, and oracle is more direct speech.

Several words refer to the deity. God (al) is used as a word only once in Jonah (4:2). God (Elohim) is used in every chapter - 16 times altogether. The sailors, the pilot, Jonah, the king, the Ninevites all refer to the generic God. Yahweh God is used once (Jonah 4:6). The authoritative God appoints and speaks only in chapter 4. The narrator (ah, another mysterious character - the omniscient story teller) is the one who tells us who's doing what to whom. The narrator tells us that Yahweh is Jonah's God (2:2) and Jonah's psalm confirms it (2:7).

Yahweh is the origin of the words, and Yahweh is the face (presence) that Jonah is running from, the target of prayer, fear and offerings from the sailors, and vow and attribution from Jonah. Yahweh is not part of the Ninevite section. 

In chapters 1 and 2, Yahweh:

• makes the word happen
• hurls the great wind on the sea
• appoints a great fish
• answers Jonah
• hears Jonah's voice and brings him up from destruction
• talks to the fish

In chapter 3, God sees and sighs, and refrains from the evil designated for Nineveh.

Then in chapter 4, it is a bit more complex. In the face of Jonah's anger, and his prayer for death, Yahweh asks whether this is good. Then it is 'God' who

• appoints a tender plant and makes it come up over Jonah
• appoints a worm
• appoints a sultry east wind
• and then asks if it is good to be burning with anger

Finally Yahweh speaks about Jonah lamenting the lesser - the tender plant - now withered, and therefore how much more should Yahweh not spare the greater - Nineveh.

The music of the final speech of Yahweh is so lyrical. The shape of it mimics part of the Duruflé requiem (the rise from tonic to the sixth then tonic to the fifth). Yahweh's final speech is one of my favorite bits from my arrangements. It's the 12 8 rhythm that does it. I always have Yahweh speak with multiple parts since I think the word happens to us through the interactions and pressures of many voices. The final speech begins at bar 164.

Here are the questions raised for me:

• Jonah finds himself saved from the great fish, but is he saved from himself?
• What is Nineveh thinking except to escape from the judgment? It will continue with its incorrigible imperial desires.
• Is it then enough to say that this is a lesson in universal mercy? Or that this is about Israel?
• Why does Jesus use the sign of Jonah? It's a much bigger story than the '3 days'. 
• Does this story have application to us today? Who is Jonah? Who is the imperial power whose evil deeds are in Yahweh's face? 
• Is God's character as portrayed acceptable or is it just one of many ploys in the narration?

Russia today is trapped in its merciless religious and imperial framework. Iran is trapped in its fear of women. China is trapped in its need for uniformity. Half the US is trapped in its own lies. We are all trapped in the climate crisis. How far away are we from turning away from the evil that has come up in our own faces? Is there a prophet who would preach to us?

There are many reasons to run away and hide - not least because, like Nineveh, there is a deeper problem to be fixed - the violence that is in our own hands. Is there a multi-voiced word to us: sanctions, drought, floods, storms, death, destruction? Perhaps we, like Jonah, must be part of the solution.

Doesn't seem to be any magic here. Nor does it stop future violence. A prophet today might well sit on the sidelines and hope for 'change'. And the sidelines are a sultry wind destroying our tender plantings, our supply lines, our water, pollination, and growing seasons. 

The chapter on Nineveh makes no mention of mercy or kindness. Nineveh's turning is a 'who knows' gamble in terms of belief, and a self-protective move, but it does stop the stench of its imperialism momentarily. This is a pragmatic and political move and it works.

So God sighs over the evil that was designated for them. And it was not done. I don't find myself sighing about anyone's imperialistic tendencies - whether it be a nation, or a religion, or myself. The enforcing of power over another is anathema to the gospel.

The end of the story leaves Jonah silent with respect to the question reasoning from lesser to greater that God asks. Silence is not an option. Kindness comes up twice in the story: First in the comment of the Psalm in chapter 2:9: 

Those who keep vain futility,

forsake their kindness.

Then in Jonah's citation of Exodus 34:6 and his excuse for stalling and running away:

(4:2b) For I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and of abundant kindness, and who sighs over evil.

We had better hope that this is the case for Jonah and ourselves as well.

I hate, I refuse your translations

Bosco Peters notes that a new new revised standard version of the Bible is emerging from the bruit of the modern world.  He has committed himself to the RSV traditions. One reason he gives is for memorization. I agree with him that it is very hard to memorize 100 different translations. (And I am sure he hasn't read mine!)

Let's face it, the Bible is a big library representing 1000s of years of 'tradition' as the Fiddler notes. How does God get a good word about character to the billions of people to be spoken to?

