Traditional melodies Cantillation

1 traditional melodies

1.1 ashkenazic melodies
1.2 sephardic , eastern melodies
1.3 yemenite melodies
1.4 learning melodies

traditional melodies
ashkenazic melodies

in ashkenazic musical tradition cantillation, each of local geographical customs includes total of 6 major , numerous minor separate melodies cantillation:

torah , haftarot (3 melodies)

1. torah (general melody whole year)  example
2. torah – special melody rosh hashanah , yom kippur. 1 may hear reading @ [1]. tune employed on simhat torah in various degrees (depending on specific community). echoes of can heard verses in torah reading fast days in communities.

there number of variants employed special sections, such aseret hadibrot (ten commandments), az yashir (song of sea), , list of masa ot.
in torah modes, there coda motif used last few words of each reading.
there special coda used @ end of each of 5 books of torah leads traditional exclamation of hazak hazak v nithazek! (be strong strong strengthened).


3. haftarot  example

in haftarah mode, there coda motif. in western ashkenazic mode, applied end of every verse. different coda used @ end of haftarah among both eastern , western ashkenazim, modulating minor major introduce following blessing.
this tune applied when reading non-haftarah portions of books of prophets , latter writings (daniel, ezra-nehemiah, , chronicles), although usage largely theoretical, these not subject public reading other sections , books are.




the 5 megillot (3 melodies employed these 5 scrolls)

4. esther – light , joyous tune elements of drama , foreboding used megillat esther on purim. coda @ end of each pasuk (verse) modulates major minor produce more serious effect. short passages pertaining destruction of temple customarily read in tune of lamentations. there additional musical customs, such saying word סוס‎ (horse) neighing sound, not indicated cantillation.
5. lamentations – mournful tune. echoes of can heard verses in esther , in torah reading preceding ninth of av. haftarot preceding , during ninth of av use melody, when read in nonhasidic shuls.  example
6. 3 remaining scrolls publicly read within ashkenazic communities during 3 pilgrimage festivals. read in same melody, may considered general melody megillot: song of songs on passover; ruth on shavuot; ecclesiastes on sukkot.

the ashkenazic tradition preserves no melody special cantillation notes of psalms, proverbs, , job, not publicly read in synagogue european jews. however, ashkenazic yeshiva known aderet eliyahu, or (more informally) zilberman s, in old city of jerusalem, uses adaptation of syrian cantillation-melody these books, , becoming more popular among other ashkenazim well.

sephardic , eastern melodies

at beginning of twentieth century there single ottoman-sephardic tradition (no doubt local variations) covering turkey, syria, palestine , egypt. today jerusalem-sephardic, syrian, egyptian , baghdadi melodies recognisably belong single family. example, in these traditions torah reading or in maqam sigah. there variations, among individual readers among communities: example egyptian melody related more elaborate , cantorial form of syrian melody , transitioning toward maqam huzzam before mass expulsion in 1950. karaite tradition, being based on egyptian, forms part of group.

another recognisable family consists of iraqi (mosul , iraqi diaspora), spanish-moroccan , spanish , portuguese melodies. probable reason occurrence of similar melodies @ opposite ends of arab world represent remains of old arab-jewish tradition not overlaid later ottoman-sephardic tradition spread countries in between. there may have been convergence between london spanish , portuguese , iraqi melodies during british rule in india , british mandate of mesopotamia.

the jews of north africa, middle east, central asia , yemen had local musical traditions cantillation. when these jewish communities emigrated (mostly israel) during twentieth century, brought musical traditions them. immigrants grew older, many particular national melodies began forgotten, or become assimilated jerusalem sephardic melting-pot.

as ashkenazim, there 1 tune torah readings , different tune haftarot. spanish , portuguese jews have special tune ten commandments when read according ta elyon, known high na um , used other words , passages desired emphasize. other communities, such syrian jews, observe differences between 2 sets of cantillation marks ten commandments have no special melody ta elyon. there no special tune rosh hashanah , yom kippur in sephardic tradition. ashkenazim, normal musical value of cantillation signs replaced coda motif @ end of each torah reading , of each haftarah verse (though there no special coda end of haftarah), suggesting common origin sephardi , ashkenazi chants.

eastern jewish communities have no liturgical tradition of reading ecclesiastes, , there no public liturgical reading of song of songs on passover, though brief extracts may read after morning service during first half of nisan. (individuals may read after passover seder, , many communities recite every friday night.) there specialized tunes song of songs, ruth, esther , lamentations. prose passages @ beginning , end of book of job may read either tune of song of songs or of ruth, depending on community. ruth tune default tune book of ketuvim (hagiographa) not have tune of own.

unlike ashkenazic tradition, eastern traditions, in particular of syrian jews, include melodies special cantillation of psalms, proverbs , poetic parts of job. in many eastern communities, proverbs read on 6 sabbaths between passover , shavuot, job on ninth of av, , psalms read on great many occasions. cantillation melody psalms can vary depending on occasion. spanish , portuguese jews have no tradition rendering of psalms according cantillation marks, melody used several psalms in evening service noticeably similar of syrian psalm cantillation, , may represent remnants of such tradition.

yemenite melodies

yemenite cantillation has total of 8 distinctive motifs, falling within 4 main patterns:

molikh ( moving ) used conjunctives , minor disjunctives
mafsiq ( pausing ) third level disjunctives
ma amid ( elongating ) second level disjunctives; and
the patterns of etnaḥa , silluq (sof pasuq).

this true equally of system used torah , systems used other books. appears relic of babylonian system, recognised 8 types of disjunctive , no conjunctives.

learning melodies

some communities had simplified melody torah, used in teaching children, distinct mode used in synagogue. (this should not confused lernen steiger used studying mishnah , talmud.) example, yemenite community teaches simplified melody children, used both in school , when called read sixth aliyah. simplified melody used reading of targum, performed young boy.

conversely, syrian community knows 2 types of torah cantillation, simpler 1 general use , more elaborate 1 used professional hazzanim. probable simpler melody teaching mode. today mode in general use, , ancestor of jerusalem-sephardic melody.

some communities had simplified melody prophets, distinct used in reading haftarah: distinction mentioned in 1 medieval sephardic source.