+ Review Music in Ancient Israel/Palestine: Archaeological, Written, and Comparative Sources, by Joachim Braun.

Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 2 2.

!" musicology is a rela#ively young discipline, having origina#ed in #he nine#een#h cen#ury, #he archaeology o" music could be considered one o" i#s younger o""spring. $or !sraelis, archaeology is a na#ional pas#ime. %he la#e &ro"essor 'igael 'adin even saw i# as a subs#i#u#e "or religious belie", as (mos Eilon claimed in his boo) on #he !sraelis *+,-+.. /owever, #he )nowledge o" ancien# music was #radi#ionally based solely on #he biblical #e0#, wrapped in a ne#wor) o" my#hs, unscien#i"ic e#ymologies, and anachronis#ic in#erpre#a#ions. Bible #ransla#ions #hroughou# #he genera#ions on #he one hand and #he modern revival o" /ebrew as a spo)en language on #he o#her have only rein"orced #he #erminological con"usion. %he "irs# biblical men#ion o" music *Gen. 1:2+. presen#s 'uval as 2#he "a#her o" all such as handle #he harp 3/ebrew: kinnr4 and organ 3/ebrew:uga 5 6ep#uagin#a #ransla#ion: organon4.7 Bu# wha# ins#rumen#s do #hese names ac#ually re"er #o8 /ebrew spea)ers would have no doub# #ha# kinnr is #he modern violin and !uga #he presen#9day organ, bu# cer#ainly #he biblical au#hor was no# alluding #o #hose ins#rumen#s. %oday, archaeologis#s agree #ha# #he kinnr belongs #o #he lyre "amily5 as "or #he biblical !uga , opinions are s#ill divided. Was #his a 2long, wide, ver#ical "lu#e,7 as :ur# 6achs surmised, mainly on #he basis o" 2#he dar) color o" #he word7 *6achs +,1 , + ;.5 or migh# i# have been a s#ringed ins#rumen#, as sugges#ed in #he apocryphal &salm +<+ in one o" #he =umran scrolls, as claimed by Ba#h>a Bayer *+,;?, --+.8 !n +,;@ Bayer published her pioneering archaeological s#udy o" music in ancien# !srael *Bayer +,;@., documen#ing abou# 2< archaeological "inds and

iconographic i#ems "rom 2grea#er :anaan,7 da#ed be#ween 1<

B.:.E. and << :.E.

Joachim BraunAs Music in Ancient Israel/Palestine is more ambi#ious in i#s goals and more comprehensive in i#s scope. $irs# published in German in +,,,, i# has recen#ly appeared in a revised, upda#ed, and enlarged English edi#ion, #ransla#ed by Bouglas W. 6#o##. !# documen#s, describes, and in#erpre#s appro0ima#ely ;< archaeological and iconographical "inds, da#ing "rom #he #en#h cen#ury B.:.E. #o #he early ByCan#ine period *ca. "our#h D "i"#h cen#uries :.E.., and "ound in #he modern9day 6#a#e o" !srael, wi#h a 2spill over7 #o #he eas#ern side o" #he Jordan River. %hey encompass local musical cul#ures, such as #hose o" :anaan, Judah, !srael, 6amaria, Edom, (mmon, &hilis#ia, and &hoenicia. %he "inds #hemselvesEmos#ly pho#ographed and some schema#ically drawnEare described in de#ail, including #heir his#ory, shape, #ypology, and "unc#ion. %he au#hor se#s #hem in #he color"ul musical mosaic o" ancien# !srael #ha# his s#udy a##emp#s #o cons#ruc#. %he earlies# musical archaeological "inds discussed in BraunAs boo) are a "emale pelvic bone adorned wi#h a chain bel# made ou# o" "o0 #ee#h, discovered in #he "onim :ave a# Mugare# el9/amam on Moun# :armel *++, D, B.:.E.., which

served apparen#ly bo#h as a decora#ion and as a ra##le, and a group o" pairs o" per"ora#ed dentalium mussels in cas#ane# "orm. Braun himsel" e0perimen#ed wi#h #he la##er "ind a# #he (rchaeology !ns#i#u#e o" #he /ebrew Fniversi#y o" Jerusalem, )noc)ing #he mussels one agains# #he o#her, and wri#es: 2! #ried ou# #hese 6#one (ge cas#ane#s "or mysel" and "ound #hey were capable o" producing a pure, #ransparen#, bu# pi#chless sound7 *p. <@.. %he la#es# "inds are iconographical e0amples o" #he sho#ar, or, according #o #he boo)As sys#em o" #ransli#era#ion, #he GHpIr. !# is a well )nown "ac# #ha# #his very

