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CURIOSITIES OF MUSIC. |
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day, love monotonous chants, which Europeans find doleful, and which at certain passages 01 phrases, change totally and abruptly their mode and time: the word Selah was without doubt an indication of such a change." The last part of this opinion, Fetis sets down as pure hypothesis.
Two ancient Greek versions of the Old Testament give the meaning of the word as '' forever," and as "for all ages."
Alberti thinks the word is a recapitulation of the chords of the psalm: Eosenmuller proves that this is impossible in some cases.
Augusti thinks it is an expression of joy similar to "Hallelujah."
David Kimchi thinks it a sign of elevation of the voice; Mattheson and Pfeiffer agree in the opinion that it signifies a ritornella, or short symÂphony between the verses, to be played by the instruments alone.
Eichhorn thinks it means Da Capo, but Rosen-miiller and Gesenius, (the latter treats the matter with great erudition, and his opinion is entitled to respect,) both think that it signifies a rest in the song part, as we might write Tacet.
Gesenius has found almost the only corroborative testimony of the whole controversy in the fact that the grammatical root of the word Selah, is repose, or silence.
LaBorde has boldly, not to say audaciously, given a unique interpretation. He says " David invented the art of shading the sounds; the word Selah is equivalent to the Italian word smor- |
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