Concerning the music used in the Jewish Temple we have no certain traditions. The very meaning of the musical accents in the book of Psalms is unknown. Carl Engel (Music of the most Ancient Nations, ch. vi.) supposes that the musical system of the Hebrews, as indeed of all the East, was derived from the Assyrians, concerning whose musical knowledge, hitherto unsuspected, much interesting information has been derived from the sculptures discovered b Mr. Layard and Mr.
Botta. It is probable that David, who was mu sician as well as poet, composed music for the use of his Psalms in public worship. From the structure of Hebrew poetry this would neces sarily be a musical recitative, or chant ;' and as adapted for the use of worshipping thousands, it would probably be very simple in character. Whether the Jews had any form of written music or not, or whether the music of their Temple psalms was learnt by the ear, and traditionally handed down from generation to generation, is un known. Certainly no trace of written music has come down to us. It is to be presumed that the music originally set to David's Psalms would be perpetuated from age to age ; and that therefore the music to which our Lord and his disciples sang the lesser Hanel on the night on which he was betrayed,' and the music to which Paul and Silas sang their prison songs, would be the old tradi tional temple music. The tradition is that the Peregrine Tone was the music to which the lesser Hallel was sung. All this, however, is pure con jecture. There is not a particle of historical proof to throw light upon it. Nor is this to be wondered at, considering the dispersions and the unparalleled sufferings of the Jews ; and when it is remembered that we are equally Ignorant of the music of the Greeks and the Romans.
At the dispersion, temple-song ceased. Burney says, some Hebrew high-priest being his informant, that all instrumental, and even vocal perform ances, have been banished the synagogue ever since the destruction of Jerusalem ; that the little singing now in use there is an innovation and a modem license ; for the Jews, from a passage in one of the prophets, think it unlawful, or at least unfit, to sing or rejoice before the coming of the Messiah, till when they are bound to mourn and repent in silence' (Hist. of Music, vol. p. 251). It is probable, however, that although at the dis persion the temple music was for ever silenced, yet that synagogue worship would be speedily restored, and that, as far as possible, its services would be based upon the old temple prayers and psalms, and that the traditional melodies of the latter would be sung to them.
The first recorded uninspired psalmody of the synagogue is not earlier than the loth century, when Saadiah Gaon first introduced rhyme into Hebrew poetry. On this subject, see Prayers of the Spanish and Portuguese Israelites, with English translation, by the Rev. D. A. de Sola ; Stein schneider's Lit., London 1857 ; Charisi's ,Wwith Lit. from the eighth to the eighteenth century, ch. xviii.
No existing Jewish melodies can be proved to be of any antiquity, compared with some Christian melodies. Purely traditional, their origin is un known. The utmost that can be said is, that for some four or five centuries they have been handed down memoriter. As we possess them they are unmistakably modern in their forms ; but then it is possible that beneath these modem forms there may be a very ancient substance. The Rev. D. A. de Sola (Ancient Melodies of the Liturgy of the Spanish and Portuguese 7ews) says, that a tradi tion exists that the Birchat Cohanim ' is identical with the melody used in the temple for the blessing of the priests (Num. vi. 22-26), and that it is sup ported by great probability, almost amounting to direct proof. The Song of Moses' is also sup posed to be the melody sung by Miriam. But thin is pure conjecture. See also Maimonides, ch. xiv. sec. 14 ; Lightfoot's Temple Service; Bingham's Antiquities, vol. xiv. ; Carl Engel's ihr21Sie of the most Ancient Nations, ch. vi.
In the N. T. very little is said concerning sacred song. Matthew and Mark very touchingly record the conformity of our Lord, not to any divine command, but to a traditional custom, when, before going to the Mount of Olives, he sang a hymn with his disciples ; probably the usual Passover psalms of thanksgiving. In his epistles to the Ephesians (v. 19) and to the Colossians (iii. 16), the apostle Paul recognises and enjoins the use of sacred song. So does the apostle James (v. 13). Michaelis and others suppose that such passages as Acts iv. 24-30 are fragments of apostolic hymns. The Apocalypse contains some of the most mag nificent bursts of worship song.