A Tour among the Musicians of the Bible

• Published in: Studia Universitatis Babeş-Bolyai. Musica Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 13 - 24
• Main Author: Molnár, János
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Babeș-Bolyai University 30.06.2017
• Subjects: song, instrument, tools for singing, group of singers, cultic song, solo song, choral, singing women, singing girls
• DOI: 10.24193/subbmusica.2017.1.01
• ISSN: 1844-4369

The paper presents those composers and musicians who are mentioned by name in the Old Testament. Among the composers and singers there are not only men and male groups of singers, but also women and female groups of singers. There are mentions of female composers, singers and song teachers. The paper processes the biographical data related to the above mentioned persons and groups and presents the biblical data on the genre and musical material of the presented song or songs. The author of the paper offers detailed information on the instruments presented in the Old Testament and presents the Biblical locuses where these are mentioned. Finally the author concludes that in the Old Testament times it is impossible to separate cultic singing from lay, i.e. Profane singing, for everything we would call today classical music or even popular music in those times belonged to the sphere of musica sacra. Love songs, songs of the marriage ceremony, harvest songs are all songs that praise God, besides their profane nature.