The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-13
MUSIC OF soLoMoN's TEMPLE
Grand and Imposing Religious Musical


Service.
The Temple which Solomon built in
Jerusalem was arranged among other
things, for the grandest possible musi'
cal service. and the researches of the
| historians of the Jews have proved that
here we find the very highest ideal of a
religious musical service fully realized
The open-air professions 'and songs of
praise and Thanksgiving, and the bril-
liant pageant at the procession OF the
Ark were only faint foreshadoWings OF
the glories of the Temple service
The care of the sacred music was one
Of the first objects Of King solomon
Being himself both poet ana a must
clan, as well as possessed of unlimited
wealth and autocratic authority, there
was nothing to hinder him from carry
ing out his fullest desires as to the
character Of the worship in his magni-
ficent building. He prescribed it's mi
nutest details. The tribe of Levi was
especially assigned to the oversight OF
| the musical part Of the service David
had establishedb the first music school
| in history, and appointed the singers
for the worship in the Tabernacle. Sol
ONION confirmed these appointments
and greatly increased and extended
their musical duties. The Levites We're
divided into twenty-four orders, each
with twelve singing masters These
two hundred and eighty eight instruc-
| tors had to wear prieStly VestmentS
when officiating in the temple. Four
| thousand of the Levites were set apart
| as singers and instrumentalists and
| these were under the instruction and
| charge of the two hundred and eighty
| eight singing masters. The boys of the
tribe of Levi occupied the lower steps
of a platform and the men the higher
. steps. These were directed by the sing
ing masters who were on duty and the
whole mass of voices rose in unison in
the songs of praise. All the choristers
were clothed in vestments of fine white
linen, which were appropriated to their
use and a mark of their position, Just
as the Levites and priests had their
special vestments. They sang anti
phonally by Sides In fact, the psalms
which taken together formed the great
hymn book of the Jewish Temple, We're
sung as grand diuble choruses by these
trained singers
The Rev. DR.. Alfred Edersheim in
his work, THE Temple: It's Ministry
and Services" gives full description
of the singing of the "Hallel'' as part of
the temple service at the Staying if the
PaSchal lamb Shortly befire the
burning of the incense and the trim
ming if the lamps was the time fir this
service. In it's proper turn, body of
Israelites large enough to fill without
overcroWding the court Of the priests,
and each carrying a lamb under his
arm, was admitted. Immediately the
massive gates We're closed behind them
The priests blew a threefold blast from
their silver trumpets when the Pass
over was slain. Altogether the scene
was most impressive. All along the court
up to the altar OF burnt offering, priests
stood in two rows, the one holding gold
en-, the other silver bowls. In these the
blood Of the Paschal lambs, which each
Israelite slew for himself, as the repre-
sentative of his company at the Pas
chal supper, was caught by priest,
who handed it to his colleague receiv-
ing back an empty bowl and so the
bowls with the BLOOD We're passed up
to the priest at the altar, who jerked
it in one jet at the base of the altar.
While this was going on a most SOL
emn hymn of praise was raised, the
Levites beading in song, and the offer
ers either repeating after them or
merely responding Every first line Of
psalm was repeated by the people,
while to each of the others they re-
sponded by a Hallelujah,' or Praise
We the Lord"
The instruments which were used in
accompanying the singing of the
psalms consisted Of harps, timbrels
psalteries, trumpets, drums, shophars
and flutes. Stringed Instruments We're
employed in the penitental psalms,
and the stronger and more sonorous
instruments for the hymns of praise
The manner of singing the Psalms in
the Temple service was called camilla
ton. This is described as kind of
chant, it's character varying from time
to time and in different places It's ir-
regularity rendered 1T singularly APP
propriate for use to poems of such a |
complicated and constantly changing
rhythm as the Psalms.
In the second temple, built after the |
return from the Babyonian captivity. |
the psalm-singing differed in some re- |
scots from that in the first temple |
From the Talmud we learn that clearly |
defined traditions are found, according
to which, on sign given on the Gym
balls twelve Levites standing on the
broad step of stairway leading from |
the Place of the Congregation to the
outer Court of the Priests, playing
upon nine Tyres, two harps and one
pair of cymbals, began the singing of |
the psalm, while the officiating priest |
poured out the wine offering. Younger
Levites played on other Instruments,
but did not sing, while the Levitical
boys strengthened the melody by sing
ing and not playing. The pauses of the
psalm, or it's divisions, were indicated
by blasts Of the trumpets at the right
IF the CAPITALISTS.
While it is almost certain that the
,hoir Of the first temple was male only,
t is equally certain that women were
admitted as singers in the second tenn
Ole, for according to Ezra H., 65, "The
whole congregation together was forty
md two thousand three hundred and
hreescore, besides their servants and
heir maids, Of whom there We're seven
thousand three hundred thirty and sew