Music and Friends: Or, Pleasant Recollections of a Dilettante

urn:iso:std:iso:639:ed-3:eng

555-561

text excerpt

In rambling through the eastern part of London, on a Saturday, I was attracted by some curious sounds in the Jews' Synagogue. I ventured in, and found it a spacious place, the lower part occupied by men ; the women appearing behind a lattice work in the galleries. Having taken off my hat I was desired to put it on again. Each Jew has a little chest, from which he takes out his psalter, and a shawl to throw over his shoulders ; then puts down the lid, sits upon it, and joins the service. In a raised pew, in the centre, is placed a choir of five voices, who chant the psalms of David to Hebrew melodies. A youth of the name of Meets conducted the music, and sang with great taste ; but what attracted my attention most was a curious noise made by a young man who curtled, or grunted, an instrumental bass to the whole of the singing ; an attempt, no doubt, to imitate on the voice some of the ancient Jewish instruments. It was done with considerable skill, but had a most ridiculous effect. In a part of the service the congregation responded to the choir, in ejaculating notes, at regular intervals, which were dramatic and imposing. The priest retiring into the holy of holies, the principal singer introduced an air from the Zauberflote, by way of voluntary, or vocal display without any words. The priest then took from the ark the Levitical law, a roll of parchment highly decorated, which he unfurled with appropriate ceremonies. If the ancient Jewish melodies were as beautiful as those Marcello has handed down to us in his grand work of David's Psalms, the human voice must have been in a high state of cultivation in that early period.

excerpt from 'Music and Friends: Or, Pleasant Recollections of a Dilettante' pp. 555-561 (297 words)

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1433968055401