HAÏK-VANTOURA'S DECIPHERING KEY

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INTRODUCTION TO THE DECIPHERING KEY

In the meantime, an online explanation of the deciphering key has become all the more necessary, as the explanations given in the scores are not readily available...

THE MELODIC PARADIGM FOR THE ACCENTUATION

1) The te`amim are both musical and exegetical, but the musical function is primary;
2) The syntax of the te`amim as a notational system is parallel to and shares information in common with the syntax of the Hebrew verbal text.

As analyzed under these premises, the first thing that one notices is the sublinear and superlinear placement of the graphemes. Entire verses, half-verses and phrases of the Bible are annotated with sublinear graphemes, which means that their function predominates musically over that of the superlinear graphemes. The sublinear graphemes may therefore be deciphered first as a set.

As it happens, there are eight common sublinear graphemes, three of which are found most commonly on or near cadences (the ends of verses and phrases: the major "disjunctive" points). One of these (the most common grapheme of all) is found at the end of every verse, but also in combination with every other grapheme in places all over the verse. It is also found repeated several times on a word, especially at the ends of verses. A grapheme that has so many different placements and associations in a musical verse can only represent a single note: by definition, the tonic or final degree of a musical scale. This suggests that all the other sublinear graphemes are likewise notes of a scale. Yet there are eight common sublinear graphemes in prosody and seven of them in psalmody. This too is strongly suggestive. Eight is the number of degrees in a normal octave. Seven is an octave minus one degree, significant of itself. Does the Hebrew verbal syntax support the idea that the eight common sublinear graphemes of prosody are degrees of a scale?

As it turns out, indeed it does. Upon testing thousands of verses, Haïk-Vantoura determined that silluq (the vertical and most common grapheme), atnah (found at the half-cadences) and munah (found at the suspensive cadences and also within phrases) are the 1st, 4th and 5th degrees of a tonal scale, respectively. Their placement and function within a verse or phrase fit the natural proclivities of those degrees as the human ear perceives them. We already know that the 1st or tonic is where the verse ends (and often begins); this is only natural. Yet it is equally natural for the melody to return to the tonic again and again in order to "bridle" its flow on a word or syllable, or to repeat the tonic note two or three times on a word for emphasis. Likewise the 4th degree is naturally suited to divide a verse, or to define the antecedent of what follows in a verse. Whereas the 5th degree indicates either a suspension (at the cadence) or a continuation (within a phrase), acting musically as a "dominant" in either case.

Thanks to the use of interminable statistical tables and to rigorous comparison of hypotheses with the Hebrew verbal syntax, Haïk-Vantoura was able to eliminate one possible meaning after another for each sublinear grapheme in prosody and to put them in proper order within the scale. With that additional framework in mind, she was able to decipher the superlinear graphemes one by one, still against the Hebrew verbal syntax. The psalmodic system (which shares many graphemes with the prosodic system) was deciphered in like manner. The resulting deciphering key (first published in 1976 in book and LP form) correlates the written form, the ancestral name and the musical meaning of each ta`am as defined by the melodic paradigm. Upon examination, I discovered that the existing descriptions of the hand-gestures behind the graphemes also correlated with the graphemes' names, forms and musical meanings, giving me enough information to reconstruct the entire original chironomy. (This gestural system is detailed elsewhere on this site.)

