The Denver Jewish news., 1923-03-28
Shn Hashirim Song
of Songs
The Reported Discovery of the Original
Music

Much interest has been taken in
recent report in the French paper, tine
Figaro" in which Mr.. Raoul Guns
burg contributes an article in which
he makes claim Of having deciphered
the original musical notation of tile
Song of Songs. He reproduced the
music of part of Chapter Seven, the
invocation to the Shslmanitc.
Mr.. Gunsberg explains that. as is
generally known, there is n traditional
melody to the .'Shir Heshirium." IL
has been hitherto thought that the mel
ody had been handed down through
generations. but its origin was un-
known. At Kovna. Russia. Mr.. Guns
burg had heard the 'Chazan" sing the
traditional melody, and Ire was struck
by the fact of its likeness to the open
ing phrusc of Suppes ..Boccace." AT
the time, he made sure that the Cha
zan had merely adapted this melody
to the Song of Songs.
He. however. was informed that In
manuscript which was claimed to date
buck to the period of Solomon. and Oh
Iexamining it he found that certain
Ihicroglyphics were placed above the
letters similar to the vowel points in
ordinary use. He made an exact copy
of the Kovno manuscript. and, bear
ing in mind that the Greeks employed
letters of the alphabet and other signs
for musical notation. he concluded
that the same might be the case with
this Kovno manuscript. He felt, no
doubt, that the hieroglyphics were
really musical notes. because tile
words were indicated by the word de-
vouri (Hebrew words), while the
hieroglyphics were denominatcd by the
word shir tHebrew song). Mr.. Guns
burg now claims that he has been able
to read this music; that it consists of
seven notes and three ulternations;
that two times are indicated in one
part and three times III another. Mr..
GunsburS states that he has no doubt
that his discovery will open out Il great
treasure house of Hebrew music.
| This notification which has been Civ
en- prominence by II large section OF
the press and the statement by him
that there has thus been recovered the
authentic music of King Solomon. can-
not be allowed to pass unchallenged.
| 1t appears that Mr.. Gunsburg 'hns
taken the vowel to represent musical
notes. So far. this is not AN entirely
original view. The Musical Times.
January. 1914. contained an article
from the pen of Mr.. Arthur NJ. Fried
lander entitled Facts and Theories
only dealt largely with the ancient He
brew musical notation, but also cN-
pressed as an original view that they
bore similarity to some of the Nouns,
i. e.. the mediacval system of musical
notation. In the course of the article.
The dspclled the erroneous statement
made by Burney in his History Of
Music" viz. Neither the ancient Jews
nor the modern have ever had char
acters peculiar to music; so that the
melodies used in their religious ccre-
monies have at all times been tradi-
ltional and at the mercy of the fingers.
The "Canonica Cavalca' is, however,
of opinion that the points of the He
brew language were ut first musical
characters.
So much for Burucy. He is quite in
error in the description he gives con-
ccrning the points" The points"
serve as vowel sounds, nothing more
and nothing less. For the purpose of
acccntuating and regulating the mel
ody. various and quite different signs
are used. The Jewish Encyclopaedia -
in the article on the vowel points. ex-
plains the three systems under which
they are known. II probably has cS-
capped the notice of Mr.. Gunsburg that