Mark Whiting (@PsalterMark) has begun a new series on the structure of the Psalter. I have been wondering to what extent the music of the psalms would contribute to understanding the story of the sequence of the psalms. To help with this I have prepared a pdf of the music of all 150 psalms that can be read by a musician who can read Hebrew. Sing it and say what it reveals to you about its own story.
Showing posts with label Singing the Psalter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Singing the Psalter. Show all posts
Sunday, 1 January 2023
Monday, 28 July 2014
New hymns - old hymns
Here's a rendering of Psalm 114. What could be done with it? This is in essence the original tonus peregrinus. It proves that Suzanne Haik Vantoura was on to something with her method of transcription of the cantillation marks in the Hebrew text.
I tried poetry before - it's a hard discipline! This translation is a blend of mine and the traditional Coverdale.
The stress marks in the above are for the English underlay - plus you should add a few unwritten rests. I made all the barlines invisible to make it harder to be wooden.
I tried poetry before - it's a hard discipline! This translation is a blend of mine and the traditional Coverdale.
The stress marks in the above are for the English underlay - plus you should add a few unwritten rests. I made all the barlines invisible to make it harder to be wooden.
Monday, 23 June 2014
How important is it to read all of a long psalm?
It is obvious that the Common Lectionary is designed to get people out of church in time for their lunch. (Um, isn't it?)
So I am a whole week ahead of myself. I posted a bit on Abraham and the promised child a week early. Time then to think about what it means to have Psalm 89 as the chosen psalm. Poor Anglican chanters - so many verses! So they reduce it.
What is the Psalm about and how could you tell without reading it slowly? It's right there in the first (second) verse
Of the loving-kindness of יהוה
forever I will sing
from generation to generation I will make known
your faithfulness with my mouth
It is all about the loving kindness of Yahweh. I don't recommend using adonai or the Lord in English - use the name if you don't want to say the word - because then you know if you are talking about God's name or the appointed Adon, Lord that also occurs in the Psalms (like Psalm 110 Ha-shem said to my Lord).
Loving kindness begins every section of the psalm except the great lament. What - there's a great lament in this psalm? I didn't know that. You won't know unless you read the whole thing. Why is there a lament? Because this is the record at the close of Book 3 of the Psalter, of the failure of the Davidic monarchy, the failure of the promised seed Psalm 89:5, (4 in English). (Ah - connection to Abraham...)
The lectionary only gives us the promise and the happy bit - no deal for reality, folks. How is it that this psalm is about failure and closes a whole book and is answered by Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses? It is a great story - it needs study. We all recapitulate that story. We are monarchs, we are promised the ability to govern (knowing it is really The Name that governs), and we fail. What then? We remember the former loving-kindnesses sworn to David and we wait for redemption which will surely come. But the enemies? (Psalm 89:52)...
There's another reason we only read 8 verses of the 53 (52) - there's just too much to say. If you want to learn what is in the Bible, start with the Psalms and read the whole as if it were a book. This is true for anyone. The liturgy of the Synagogue has lots of psalms (tehillim - praises). The Christians should sing at least a psalm a week - or at least one a day. The other faith of Abraham pays lip service to the TNK but I bet very few read it, just as very few Christians read it well.
How do we solve such a problem? I am flummoxed, I admit. It took me 60 years to get started! Why should The Name teach through poetry? Is there any philosophical or narrative or historical or religious or personal reason for such an approach to the barriers we put up?
I put the music for the psalm in the usual place - but I haven't superimposed the translation. There was another error in the transcription compared with the Aleppo Codex - easy to spot, a failure to return to the tonic at the end of a verse. The first page has two shalsheletim which SHV interprets as a (sort-of) glissando (bars 8 and 14). The whole psalm is below including a table of the words that recur between 6 and 8 times. Give it a try.
So I am a whole week ahead of myself. I posted a bit on Abraham and the promised child a week early. Time then to think about what it means to have Psalm 89 as the chosen psalm. Poor Anglican chanters - so many verses! So they reduce it.
What is the Psalm about and how could you tell without reading it slowly? It's right there in the first (second) verse
Of the loving-kindness of יהוה
forever I will sing
from generation to generation I will make known
your faithfulness with my mouth
It is all about the loving kindness of Yahweh. I don't recommend using adonai or the Lord in English - use the name if you don't want to say the word - because then you know if you are talking about God's name or the appointed Adon, Lord that also occurs in the Psalms (like Psalm 110 Ha-shem said to my Lord).
Loving kindness begins every section of the psalm except the great lament. What - there's a great lament in this psalm? I didn't know that. You won't know unless you read the whole thing. Why is there a lament? Because this is the record at the close of Book 3 of the Psalter, of the failure of the Davidic monarchy, the failure of the promised seed Psalm 89:5, (4 in English). (Ah - connection to Abraham...)
The lectionary only gives us the promise and the happy bit - no deal for reality, folks. How is it that this psalm is about failure and closes a whole book and is answered by Psalm 90, the prayer of Moses? It is a great story - it needs study. We all recapitulate that story. We are monarchs, we are promised the ability to govern (knowing it is really The Name that governs), and we fail. What then? We remember the former loving-kindnesses sworn to David and we wait for redemption which will surely come. But the enemies? (Psalm 89:52)...
