The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-29
HEBREW MUSIC
 CONCISELY ANALYzED The Jewish Nation the Orig inal Creator of the
 Tonal Art. COMES FROM RELIGION Morris steinert Contributes the Fifth of His h.
 teresting Papers.
COMES FROM RELIGION
ARTICLE v.

In article " on the History of Music some brief reference was made to the music of the Hebrews. In order to do justice to Hebrew music and since, as stated heretofore, this special art finds its main source in religion, the writer feels inclined to give great CT scope to the music of the Hebrew nation in the following essay.
 It is well known that many nations have passed away without leaving us hardly any history or any evidence that they had a history at all Every nation that existed and was epoch making during that time left certain influence upon the course of human development Races are like indlcid- uals. Those that have posterity have distinguished themselves with something that is beneficial to the fol- flowing generations. The greater the spiritual gain a race has brought to the rest of the world, the longer Is it's history told among them.
 The Jewish nation stirs us to no dllOll ltIl clS NSAlA Pett ttN A goes with other nations. Israel was always small, settled in narr1w space and was not of any considerable importance in the political history of the East, It has never brought forth such great statesmen and generals as its neighbcrs of Egypt But still the history of Israel retains interest for us.
 Israel is far surpassed in martial glory by it's contemporaries, by the Romans in the development of law and by the Greeks who show the highest state of expression for the beautiful in art, Bernhard Stade, in his ''Geschichte des Volks Israeli" says, Tt has no epic, nothing that can be compared with the Iliad and tha Odys- sey, against which the Germans set the Nibelulgen Lied, and the Films the Kalewala.'' Nor Is there any eyid- ence that it cultivated the drama. There Is a lack as regards science and even philosophy The same holds good in commercial enterprises and inven- tions that enable a nation to conquer the world. And still this nation has exercised far greater influence over the course of history of the whole ] human race than the Greeks or Rom ans. Our present modes of thought and feeling, our lives and actions are far more profoundly influenced by the world of thought and feeling which Is- rael brought to the birth than by that of Greece or Rome.
 Our whole civilization to-day Is sat urated with tendencies and impulses which have their origin in Israel. The reason for this Is that Israel had de- veloped to very high perfection one side of character which Is of far greater consequence to the human race in general than art or science, law or philosophy. While in Hellas philiso- phy first, and then, indirectly, science developed out of mythology, in Israel the age of mythology was succeeded by that of religion. It must be there fore accepted that Israel's religion is Ho-day the active religion of mankind in higher degree than the philosophy of the Greeks Is It's active philosophy. The same holds good in comparison with the Romans.
 Israel assumed the leadership of the Human race in religion, Rome in mat ters of government and Greece In questions of philosophy. Works of Greek art and science reused the en- thusiasm of only chosen few and their philosophy was confined within ever narrowing limits by religion on one hand and the widening field of science on the other. Religion em- braces all classes of people from the king to the beggar and has strlven more and more to embrace all the na- tions upon the earth. The spiritual features of mankind at the present time under both Mohammedan and European civilization alike are sub stantially the product of the mono theistic religion that arose in Israel,
 A striking effect of Israelitish ideas on mankind nowadays is found by recalling the importance of religious figures of ancient Israel in the eyes oi jour own people. Biblical history stands for all the history there Is. w.
 know more of Abraham, Isaac, David
 Saul, of Jacob, Solomon, Samuel ol Elijah than we know of the history ol
 the heroes of other nations. In fact
 our own nation is Hebraised or Semiti clsed.
 The followers of Islam, the Hoham
 medans, considered Abraham Mo
 hammedan and Ishmael, his flrst-borr
 and rightful heir, as the progenitor O
 the People of the Revelation. In thu
 eyes of the Mohammedans all religi
 ous figures of Israel of old are Moham medan saints.
 The importance of Israel and tn, consequent interest In It's own histor! is due to the leading part 1t took in tn sphere of religion. In Israel none theism first came into being.
 The development of music amonl
 the Israelites was practiced in connec ton with poetry. Every poem wa sung. It was principally used wit , divine service. The description il
 Chronicles of the establishment b David of the Temple service with rich liturgy represents also the orde of the Second Temple Very few de i finite statements can be made concern ing the degree of artistic developmen , of music and psalm singing. The folk music of older times was replaced b professional music which was render F ed by professional singers who off1ci ated in the Temple. The participa f tion of the congregation in the Templ } song was limited to certain response
 such as Amen" and "Halleluiah" o l formulas like since His mercy endur . eth forever"