Flood, fire, tempest, war, persecution, or a book? I suspect consequences are among God's modes of communications. God simply does not have time, (just all of it), to get to the folks to be loved and cherished. Consequences are a blunt instrument. I suspect also that the invisible and non-confrontational but sharp voice of tenderness is another mode. Does God use the churches? Committees, drafts, studies, scholarship, layer upon layer of signs and tongues, and revision after revision?

Who knows! 

As the king of Nineveh says. This God may turn and sigh, and turn from his fierce anger and we will not perish. 

The king was right in his assessment of anger. Jonah was wrong in his schadenfreude implying his assessment of punitive damages deserved. Who is revealing the character of God? 

Here is God as revealed to Moses. This is the verse (Exodus 34:6) that you need to memorize and see how often it is referred to in the Old Testament. (Yup - it's in the story of Jonah.)

וַיַּעֲבֹ֨ר יְהוָ֥ה ׀ עַל־פָּנָיו֮ וַיִּקְרָא֒ יְהוָ֣ה ׀ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֥ל רַח֖וּם וְחַנּ֑וּן אֶ֥רֶךְ אַפַּ֖יִם וְרַב־חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶֽת ׀		6 And Yahweh, passed over before him, and he called, Yahweh, Yahweh, a God compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in kindness and truth,
v viybor ihvh yl-pniv viqra ihvh ihvh al rkum vknun arç apiim vrb-ksd vamt	22 11	vi/ybr ihvh yl pn\iv vi/qra ihvh ihvh al rkvm v/knvn arc ap\im v/rb ksd v/amt

Bosco believes that the RSV tradition is "as literal as possible, as free as necessary". This policy is simply not followed by the NRSV, no matter what they say. I noted a number of thoughts on NRSV in the Biblical Studies carnival 189 published Dec 1. E.g. in Habakkuk 1 and 2:1, how do you read the gloss punishment for the root that indicates correction, or referee, or reproof (yod-kaf-chet)? And then read in the very next chapter, that they fail to use the same gloss for the same root. 

The traditional translations in the versions derived from the KJV use punish for a half a dozen roots and sometimes when there is no root at all to match the gloss with. But even KJV does not use punish for i-c-k (yod kaf chet in SimHebrew) and in that translation the two glosses (correction / reproof) don't match, but at least the imputation for the character of God is acceptable. This is only one of the many tangles of glosses that are used in the standard / authorized versions.

Should we be memorizing the implication that God is one who punishes rather than corrects or reproves or visits or whatever? These translations - called standard and authoritative - bear false witness to the character of God.

Here's my story of Jonah - layer upon layer of signs interpreted, language, music, and character revealed. It's free (but the Ninevites paid dearly as did the Hebrews). Let me know if you like it.

My translation has been on the market for 2 years. It has been a dedicated 15 year effort. It has been published with the Hebrew text in a left-to-right accurate readable full-spelling. It's the only recent single-person translation I know of that has been published with a full concordance online. It is all in an Oracle database so it is updatable. This is a big job. What I have done is to comb out the tangles in the beloved's hair. But there is still work to be done. I have no doubt I have reduced the complexity of management of a translation. Equally I have no doubt there are blunders that should be corrected. Like Habakkuk, I am waiting for my own correction.

A free e-book in draft for Jonah

 I have ulterior motives in offering a free e-book.

1. I am looking for backers, performers, brave souls to perform this short cantata. It is scored for 4 voices and harp. 
2. I want to learn Biblical Hebrew better, and Jonah is the text that (I might say) God repeatedly assigned me over the last 45 years. I was not a promising student. So I can testify to the patience of the one who assigned it.
3. I want others to learn how to read Biblical Hebrew in SimHebrew, a Latin equivalent to fully spelled Hebrew (consonantal Hebrew without vowel points or cantilation). SimHebrew is a reliable learning tool and will I am sure prove very helpful to me. But seriously, we cannot ignore the music.
4. I would like feedback on how this kind of presentation of Biblical Hebrew works.

If you are interested, let me know (Twitter DM @drmacdonald) and I will send you a link. It summarizes what I have written about Jonah these past several years. And it summarizes my cantata and my thoughts about why it is important.

Starting Psalms 10

Christopher Page says that HP does not have a happy cheery view of life. Ha- ha indeed. :)

We can see our destructive behaviour so clearly these days. Far more of us have become aware of how we exploit transient labour and how we take for granted the essential workers. I grant that we have little control over their working circumstances.

See this article in the Atlantic for instance. 

As you may know, I have written a cantata on the book of Jonah based on the music embedded in the Hebrew text. It is about 20 minutes long. It amazes me how suitable these given melodies were to the English words.