There's another reason we only read 8 verses of the 53 (52) - there's just too much to say. If you want to learn what is in the Bible, start with the Psalms and read the whole as if it were a book. This is true for anyone. The liturgy of the Synagogue has lots of psalms (tehillim - praises). The Christians should sing at least a psalm a week - or at least one a day. The other faith of Abraham pays lip service to the TNK but I bet very few read it, just as very few Christians read it well.
How do we solve such a problem? I am flummoxed, I admit. It took me 60 years to get started! Why should The Name teach through poetry? Is there any philosophical or narrative or historical or religious or personal reason for such an approach to the barriers we put up?
I put the music for the psalm in the usual place - but I haven't superimposed the translation. There was another error in the transcription compared with the Aleppo Codex - easy to spot, a failure to return to the tonic at the end of a verse. The first page has two shalsheletim which SHV interprets as a (sort-of) glissando (bars 8 and 14). The whole psalm is below including a table of the words that recur between 6 and 8 times. Give it a try.
מַשְׂכִּיל
לְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי | 1 | An insight of Ethan the Ezrahite |
חַסְדֵי יְהוָה
עוֹלָם אָשִׁירָה לְדֹר וָדוֹר אוֹדִיעַ אֱמוּנָתְךָ בְּפִי | 2 | Of the loving-kindness of יְהוָה forever I will sing from generation to generation I will make known your faithfulness with my mouth |
כִּי אָמַרְתִּי
עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה שָׁמָיִם תָּכִן אֱמוּנָתְךָ בָהֶם | 3 | for I said, loving-kindness ever builds heavens you will establish your faithfulness is in them |
כָּרַתִּי בְּרִית לִבְחִירִי
נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי לְדָוִד עַבְדִּי | 4 | I have cut a covenant with my chosen I have sworn to David my servant |
עַד עוֹלָם אָכִין זַרְעֶךָ
וּבָנִיתִי לְדֹר וָדֹר כִּסְאֲךָ סֶלָה | 5 | For evermore I will establish your seed and I will build up your throne from generation to generation Selah |
וְיוֹדוּ שָׁמַיִם פִּלְאֲךָ יְהוָה
אַף אֱמוּנָתְךָ בִּקְהַל קְדֹשִׁים | 6 | Let the heavens give thanks for your wonders יְהוָה also your faithfulness in the congregation of holy ones |
כִּי מִי בַּשַּׁחַק יַעֲרֹךְ לַיהוָה
יִדְמֶה לַיהוָה בִּבְנֵי אֵלִים | 7 | For who in the sky will compare with יְהוָה? Who has the likeness of יְהוָה among the children of God? |
אֵל נַעֲרָץ
בְּסוֹד קְדֹשִׁים רַבָּה וְנוֹרָא עַל כָּל סְבִיבָיו | 8 | God is ruthless in the plenary council of the holy ones feared above all around him |
יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת
מִי כָמוֹךָ חֲסִין יָהּ וֶאֱמוּנָתְךָ סְבִיבוֹתֶיךָ | 9 | יְהוָה God of hosts, who is like you, Yah invincible and your faithfulness all around you? |
אַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל
בְּגֵאוּת הַיָּם בְּשׂוֹא גַלָּיו אַתָּה תְשַׁבְּחֵם | 10 | You yourself govern over the pride of the sea when its waves gloat you yourself soothe them |
אַתָּה דִכִּאתָ כֶחָלָל רָהַב
בִּזְרוֹעַ עֻזְּךָ פִּזַּרְתָּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ | 11 | You yourself crushed Rahab to contrition as one who is profaned With the arm of your strength you have scattered your enemies |
לְךָ שָׁמַיִם
אַף לְךָ אָרֶץ תֵּבֵל וּמְלֹאָהּ אַתָּה יְסַדְתָּם | 12 | Yours heavens yours also is earth world and its fullness you yourself founded them |
צָפוֹן וְיָמִין
אַתָּה בְרָאתָם תָּבוֹר וְחֶרְמוֹן בְּשִׁמְךָ יְרַנֵּנוּ | 13 | North and south you yourself created them Tabor and Hermon in your name will shout for joy |
לְךָ זְרוֹעַ עִם גְּבוּרָה
תָּעֹז יָדְךָ תָּרוּם יְמִינֶךָ | 14 | Yours is an arm with valour strong is your hand exalted your right hand |
צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט
מְכוֹן כִּסְאֶךָ חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת יְקַדְּמוּ פָנֶיךָ | 15 | Righteousness and judgment are the stability of your throne Loving-kindness and truth go before your face |
אַשְׁרֵי הָעָם
יֹדְעֵי תְרוּעָה יְהוָה בְּאוֹר פָּנֶיךָ יְהַלֵּכוּן | 16 | Happy the people knowing jubilation יְהוָה in the light of your face they will walk |
בְּשִׁמְךָ יְגִילוּן כָּל הַיּוֹם
