‘What did Jesus sing?’
December 22, 2010
Anthropologist Geoffrey Clarfield, writing in a leading Canadian newspaper, explores the relation between the synagogue music of Jesus’ time and Gregorian chant.
The Sacred Bridge, a CD recording that features Psalm 114, “oscillates between Latin and Hebrew, Gregorian chant and synagogue cantillation,” writes Clarfield. “The melodies are identical and despite the alteration between Hebrew and Latin you would think you were listening to the same song. In fact, you probably are, for no doubt this is a distant echo of what Jesus sang.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
-
Posted by: TheJournalist64 -
Dec. 22, 2010 7:25 PM ET USA
Willi Apel wrote about this in his classic book GREGORIAN CHANT. Ethnomusicologists found strong similarities over 100 years ago between tribal Jewish chants and Gregorian chant, even to the psalm they were used with. Let's bring it back; the only cultural continuity in art that we can be confident of sharing with the early Church.
