Preface to the Psalm transcriptions

Before we proceed into the actual transcriptions of some of the Psalm manuscripts, there is a critical piece of information regarding the use of these manuscripts in our day that must be addressed. Within the Psalm manuscripts are one-hundred and fifty songs written by various writers and apparently for varying applications and settings, some sacred and some secular. By secular, I do not mean to infer that they were songs like our popular songs heard today on the radio. They were songs that were written to praise Yahveh, but were not used in the formal Tabernacle and Temple services. They were outside of the formal presentations by the Levites.
     Some works, like Psalm 150, Psalm 117 and Psalm 96 were apparently used in the sacred services of the Tabernacle and later Temple systems by the Levites. Psalm 23 (a ballad of David) and Psalm 90 (a prayer of Moses) on the other hand may have been used and sung by the nation of Israel by the common people. We know from the Christian Greek scriptures that as late as the first century in the Common Era songs continued to be sung at family gatherings outside the Temple system on holidays such as Passover (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26).
     Due to the very sensitive nature of the works presented in this book, it is my opinion that we as a people in this time period should exercise some restraint in the use of the formal songs of the Levites in a religious setting or gathering. According to Amos 5:23 quoted above, these songs apparently became offensive to Him and out of respect for His thinking and Words, should not be used at in our day as a form of praise to Him. As David stated in many of his works, we should sing to Yahveh a new song. There are many, many ways as an individual or as a people we can offer meaningful praise to Him outside of these works. Some further thoughts on this topic are covered in the conclusion of this book.
     Now regarding the arrangements and audio presentations that are included as part of this book and can be downloaded at MusicoftheBible.com as they become available, it has been a difficult endeavor both from a financial and musical standpoint to find a group of people willing to sing the material due to its controversial content and implications. The only solution at present that has been available was to use a sophisticated software program to synthesize the vocals themselves. Cantor 2.1 is a vocal, singing emulation program (Cantor 2.1, VirSyn Software Synthesizer Bruchsaler Weg 4 76327 Pfinztal, Germany) that enables a composer to approximate the human voice without the aid of a live choir or soloist. The Hebrew vocals in this format are a bit rough, but are more than adequate to provide a general sense of what the works sound like until such time as a group of singers can be assembled and recorded. Additionally, some modern instruments like the guitar and piano are used to augment the backgrounds originally provided by the lyres and harps of the Levites.
     In order to see and hear exactly how the theories presented herein play out when applied to the actual Psalm manuscripts themselves, I have selected some representative examples of the Psalms to include. In each of the examples presented, there is included an engraved score/piano reduction that can be downloaded and printed for personal reference within the legal and ethical guidelines presented above. There are also synthesized sung versions of the examples that will be included as they become available. The first example that will be presented is the last Psalm in the Hebrew texts, Psalm 150.

Psalm 150