Jewish musical folklore: from the beginnings through the ages

The Jewish people, which is one of the oldest civilizations, is rich in great heritage. We are talking about folk art, clearly illustrating the pictures of everyday life, traditions and customs of Israelis.

Such a peculiar expression of genuine folk spirit has generated many dances, songs, legends, anecdotes, proverbs and sayings, which to this day are the objects of stormy historical discussions.

The oldest musical origins: psalms to the accompaniment of the psalter

Jewish folklore was originally directly connected with religion, and the periods of the kings Solomon and David contributed to its early development. Stories are known to psalms composed by David himself and performed by him to the sounds of the harp (or psaltiri, as it was called at that time).

Through the efforts of David, temple music became widespread, performed by Levite priests who formed a church choir that consisted of at least 150 people. Even in war, they had to sing songs, speaking ahead of the troops.

The decline of Jewish folklore was largely influenced by the fall of the Judean kingdom and, as a result, the influence of neighboring peoples. However, by that time it was so developed that today the most ancient motifs of Jewish singing are widely known in Israel and are predominantly minor melodies, rich in coloratura. The constant, oppressive influence on Jewish folklore did not deprive him of his unusual identity.

The ancient Jewish singing has 25 musical notes, each of which, unlike our notes, designates several sounds simultaneously. The sign "Tsar" confidently entered the musical terminology called "gruppetto" - the melody often found in scores.

Household music of the Israelites

The Jews accompanied songs with all the important events in life: the wedding, the victorious return of troops from the war, the birth of a child, the funeral. One of the brightest representatives of Jewish folklore was klezmer, who mainly performed at weddings with 3-5 violinists. Their songs were not associated with worship and were performed in a very peculiar form.

One of their well-known songs, praising life and all that exists, is considered KhavaNagila, written in 1918 on the basis of an old Hasidic melody. Its creation the world owes to the collector of Jewish folklore Abraham C. Idelson. It is noteworthy that, being considered the brightest element of Jewish folk art, the song is not, although its popularity among the Israelis is amazing, therefore the sources and causes of the song are currently the subject of active controversy. The modern version is somewhat different from the original version.

Jewish songs are colorful, they capture the attention of their traditional oriental sharp and tense harmony that has been forming for many centuries, keeping in itself the whole depth of historical events through which, despite everything, the Israelis passed with amazing resilience and vitality, establishing themselves as great nation

Watch the video: Iasi 1900 (March 2024).

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