SUMMARY OF THE MECHANICS OF THE MUSICAL SYSTEM

1) The sublinear graphemes represent degrees of the scale. When one is written, its value is sustained on that syllable and all the following syllables until another sublinear sign appears.
2) The superlinear graphemes represent melodic ornaments of one to three notes on the syllables they mark. Their pitch is always relative to that of the preceding sublinear sign. For example, zaqef qaton always means "go down one note from that indicated by the preceding sublinear grapheme". If it follows munah (5th degree), it means "go down to the 4th degree". If it follows silluq , it means "go down to the 7th degree below the 1st degree."
3) In prosody, the tonic note is on the 3rd degree of the octave (not on the 1st and 8th as in modern Western music). In psalmody, the tonic note is on the 2nd degree (the bottom two graphemes of the prosodic scale having been removed and replaced by another grapheme).
4) In prosody, the rhythm is that of normal speech somewhat magnified. In psalmody, the rhythm is one beat per syllable, rather like Gregorian chant. This is inferred by the relationship of the verbal rhythm to the melodic syncopation, as there are no special rhythmic graphemes in the te`amim.
5) Like many ancient notations (especially those transcribing chironomy), the te`amim only define the genre of the scale, not the mode or scale type used in any one text. Fortunately, the system was evidently designed so that the experienced reader may infer the modality by how the melody relates to the verbal grammar. The wrong mode (and there are very few possible choices in any given text) will give too much emphasis to unimportant words and not enough to important ones. The right mode will not only give the proper grammatical emphasis, but it will also make the verbal meaning of the words "come alive".
6) The "resolution" of the ornaments must sometimes be inferred as well. Here again, the system was evidently designed so that the experienced reader will quickly reconstruct the right rendition; the ornamentation (as part of the overall rhythmic syncopation of the melody) is related to the verbal accentuation and also to the punctuation.

SUMMARY OF THE DECIPHERING KEY IN PROSODIA

Greek prosodia normally was accompanied by an instrument, typically a lyre. This seems to have been the case for its Hebrew counterpart. "Your statutes have been my songs [zemirot, songs accompanied by plucked string instruments] in the house of my pilgrimage" (Psalms 119:54). If specific statutes of the Torah could be so recited (as, again, was the case with law codes in ancient Greece), then surely the Prophets and the Writings were all accompanied (or could be) in principle. In practice some texts probably were performed a capella due to their melopoetic (melodic-verbal) structure and content, but most texts only benefit from the addition of a light, precise accompaniment.

The names given above are those given in Israel Yeivin, Introduction to the Tiberian Masorah (Scholars Press). In some few cases their spellings differ from those used by Haïk-Vantoura in her book and scores. (Those spellings come from the Hebrew grammar authored by the francophone Hebraist Meyer Lambert.) As noted, some graphemes received multiple names in the Masoretic paradigm (of which only some have been retained in modern "tables of accents" based on that paradigm).

In these two charts, the fundamental mode of prosodia -- the "mode of E" -- is assumed. Again as with most of the early Christian neumes, the biblical accents do not indicate the mode directly. This may be inferred from the relationship of the melodic line to the verbal grammar. An incorrect mode overemphasizes grammatically unimportant words and underemphasizes grammatically important ones. The correct mode not only emphasizes the verbal grammar in a balanced way, but it simultaneously brings out the verbal meaning in a precise and often dramatic way.

SUMMARY OF THE DECIPHERING KEY IN PSALMODIA

Greek psalmodia by definition was accompanied by a plucked-string instrument (again, typically a lyre). This is evident from the etymology of the word itself (which refers specifically to an ode so accompanied). The Hebrew mizmor (translated "psalm") likewise by definition is a text sung to plucked-string accompaniment, as is evident from the etymology of the word itself. Moreover the "tonal hierarchy" of the Hebrew psalmodia is more "harmonic", and demands adequate accompaniment ("Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts" -- Psalms 33:3, Revised Standard Version).

The names given above are those given in Israel Yeivin, Introduction to the Tiberian Masorah (Scholars Press). In some few cases their spellings differ from those used by Haïk-Vantoura in her book and scores. (Those spellings come from the Hebrew grammar authored by the francophone Hebraist Meyer Lambert.) As noted, some graphemes received multiple names in the Masoretic paradigm (of which only some have been retained in modern "tables of accents" based on that paradigm). In particular, Haïk-Vantoura simply used the Hebrew form tifha instead of the Aramaic form tarha (which is also used in the Masoretic notes from time to time to describe tifha as used in prosodia).

In these two charts, the fundamental mode of psalmodia -- the "harmonic minor" -- is assumed. Again as with most of the early Christian neumes, the biblical accents do not indicate the mode directly (even the use of D# and F# when the tonic is E is merely implied, not stated). This may be inferred from the relationship of the melodic line to the verbal grammar. An incorrect mode overemphasizes grammatically unimportant words and underemphasizes grammatically important ones. The correct mode not only emphasizes the verbal grammar in a balanced way, but it simultaneously brings out the verbal meaning in a precise and often dramatic way.