Jonah threatens Nineveh (Cargill) whose evil had come up in Yahweh's face - in your face as the current saying goes, Nineveh is to be 'changed' (not 'destroyed' but 'changed' as in the threat today of 'climate change'). And the king pays attention and all his advisors, and they fast, and so do the animals, and Yahweh changes his mind to Jonah's horror. 

I won't draw any conclusion, because the book of Jonah doesn't, but the story might get the world to change - who is the king who will remove their majestic garments and put on sackcloth for the benefit of his subjects and all the cattle as well?

For more on Jonah and climate change and a link to the cantata, see this post. On writing the cantata, see this post.

Climate and theology, Jonah 3

 I wonder if it is time to bend my theological comments if any toward a recognition of the disaster we are in the midst of.

I know I have friends who are refusing to hear, yes, even religious friends, looking for the Deus ex machina to fix the problem. Dim wicks who can barely see past the end of their noses.

I watched Greta Thunberg's 3 hour documentary on the climate. It is right up to date. I watched it on PBS but it is available here also and probably lots of other places. It's definitely worth the time to watch. 

Now - what to do. That's a different problem. It's more what to undo. But theologically, some of us must first get our heads out of the sand. Particularly the religious who are too afraid to face reality, like the Chinese government who cannot tell the truth because they need to save face. The second coming will not fix this. Those who are denying climate change likely overlap with coronavirus deniers, the vaccine hesitant, and those who still claim that the US election was fraudulent. It won't do, folks. You will be devoured along with the rest of us by the 'fire from his mouth'. (Psalms 18 et al.)

What did Jesus say? The only sign for this evil and adulterous generation is the sign of Jonah. And this has nothing to do with the fish story. We are Nineveh - we need to change our behaviour and stop denying reality for a starter. 

Arise - walk to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against her,
for their evil has come up in my face.

We can also consider ourselves Jonah, the one who refuses to preach that there is a problem.  But he changes - well, at least a smidgen. Yet 40 days (an indeterminate time) and Nineveh will be changed. (Note I did not interpret that as 'destroyed'. I could have used overturned but for some reason I didn't. I could not have used destroyed because that I have used for a different root. Destroyed is the traditional gloss.) 

And Nineveh turned from its wickedness, from the king to the cattle. And they even stopped eating and drinking. 

As some of us have done for Covid-19, we turned our lives to help stop the virus. It turns out that too few of us have done this so our action is moot as to its effectiveness for herd immunity. The same political issue happens here as in all crises - a few, sometimes a large few, do the work, but everyone has to, not just a few. And maybe it's good that we are failing so that we do not restart the destructive paths we have been on. You will get this from the film: 2020 saw a 7% reduction in emissions over 2019. We need to do this every year for the next 10 years to get to a control point that will begin to hold the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.

How long is the gap between human turnaround and God sighing. Well, folks, God sighs (that's my word for nkm, which some translate as repent, a word I don't use). What might God's sigh be composed of - signs of hope? 

• China and Poland closing coal facilities, 
• Alberta closing down the oil sands,
• Brazil removing its knee from the rainforest that makes the earth unable to breathe.
• politicians to stop lying,
• all of us changing our clothing and purchasing habits, 
• and our diets, 
• and carbon capture being scaled up, 
• and cattle burping less. (Lots of cattle in Jonah, not to mention the children...)

No - we don't have to 'go back to church' to reinforce our prejudices. Nineveh didn't promise much. If church is even to continue, we need to become the church, a caring body that is no longer taking refuge in its sin. It's the king, the secular leader (clearly anticipating the one who removed his garment and washed the feet of his disciples) who says - Who knows. This God may turn and sigh, and turn from his fierce anger and we will not perish ... (immediately).

Turn false interpretations upside down. Let priests indeed be clothed with righteousness. And let's get on with doing something good in that good temple we have been entrusted with. (The patient among us can also reread early Genesis beginning here. It's a very gentle presentation that extends our vision past the end of the nose.)

