It belongs to the stringed instrument family and has a pear-shaped body, along with a deeply vibrant tone. It is amongst the oldest instruments in recorded history and has been cited as the first drum ever created. s.v. vi.). Ezra 2:41,70; 7:7,24; 10:23; Nehemiah 7:44, 73; 10:29,40; etc. Lyres from the ancient world are divided by scholars into two separate groups, the eastern lyres and the western lyres, which are defined by patterns of geography and chronology. Although little mention is made of it, music was used in very early times in connection with divine service. This may explain the terms al alamot and al ha-sheminit. A pick called a plectrum was held in one hand, while the fingers of the free hand silenced the unwanted strings. Also known as the Jewish Lyre, Kinnor is commonly mistranslated as a harp. 5; Isa. All the tonalities are distinct. All rights reserved. John Zorn's record label, Tzadik, features a "Radical Jewish Culture" series that focuses on exploring what contemporary Jewish music is and what it offers to contemporary Jewish culture. 5; II Sam. [1]:440 The kinnor is also the first string instrument to be mentioned in the Bible, appearing in Genesis 4:21. 273 et seq. This article is about the musical instrument. The earlier formal melodies still more often are paralleled in the festal intonations of the monastic precentors of the eleventh to the 15th century, even as the later synagogal hymns everywhere approximate greatly to the secular music of their day. With Arabic music influences, Qanun is widely used in Israeli music. Upon an instrument of ten strings, and upon the psaltery; upon the harp with a solemn sound. Here the participation of the congregants has tended to a more general uniformity, and has largely reduced the intonation to a chant around the dominant, or fifth degree of the scale, as if it were a derivation from the Ashkenazic daily morning theme (see below), but ending with a descent to the major third. A 'live' performance on my evocation of the 10-string Biblical lyre of the traditional Jewish Klezmer melody, "Kandel's Hora" - track 9, "King David's Lyre; . The accuracy of this representation cannot be insisted upon, the vase painters being little mindful of the complete expression of details; yet one may suppose their tendency would be rather to imitate than to invent a number. 27; I Sam. The harmonia, or manner in which the prayer-motive will be amplified into hazzanut, is measured rather by the custom of the locality and the powers of the officiant than by the importance of the celebration. v. 14; Ps. Lyre, Kinnor, Kithara. Hence, the creation of the lyre is attributed to Hermes. This page was last edited on 19 October 2022, at 11:36. But, as stated above, this interpretation is very questionable. This indeed was to be anticipated if the differentiation itself preserves a peculiarity of the music of the Temple.[4]. uggav (small flute), the transl. Your email address will not be published. xxxiii. [7], HornbostelSachs classifies the lyre as a member of the lute-family of instruments which is one of the families under the chordophone classification of instruments. A similar instrument was the lute, which had a large pear-shaped body, long neck, and fretted fingerboard with . have been found in Anatolia. Musicians stand in attendance upon Lord (Mar): a player of the bass lyre (nevel), a player of the lyre (kinnor)." 2 To learn more about ancient music and enactments of Biblical psalms, read the full Archaeological Views column "Performing Psalms in Biblical Times" by Thomas Staubli in the January/February 2018 issue of Biblical . There were two ways of tuning: one was to fasten the strings to pegs that might be turned, while the other was to change the placement of the string on the crossbar; it is likely that both expedients were used simultaneously. Jewish Music For Biblical Lyre - YouTube Probably the unison of the singing of Psalms was the accord of two voices an octave apart. A detailed investigation into the elusive 10-string lyre known in Hebrew as the 'Kinnor' - mentioned throughout the Hebrew Bible and also in the writings of. HornbostelSachs divide lyres into two groups Bowl lyres (321.21), Box lyres (321.22). In biblical times the shofar sounded the Sabbath, announced the New Moon, and proclaimed the anointing of a new king. The second sound is referred to as the tak, which is a higher-pitched noise made by tapping the heads edge with the fingertips. Arabian ouds are typically larger than their Turkish and Persian counterparts, providing a richer, deeper sound. The Jewish Encyclopedia. The Oud is played with a Risha, which is the oldest form of a guitar pick or plectrum, made from an eagles quill. Psaltery 2. If possible, verify the text with references provided in the foreign-language article. The instrument was subsequently introduced into Egypt, where it was modified in form. It was held in the right hand to set the upper strings in vibration; when not in use, it hung from the instrument by a ribbon. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. [8] In organology, a lyre is considered a yoke lute, since it is a lute in which the strings are attached to a yoke that lies in the same plane as the sound table, and consists of two arms and a crossbar. Although Josephus mentions twelve strings, it must be remembered that the instrument underwent various changes of form in the course of time. What Are The Main Musical Instruments Of Israel? It is said in reference to the last-named instrument that the name "nebel" would apply very well to it, whether one imagines a bulging sounding-board of one made of an animal membrane. Others moonlight in kollel study or at Jewish organizations. The number of strings on the classical lyre therefore varied, with three, four, six, seven, eight and ten having been popular at various times.