וּבְצִדְקָתְךָ יָרוּמוּ | 17 | In your name they will rejoice all the day long and in your righteousness they will be exalted |
כִּי תִפְאֶרֶת עֻזָּמוֹ אָתָּה
וּבִרְצוֹנְךָ תָּרוּם קַרְנֵינוּ | 18 | for the adornment of their strength is you yourself and in your acceptance our horn will be exalted |
כִּי לַיהוָה מָגִנֵּנוּ
וְלִקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַלְכֵּנוּ | 19 | For of יְהוָה is our shield and the Holy One of Israel our king |
אָז דִּבַּרְתָּ בְחָזוֹן
לַחֲסִידֶיךָ וַתֹּאמֶר שִׁוִּיתִי עֵזֶר עַל גִּבּוֹר הֲרִימוֹתִי בָחוּר מֵעָם | 20 | Then you spoke in a vision to one under your mercy and said I have agreed to help with one who prevails I have exalted a chosen from the people |
מָצָאתִי דָּוִד עַבְדִּי
בְּשֶׁמֶן קָדְשִׁי מְשַׁחְתִּיו | 21 | I have found David my servant with the oil of my holiness I have anointed him |
אֲשֶׁר יָדִי תִּכּוֹן עִמּוֹ
אַף זְרוֹעִי תְאַמְּצֶנּוּ | 22 | that my hand will be established with him also my arm will assure him |
לֹא יַשִּׁיא אוֹיֵב בּוֹ
וּבֶן עַוְלָה לֹא יְעַנֶּנּוּ | 23 | and an enemy will not have a claim on him and a child of injustice will not answer him |
וְכַתּוֹתִי מִפָּנָיו צָרָיו
וּמְשַׂנְאָיו אֶגּוֹף | 24 | and I have beaten his foes before his face and those hating him I will plague |
וֶאֱמוּנָתִי וְחַסְדִּי עִמּוֹ
וּבִשְׁמִי תָּרוּם קַרְנוֹ | 25 | And my faithfulness and my loving-kindness are with him and in my name his horn will be exalted |
וְשַׂמְתִּי בַיָּם יָדוֹ
וּבַנְּהָרוֹת יְמִינוֹ | 26 | and I have set up his hand in the sea and in the rivers his right hand |
הוּא יִקְרָאֵנִי
אָבִי אָתָּה אֵלִי וְצוּר יְשׁוּעָתִי | 27 | He will call to me you are my father my God and the rock of my salvation |
אַף אָנִי בְּכוֹר אֶתְּנֵהוּ
עֶלְיוֹן לְמַלְכֵי אָרֶץ | 28 | I myself will also make him firstborn on high to the kings of earth |
לְעוֹלָם אֶשְׁמָר לוֹ חַסְדִּי
וּבְרִיתִי נֶאֱמֶנֶת לוֹ | 29 | Forever I will keep my loving-kindness with him and my covenant will be his amen |
וְשַׂמְתִּי לָעַד זַרְעוֹ
וְכִסְאוֹ כִּימֵי שָׁמָיִם | 30 | And I have set up his seed for ever and his throne as the days of heaven |
אִם יַעַזְבוּ בָנָיו תּוֹרָתִי
וּבְמִשְׁפָּטַי לֹא יֵלֵכוּן | 31 | If his children forsake my instruction or fail to walk in my judgment |
אִם חֻקֹּתַי יְחַלֵּלוּ
וּמִצְוֹתַי לֹא יִשְׁמֹרוּ | 32 | If they profane my statutes or fail to keep my commandments |
וּפָקַדְתִּי בְשֵׁבֶט פִּשְׁעָם
וּבִנְגָעִים עֲוֹנָם | 33 | then I will visit their transgression with the sceptre and with touches their iniquity |
וְחַסְדִּי לֹא אָפִיר מֵעִמּוֹ
וְלֹא אֲשַׁקֵּר בֶּאֱמוּנָתִי | 34 | but my loving-kindness will not be frustrated in him and will not be proven false in my faithfulness |
לֹא אֲחַלֵּל בְּרִיתִי
וּמוֹצָא שְׂפָתַי לֹא אֲשַׁנֶּה | 35 | I will not profane my covenant and what emerges from my lips I will not feign |
אַחַת נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי בְקָדְשִׁי
אִם לְדָוִד אֲכַזֵּב | 36 | Once I have sworn in my holiness would I lie to David? |
זַרְעוֹ לְעוֹלָם יִהְיֶה
וְכִסְאוֹ כַשֶּׁמֶשׁ נֶגְדִּי | 37 | His seed will be forever and his throne as the sun before me |
כְּיָרֵחַ יִכּוֹן עוֹלָם
וְעֵד בַּשַּׁחַק נֶאֱמָן סֶלָה | 38 | As the moon it will be established forever a witness as faithful as the sky Selah |
וְאַתָּה זָנַחְתָּ וַתִּמְאָס
הִתְעַבַּרְתָּ עִם מְשִׁיחֶךָ | 39 | But you yourself have rejected and refused You have passed over with your anointed |
נֵאַרְתָּה בְּרִית עַבְדֶּךָ
חִלַּלְתָּ לָאָרֶץ נִזְרוֹ | 40 | You have nullified the covenant of your servant You have profaned his consecration to the earth |
פָּרַצְתָּ כָל גְּדֵרֹתָיו
שַׂמְתָּ מִבְצָרָיו מְחִתָּה | 41 | You have breached all his fences You have set up his enclosures in disarray |
שַׁסֻּהוּ כָּל עֹבְרֵי דָרֶךְ
הָיָה חֶרְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנָיו | 42 | All passing his way plunder him He becomes a reproach to his neighbours |
הֲרִימוֹתָ יְמִין צָרָיו
הִשְׂמַחְתָּ כָּל אוֹיְבָיו | 43 | You have exalted the right hand of his foes You make glad all his enemies |
אַף תָּשִׁיב צוּר חַרְבּוֹ
וְלֹא הֲקֵימֹתוֹ בַּמִּלְחָמָה | 44 | you will also turn the edge of his sword and not let him arise in the battle |
הִשְׁבַּתָּ מִטְּהָרוֹ
וְכִסְאוֹ לָאָרֶץ מִגַּרְתָּה | 45 | You have marred his lustre and his throne to earth you have hurled |