	Jonah 3	Fn	Min	Max	Syll
וַיְהִ֧י דְבַר־יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה שֵׁנִ֥ית לֵאמֹֽר	1 And the word of Yahweh happened to Jonah a second time, saying,		3c	3g	13
ק֛וּם לֵ֥ךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֵ֖ה הָעִ֣יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה וִּקְרָ֤א אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ אֶת־הַקְּרִיאָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אָנֹכִ֖י דֹּבֵ֥ר אֵלֶֽיךָ	2 Arise, walk to Nineveh, the great city, and call out to her the call that I was speaking to you.	d	3d	4C	10 19
וַיָּ֣קָם יוֹנָ֗ה וַיֵּ֛לֶךְ אֶל־נִֽינְוֶ֖ה כִּדְבַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה וְנִֽינְוֵ֗ה הָיְתָ֤ה עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים מַהֲלַ֖ךְ שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת יָמִֽים	3 And Jonah arose and walked to Nineveh according to the word of Yahweh. Now Nineveh happened to be a great city of the gods, a walk of three days.		3d	4C	15 20
וַיָּ֤חֶל יוֹנָה֙ לָב֣וֹא בָעִ֔יר מַהֲלַ֖ךְ י֣וֹם אֶחָ֑ד וַיִּקְרָא֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר ע֚וֹד אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְנִֽינְוֵ֖ה נֶהְפָּֽכֶת	4 And Jonah let himself come into the city one day's walk, and he called out and he said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh will be changed.		3e	4C	15 17
וַֽיַּאֲמִ֛ינוּ אַנְשֵׁ֥י נִֽינְוֵ֖ה בֵּֽאלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּקְרְאוּ־צוֹם֙ וַיִּלְבְּשׁ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֔ים מִגְּדוֹלָ֖ם וְעַד־קְטַנָּֽם	5 And the men of Nineveh believed in God, and they called a fast, and they clothed themselves with sackcloth from the greatest of them and to the least of them.		3d	4B	12 19
וַיִּגַּ֤ע הַדָּבָר֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶך נִֽינְוֵ֔ה וַיָּ֙קָם֙ מִכִּסְא֔וֹ וַיַּעֲבֵ֥ר אַדַּרְתּ֖וֹ מֵֽעָלָ֑יו וַיְכַ֣ס שַׂ֔ק וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב עַל־הָאֵֽפֶר	6 And the word touched the king of Nineveh and he arose from his throne and transferred his majesty from him, and he covered in sackcloth and sat on the ashes.		3e	4C	27 10
וַיַּזְעֵ֗ק וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ בְּנִֽינְוֵ֔ה מִטַּ֧עַם הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ וּגְדֹלָ֖יו לֵאמֹ֑ר הָאָדָ֨ם וְהַבְּהֵמָ֜ה הַבָּקָ֣ר וְהַצֹּ֗אן אַֽל־יִטְעֲמוּ֙ מְא֔וּמָה אַ֨ל־יִרְע֔וּ וּמַ֖יִם אַל־יִשְׁתּֽוּ	7 And he appealed and he said, In Nineveh from the taste of the king, and his great ones, saying, The human and the cattle, the herd and the flock, let none taste anything whatever, let none pasture, and water let none imbibe.		3c	4B	20 28
וְיִתְכַּסּ֣וּ שַׂקִּ֗ים הָֽאָדָם֙ וְהַבְּהֵמָ֔ה וְיִקְרְא֥וּ אֶל־אֱלֹהִ֖ים בְּחָזְקָ֑ה וְיָשֻׁ֗בוּ אִ֚ישׁ מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ הָֽרָעָ֔ה וּמִן־הֶחָמָ֖ס אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּכַפֵּיהֶֽם	8 But let them be covered in sackcloth, the human and the cattle, and call out to God resolutely, and let each turn from its evil way and from the violence that is in their palms.		3e	4C	24 22
מִֽי־יוֹדֵ֣עַ יָשׁ֔וּב וְנִחַ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְשָׁ֛ב מֵחֲר֥וֹן אַפּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֥א נֹאבֵֽד	9 Who knows. This God may turn and sigh, and turn from his fierce anger and we will not perish.		3d	4B	12 11
וַיַּ֤רְא הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶֽת־מַ֣עֲשֵׂיהֶ֔ם כִּי־שָׁ֖בוּ מִדַּרְכָּ֣ם הָרָעָ֑ה וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים עַל־הָרָעָ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר לַעֲשׂוֹת־לָהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א עָשָֽׂה	10 And this God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil ways, and this God sighed over the evil that he designated to do to them and he did not do it.		3d	4C	19 25

For a short cantata on Jonah, listen to this music derived from the accents of the Hebrew Bible with a nod or two to Gershwin. Looking for a sponsor to get this performed and make it go viral! ($20K should do it.) Get the message out that God has given us humans the task of controlling our waste products. ($40K and we can perform Unleashing Leviathan as well. Pace those who say that the dragons are dealt with in Gen 1.)

You religious who are looking for a bit of comfort  - by all means read Psalm 18. Concentrate on verses 5 to 16. And then imagine you are one of David's enemies. Conspiracy theorists are not on a friendly basis with the Most High. Business as usual will not fly.