SUMMARY OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE PARADIGM

1) The melodies preserved by the te`amim (in the Letteris Edition, Haïk-Vantoura's base text) are structurally interwoven with the words they support in such a way that they form a syntactical whole: what the ancient Greeks called a melos (a "gestalt" of music and words).
2) The existence of such a melos indicates that the melodies and words were written by the same authors at the same time and transmitted together accurately. In addition, the accentual system itself formed part of the "fence around the Torah" that kept it from becoming seriously corrupted by scribal errors.
3) The melos found in various books reflects not only the personalities of their various authors, but the historical circumstances in which they live, as their own works and those of others describe them. As with any poet-composer at any time, the various biblical authors (especially Moses and David) had certain idiosyncratic preferences in their musical and lyrical styles.
4) The melos of the Hebrew Bible confirms the essential unity of each of the biblical books, sections or chapters that are ascribed to one author (e.g., the Pentateuch, the Psalms of David and of other Psalmists, Isaiah, the Song of Songs, etc., etc.). It also shows links between different books or chapters ascribed to the same author, even across the lines dividing prosody and psalmody (e.g., the Song of Songs, Proverbs, Psalm 127 and Ecclesiastes by Solomon, or the Song of the Ark, The Bow and many Psalms by David).
5) The rediscovered melodies enable us to address exegetical questions that have hitherto remained debatable, even insoluble (some simple examples being the technical musical terms of the Psalms, the validity of their titles, and selah, a sung exclamation which is now definable as "Weigh this!").
6) The rediscovered melodic system fits not only what we know of the conducting systems of antiquity, but the harp and lyre tuning and playing techniques of antiquity.
7) The rediscovered melodic system confirms that there were two cultural levels (not one) of sacred music in ancient Israel, particularly in the Second Temple period: that of the Temple (professional music, and therefore melogenic), and that of the synagogue (primitive or folk music, and therefore either logogenic, pathogenic or a mixture of the two).
8) The rediscovered melodic system shows that there was indeed an indirect link between Temple music, certain examples of the most ancient forms of synagogue music and certain early Christian music. Pilgrims to the Temple heard, remembered, and took with them fragments of the Temple music to their local synagogues, and the early Christians picked up those fragments either there or on their own visits to the Temple. However, most early synagogue and Christian chants appear to be unrelated to the rediscovered Temple music, at least in the direct sense.
9) The rediscovered melodic system allows us to discuss common threads between the various forms of art music of antiquity and later periods leading to the present. (In particular, the rediscovered music contains compositional techniques apparently lost at the end of classical antiquity and not rediscovered in the West until the Renaissance and Baroque periods.) It also allows us to address afresh the question of ethos or "moral force" in music, as important for the practicing sacred or secular musician as it is for the philosopher or historian.

For those trained in the Masoretic paradigm, is especially important to note this: in Haïk-Vantoura's melodic paradigm, no ta`am is strictly "disjunctive" or "conjunctive". This definition is actually far too simplistic, for one may indeed find the same ta`am used in different places with different functions without losing its particular identity. For example, there are fairly frequent cases where the sequence of te`amim leading up to a particular ta`am would lead you to expect (from examples elsewhere) that the last ta`am would be "conjunctive", yet the ta`am actually acts as a "disjunctive". Reverse cases are also known to exist.

Rather than being a hierarchy of "disjunctives" and "conjunctives" as such, the musical system preserved by the te`amim is a complex of four (defined another way, five) interacting tonal factors which are parallel to and interwoven with four (or five) interacting factors in the verbal syntax. For example, the degree of the scale that marks the cadence of a verse, half-verse or phrase marks the punctuation point of that cadence. Yet the sequence of degrees leading up to that cadence (the melodic texture, parallel to the verbal state of action) influences how one is to understand that punctuation point (as a comma, period, semicolon, question mark, exclamation point, etc.).

RECEPTION OF HAÏK-VANTOURA'S THESIS

FUTURE RESEARCH

FOOTNOTES

Introduction

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Updated November 05, 2008