Description
Book SynopsisTrade Review"The improvements and additions to the text, the new Index and enlarged Bibliography, the clear fonts and visual presentation, and the added charts make this book a 'must-have' for the regular use of everyone who chants and teaches
trop."—Neil Schwartz,
Journal of Synagogue Music“Jacobson has delivered an indispensable teaching tool that, quite unusually, is a genuinely fascinating read. . . . Even those who consider themselves experts will learn a lot from this book. . . . Jacobson consistently provides a wealth of interesting historical material to make this a great reference book.”—Susan Miron,
The Forward “An authoritative, exhaustively detailed survey of the history, structure, performance, and inculcation of the trope.”—Stuart Schoffman,
Jerusalem Report “Monumental in scope and richly detailed, this revised edition of
Chanting the Hebrew Bible—enriched by a week-by-week guide to the Torah,
haftarah, and
megillot readings, and a comprehensive index—is an invaluable contribution to the study and practice of biblical cantillation. Jacobson’s work of impressive scholarship is simultaneously an accessible and engaging practical resource.”—Rabbi Jeffrey A. Summit, author of
Singing God’s Words: The Performance of Biblical Chant in Contemporary Judaism“This encyclopedic volume is a ‘must-have’ for all serious students of cantillation—and for anyone who wants to learn how to chant Hebrew texts and understand the whys of the cantillation systems.”—Nancy Abramson, cantor and director of the H. L. Miller Cantorial School at Jewish Theological Seminary
“The cantillation of Hebrew scripture is an indispensable portal to its authentic interpretation, and Jacobson has extraordinary command of this material. Students and scholars, beginners and experts—everyone who treasures this foundational form of biblical learning has much cause for celebration.”—Richard Cohn, cantor and director of the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music, Hebrew Union College–Jewish Institute of Religion
Table of ContentsHow to Use this Book
Transliterations, Translations and Text Sources
Chapter 1 Cantillation
The Ritual Art of Chanting the Hebrew Scriptures
The Terminology of Cantillation
Chironomy
Why Chant?
The Scroll
Ambiguity in the Consonantal Text
The Masoretic Text
The Rhythm of Cantillation
The Pitches of Cantillation
Ekphonetic Notation
Transcriptions of the
te‘amim Inflection
Resolving Ambiguity
Chapter 2.1 Parallelism
Corresponding Parallelism
Parallel Actions
Analogous Parallelism
Elliptical Parallelism
Chapter 2.2 The Primary Dichotomy:
Siluk and
Etnaḥta The Disjunctive
Siluk Meteg The Disjunctive
Etnaḥta Chanting
Diagramming Phrases
Parsing
Level One: Contiguous Segments
Exception: Verses without
Etnaḥta The Pausal Form
Word Order
Chapter 2.3 Level Two:
Tippeḥa The Secondary Dichotomy:
Tippeḥa Three Independent Clauses
The Simple Sentence
The Nominal Clause
Chapter 2.4 Conjunctives
Recursive Dichotomy
Disjunctives and Conjunctives within a Segment
Merekha – The “Servant” of
Siluk Merekha – The “Servant” of
Tippeḥa Merekha Khefulah Munaḥ Conjunctives and
Dagesh Kal The “Conjunctive Soft” Form
Chapter 2.5 Substitutions
Tippeḥa Substituting for a Conjunctive
One-Word Clauses in Level One
Two
Te‘amim on a Long Word
Mayela and
Siluk on a Single Word
Mayela and
Etnaḥta on a Single Word
Munaḥ and
Etnaḥta on a Single Word
Merekha and
Tippeḥa on a Single Word
Two
Munaḥs: A Double Conjunctive
Chapter 2.6 Level Two:
Zakef Stepping Segments
Stepping Segments and Nesting Segments
The Four Forms of
Zakef Munaḥ—The Conjunctive Serving
Zakef Katon A New Model
Another Upgrade
Review: Three Models of Dichotomy
Review
Verb in Second Position
The Word לֵאמרֹ
The Vocative Case
Chapter 2.7 Level Two:
Segol When Does
Segol Appear?
Munaḥ—The Conjunctive Serving
Segol.
