From 1 Chron. xxv. 7 it appears that Church music was formally taught in the Jewish schools.
That Jewish song was celebrated throughout the
1 East is implied in the ironical request of the Babylo- nians that their poor captives would "sing them one of the songs of Zion."
It is to be observed that the singing of the Temple was no part of the Levitical ritual: it was a fitting wor- ship, independent of the specific economy with which it was connected. It has, therefore, a certain permanent authority as a scriptural precedent of worship-song.
Concerning the music used in the Jewish Temple we have no certain traditions. The very meaning of the musical accents in the book of Psalms is unknown. Carl Engel (Music of the most Ancient Nations, ch. vi) supposes that the musical system of the Hebrews, as indeed of all the East, was derived from the Assyrians, concerning whose musical knowledge, hitherto unsus- pected, much interesting information has been derived from the sculptures discovered by Mr. Layard and Mr. Botta. It is probable that David, who was musician as well as poet, composed music for the use of his psalms in public worship. From the structure of Hebrew poe- try this would necessarily be a musical recitative, or ••chant:" and as adapted for the use of worshipping thousands, it would probably be very simple in charac- ter. Whether the Jews had any form of written music
| or not, or whether the music of their Temple psalms was learned by the ear, and traditionally handed down from generation to generation, is unknown. Certainly
! no trace of written music has come down to us. It is
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to be presumed that the music originally set to David's psalms would be perpetuated from age to ago; and that therefore the music to w hich our Lord and his disciples sang the lesser Halle! on the "night on which he was betrayed," and the music to which Paul and Silas sang their prison songs, would be the old traditional T< mple music. The tradition is thai the Peregrine Tone was the music i" which the lesser Hallel was sung. All this, however, is pure conjecture. There is not a parti- cle of historical proof to throw light upon iL Nor is this to be wondered at. considering the dispersions and the unparalleled sufferings of the Jews, and when it is remembered that we are equally ignorant of the music of the Greeks and the Romans.
At the dispersion, Temple-song ceased. Burney says. some Hebrew high-priesl being Ids informant. •• that .-ill instrumental, and even vocal performances have been banished from the synagogue ever since the destruction of Jerusalem; that the little singing now in use there is an innovation and a modern license: for the dews, from a passage in one of the prophets, think it unlawful, or at least unfit, to sing or rejoice before the coming of the Messiah, till when they are hound to moum and repent
in silence" (Hist, of Music, i. •_'."> I i. It is probable, how- ever, thai although at the dispersion the Temple music was forever silenced, yel thai synagogue worship would be speedily restored, and that, as far as possible, its ser- vices would be based upon the old Temple prayers and psalms, and that the traditional melodies of the latter Would he sung to them.
The tir.st recorded uninspired psalmody of the syna- gogue is not earlier than the 10th century, when Saa- diah Gaon firs! introduced rhyme into Hebrew poetry, (tn this subject, see Prayers "/tin Spanish andPortu- giiese Israelites, with English Translation, by the Rev. D.A-de Sola: Steinschneider, Jewish Lit. t Loud. 1857); Charisi, ./< wish Lit. from the *th to the 18th Century, ch. xviii.
No existing Jewish melodies can he proved to be of any antiquity, compared with some Christian melodies. Purely traditional, their origin is unknown. The ut- most that can he -aid i- that for some four or five cen- turies they have been handed down nu moriter. As we possess them they .ire unmistakably modern in their forms; bul then it is possible that beneath these mod- em forms there may be a very ancient substance. The Rev. 1». A. de Sola i Ancient Melodies "/tin Liturgy <;/' itsh unit Portuguese Jews) says that a tradition exists that the" Birchal Cohanim" is identical with the melody used in the Temple for the blessing of the priests (Numb. vi. 22-26), and that it is supported by great probability, almost amounting to direct proof. The "Song of Moses" is also supposed to lie the melody sung by Miriam. Hut this i> pure conjecture. See also MaimOnides, cb. xiv, § 11: Lightfoot, Templi Service; Bingham, Antiquities, vol. xiv; Carl Engel, Music of the most Ancimt \ntioii.<. ch. \ i.
In the Sept. the \\o,d vpvoc and its cognates are used as representing several Hebrew words: but in al- most every case the reference is to songs of praise or thanksgiving to God. In the New Test, this i- the in- variable USage of the terms.
In the Christian Scriptures very little is said con- cerning sacred song. Matthew and Mark very touch- cord lie conformity of our Lord, not to any divine command, hut to a traditional custom, when he and Ids disciples, after the institution of the Supper, i hymn" (vfivfjaavrtc) before they went out to the Mount of Olives iMati. xxvi. 30; Mark xiv. 26). There i> e v. r\ reason to believe that what was sung on this Occasion was the latter part of the Hal lei. the usual I psalms of thanksgiving (Psa. cxv-cxviii).