הִקְצַרְתָּ יְמֵי עֲלוּמָיו
הֶעֱטִיתָ עָלָיו בּוּשָׁה סֶלָה | 46 | You have shortened the days of his youthful vigour You have wrapped him in shame Selah |
עַד מָה יְהוָה תִּסָּתֵר
לָנֶצַח תִּבְעַר כְּמוֹ אֵשׁ חֲמָתֶךָ | 47 | How long, יְהוָה, will you hide? in perpetuity? will you kindle like fire your heat? |
זְכָר אֲנִי מֶה חָלֶד
עַל מַה שָּׁוְא בָּרָאתָ כָל בְּנֵי אָדָם | 48 | Remember how transient I am to what vanity you created all the children of humanity |
מִי גֶבֶר יִחְיֶה
וְלֹא יִרְאֶה מָּוֶת יְמַלֵּט נַפְשׁוֹ מִיַּד שְׁאוֹל סֶלָה | 49 | How will valour live and not see death? will he escape from the hand of the grave? Selah |
אַיֵּה חֲסָדֶיךָ הָרִאשֹׁנִים אֲדֹנָי
נִשְׁבַּעְתָּ לְדָוִד בֶּאֱמוּנָתֶךָ | 50 | Where are your former loving-kindnesses, my Lord the ones that you swore to David in your faithfulness |
זְכֹר אֲדֹנָי
חֶרְפַּת עֲבָדֶיךָ שְׂאֵתִי בְחֵיקִי כָּל רַבִּים עַמִּים | 51 | Remember, my Lord the reproach of your servants that I bear in my embrace all of a multitude of peoples |
אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְהוָה
אֲשֶׁר חֵרְפוּ עִקְּבוֹת מְשִׁיחֶךָ | 52 | that your enemies יְהוָה have reproached that they have reproached the footsteps of your anointed |
בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן
| 53 | Bless יְהוָה forever amen and amen |
Hebrew words: 384. Percentage of Hebrew words that recur in this psalm: 67%. Average keywords per verse: 4.9.
Selected recurring words
| Word and gloss * first usage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Vs | Root |
חסדי of the loving-kindness of
|
░
| 2 | חסד | ||||||
עולם forever
|
░
| 2 | עלם | ||||||
עולם ever
|
░
| 3 | עלם | ||||||
חסד loving-kindness
|
░
| 3 | חסד | ||||||
עולם evermore
|
░
| 5 | עלם | ||||||
זרעך your seed
|
░
| 5 | זרע | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 8 | כל | ||||||
אתה yourself
|
░
| 10 | אתה | ||||||
אתה yourself
|
░
| 10 | אתה | ||||||
אתה yourself
|
░
| 11 | אתה | ||||||
בזרוע with the arm of
|
░
| 11 | זרע | ||||||
אתה yourself
|
░
| 12 | אתה | ||||||
אתה yourself
|
░
| 13 | אתה | ||||||
זרוע is an arm
|
░
| 14 | זרע | ||||||
עם with
|
░
| 14 | עם | ||||||
תרום exalted
|
░
| 14 | רום | ||||||
חסד loving-kindness
|
░
| 15 | חסד | ||||||
העם the people
|
░
| 16 | עם | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 17 | כל | ||||||
ירומו they will be exalted
|
░
| 17 | רום | ||||||
אתה you yourself
|
░
| 18 | אתה | ||||||
תרום will be exalted
|
░
| 18 | רום | ||||||
הרימותי I have exalted
|
░
| 20 | רום | ||||||
מעם from the people
|
░
| 20 | עם | ||||||
עמו with him
|
░
| 22 | עם | ||||||
זרועי my arm
|
░
| 22 | זרע | ||||||
וחסדי and my loving-kindness
|
░
| 25 | חסד | ||||||
עמו are with him
|
░
| 25 | עם | ||||||
תרום will be exalted
|
░
| 25 | רום | ||||||
אתה you are
|
░
| 27 | אתה | ||||||
לעולם forever
|
░
| 29 | עלם | ||||||
חסדי my loving-kindness
|
░
| 29 | חסד | ||||||
זרעו his seed
|
░
| 30 | זרע | ||||||
וחסדי but my loving-kindness
|
░
| 34 | חסד | ||||||
מעמו in him
|
░
| 34 | עם | ||||||
זרעו his seed
|
░
| 37 | זרע | ||||||
לעולם forever
|
░
| 37 | עלם | ||||||
עולם forever
|
░
| 38 | עלם | ||||||
ואתה but ... yourself
|
░
| 39 | אתה | ||||||
עם with
|
░
| 39 | עם | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 41 | כל | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 42 | כל | ||||||
הרימות you have exalted
|
░
| 43 | רום | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 43 | כל | ||||||
עלומיו his youthful vigour
|
░
| 46 | עלם | ||||||
כל all
|
░
| 48 | כל | ||||||
חסדיך are your loving-kindnesses
|
░
| 50 | חסד | ||||||
כל all of
|
░
| 51 | כל | ||||||
עמים peoples
|
░
| 51 | עם | ||||||
לעולם forever
|
░
| 53 | עלם |
Thursday, 20 March 2014
My current thoughts on the performance of the Music of the Psalter
These notes are about the music implied by the te'amim in the Hebrew Bible as deciphered by Suzanne Haik-Vantoura. My primary focus at present is the Psalms, but the music I have decoded for other books of the Bible shows very similar issues in pulse, focus and musical line. See for example on Amos, and on the use of the ornament shalshelet. The only difference noted to date is that the longest recitations tend to be shorter in the Psalms.