Shalshelet as a Substitute for
Segol Pasek The Seven Occurences of
Shalshelet Rabbinic Exegesis of
Shalshelet Chapter 2.8 Tevir
The Disjunctive
Tevir Examples of
Tevir Relative Cadences:
Tippeḥa and
Tevir Upgrading:
Tevir Substituting for
Merekha The Conjunctives of
Tevir:
Darga and
Merekha A New Model
Verb In Terminal Position
Chapter 2.9 The Remote Conjunctives of
Tevir Kadma And Munaḥ: The Secondary Conjunctives of
Tevir Verb in the Middle — Part Two
Secondary Accents
Merekha Khefulah and
Darga: Two Conjunctives before
Tippeḥa More than One Remote Conjunctive
Three or More Conjunctives
Chapter 2.10
Revia‘
Upgrade:
Tevir to
Revia‘
The Dichotomy of Lists
Revia‘ Analysis
Three Level-Three “Stepping” Segments
Darga—The Remote Conjunctive Of
Revia‘
Three Conjunctives before
Revia‘
Chapter 2.11
Pashta The Disjunctive
Pashta Pashta and
Kadma Yetiv—A Substitute for
Pashta Munaḥ Upgraded to
Pashta or
Yetiv The
Meteg as Lengthener
Substitutions and the Conjunctive-
Rafeh Rule
Verses with No Conjunctives
The Conjunctives of
Pashta—
Mahpakh and
Merekha Derivation of the Name “Mahpakh”
Mahpakh and Pashta on The Same Word
Mahpakh and
Yetiv The Retracted Accent—
Nasog Aḥor The Remote Conjunctives of
Pashta—
Kadma or
Munaḥ The Third and Fourth Remote Conjunctives of Pashta
Revia‘—The Initial Level-Three Disjunctive before
Pashta Upgrading
Pashta to
Revia‘
Chapter 2.12
Zarka Zarka The Conjunctives of
Zarka Upgrading
Munaḥ-Segol to
Zarka-Segol Upgrading for Long Words
The Remote Conjunctives of
Zarka—Kadma or
Munaḥ Munaḥ Instead of
Kadma Three Conjunctives before
Zarka Four Conjunctives before
Zarka Two Subdivisions under
Segol Three Subdivisions under
Segol Chapter 2.13 Level Four:
Geresh Simple Verses and Complex Verses
Subdividing a Level-Three Segment
Geresh and Double
Geresh The Forms of
Geresh Geresh without a Conjunctive
Upgrading for Long Words
The Conjunctives of
Geresh—Kadma and
Munaḥ The Remote Conjunctive of
Geresh—
Telishah Ketanah Munaḥ—The Conjunctive before
Telishah Ketanah To
Geresh or Not to
Geresh?
The
Geresh Segment In Context
Chapter 2.14 Level Four:
Legarmeh The Disjunctive
Legarmeh Legarmeh or
Geresh?
The 2+1 Division and Exceptions to the Rule
Stepping Level-Four Segments
The Conjunctive of
Legarmeh—Merekha Three or More Stepping Segments
Analysis of Complete Verses
Chapter 2.15 Level Four:
Pazer The Distribution of Level-Four Terminators
The Disjunctive
Pazer (
Katan)
The Conjunctive of
Pazer—Munaḥ Level-Four Segments
Three Stepping Segments
The
Pazer Segment in Context
Lists
Level Five
Chapter 2.16 Level Four:
Pazer Gadol The Disjunctive
Pazer Gadol (
Karney-Farah)
The Conjunctive of
Pazer Gadol—Galgal (
Yeraḥ-Ben-Yomo)
The
Pazer Gadol Clause in Context
Chapter 2.17
Telishah Gedolah The Disjunctive
Telishah Gedolah Telishah Gedolah as a Substitute for
Geresh Telishah Gedolah and Geresh on the Same Word
Telishah Gedolah as a Substitute for
Pazer Telishah Gedolah as a Level-Five Terminator
Telishah Gedolah as a Substitute for
Telishah Ketanah The
Telishah Gedolah Clause in Context
Chapter 3 Pronunciation
The Importance of Correct Pronunciation
Halakhic Evidence
The Evolution of the Hebrew Language
An Official Hebrew Diction
The “Elevated” Style
About this Guide
Consonant “Voicing”
The Pronunciation of א
The Pronunciation of כ and ח
The Pronunciation of ר
Other Differences
Run-on Words
Vowel Length
Pure Vowels
Consistent Pronunciation
Doubled Consonants
Becoming Familiar with
Dagesh Ḥazak Mappik The Function of
Mappik The Sound of
Mappik Shin and
Sin Matres Lectionis— אִמּוֺת הַקְּרִיאָה
Syllables
Open Syllables
Closed Syllables
Dagesh Kal The Conjunctive Soft Form
