Music of the Bible Revealed

The Music of the Bible Revealed/La Musique de la Bible reveleé - Suzanne Haik-Vantoura

"The Music of the Bible Revealed" is fascinating but arcane and controversial. The notes (scans are included) accompanying the disc lay out the theory by which this music was produced. Suzanne Haik-Vantoura's work was to decipher the markings around the words in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible as if they were musical notations. This is pretty far out. Perhaps even farther out is the notion that these markings represent the actual music sung at the temple in Jerusalem prior to 70 CE. This theory, however, overlooks one very important fact. The oldest Hebrew Biblical texts we have, from Qumran, written while the temple was operating, and for a little while after, possess neither vowel markings nor what are now generally considered cantillation marks. These marks appear, along with the vowel marks, only in Medieval manuscripts.

Early Medieval Christian music was signified in a similar manner, with markings above the Latin text, which are now poorly understood. A Benedictine music professor suggested that these were memnonic devices as part of an essentially oral transmission process. It seems more likely than not, that the marking of the Masoretic text were part of a similar development, and not inherent in the original composition of the text. Whatever the truth is, however, these tracks are very interesting. Many of the chants are unaccompanied, some utilize a spare harmonic choir and instrumentation.

Tracks:

Psaume 23 "L'Eternel est mon berger"
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Bénédiction sacerdotale (Nombres 6, 22)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Psaume 24 "A l'Eternel appartient la terre"
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Cantique des Cantiques (1,1)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Pasume 6
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Lamentations (1, 1)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Psaume 133
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Ecoute, Israël (Deutéronome 6, 4)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Psaume 150 "Alléluia!"
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Elégie de David (2 Samuel 1, 19)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Psaume 122 "Je suis joyeux lorsqu'on me dit..."
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Psaume 123 "Ver toi j'élève mes regards..."
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Esther (5, 1)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin


Le buisson ardent (Exode 3, 1)
Composed by Jewish Traditional
with Pierre Pollin, Adolphe Attia, Michel Scherb, Emile Kacmann, Martine Geliot, Raymond Couste, Gerard Perrotin

Take what you want, enjoy what you take, and please seed!