In general, a psalm is written to be sung to a syllabic pulse after the manner of plainchant. That is, syllables gather themselves together equally in ones, twos, threes, fours, fives, and so on, each group creating a single long pulse to the musical line subdivided into syllables of equal duration with little if any additional word stress. Ornaments (written in 8th notes) will naturally extend a syllable's length. Recitation may be spelled out in quarter notes but neither quarter nor eighth note values are to be slavishly interpreted. It is possible, however, that some psalms were sung rhythmically. Where this may be the case for Hebrew, an equivalent English rhythm may be found.
[Note, all the music referred to is at this shared resource. If XML is beyond your software, let me know and I can generate or convert any file to a human readable form, pdf or png.]
Pulse
The dashed bar lines immediately precede the stressed syllable in Hebrew. The direction of the vocal line and its pulse is thus signaled by the barline which always happens on a change in the reciting note. [Note: where a reciting note changes without the presence of a barline, this is an indication that the music has been changed because of an error in the Westminster Leningrad Codex.] This is true whether one is reading poetry or prose. The English translation has been underlaid with this stress in mind. For example, in verse 24 of Psalm 18. And I am וָאֱהִ֣י complete תָמִ֣ים with him עִמּ֑וֹ. The stress is thus not on complete but on am. The word him, occurs on the resting note in the verse.
The subdominant A is signaled by the sign called atnah, or place of rest. In mode 4, the A is sharpened and acts against any suggestion of rest or repose. Note also that some verses have no rest point and may sometimes be chanted as a single phrase. Some verses have multiple phrases, but never more than one rest point. The rest point is marked with a caesura indicating the appropriateness of a pause – even in the middle of a sentence, as one would pause in plainsong to allow consideration of the words. Continuing with verse 24 above, there are 7 beats after the breathing mark at the rest point, all on the same reciting note. The variation in pitch is determined in this section through the ornaments, which always return to the reciting note. The musical line in this verse will lead to the stress on the second syllable of iniquity.
The Hebrew pulse and accents may suggest other possible performance ideas or word underlay to the choir director. Such performance ideas are encouraged. Since many of the psalms are ‘for the choir director’, choir directors may of course use their discretion in suggesting alternatives with respect to mode, rhythm or pitch or even the addition and interpretation of ornaments.
Awkward intervals
Yes, there are some awkward intervals but they can be learned and often are surprising annotations on the text. Psalm 4 provides a good example. The rising augmented fifth in verse 7 colours the extreme rudeness and provocation in the words. The music confirms the quotation marks noted in the English. The next rising perfect fifth contrasts faith with provocation.
Word painting
The music is not there for its own sake, but for the words. In every psalm, the music provides what one could call an intense punctuation, demanding from singer and hearer alike an intention that goes behond the habitual and becomes clothing indeed.
Psalm 32 provides a good example. Note the bucking horse and mule. Note also the words on the atnah or rest point in the verse. There is no atnah in verse 1. Words on the atnah in the following verses are: iniquity, bones worn out, changed, Yahweh, many waters, security, walk, curbed, Yahweh, righteous ones. There is a progression in this psalm from trouble to release including the reference to the judgment of many waters and the need for a secure guided walk for the poet / singer.
Translation
In the English libretto, the symbol / indicates that the note is not needed and has therefore a zero time value. (It is curious to me that though, of course, there are often more words in English than in Hebrew, there are equally often more syllables in Hebrew than there are in English!) If the English libretto has multiple syllables for a single note, then subdivide all the syllables and gather them equally into the current reciting note. Slurs apply to the English libretto to assist the singer. The underlay has been designed so as to imitate in English with the least compromise the line and stress of the Hebrew. So wherever possible, without distorting the English word order beyond recognition, ornaments are on an equivalent syllable and slurred as in the Hebrew and the change in reciting note reflects a similar word and stress as in the Hebrew. It is evident that sometimes the English gloss and pulse match the Hebrew word for word, but equally, sometimes there must be compromises made when trying to match words in the musical line. Singing in Hebrew remains an option. Reworking the English underlay is also possible. Note that there are particular difficulties with maintaining Hebrew letter order in translation of the acrostics where the poet is at play, if sometimes reluctantly.