ins#rumen#, #he sho#ar, which is #he paradigma#ic 2Jewish7 ins#rumen#, has no# been "ound in archaeological e0cava#ions, and was recorded mainly on mosaic "loors and pillar capi#als, s#one carvings and oil lamps. Even #hese depic#ions da#e no earlier #han #he #hird cen#ury :.E., i.e. #he Ja#e Roman and Early ByCan#ine periods. (s o"#en happens wi#h symbols, i#s ar#is#ic design Kuic)ly se##led in#o a schema#ic and s#yliCed, less realis#ic "orm. Braun does no# s#op wi#h #he mere documen#a#ion o" "inds. /e wan#s #o recons#ruc# a comprehensive pic#ure o" music in #he Jand o" !srael: Wha# did i# sound li)e8 Was i# uniKue8 Wha# place did i# hold in daily li"e and ri#ual prac#ice8 Wha# were i#s sociological con#e0#s and i#s symbolic "unc#ion8 Migh# one es#ablish an ou#line o" i#s his#ory8 %he #as) is by no means a simple one5 in spi#e o" #he weal#h o" "inds presen#ed and discussed in #he boo), #he au#hor is aware o" #he limi#a#ions o" a musical recons#ruc#ion based on ma#erial relics alone. (s he himsel" s#a#es, #he archaeological9iconographic evidence may 2clari"y our unders#anding o" #he #echnical, socio9an#hropological, and symbolic aspec#s o" #his los# musical cul#ure. !ndeed, #han)s #o archaeology, occasionally even #he #imbre o" cer#ain ins#rumen#s has been preserved al#hough #he ac#ual "orm o" #he music i#sel" has disappeared "orever7 *pp. <9;.. By concen#ra#ing all #he "inds and #heir chronological and organological classi"ica#ion in a synchronic #able *pp. 00viii9000i., #he au#hor demons#ra#es bo#h #he advan#ages and #he limi#a#ions o" #o#al dependence on #he archaeological and iconographic "inds. %he #able presen#s an in#eres#ing pic#ure o" #he 2rise and "all7 o" par#icular groups o" ins#rumen#s: "or ins#ance, #he idiophones, mainly bells and clay ra##les, are numerically #he mos# widely dis#ribu#ed group and, despi#e al#era#ions in #heir shape, seem #o be #he hardies# in all #he periods discussed, while #he aerophones

are represen#ed mainly in #he /ellenis#ic9Roman period, in #he "orm o" double pipes and sho#ars. !# should be borne in mind, however, #ha# #he preserva#ion o" ins#rumen#s is direc#ly dependen# on #he survival o" #he ma#erial "rom which #hey are made5 #here"ore #he archaeologis# o" music mus# "all bac) on o#her research me#hods in order #o recons#ruc# #heir possible sound. !n #he BronCe (ge *"our#h millennium #o +2 B.:.E.5 #he au#hor does no#

subdivide #he periods., "or e0ample, we "ind evidence o" a "lourishing :anaani#e musical cul#ure #ha#, al#hough in"luenced by #he Egyp#ian and Babylonian9(ssyrian cul#ures, never#heless had uniKue Kuali#ies. !n one case, based on #he care"ul analysis o" one "indEa player o" an asymme#rical nine9s#ringed lyre on an ivory engraving "ound a# MegiddoEand comparison wi#h similar "inds "rom o#her si#es, #he au#hor concludes #ha# in :anaan #his ins#rumen# was held in a special way and had a uniKue "unc#ion. Lnly in :anaan was #his ei#her a solo or an accompanying ins#rumen#5 in Egyp# and (ssyria i# was par# o" #he orches#ra. Moreover, #he sophis#ica#ion o" #he ivory engraving re"lec#s #he Egyp#ian in"luence on #he upper echelon o" :anaani#e socie#y. BraunAs conclusion is #ha# here #he "unc#ion o" music has shi"#ed 2"rom 3an earlier4 con#e0# bound #o na#ure and #he cul# #o one associa#ed wi#h ins#i#u#ionaliCed ceremonies involving #he ruler7 *p. ,?.. %he !ron (ge *+2 D <?; B.:.E.., which wi#nessed #he crea#ion o" #he !sraeli#e