Pandemic project almost finished

I am 1 or 2 books (Ezra/Nehemiah) away from a complete Sim Hebrew Bible. This will be a two column English and Hebrew text in which both columns are left to right in Latin characters. The Hebrew is essentially equivalent to the unpointed Hebrew that is used in modern books and newspapers but it contains some o, u and i vowels that make it a little easier to read. I am still pondering the absence of vowels needed to sing it. But you can't have everything in a reduction of sorts. The copy I have is a test copy only, produced for proofing purposes, and not to be published.

The by-product I do hope will prove useful to the public. It will be a full electronic version of a mapping of all instances of every word in the Hebrew Scriptures organized by consonantal stem and illustrating the relationships between unpointed ltr and pointed rtl texts. That is another unique output of my work as far as I know. My first unique output is the entire Hebrew Bible in its musical form. This still has to catch on! But the Jonah story is an absolute hoot in the music. Connecting the excellent teaching on the sign of Jonah in the verbal world with the music would be nice. Too bad so many students of the Bible aren't musicians.

Time

There is a time to write and a time to refrain from writing.

I will be reading Ecclesiastes 3:1-15 for a friend who died two weeks ago. This past week we have been commuting to Duncan to clean our son's house. He had a fall and is in ICU with a long iffy recovery ahead of him. He was already severely disabled from an accident in 1996. The house may no longer be manageable for a one-sided man.

A time to give birth, a time to die.

A time to sing, a time to play, a time to wonder at the sins of humanity perpetrated upon its children.

My music is at the YouTube channel for thedrmacdonald. It accumulates experiment by experiment as I learn and explore the scriptural accents.

There is no need to sing the New Testament. Even if rendered in Hebrew. It is quite different from a song. But Jonah gives as good as it gets with the words of Jesus in the background. The only sign for an unbelieving generation. I have done Jonah as a cantata, and as a string suite.

Was there ever a generation who believed?

Here is Psalm 24 - all thoughts piling on top of each other. You will find the raw music on the resource page link at Energion. The music for it is part of day 1 of my oratorio, Unleashing Leviathan.

Psalms 24		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
לְדָוִ֗ד מִ֫זְמ֥וֹר לַֽ֭יהוָה הָאָ֣רֶץ וּמְלוֹאָ֑הּ תֵּ֝בֵ֗ל וְיֹ֣שְׁבֵי בָֽהּ	1		of David, a psalm. The earth is Yahweh's and her fullness, the world and those sitting in her.	3e	4B	5 8 6
כִּי־ה֭וּא עַל־יַמִּ֣ים יְסָדָ֑הּ וְעַל־נְ֝הָר֗וֹת יְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ	2		For he, he founded her on seas, and on rivers establishes her.	3e	4B	7 9
מִֽי־יַעֲלֶ֥ה בְהַר־יְהוָ֑ה וּמִי־יָ֝קוּם בִּמְק֥וֹם קָדְשֽׁוֹ	3		Who will ascend the hill of Yahweh, and who will arise into his holy place?	3e	4A	7 7
נְקִ֥י כַפַּ֗יִם וּֽבַר־לֵ֫בָ֥ב אֲשֶׁ֤ר ׀ לֹא־נָשָׂ֣א לַשָּׁ֣וְא נַפְשִׁ֑י וְלֹ֖א נִשְׁבַּ֣ע לְמִרְמָֽה	4		Those of innocent palms and pure heart, one who has not lifted me up to vanity, and not sworn in deceit.	3e	4C	8 8 7
יִשָּׂ֣א בְ֭רָכָה מֵאֵ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וּ֝צְדָקָ֗ה מֵאֱלֹהֵ֥י יִשְׁעֽוֹ	5		Such will bear a blessing from Yahweh, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.	3e	4B	9 9
זֶ֭ה דּ֣וֹר דֹּרְשָׁ֑יו מְבַקְשֵׁ֨י פָנֶ֖יךָ יַעֲקֹ֣ב סֶֽלָה	6	g	This generation searches him out, by seeking your face O Jacob. Selah.	3e	4B	4 11
שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וְֽ֭הִנָּשְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָב֗וֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד	7		Lift up, O gates, your heads, and be lifted up, O doors everlasting, and the king of glory will come in.	3e	4C	16 8
מִ֥י זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְ֭הוָה עִזּ֣וּז וְגִבּ֑וֹר יְ֝הוָ֗ה גִּבּ֥וֹר מִלְחָמָֽה	8	f	Who is this? The king of glory, Yahweh strong and prevailing, Yahweh prevailing in battle.	3e	4C	7 7 7
שְׂא֤וּ שְׁעָרִ֨ים ׀ רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֗ם וּ֭שְׂאוּ פִּתְחֵ֣י עוֹלָ֑ם וְ֝יָבֹא מֶ֣לֶךְ הַכָּבֽוֹד	9		Lift up, O gates, your heads, and lift up, doors everlasting, and the king of glory will come in.	3e	4C	14 8
מִ֤י ה֣וּא זֶה֮ מֶ֤לֶךְ הַכָּ֫ב֥וֹד יְהוָ֥ה צְבָא֑וֹת ה֤וּא מֶ֖לֶךְ הַכָּב֣וֹד סֶֽלָה	10	C	Who is he? This king of glory, Yahweh of hosts. He is the king of glory. Selah.	3e	4C	8 5 8