I have been very careful through the use of a computer controlled system, to choose different glosses in English to correspond to different Hebrew words. So, for example, as there are 7 synonyms for fear in the Hebrew, so there are 7 different words in English for these words. Similarly, a word used once in the Psalms requires an English word that is used only once. At the same time, some words require different glosses in different situations. For example, the word, nefesh, traditionally translated soul, that part of the body between chin and shoulders, may be translated throat, or being, or even just as a personal pronoun. So sometimes a single word in Hebrew will be rendered in the host language by several differing English words or combinations of words. For more detail about the translation and word usage patterns, please refer to Seeing the Psalter.
The Name
In many translations, the Name, יהוה the four letters yod, heh, vav, heh, is rendered as the LORD. Such a rendering fails both grammatically and theologically: theologically because the Name is intimate, grammatically, because the Name must behave as a proper name, not as title or rank. Debate is extensive over how the Name was pronounced or when it stopped being said as a name. In my transcriptions, the mid 20th century rendering Yahweh has been used. This may be sung as two or three syllables as needed. There is a suggestion from the stresses in the music that it was three syllables with the stress on the third. There are no consonants in the name. Sing it as Ee-aa-oo-eh with the oo bordering on an O. It is a good singing exercise.
Invocations, selah and other words
The invocations or inscriptions are an integral part of the music, as are the interjections like selah or higgaion whose meaning is uncertain. These have remained in the music as given. Use the moments creatively.
Accompaniment
All sorts of instruments may be used. Composers and arrangers are encouraged to find the appropriate registers. In some psalms like Psalms 2 and 150, percussion seems invited. In the absence of timpani, hand-clapping or striking the pews with the palm may produce the desired effect. All the psalms work very well unaccompanied. It is also feasible to add vocal parts to the implied harmonies.
The music assigns suggested differing voices to verses or part of verses: to one or two cantors, and to up to 9 chorus combinations, Men, Women, Tutti and each divided or not between Cantoris and Decani. These assignments reflect the separation of voices in the text itself and occasionally also highlight rhetorical structures.
Modes
Determining the mode of a particular psalm is subjective at the moment. It may be that some note patterns are unacceptable in some modes. This is an uncertain decision, since instrument and voice can each be tuned to each of these modes. Equally, it may be that some psalms even if sung together were sung in two differing modes. If different tuning is required, then two instruments may be prepared. The Selah may give the player a chance to change instruments.
For liturgical use I have written some glorias - the style of music lends itself to such writing. I could imagine that drone, and even limited multi-part harmony could be added.
In general, a psalm is written to be sung to a syllabic pulse after the manner of plainchant. That is, syllables gather themselves together equally in ones, twos, threes, fours, fives, and so on, each group creating a single long pulse to the musical line subdivided into syllables of equal duration with little if any additional word stress. Ornaments (written in 8th notes) will naturally extend a syllable's length. Recitation may be spelled out in quarter notes but neither quarter nor eighth note values are to be slavishly interpreted. It is possible, however, that some psalms were sung rhythmically. Where this may be the case for Hebrew, an equivalent English rhythm may be found.
[Note, all the music referred to is at this shared resource. If XML is beyond your software, let me know and I can generate or convert any file to a human readable form, pdf or png.]
Pulse
The dashed bar lines immediately precede the stressed syllable in Hebrew. The direction of the vocal line and its pulse is thus signaled by the barline which always happens on a change in the reciting note. [Note: where a reciting note changes without the presence of a barline, this is an indication that the music has been changed because of an error in the Westminster Leningrad Codex.] This is true whether one is reading poetry or prose. The English translation has been underlaid with this stress in mind. For example, in verse 24 of Psalm 18. And I am וָאֱהִ֣י complete תָמִ֣ים with him עִמּ֑וֹ. The stress is thus not on complete but on am. The word him, occurs on the resting note in the verse.
The subdominant A is signaled by the sign called atnah, or place of rest. In mode 4, the A is sharpened and acts against any suggestion of rest or repose. Note also that some verses have no rest point and may sometimes be chanted as a single phrase. Some verses have multiple phrases, but never more than one rest point. The rest point is marked with a caesura indicating the appropriateness of a pause – even in the middle of a sentence, as one would pause in plainsong to allow consideration of the words. Continuing with verse 24 above, there are 7 beats after the breathing mark at the rest point, all on the same reciting note. The variation in pitch is determined in this section through the ornaments, which always return to the reciting note. The musical line in this verse will lead to the stress on the second syllable of iniquity.
The Hebrew pulse and accents may suggest other possible performance ideas or word underlay to the choir director. Such performance ideas are encouraged. Since many of the psalms are ‘for the choir director’, choir directors may of course use their discretion in suggesting alternatives with respect to mode, rhythm or pitch or even the addition and interpretation of ornaments.
Awkward intervals
Yes, there are some awkward intervals but they can be learned and often are surprising annotations on the text. Psalm 4 provides a good example. The rising augmented fifth in verse 7 colours the extreme rudeness and provocation in the words. The music confirms the quotation marks noted in the English. The next rising perfect fifth contrasts faith with provocation.
