Music and musical instruments among the Hebrews.

These terms occur frequently in Holy Scripture, but our knowledge concerning the musical art of the Hebrews is, unfortunately, very limited. It is known that they had in use both wind and stringed musical instruments, as well as drums, tambourines, and cymbals. These are discussed in separate articles under the corresponding words. In the Book of Genesis it is said that Jubal was the first inventor of wind and stringed instruments, namely: the harp and the pipe (4:21). Music was adapted to the expression of feelings of joy (Ex. 15:20), of sorrow (2 Chron.

35:25, Matt. 9:23), and was used in religious ceremonies (Ps. 150:3–5). Trumpets were especially used in military actions, and when a summons to war was made (Judg. 7:16, 2 Kings 11:14). Among the Hebrews, as among the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, and other ancient peoples in general, music, both vocal and instrumental, was very widespread, but to what degree their musical art had attained we cannot say with certainty; however, judging by the form in which we now find it in the regions of the present-day East, we do not think that it was especially tender and harmonious.

Ancient music was naturally very closely bound up with poetry and song, and we already see in one of the most ancient periods a close connection between music and song. “Wherefore didst thou flee away secretly, and steal away from me; and didst not tell me, that I might have sent thee away with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp?” said Laban to Jacob (Gen. 31:27). Hebrew musical instruments can be divided into three classes: stringed, wind, and finally percussion, or shaken, instruments.

Among the stringed instruments the following are notable: the harp, the zither (kinnor, or lyre, a ten-stringed instrument), and the psaltery. The ten-stringed instrument resembled the modern guitar, and was played with the fingers. The wind instruments were the following: the organ, or pipe, a kind of reed tube; the flute, on which it was customary to play in times of joy; the silver trumpets, which Moses caused to be made, by the command of God, for use by the priests on certain occasions; and finally the horn, for signals and for proclaiming the jubilee or the approach of danger to a city.

Ten kinds of wind instruments are mentioned in Holy Scripture. The percussion instruments were the following: the tambourine, or timbrel—this was nothing other than a piece of skin, stretched tightly over a metal or wooden hoop—and cymbals, or castanets, consisting of two small metal plates, which women struck one against the other during dances.