)ingdom and i#s separa#ion in#o #he #wo )ingdoms o" !srael and Judea, is rich in wri##en re"erences #o music. %he archaeological evidence *no# necessarily paralleling #he ins#rumen#s men#ioned in #he biblical #e0#. indica#es #ha# cer#ain ins#rumen#s, among #hem #he lu#e and #he harp, disappeared in #his period, while o#hers, "or ins#ance clay ra##les, drums, and double pipes, and especially #he lyre, 2#he dominan# chordophone in ancien# !srael7 *p. +;@. survived, #he la##er, #hough, wi#h changes in i#s

shape and sound "unc#ion *p. ++-.. $rom #he archaeological "inds, #he au#hor concludes #ha# musical s#yles di""ered according #o geographical and e#hnic regions. $or ins#ance, #he music o" #he coas#al regions o" &hilis#ia and &hoenicia was orgias#ic in na#ureEas can be deduced, among o#her #hings, "rom #he large Kuan#i#y o" 2noise7 ins#rumen#s *i.e. idiophones and membranophones., while in Edom, Moab and (mmon, #he #endency was #o a more balanced s#yle, based on a combina#ion o" chordophones and aerophones. (nd wha# abou# in !srael8 /ere #he au#hor, usually very care"ul in his conclusions, allows his imagina#ion "ree rein and spea)s no# only o" #he 2widespread use o" lyre and reed ins#rumen#s7 and a syncre#is#ic musical s#yle issuing "rom #he 2he#erogenei#y wi#hin homogenei#y,7 bu# also o" a 2widespread diapason o" #he overall musical e#hos, and #he principle o" varied modula#ion be#ween mo#i"s and mo#i" series.7 /e does, however, admi# #ha# his generaliCa#ions are based only par#ly on his#orically suppor#ed source ma#erial *p. +?1.. !" #he period o" #he !sraeli#e )ingdom is rich in #e0#ual, archaeological, and iconographic musical documen#a#ion, #he period #ha# "ollowsE#he Babylonian9&ersian period *<?- D @@@ B.:.E..Eis charac#eriCed by a serious discrepancy be#ween #he vas# amoun# o" wri##en evidence and #he small number o" archaeological "inds. %he boo)s o" ECra, Mehemiah, and :hronicles abound wi#h de#ailed lis#s o" #he Jevi#e "amilies and #heir musical "unc#ions, and even presen# a pic#ure o" proli"ic musical9religious prac#ice in !srael a# #he beginning o" #he 6econd %emple period. (nd ye#, surprisingly, #here are "ew ac#ual ma#erial "inds. Mever#heless, all #he his#orical s#udies o" music in #he Bible, none o" which were based on archaeological evidence, have con#inued #o nur#ure #he my#h #ha# #he Bible apparen#ly wished #o crea#eEa pic#ure o" an impressive religious ri#ual accompanied by song and ins#rumen#al music, under #he supervision o" #he Jevi#e "amilies. !# appears #ha# ano#her di""icul#y "acing music

archaeology, beyond #ha# o" deciphering #he essence behind #he biblical name o" an ins#rumen#, is #he discrepancy be#ween #he archaeological evidence and #he biblical narra#ive. (##emp#ing #o e0plain #he he#erogeneous na#ure o" #he musical cul#ure o" #he Jand o" !srael, and #he simul#aneous e0is#ence o" primi#ive and sophis#ica#ed ins#rumen#s *"or ins#ance, !ron (ge ra##les and lyres., Braun uses #he phrase coined by German archaeologis# /elga Weipper#, 2non9simul#anei#y wi#hin simul#anei#y.7 Bu# #his concep#, #a)en "rom #he wri#ings o" philosopher Erns# Bloch, originally re"erred #o #he class dialec#ic and #o BlochAs view o" i#s posi#ive po#en#ial5 Weipper#As use o" i# was mos# probably me#aphoric. ! "eel #ha# Joachim BraunAs well9documen#ed boo) is impor#an# no# necessarily "or i#s e0plana#ion o" phenomena, bu# "or i#s presen#a#ion o" a broad archaeological and sociomusical map o" #he ancien# Jand o" !srael, wi#h i#s resul#an# unders#anding #ha# music was a valuable componen# o" i#s cul#ure. !# convincingly proves #ha# only a comprehensive dialogue be#ween general archaeology, biblical s#udies, social his#ory, e#hnology, and #he archaeology o" music will enable us #o 2see #he voices7 #ha# enrich #he cul#ural #e0#ure o" #he dis#an# pas# and even possibly reproduce #hem in our musical imagina#ion. JFB!%/ :L/EM References Bayer, B. $he Material %elics o# Music in Ancient Palestine and Its &nvirons: An Archaeological Inventor'. %el (viv, +,;@. Bayer, B. 2!ns#rumen#al &er"ormance and 6inging.7 !n &n('klopedia Mikrait, <: -<<9 ?2. Jerusalem, +,;?. *!n /ebrew. Eilon, (. $he Israelis: )ounders and Sons. Jondon, +,-+. 6achs, :. $he *istor' o# Musical Instruments. Mew 'or), +,1 .