- Music developed along side poetry; all poems were sung and not recited.
- Popular festivals were accompanied by music and singing (Amos 5:21-23) in which women and girls joined in.
- David established a liturgy in the 1st Temple which incorporated music (I Chronicles 16:1-6 and following; also I Chron. 16: 41-43).
- By Solomon's time, the musical ritual had advanced greatly (II Chronicles 5:11-14).
- The 1st Temple was destroyed approx. 5th cent. BCE. When the Jews returned from Babylon and built a new Temple, a more elaborate musical ritual was established, probably influenced by Babylonian musical traditions.
- Most of the Jewish captives did not return from Babylon. See Babylnian Talmud. Consequently, a Jewish community and tradition persisted in Babylon (now modern day Iraq).
Listen to some modern Iraqi-Jewish music in the "Babylonian" tradition:
Ki eshmerah Shabbath ("Because I keep the Sabbath")
Sinai Sinai (Mount Sinai) -- a responsorial song
Other songs can be found at Rivers of Babylon
- The use of liturgical Psalms in the Temple is generally believed to belong to the post-exillic period.
- Singers received a priestly position and wore white priestly garments.
- The folk music traditions of earlier (ancient) times were replaced by PROFESSIONAL musicians who inherited their positions through their families.
- Congregational participation in singing was limited to responses such as AMEN or HALLELUJAH or formulas such as, "Since his mercy endures forever...", etc.
- The Temple choirs sang ANTIPHONALLY and RESPONSORIALLY and this was modeled after the call-and-response singing of the older folk traditions. See Neh 12:31-43:
"... and appointed two great companies which gave thanks and went in procession. One went to the right upon the wall..."
"The other company of those who gave thanks went to the left..."
" So both companies of those who gave thanks stood in the house of God."
"And the singers sang with Jezrahiah as their leader."
"The women and children also rejoiced. And the joy of Jerusalem was heard afar off."
- Early Jewish liturgical vocal music in the Temple before the 1st destruction by the Babylonians probably consisted of ritual cantilation (chanting) of texts.
- In the Orient, it is still the custom [in Jewish liturgy] for a precentor [song leader] to sing one strophe [stanza] which is repeated 3, 4, or 5 tones LOWER by the other singers. In this connection one should consider Isaiah VI:1-3 of the alternating song of the seraphim. The measure [tempo and rhythm] must have varied according to the character of the song and perhaps it changed within the same song. Without doubt, the STRIKING OF THE CYMBALS marked the measure. Although there is no way we can know today what this may have sounded like, this description is reminiscent of ritual Tibetan music:
Listen to Tibetan Ritual Music1
Listen to Tibetan Ritual Music2
Listen to Tibetan Ritual Music3