Developing a score from the music of the Bible

Here is an example of what I did to get from raw data to musical score. (All the scores in their raw data form, for the complete Bible, all 929 chapters, are available from this location.)

The possibilities are endless. You can hear Jonah (development described below) just less than 20 minutes in total, here on my YouTube channel. The full score is in a printable format in the prior post here. [I put this at the top since many of you won't get to the bottom and you will miss the treat!]

The raw data I have chosen for this example is Jonah 1:1 and Jonah 3:1.

וַֽיְהִי֙ דְּבַר־יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־יוֹנָ֥ה בֶן־אֲמִתַּ֖י לֵאמֹֽר

Jonah 1:1 Note the accents: They translate into the music. e qad,z-q,f g# e (qad = qadma, z-q = zaqef qatan)

Here is the verse in its raw form. (All scores in music XML are available as noted above, so you can import them into any music program like Musescore for your own development. I highly recommend this program.) What will we do to them as arrangers / composers?

Jonah 1:1 interpreted through the deciphering key of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura

In the transcription, there is no 'time value' to the notes [I could have made them all eighth notes or all quarter notes] and the bar lines are only there to show a change in reciting note.

The accents above the text (two of them above), indicate an ornament. The accents below the text (three of them above) indicate a change in reciting note. There is an accent on the first syllable that is not highlighted. It is the default starting pitch but here represents the emphasis on the first syllable: in English And.

It's the beginning of the book of Jonah, why would one emphasize the first syllable?

וַיְהִ֧י דְבַר־יְהוָ֛ה אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה שֵׁנִ֥ית לֵאמֹֽר

Jonah 3:1 The accents are different, so the melody is different. There are no ornaments. The notes of the phrase are e c d g# f e.

Jonah 3:1 interpreted through the deciphering key of Suzanne Haïk-Vantoura

I have made a number of choices. First when the Lord speaks or acts, I have signaled it with a trill in the accompaniment. The trill is suggested by the initial ornament. I have also used the 'sound of many waters' or multiple voices for the word of Yahweh. No soloist here.

Jonah 1:1 turns into a grand opening, (noting the accentuation of the first syllable):

Composing to Jonah 1:1

Jonah 3:1 is quite different, though the trill is still there as a signal. 

Jonah 3:1 after some arrangement of the melody.

The wider interval in the harp indicates the movement of the sea as heard in Jonah 2. The harp is an important interpreter. As Psalm 33 instructs, Give thanks to Yahweh on the harp. Here is a part of a chorale I have started to work on.

Psalm 33:2 , Give thanks to Yahweh on the harp.

I see that Wikipedia reports that Haïk-Vantoura's

"reconstruction assumes the signs represent the degrees of various musical scales, that is individual notes, which puts it at odds with all existing traditions where the signs invariably represent melodic motives; it also takes no account of the existence of older systems of notation, such as the Babylonian and Palestinian systems. Musicologists have rejected her results as dubious and her methodology as flawed."

The rejection they note is c 1986. I didn't come across this opinion in my research. It might have turned me off all my consideration of her deciphering key. I will only judge and be judged by the result of the transcriptions. And they are often magnificent. This is not a dubious statement. They are undoubtedly magnificent.

There are issues, but the musicologists I have reviewed dismiss the whole interpretation in a sentence and have not worked within the framework for 10 years as I have. And it takes years to hear what is going on.

There are many ways of interpreting the text through the music. But it will take more encouragement than musicologists are likely to give.

No one knows what the music sounded like, but at least one could use the data that is evident. Haïk-Vantoura's key uses the placement of the accents like no other. She follows the rule of Occam's razor.

Certainly, one of the issues is sameness within the harmonic patterns. How often can you set e-b-a to music and remain interesting? But one only needs to study the Goldberg variations to know how to deal with sameness in composition.

That great tale, Jonah

It only took a few short weeks to get this into a dramatic form based on the deciphering key of Haïk-Vantoura.

