Music in Jewish Liturgy

There are a wide collection of, sometimes conflicting, writings on all aspects of using music in the Judaic liturgy. The most agreed-upon facts are that the women voice should be excluded from religious ceremony^3.1 and the usage of musical instruments should be banned in Synagogue service^3.2.

However some other Rav's dictums soften those positions but not regarding the female voice. In weddings, for instance, the Talmudic statement ``to gladden the groom and bride with music'' can be seen as a way to allow making instrumental and non-religious music at the weddings but this was probably to be done outside the Synagogue.

The very influential writings of the Spanish Rabbi, also a physician and philosopher, Maimonides (1135-1204) on one hand opposed harshly against all form of music not totally at the service of religious worship and on the other hand recommended instrumental music for its healing powers[1].

Healing powers and mysterious formulæ hidden inside musical scores was commonly sought after in music scores during middle-ages, renaissance and pre-Baroque epochs. Interestingly, in a recently published fiction novel Imprimatur^3.3by the musicologist Rita Monaldi and co-author Francesco Solti the whole plot is built-up around a composition of Salamone Rossi (1570-1630), an important Jewish composer.

Jewish mystical treatises, like the Kabbala, particularly since the 13th. century often deal with ethical, magical and therapeutic powers of music. The enhancement of the religious experience with music, particularly with singing is expressed in many places.

Even though there is no unified positions concerning music in the Jewish thought two main ideas seem to emerge. First is that the music is the authentic expression of human feelings in religious life.

In this idea of ``feelings'' in the religious experience the Hassidic tradition of Nigunim singing should have a very special place. In this form of musical expression there is no words, not even religious words. A Nigun (plural: nigumim is a homophonic choral music sung on ``vocalises'' like ``plum, plum...'' or ``ai ,ai...''. There is a controversy on the matter of: are nigunim improvised or composed. Even though some authors claim that nigunim are improvised the information I got from observant Jews who have actually sung the nigunim is that they are actually composed and learned. Even as they are not polyphonic but homophonic, it would have been still very difficult for gifted but not professionally trained singers to improvise a three or fourth part choral without learning the harmonies, So at least a raw harmonic frame and melodic structure must have been preset and practiced before thus it can not be said to be a real improvisation.

This particular form of musical expression can be seen as a way of communion with God through only feelings. Not ``learned'' nor practiced phrases and words. In this sense it is the actual opposite of Torah cantillations who are codified, studied and practiced.

The other main idea of music in Judaic observance is that the human voice overrules that of instrumental music[1].