Consonant Endings
כ
Dagesh Ḥazak in בּ גּ דּ פּ תּ
Vocal
Sheva (
Sheva Na‘)
Intermediate
Sheva (
Sheva Meraḥef)
Summary: Prefix Chart
Kamats Forms
Kamats before
Deḥik Two Approaches to the Rules of Pronunciation
Furtive
Pataḥ (
Pataḥ Genuvah)
וּ וֹ And as Consonants
Some Words Are Not Pronounced as They Are Written
Syllabic Stress:
Millera‘ and
Mille‘el Marking the Accent
The Secondary Accent
Syllabic Rhythm
Makkef Vowel Length Reduction in Connected Words
Special
Te‘amim for Contiguous Accents
Retraction נָסוֹג אֲחוֹר
Secondary Stress
Observations on Secondary Stress
The Euphonic
Meteg מֶֽתֶג לְתִיקוּן הַקְּרִיאָה
Meteg Summary
The Pausal Form צוּרַת הַהֶפְסֵק
Vowel Changes in Pausal Form
Change Of Stress in the Hiatus Form
Change Of Stress in
Vav Conversive
The Directional (or “Locative”) Suffix ה׳ הַמְּגַמָּה
Suffixes and Syllabic Stress
Rare Words that Begin with
Dagesh Ḥazak ( דְּחיִק )
Pronunciation of the Conjunctive
Dagesh The Vocalization of Prefixes
The Definite Article ה׳ הַיְדִיעָה
כ Prepositional Prefixes בַּ לַ
The Word מה
The Interrogative Prefix ה׳ הַשְּׁאֵלָה
Vav Conjunctive ו׳ הַחִבּוּר
Vav Conversive ו׳ הַהִפּוּךְ
The Prepositional Prefixes ב כ ל
The Prepositional Prefix מ
Formal Classical Pronunciation
versus Colloquial Modern Pronunciation
General Pronunciation Exercises
Chapter 4 Canon And Masorah
A History of the Scrolls
The Aniquity of Cantillation
Where Do the Melodies Come From?
The Chanting of Scripture
Did Tiberian Notation Represent an Ancient Tradition?
The Septuagint
Other Ancient Greek Manuscripts
Evidence in the Talmud
Other Systems of Punctuation
The Musical Realization of the Tiberian System
The Notation Systems
The Tiberian Codices
The Aleppo Codex
Other Ancient Codices
Chapter and Verse
Printed Bibles
The
Soferim and the Consonantal Text
Masoretic Annotations and Lists
Chapter 5.1 The
Te‘amim Disjunctives
Conjunctives
Other Signs
Remote Conjunctives
Invariables
Upgrading in a Two-Word Domain
Upgrading in the Presence of Long Words
Substitutions for Musical Considerations
Frequency Chart
Repeating
Te‘amim The Hierarchy of the
Te‛amim The Twenty-One Books and the Three Books
The Poetic Books: Psalms, Proverbs and Job
Chapter 5.2 Two
Te‘amim on a Single Word
Primary and Secondary Accents
Meteg The Euphonic
Meteg Double Conjunctives
Double Disjunctives
Doubled Invariables
Postpositives
Prepositives
High and Low Accents: Two Traditions
The Decalogue
The Saga Of Reuben
Chapter 5.3 Troubleshooting
Commonly Confused
Te‘amim Errors in Rhythm
Commonly Mispronounced Consonants
Commonly Mispronounced Vowels
Incorrect Syllabic Stress
Biblical Hebrew and Contemporary Hebrew
The Last Word
Chapter 5.4 Parsing The Hebrew Bible
Some Definitions
Overview—The Steps Involved in Parsing
Identify the Verbs
Parallelism—Pairs of Clauses
The Verbless (Nominal) Clause
Coordinated Verbs
More than Two Independent Clauses
The Subordinate Clause
Downgrading the Time Stamp
Inverted Downgrade
Quotations
Linked Word Pairs
Inconsistency of Style
Construct ( סְמִיכוּת ) Followed by a Linked Pair
Particles
Other Words
The Word לֵאמרֹ
Lists
Emphatic Words
The Verb and its Complements
Puzzling Punctuation
The Limits of Predictability
Chapter 5.5 The Pedagogy of Cantillation
The Cantillation Class
Applying the Paradigm to the Student’s Portion
Flash Cards
Dictation
Listening Activities
Teaching Inflection
Applying the Melodies to Familiar Words
Reinforcing the Patterns
Suggestions for Self-Study
Preparing to Read from a Scroll
Chapter 6.1 Interpreting the
Te‘amim Music of the People
The Liquid Tradition Becomes Frozen
One Tradition among Many
Music Serves the Text
