Music of the Old Testament and Religion of Israel. 185 the climax of music as the handmaid of religion in its association with the Jahveh worship. "It was in the solitude of the hills that he trained himself to become the sweet singer of Israel, and invented the instruments of music long attributed to him. The solitude of the hills, the wide landscapes near Bethlehem, looking down to the Dead Sea on the East, and over it to the purple mountains of Moab; a sea of heights rising far and near; the lonely uplands reaching away to the South; the rich plains of the Philistine lands at his feet, to the West and beyond them the deep blue of the Mediterranean, with its ships passing over the great waters, made a fitting school at once for his poetry and his religious fervor." The meditations and memories of these scenes wove themselves into many a psalm and helped to sanctify the achievements of his genius. There are three clearly-marked periods in David's life as a writer of sacred songs, in each of which he gave expression to the various emotions, sentiments and aspirations that were associated with his experiences. During the first, at court, he composed Psalms 4, 7, 11–13, 17, 21, 35 and 64. During the second in exile, he wrote the Psalms 23, 27, 30, 31, 40, 54, 57 and 63. The hymn recorded in 2 Sam. 1: 19-27 was also composed at this time. Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places! How are the mighty fallen! Tell it not in Gath, Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon, Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. During the third, as king, he prepared and had rendered by the great choirs, the Psalms 3, 18, 24, 32, 51, 60, 101. David not only re-established the custom of musical processionals,* but a style of choral music was also invented by him, * Ps. 68, 26. The singers went before, the minstrels followed after, unknown before among the Hebrews. Hitherto sing been chiefly the employment of the women of Israel now male voices were added and immense choirs organiz sang to the accompaniment of skilled players on wind, s and brass instruments, the pipe, the harp and the tr These were placed under the leadership and direction Shepherd-King himself, who thus through the chan inspired unisonous and antiphonal song communicated prophecy and revelation to Israel's thousands assembled Holy Places to worship the God of their salvation. imagination fails to picture the impressiveness of those s when the singers, ranged by hundreds on tiers of elevated beyond the altar and the throne, followed the waving sc of the king, who, clothed in his royal robes and wearing crown of gold, served as the matchless master of the monies. Sometimes in one grand chorus, sometimes in and onal recitative,* they hymned the praises of Jehovah heaped denunciation upon the heads of His enemies. they sang: First choir: O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; The choirs in unison: Let Israel now say: The congregation: That his mercy endureth forever.† As compared with the history of the Hebrews preceding the reign of David, especially after Absalom's rebellion, w transcendent in glory. He not only laid the foundation f the splendor of Solomon's rule and the building of the Templ by consolidating the tribes into a nation; and secured admini trative improvements and religious organization to Israel b obtaining undisputed possession of its country through con quest, in order that internal growth could continue and religion might thrive, but, nobler than all, he also brought into harmonious union the highest influences of law and prophecy and faith, which from the earliest times had been Music of the Old Testament and Religion of Israel. 187 working, like a leaven, for spiritual mastery in the Chosen People. With this marvelous religious development the growth of music kept pace. The deeper the fervor of faith and the profounder in spirituality the devotion to the Jahveh worship became, the purer were the conception, the appreciation and the use of music. As the heart dictated out of the fullness of faith and reverence, so did the ars divina interpret. "At this early period then," says Ewald,* "David, as the poet of song, stands at a height which was never afterwards surpassed in Hebrew poetry. It is true that some of his songs which have come down to us as mere sketches, exhibit the thoughts but little worked out, and still retain about them. something of the stiffness and heaviness of antiquity; but most of them show, side by side with a vigorous fullness and creative truth (which is not wanting in the earlier songs, as Ex. xv. Judg. v.), an easy flexibility and softly-moving flow of style which dates its existence as a characteristic of Hebrew poetry from this point, Thus the loftiest power of thought is accompanied by the most exquisite form of expression, and the whole of the most ancient poetry or Lyric of the nation is perfected in David, especially as, even when a powerful king, he did not disdain to encourage at his court, up to his extreme old age, the composition and vocal execution of songs." The golden era of Hebrew song was succeeded by the brilliant reign of Solomon. The son reaped what the father had sown. The organization of the kingdom, the love of peace that grew out of the possession of national liberty as the result of the defensive wars successfully waged against surrounding enemies, and the intense commercial activity which was developed by later friendly relations with heathen neighbors, formed the groundwork of this splendid age. Solomon inherited the genius of his father, and his wisdom was described as being greater than that of all the Orient-Egypt and Babylon.† At his court, kings and princes and embassies from foreign lands vied with one another to do him homage. Hiram, king of * Ewald, History of Israel, vol. 3, p. 60. †1 Kings 4: 30. In Tyre, became his friend, and the designs of Egypt again Hebrews were silenced by marriage with the daughter Pharaoh. The vast sums of money collected by David f building of the Temple, were augmented by the tribute o ject nations and by the gifts of Hiram and the Queen of S Thus Solomon further honored the memory of his father an Jahveh worship of his people, by erecting in the Holy C the Jews the famous temple that bears his name. Temple, though insignificant in size when compared with stupendous religious buildings of Assyria, Babylon Thebes, and not calculated to accommodate great numbe worshippers, the music of the Golden Age was perpetuated a time and the songs of Solomon were sung. So prolific the muse of this king, that it is said he wrote one thousand five songs,* nearly all of which have been lost. Three psa which are attributed to him, have been preserved. The fir seems to be a triumphal hymn, and signalizes the final Me anic victory of the Jahveh faith: Why do the heathen band themselves together Let me tell the decree: Jahveh said to me Thou art my Son: this day have I begotten thee! Ask me and I will give thee the heathen nations for an inheritance, The second glorifies the commerce and industrial growth the Hebrews. It also plainly is Messianic in spirit. Give the king thy judgments, O God, Thy righteousness to the king's son; That he may judge thy people righteously; Thy poor with justice; Music of the Old Testament and Religion of Israel. 189 The third was probably written during the building of the emple with the intention of encouraging the workers. Except the Lord build the house, The watchman waketh but in vain. The fragment of song recorded in the Book of Joshua † is upposed to have been written by an unknown poet who lived uring or just before the reign of Solomon, and utilized for his urpose some historic event recounted in the Book of Jasher. Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. And the sun stood still and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves upon their enemies. The Song of Songs, D' 7, is a most precious and passionately beautiful fragment of ethico-idyllic, inspired musial art, and undoubtedly was written by Solomon in early manhood before he adopted the gross and degrading practice of Oriental polygamy. It represents the sacred comedy, as does he Book of Job the sacred tragedy of Israel. In its arrangement, its marvelous unity, its rhythm and beauty of style, its elo-dramatic conception and musical form, it bears the undeiable design of a noble and exquisitely perfect service of song. The Song of Songs is as much inspired as any of the Psalms. loved by the Holy Ghost, Solomon wrote this hymn in the idst of a divinely-appointed Messianic revelation. Yes, withut calling forth the charge of holding a theory of mechanical spiration, we can declare that his soul was the harp on which is song was played by the Holy Ghost. For, turning our yes away from the later life of Solomon, we see within the mits of the hymn how the mystical relation of marital love brings forth from the dark and uncertain waves of polygamy, the pure and chaste form of its archaic design, and there in Josh. 10: 12, 13. * Ps. 127. |