Word painting
The music is not there for its own sake, but for the words. In every psalm, the music provides what one could call an intense punctuation, demanding from singer and hearer alike an intention that goes behond the habitual and becomes clothing indeed.
Psalm 32 provides a good example. Note the bucking horse and mule. Note also the words on the atnah or rest point in the verse. There is no atnah in verse 1. Words on the atnah in the following verses are: iniquity, bones worn out, changed, Yahweh, many waters, security, walk, curbed, Yahweh, righteous ones. There is a progression in this psalm from trouble to release including the reference to the judgment of many waters and the need for a secure guided walk for the poet / singer.
Translation
In the English libretto, the symbol / indicates that the note is not needed and has therefore a zero time value. (It is curious to me that though, of course, there are often more words in English than in Hebrew, there are equally often more syllables in Hebrew than there are in English!) If the English libretto has multiple syllables for a single note, then subdivide all the syllables and gather them equally into the current reciting note. Slurs apply to the English libretto to assist the singer. The underlay has been designed so as to imitate in English with the least compromise the line and stress of the Hebrew. So wherever possible, without distorting the English word order beyond recognition, ornaments are on an equivalent syllable and slurred as in the Hebrew and the change in reciting note reflects a similar word and stress as in the Hebrew. It is evident that sometimes the English gloss and pulse match the Hebrew word for word, but equally, sometimes there must be compromises made when trying to match words in the musical line. Singing in Hebrew remains an option. Reworking the English underlay is also possible. Note that there are particular difficulties with maintaining Hebrew letter order in translation of the acrostics where the poet is at play, if sometimes reluctantly.
I have been very careful through the use of a computer controlled system, to choose different glosses in English to correspond to different Hebrew words. So, for example, as there are 7 synonyms for fear in the Hebrew, so there are 7 different words in English for these words. Similarly, a word used once in the Psalms requires an English word that is used only once. At the same time, some words require different glosses in different situations. For example, the word, nefesh, traditionally translated soul, that part of the body between chin and shoulders, may be translated throat, or being, or even just as a personal pronoun. So sometimes a single word in Hebrew will be rendered in the host language by several differing English words or combinations of words. For more detail about the translation and word usage patterns, please refer to Seeing the Psalter.
The Name
In many translations, the Name, יהוה the four letters yod, heh, vav, heh, is rendered as the LORD. Such a rendering fails both grammatically and theologically: theologically because the Name is intimate, grammatically, because the Name must behave as a proper name, not as title or rank. Debate is extensive over how the Name was pronounced or when it stopped being said as a name. In my transcriptions, the mid 20th century rendering Yahweh has been used. This may be sung as two or three syllables as needed. There is a suggestion from the stresses in the music that it was three syllables with the stress on the third. There are no consonants in the name. Sing it as Ee-aa-oo-eh with the oo bordering on an O. It is a good singing exercise.
Invocations, selah and other words
The invocations or inscriptions are an integral part of the music, as are the interjections like selah or higgaion whose meaning is uncertain. These have remained in the music as given. Use the moments creatively.
Accompaniment
All sorts of instruments may be used. Composers and arrangers are encouraged to find the appropriate registers. In some psalms like Psalms 2 and 150, percussion seems invited. In the absence of timpani, hand-clapping or striking the pews with the palm may produce the desired effect. All the psalms work very well unaccompanied. It is also feasible to add vocal parts to the implied harmonies.
The music assigns suggested differing voices to verses or part of verses: to one or two cantors, and to up to 9 chorus combinations, Men, Women, Tutti and each divided or not between Cantoris and Decani. These assignments reflect the separation of voices in the text itself and occasionally also highlight rhetorical structures.
Modes
Determining the mode of a particular psalm is subjective at the moment. It may be that some note patterns are unacceptable in some modes. This is an uncertain decision, since instrument and voice can each be tuned to each of these modes. Equally, it may be that some psalms even if sung together were sung in two differing modes. If different tuning is required, then two instruments may be prepared. The Selah may give the player a chance to change instruments.
For liturgical use I have written some glorias - the style of music lends itself to such writing. I could imagine that drone, and even limited multi-part harmony could be added.
Saturday, 1 March 2014
The original music of the Psalms
Music does not lend itself to a wordy analysis but I have produced nonetheless a few images of scores to see(!) if the repeated songs in the Psalter use similar tunes.
For emerging examples of this music, you may browse this shared resource which I have created a piece at a time with a computer program that I have written (in Oracle PL/SQL). This program reads directly from the online Leningrad Codex and produces a score in Music XML (extended markup language). If you have a music program (Musescore works fine), then do download a file and see it in its raw unedited form. And contribute - what instruments would you use? What mode? How would you interpret the ornaments?
All tunes in the Psalter are similar, you might say. Sure - but look at the score for Psalm 114. The original patterns in the music clearly reflect the patterns in the words of the text. See this article by David Mitchell for discussion of this music and its relationship to tonus peregrinus.
David Mitchell, precentor at Holy Trinity, Brussels, has a forthcoming book on the Psalms of Ascent currently in the production stages. This is a delightful work. I am very grateful to him for a draft copy to help my research and to Sue Gillingham of Oxford for putting us in touch.