Transcription of the
Te‘amim Rhythmic Notation
Pitch Notation
The Names of the
Te‘amim Syllabic Stress
Improvisation
Smoothing
Redistribution
Compensation
Pick-Up Pitch Adjustment
The Rhythm of Cantillation
Reading Complete Phrases
High and Low
Te‘amim Chapter 6.2 Torah
Historical Development of the Public Reading
Contemporary Practices in Traditional Synagogues
The Cycle of Readings
The Combined Pericope פרשה מחוברת
The Division of the Pericope
Extra Aliyot
The Number of Olim
The Number of Verses
The
Maftir Simḥat Torah Customs
Procedures Related to the Torah Reading
The Correct Reading of the Torah
Qualifications for the
Ba‘al Keri’ah Correcting An Error In The Reading
A Defect in the Scroll
Tokheḥot Remembering Amalek
Ta‘amey Ha-‘Elyon Other Special Customs
The Melodies of the Cantillation Motifs
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
The
Zakef Segment
The
Tevir Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol/Shalshelet Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Telishah Gedolah Pazer Munaḥ Galgal Pazer-Gadol The Final Cadence
Special Melodies
Akdamut Millin Chanting the Torah Blessings
The
Kaddish Summary of the
Te‘amim The Scale of the Torah Cantillation
The
Te‘amim according to Abraham Binder
Chapter 6.3
Haftarah Contemporary Traditional Practice
Historical Development of the
Haftarah Customs
Etymology
Haftarah Chart
The Melodies of the Cantillation Motifs
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
The
Zakef Segment
The
Tevir Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Other Segments
The Final Cadence
Modulations to the Lamentation Mode
Blessings
Yatsiv Pitgam Summary of the
Te‘amim Chapter 6.4 The Festival
Megillot: Song Of Songs, Ruth, and Ecclesiastes
The Contemporary Practicea nd its Roots
The Song of Songs
Ruth
Ecclesiastes
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
Merekha Siluk Etnaḥta Tippeḥa The
Tevir Segment
The
Zakef Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Gereshayim Telishah Gedolah Pazer The Final Cadence
Blessings
Summary of the
Te‘amim Chapter 6.5 Esther
The Contemporary Practice and its Roots
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
Tippeḥa The
Tevir Segment
The
Zakef Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Telishah Gedolah Pazer Munaḥ Galgal Pazer-Gadol The Final Cadence
The Invitational Cadence
Lamentation Verses
Exceptional Verses
Blessings
Shoshannat Ya‘akov Summary of the
Te’amim The Scale of the
Te‘amim The Axes of the
Te‘amim Chapter 6.6 Lamentations (
Ekhah)
Structure
Liturgical Use
Lamentations Motifs in other Readings
Chanting Chapter Three
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
Tippeḥa The
Tevir Segment
The
Zakef Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Other
Final Cadences
Summary of the
Te‘amim The Scale of the Cantillation
Chapter 6.7 Torah for the High Holiday Morning Service
The
Siluk and
Etnaḥta Segments
Tippeḥa The
Tevir Segment
The
Zakef Segment
The
Pashta/Yetiv Segment
The
Segol Segment
The
Revia‘ Segment
The
Legarmeh Segment
The
Geresh Segment
Telishah Gedolah Pazer The Final Cadence
Chanting the Blessings
Kaddish Summary of the
Te‘amim The Scale of the
Te‘amim Chapter 7.1 Comparison Chart
Chapter 7.2 The Ideal Reader
Chapter 7.3 Guide to the Readings
Genesis
Exodus
Leviticus
Numbers
Deuteronomy
Special Torah Readings
Simḥat Torah
Public Fast Days
Rosh Ḥodesh Shavuot
High Holidays
Haftarot Genesis —
Haftarot Exodus —
Haftarot Leviticus —
Haftarot Numbers —
Haftarot Deuteronomy —
Haftarot Special
Haftarot Ruth
Song of Songs
Ecclesiastes (
Kohelet)
Lamentations
Esther
Chapter 7.4 Glossary
Bibliography
Index
