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CHAPTER III. |
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BIBLICAL AND HEBREW.
The earliest scriptural mention of nmsic is in Genesis, Chapter iv. where Jubal is spoken of as " Father of those who handle the harp and organ." But harp and organ must by no means be conf ound-ed with our modern instruments of the same name. The harp was probably an instrument of three strings, while all the very ancient references to an organ, simply mean a "Syrinx" or Pan's pipes. The music of Biblical History is, as is almost all the music of ancient nations, combined to a great extent with the dance; the dances of the ancients were what to-day would be called pantomimes, expressing joy, sorrow, fear, or anger, by the motions and expressions of face and body, rather than by the feet.
The real character of the ancient Hebrew music, as well as of many of the musical instruments, is involved in utter obscurity, and no clues to enlighten the investigator, remain in the modern music of this usually most conservative of peoples; much of their musical system was borrowed, until David's time certainly, from the Egyptians.
The music of the modern Jews is tinged in almost every instance with the character of the |
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