My program does not reflect Mitchell's alterations to Suzanne Haik-Vantoura's approach, but I have followed him in using a semitone for the revia downward moving ornament (often but not always appearing with the geresh as in Psalm 114). The paired ornament is called revia mugresh (read right to left of course).
With 5 notes (six including the ornament that begins the second half of verses 2 to 8), the musician has created a simple but widely varying set of phrases. This poem as a range from e to C. The range of the poems of the Psalms runs on first glance from c# below the tonic e to the occasional high E an octave above the tonic, though this is rare.
The repeated songs: Psalms 14 and 53, 57-60 and 108, 40 and 70, seem to know of each other's presence as if indeed the one were developed with knowledge of the other. They are too big to work with in images so I have put them on the shared resource. Explore these files, and sing them to hear the similarities.
Of the chorus in Book 5 (Psalms 107:1, 118:1-4, 29
and 136:1 and all its other verses), this one line is always exactly the same. So the music is not random when varied as above, nor is the composer/redactor unaware of deliberate repetition. With its rest on the good on the sub-dominant A, and the final implied five-one cadence B-E, neither choirmaster, nor chorus, nor orchestra seems to tire of this phrase.
I decided, by the way, to use ado-nai as a two syllable abbreviation for the tetragrammeton. I think I could have let the program interpret the word blindly, because the music frequently implies that it is three syllables rather than two. Mitchell's forthcoming work suggests as much and soundly critiques the Yahweh form of the mid-20th century. The results I forget in detail, but they were close if not equivalent to Ye-ho-veh, with the stress on the third syllable. I suggest singing the name in my English versions as ee-aa-oo-eh - all vowels, and the choirmaster may determine the syllable count as required. In any case, let eyes be opened (shades of Eden) and ears unplugged (Isaiah 35:5). Let us hear these ancient words (Psalm 49:2) and his/her song in the night (Psalm 42:9) in a new form that is really very much older than seemed possible.
For emerging examples of this music, you may browse this shared resource which I have created a piece at a time with a computer program that I have written (in Oracle PL/SQL). This program reads directly from the online Leningrad Codex and produces a score in Music XML (extended markup language). If you have a music program (Musescore works fine), then do download a file and see it in its raw unedited form. And contribute - what instruments would you use? What mode? How would you interpret the ornaments?
David Mitchell, precentor at Holy Trinity, Brussels, has a forthcoming book on the Psalms of Ascent currently in the production stages. This is a delightful work. I am very grateful to him for a draft copy to help my research and to Sue Gillingham of Oxford for putting us in touch.
My program does not reflect Mitchell's alterations to Suzanne Haik-Vantoura's approach, but I have followed him in using a semitone for the revia downward moving ornament (often but not always appearing with the geresh as in Psalm 114). The paired ornament is called revia mugresh (read right to left of course).
With 5 notes (six including the ornament that begins the second half of verses 2 to 8), the musician has created a simple but widely varying set of phrases. This poem as a range from e to C. The range of the poems of the Psalms runs on first glance from c# below the tonic e to the occasional high E an octave above the tonic, though this is rare.
The repeated songs: Psalms 14 and 53, 57-60 and 108, 40 and 70, seem to know of each other's presence as if indeed the one were developed with knowledge of the other. They are too big to work with in images so I have put them on the shared resource. Explore these files, and sing them to hear the similarities.
Of the chorus in Book 5 (Psalms 107:1, 118:1-4, 29
 |
| The refrain of Book 5 of the Psalter Mode 3 (same notes in this case as mode 2) Give thanks to Yahweh for it is good, because his loving-kindness is forever. |
I decided, by the way, to use ado-nai as a two syllable abbreviation for the tetragrammeton. I think I could have let the program interpret the word blindly, because the music frequently implies that it is three syllables rather than two. Mitchell's forthcoming work suggests as much and soundly critiques the Yahweh form of the mid-20th century. The results I forget in detail, but they were close if not equivalent to Ye-ho-veh, with the stress on the third syllable. I suggest singing the name in my English versions as ee-aa-oo-eh - all vowels, and the choirmaster may determine the syllable count as required. In any case, let eyes be opened (shades of Eden) and ears unplugged (Isaiah 35:5). Let us hear these ancient words (Psalm 49:2) and his/her song in the night (Psalm 42:9) in a new form that is really very much older than seemed possible.
Tuesday, 11 February 2014
Psalm 32 - Singing the Psalter
 |
| shows the missing silluq in the WLC |
 |
| shows the silluq - short vertical stroke - where expected |
And here (left) is the Aleppo codex with the silluq clearly shown.
Isn't it amazing that one can do textual criticism from one's office at home!
There are bigger problems with this psalm and I have not pursued them all in detail. It is possible that the Aleppo codex may be wrong - who really knows. It is almost 1000 years later than the last time these songs could have been sung in the temple.
Here is my music for a few verses. Some of the problems are evident. Compare vs 3 - mine (computer generated from the Leningrad data) goes up - hers goes down. And in verse 4 (not shown for shv) it gets worse. What does Aleppo say - is it closer to WLC? I am glad to say it agrees with the WLC - yea!!! Enough pictures - you can see it for yourself here. And if you want to critique my score - leave me a comment and I will send it to you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
