Chapter Thirteen

Halelu Yah

Introductions and Endings
With a methodology in place to decipher the musical symbols of the Psalms from the Hebrew texts, we can now approach these important works in a way not previously possible; melodically. With this added aspect, we can see and hear more clearly the format in which the original work may have appeared and was performed. Themes are introduced, verses are well-defined, sections become more evident not only from a lyrical standpoint, but also from a melodic and harmonic standpoint.
     As with our contemporary sheet music, many of the Psalm manuscripts also contained information, primarily technical or informative in nature, that precedes the actual song itself. This information (referred to as the header in contemporary sheet music engraving) can include: the author, song title, instrumentation, performance directions, etc., is generally referred to as the superscription when used in relation to the Psalm manuscripts. Unlike our contemporary sheet music headers however, the superscription information attached to a Psalm was apparently sung and in many cases functioned as an introduction to the main body of the composition (see Psalm 23). For reference purposes, a separate appendix in the rear of this book of the Psalm superscriptions is included.
     The superscription information was apparently not the only information that functioned as an introduction to a manuscript. There was one single phrase which functioned not only as an introduction, but also as an ending tag to many of the Psalm manuscripts Halelu Yah, which brings us back to the melodic cymbals of the Levites.

Halelu Yah

     If you have ever been in a choir or are a singer, you might remember the little round, black and silver pitch pipe in the red plastic box ("The Master Key, chromatic pitch instrument, A-440, 13 keys a product of Wm. Kratt Co, Made in The USA") that was used to give the starting pitch for a song. As with any choir or singer, whether being accompanied by instruments or singing unaccompanied, you need some type of starting pitch to work from. Prior to all the electronic tuning devices that are available today, most of us over the age of forty at one time or another had contact with this very simple, yet essential tool of a choir director or singer.
     Back in the times of David and the Levites they also needed some type of pitch reference not only for the singers, but also for the tuning of their lyres and harps. Without a standardized pitch reference of some sort, you might tune the strings of your instruments too high, breaking strings as you go along. Or too low, making the singers struggle with the notes of the song. Before the advent of electronic tuning devices, there was only one type of instrument that could consistently play a specific tone over and over again. It was not an instrument like the lyre and harp whose strings stretch and tighten as the weather changed. It wasn't the silver trumpets of the Levite priests, whose sound was at best a non-tonal 'blat.' It was a piece of metal that when struck would consistently produce the same tone over and over again. It was a cymbal! Actually, it was the pair of melodic cymbals used by the Levite singers.
     We have some very important clues from the Biblical texts that we can use to prove this hypothesis. First, the cymbals of the Levites were used to praise Yahveh (Ezra 3:10). Secondly, the cymbals of the Levites were considered melodic instruments - one of instruments of song along with the lyres and harps (1 Chronicles 15:16). And finally, the Levite singers (the cymbal players) and musicians (the lyres and the harps) were both able to play the Name of God (Psalm 135:1-3).
     In the examples presented earlier, we saw that the Sacred Name of Yahveh (rendered in relation to the Davidic cipher as the notes A - C - B - C), was incorporated into many of the melodies of the Psalm manuscripts and is a common motif (theme) heard within the texts. As the only instruments capable of reproducing this series of tones were the voice, harps, lyres, and possibly the chalils (reed-pipes), this form of soggetto cavato was restricted to their usage.
     Unlike the strings of the lyres and harps, the two cymbals of the Levite singers were restricted to two tones. An alternate version of the Sacred Name Yahveh was as Moses, David and Isaiah stated - Yah (see Exodus 15:1, Psalm 118:14, Isaiah 12:2). When the two letters Y and H are rendered in relation to the Davidic cipher, Yah we find that they can be played both melodically and harmonically with the tones A and C. Played harmonically (i.e., together), the tones A and C are equivalent to an A minor triad and an implied Am tonic (i.e., A - C - E); the primary tonality and tonal center found in the Psalm manuscripts and the associated te'amim. The tones A and C also are the upper triad of an F chord (i.e. , F - A - C).
     If you do a search on the Name Yah in the Hebrew texts, you will find that it occurs only forty-nine times in the entire Hebrew texts, forty-three times of which are confined to the manuscripts of the Psalms. Within these forty-three occurrences found within the Psalm manuscripts, the Sacred Name Yah is directly associated with the Hebrew word hä-la-lu' (i.e., praise you) twenty-four times and in turn the translated English word Hallelujah. Of all the phrases in the Bible, this one particular set of words, translated in many English translations as Hallelujah and praise the LORD has been the focal motif of many, many compositions and lyrics through history (e.g. , the Hallelujah Chorus of Handel's Messiah). It is also a phase that is unfortunately used without much forethought as to its actual meaning.
     The English word Hallelujah is actually a phrase derived from the two Hebrew words hä-la-lu' (meaning praise you) and the Name of God, Yah. This phrase, correctly translated as praise you Yah , is only found in the Psalm manuscripts and occurs within the Hebrew texts as either the opening and/or closing statement to the manuscript itself, generally setoff from main body of text as a separate thought. The LXX however, places the equivalent translated Greek word [alleluia] only at the beginning of a verse.
     The only exception to this format in the Hebrew is Psalm 135:3 where halelu Yah occurs as the opening phrase of an interior verse of the Psalm. Interestingly, this particular verse alludes to this unique compositional device of playing the Name Yah in a likewise unique manner, harmonious.

     If we additionally look at the phrase halelu Yah in relation to only the Davidic cipher, we find this phrase forms a perfect minor cadence, complete with harmonies. The word Yah being rendered as the tones A and C as mentioned.
     The cymbals of the Levites being tuned to the Name of Yah and the pitches A and C answers the three questions we asked in the beginning of this chapter, "What did the Levites use as a pitch reference for the singers to start the song? What did the instruments use as a tuning reference?," and how did the cymbals of the Levites praise Yah . The answer is all instances are the melodic cymbals they used. The melodic cymbals of the Levite singers were used as a tuning reference for the strings and provided the initial pitch reference from which the singers would start their song in tune with the instruments, just like our little pitch pipe we mentioned earlier. The cymbals also provided the added aspect of praising the "Name of Yah," not with a crash, but with the tones of his Name. Within the manuscripts, the opening tone of one-hundred and sixteen of the Psalms is the minor tonic i - A.
     Additionally, the melodic cymbals of the Levites may have also been used throughout their performances in any place where the tonality was appropriate. Most certainly at the end of each phase that ended on the minor tonic and at the beginning of a particular work or verse (where appropriate). Whether the Halelu Yah was used as an introduction and ending to additional Psalms as a general practice even though not notated in the scriptures. The playing of the Name of Yahveh and Yah may have also been the unique instructions given by David and spoken of by Ezra many years later (Ezra 3:10). The Levites would praise Yahveh and Yah not only with their words, but also within the music itself.

Levite Musical Ensembles and Key Personnel