Here is a dramatic reading. I read it to a five-year old with automated musical background yesterday. He was captured, perhaps flagging a bit in the last chapter. He asked if the story was 'really true'. And presumptuously, I answered.

• Is your anger true when you are angry? He said, Yes. 
• Is your kindness true? He understood.
• Do ships think they are going to be wrecked? He said, No.

Clearly, for those who have ears, this story is a highly overstuffed fable. The repetition of 'great' is a giveaway. The music is the means I have chosen to un-stuff the fable. The melody and motifs are derived directly from the accents that are in the Hebrew text of the Bible.

You will find some sample automated performances - i.e. rigid and unthinking rather than tested by humans - on my YouTube channel. The whole performance takes just under 20 minutes.

A sweet post on Jonah

Jonah and Eden.

Like the manna-hoarding Israelites who, after the splitting of the sea, believe they can preserve their latest installment of divine largesse, the rebellious Jonah, after his own salvation at sea, renews his quest for a permanent Eden-like existence. In neither case, however, is the wish granted. Rather, God teaches Jonah, as he showed in the story of the manna, that enduring value cannot be attained by unearned gifts amassed in a day. Rather, only by persistent, plodding effort can humans strive toward a more perfect world—an opportunity that the prophet seeks to deny to the flawed inhabitants of Nineveh.

So just 'cause your fave candidate didn't win, or just 'cause your despised candidate did, plod on in the faithfulness into which you have been delivered.  (I.e. spit up by a big fish.)

Jonah - without conclusion

We don't know if Jonah ever repented, ever turned into the compassion he was clearly aware of in his God.

The formative words are burning with anger and again great. And I see a technical surprise, a first time notification. (First occurrence of abundant * in the table below).

