The shofar
Subtitle: its history and use
By: Jeremy Montagu
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 174
ISBN-13: 9781442250277
Copyright date: 2015
Subjects: Shofar; History and criticism; Synagogue music; Jews; Music
Description: In The Shofar, Jeremy Montagu offers a detailed study of the ram's horn of the Bible, describing its history and use--both ritual and secular--from biblical times to the present. Because the same person normally blows the shofar each year during the Jewish High Holy Days, few are aware of the wide differences among communities around the world: the varying points in the Jewish liturgical service when the shofar is blown, what sound combinations exist, and the many varieties of the instrument. This is the first work of its kind to detail the full range of historical, musical, antiquarian, and religious issues surrounding the ancient instrument with all relevant citations from the Bible, the Talmud, and key post-Talmudic sources. Jeremy Montagu carefully examines horn types, sound characteristics, liturgical uses, and community functions to illustrate how the shofar has reflected local custom, regional needs, and religious practice. Chapters provide difficult-to-find information on how shofars are made; advice on how to choose, prepare, and maintain shofars; and instructions for aspiring blowers on a variety of traditions. With more than sixty photographs from the author's personal collection, this is an ideal work for Jews and Christians, religious scholars and musicologists, and even practicing musicians seeking to understand the crucial role of this instrument in the life of a people. --
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 171-172) and index.
Table of contents: title: Description and preliminary history; title: Liturgical use; title: The sounding of the shofar; title: Who can blow and on what; title: The secular uses of the shofar; title: Making a shofar; title: How to choose and how to blow a shofar; title: Shofar typology, old and new; title: The shofar and its meaning; title: Biblical, Talmudic, and post-Talmudic sources.