Jonah 4		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
וַיֵּ֥רַע אֶל־יוֹנָ֖ה רָעָ֣ה גְדוֹלָ֑ה וַיִּ֖חַר לֽוֹ	1		And this was evil for Jonah, great evil, and he was burning with his anger.	3e	4B	11 4
וַיִּתְפַּלֵּ֨ל אֶל־יְהוָ֜ה וַיֹּאמַ֗ר אָנָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ הֲלוֹא־זֶ֣ה דְבָרִ֗י עַד־הֱיוֹתִי֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִ֔י עַל־כֵּ֥ן קִדַּ֖מְתִּי לִבְרֹ֣חַ תַּרְשִׁ֑ישָׁה כִּ֣י יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֤י אַתָּה֙ אֵֽל־חַנּ֣וּן וְרַח֔וּם אֶ֤רֶךְ אַפַּ֙יִם֙ וְרַב־חֶ֔סֶד וְנִחָ֖ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה	2		And he prayed to Yahweh and said, I beseech you Yahweh, was this not my word even in my own humanity about what would happen, therefore I stalled and ran away to Tarshish. For I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and of abundant kindness, and who sighs over evil.	3e	4C	39 28
וְעַתָּ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה קַח־נָ֥א אֶת־נַפְשִׁ֖י מִמֶּ֑נִּי כִּ֛י ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי ס	3		And now Yahweh take please my being from me, for death is good compared with my life. S	3d	4B	13 8
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה הַהֵיטֵ֖ב חָ֥רָה לָֽךְ	4		And Yahweh said, Is it good to be burning with your anger?	3e	4B	11
וַיֵּצֵ֤א יוֹנָה֙ מִן־הָעִ֔יר וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב מִקֶּ֣דֶם לָעִ֑יר וַיַּעַשׂ֩ ל֨וֹ שָׁ֜ם סֻכָּ֗ה וַיֵּ֤שֶׁב תַּחְתֶּ֙יהָ֙ בַּצֵּ֔ל עַ֚ד אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִרְאֶ֔ה מַה־יִּהְיֶ֖ה בָּעִֽיר	5		And Jonah went out from the city and he sat east of the city, And he made a booth for himself there and he sat under it in the shade so that he could see what would happen in the city.	3e	4C	16 25
וַיְמַ֣ן יְהוָֽה־אֱ֠לֹהִים קִיקָי֞וֹן וַיַּ֣עַל ׀ מֵעַ֣ל לְיוֹנָ֗ה לִֽהְי֥וֹת צֵל֙ עַל־רֹאשׁ֔וֹ לְהַצִּ֥יל ל֖וֹ מֵרָֽעָת֑וֹ וַיִּשְׂמַ֥ח יוֹנָ֛ה עַל־הַקִּֽיקָי֖וֹן שִׂמְחָ֥ה גְדוֹלָֽה	6		And Yahweh God appointed a tender plant and made it come up over Jonah to become shade over his head to deliver him from his evil, and Jonah was glad for the tender plant. It was great gladness.	3d	4B	32 15
וַיְמַ֤ן הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ תּוֹלַ֔עַת בַּעֲל֥וֹת הַשַּׁ֖חַר לַֽמָּחֳרָ֑ת וַתַּ֥ךְ אֶת־הַקִּֽיקָי֖וֹן וַיִּיבָֽשׁ	7		And God appointed a worm as the dawn came up on the morrow, and it struck the tender plant and it dried up.	3e	4C	19 10
וַיְהִ֣י ׀ כִּזְרֹ֣חַ הַשֶּׁ֗מֶשׁ וַיְמַ֨ן אֱלֹהִ֜ים ר֤וּחַ קָדִים֙ חֲרִישִׁ֔ית וַתַּ֥ךְ הַשֶּׁ֛מֶשׁ עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ יוֹנָ֖ה וַיִּתְעַלָּ֑ף וַיִּשְׁאַ֤ל אֶת־נַפְשׁוֹ֙ לָמ֔וּת וַיֹּ֕אמֶר ט֥וֹב מוֹתִ֖י מֵחַיָּֽי	8		And it happened as the sun rose, that God appointed a sultry east wind and the sun struck Jonah's head and he languished. And he wished he was dead, and he said, Death is good compared with my life.	3d	4C	33 17
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־יוֹנָ֔ה הַהֵיטֵ֥ב חָרָֽה־לְךָ֖ עַל־הַקִּֽיקָי֑וֹן וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הֵיטֵ֥ב חָֽרָה־לִ֖י עַד־מָֽוֶת	9		And God said to Jonah, Is it good to be burning with your anger over the tender plant? And he said, It is good to be burning with my anger, even to death.	3e	4C	21 11
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה אַתָּ֥ה חַ֙סְתָּ֙ עַל־הַקִּ֣יקָי֔וֹן אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹא־עָמַ֥לְתָּ בּ֖וֹ וְלֹ֣א גִדַּלְתּ֑וֹ שֶׁבִּן־לַ֥יְלָה הָיָ֖ה וּבִן־לַ֥יְלָה אָבָֽד	10		And Yahweh said, You yourself spared the tender plant that you did not toil for and did not make grow, that as a child of the night happened and as a child of the night perished,	3d	4B	25 12
וַֽאֲנִי֙ לֹ֣א אָח֔וּס עַל־נִינְוֵ֖ה הָעִ֣יר הַגְּדוֹלָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֶשׁ־בָּ֡הּ הַרְבֵּה֩ מִֽשְׁתֵּים־עֶשְׂרֵ֨ה רִבּ֜וֹ אָדָ֗ם אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יָדַע֙ בֵּין־יְמִינ֣וֹ לִשְׂמֹאל֔וֹ וּבְהֵמָ֖ה רַבָּֽה	11		and I, will I not spare Nineveh, the great city? For there are in her more than twelve ten-thousands of humans who do not know their left from their right hand and also many cattle.	3e	4C	14 30

Recurring words Excluding: על,יהוה,אלוה,כי,אל,את,אשׁר, אמר,לא

Word / Gloss	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Vs	Stem
יונה Jonah	░								1	יונה
גדולה great		░							1	גדל
ויחר and he was burning with anger			░						1	חרה
היותי what would happen				░					2	היה
* ורב and of abundant					░				2	רב
מותי death is						░			3	מות
חרה to be burning with anger			░						4	חרה
יונה Jonah	░								5	יונה
העיר the city							░		5	עיר
לעיר of the city							░		5	עיר
יהיה would happen				░					5	היה
בעיר in the city							░		5	עיר
קיקיון a tender plant								░	6	קיקיון
ליונה Jonah	░								6	יונה
להיות to become				░					6	היה
יונה Jonah	░								6	יונה
הקיקיון the tender plant								░	6	קיקיון
גדולה great		░							6	גדל
הקיקיון the tender plant								░	7	קיקיון
ויהי and it happened				░					8	היה
יונה Jonah's	░								8	יונה
למות dead						░			8	מות
מותי death is						░			8	מות
יונה Jonah	░								9	יונה
חרה to be burning with anger			░						9	חרה
הקיקיון the tender plant								░	9	קיקיון
חרה to be burning with anger			░						9	חרה
מות death						░			9	מות
הקיקיון the tender plant								░	10	קיקיון
גדלתו you did make great		░							10	גדל
היה happened				░					10	היה
העיר the city							░		11	עיר
הגדולה great		░							11	גדל
* הרבה more than					░				11	רב
רבו one hundred					░				11	רב
* רבה many					░				11	רב