Muzikos instrumentai 150-ojoje psalmėje: vaizdinių interpretacijų pavyzdžiai nuo tradicinio žydų meno iki Ben Shahno

LT150-oji psalmė, iškilmingai užbaigianti poetinę hebrajų Šventojo Rašto (Tanacho) Psalmių knygą, išsiskiria minimais net aštuoniais muzikos instrumentais. Dalis jų, mažesniais ansambliais minimi ir kitose Tanacho knygose, byloja apie muzikos svarbą įvairiuose senosios hebrajų visuomenės gyvenimo kontekstuose. Šie instrumentai, išskyrus ragą šofarą, nunyko dėl Jeruzalės šventyklos sugriovimo (70 m.) ir žydų išvarymo iš Palestinos, ir liko tik turtingo praeities muzikinio gyvenimo simboliais, ilgainiui atsispindėjusiais ir tradiciniame žydų mene, ypač – sinagogų interjerų puošyboje. Išlaikyti tikslios jų tipologijos nepadėjo dar helenizmo epochoje prasidėję Tanacho vertimai į kitas kalbas, paskatinę vertėjus ieškoti biblinių muzikos instrumentų pavadinimų atitikmenų tarp kitų kultūrų instrumentų. Tolesnei biblinių muzikos instrumentų interpretacijos raidai didžiulę įtaką turėjo žydų gyvenimas vis platesnėje diasporoje, prisitaikant prie vietinių muzikavimo tradicijų. Šias tendencijas atskleidžia ir vaizdinė 150-ojoje psalmėje minimų muzikos instrumentų interpretacija. Charakteringi pavyzdžiai straipsnyje aptariami biblinių muzikos instrumentų funkcijų ir prasmių kontekste, išryškinant šiuos aspektus: 1) 150-ojoje psalmėje minimų muzikos instrumentų ansamblis kaip istorinės atminties ir aktualaus žydų bendruomenių gyvenimo diasporoje saitas (daugiausia tokių sinagogų interjerų puošybos pavyzdžių būta Rytų Europoje nuo XVIII a. iki XX a. I p.); 2) 150-osios psalmės interpretacija moderniajame žydų mene kaip individualaus santykio su psalmės tekstu ir žydų tradicija refleksija (XX a. litvakų dailininkų Marco Chagallo ir Ben Shahno kūrybos pavyzdžiai). Reikšminiai žodžiai: sinagoga, muzikos instrumentai, 150-oji psalmė, šofaras, Biblija, Šventykla. [Iš leidinio]

ENPsalm 150 stands out for its openness of thought and the call to praise God with eight musical instruments: the shofar, nevel, kinnor, toph, minim, ugav, tziltzlei shama, and tziltzlei terua. Most were used in different rituals and activities of ancient Hebrews. After the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and change of rites (the institution of synagogue becoming the center of local community gatherings, activities and rituals), these instruments lost their functions and eventually vanished, except the shofar, the ritual ram’s horn, which was and is used in the synagogue during the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement. The visual identification of biblical instruments was also complicated by the lack of archaeological-iconographic evidence for this vanished musical culture. Images of individual musical instruments (usually the shofar) or small compositions have appeared in the interior decoration of synagogues since the Roman-Byzantine period. The shofar sound, as a living memory of Jewish history and as a symbol of hope for spiritual rebirth, connects the past, the present, and the future. Therefore, the visual cue of the shofar is the most important. Larger ensembles of musical instruments began to be depicted from the middle of the eighteenth century. The ensemble of musical instruments mentioned in Psalm 150 can be seen as the link between the historical memory of the Temple and the actual life of local Jewish communities in the diaspora, reflecting the development and migration of musical instruments. For example, the musical instruments that decorate the interior of the Sephardic Abuhav Synagogue in Safed reflect the affiliation of the synagogue to the Sephardic community – the instruments depicted were used in Spanish and Portuguese music.Musical instruments, common in the interior painting of synagogues in Ukraine, Romania, and Poland, usually reflected the composition of local klezmer ensembles. The abundance of the depicted musical instruments, in order to convey the atmosphere of universal joy and intense sound implied in Psalm 150, stands out in the New Great synagogue in Novoselitsia and Beit Tfilah Benjamin synagogue in Chernivtsi (both in Ukraine). These compositions reflect the structure of the klezmer music ensemble, enriched with brass instruments at the beginning of the twentieth century. The interior decoration of several Lithuanian synagogues also featured interpretations of Psalm 150. For example, two compositions illustrating Psalm 150 and consisting of a dozen musical instruments were painted in the octagonal vault of the Marijampole Great Synagogue, built in 1899. These compositions combine typologically “original” instruments mentioned in Psalm 150 – horns, lyres, and pipes as well as instruments used in nineteenthcentury orchestras (trumpets, horns, violins, clarinets) and klezmer musical instruments (mandolin, dulcimer, violin, clarinet). Visual interpretations of Psalm 150 do not follow exact semantic correspondences; instruments are often grouped not according to the order and logic of their mention in the text of the psalm, but much more freely. In some of the compositions, the shofar is singled out as a special sign, but elsewhere it is included in a general, larger ensemble of various instruments. Instruments are stylized, rather abstract, and of imprecise and more imaginary proportions. The number of musical instruments depicted also varies, from a few to more than 20; it could be determined not only by the education and imagination of the interior designers, but also by the financial capabilities of the Jewish communities.Modern Litvak artists – Vitebsk-born Marc Chagall and Kaunas-born Ben Shahn – took different approaches to Psalm 150, although both expanded its interpretation, including figures of musicians. A stained-glass window for the Anglican Cathedral in Chichester, created by Chagall in 1978, depicts a common scene of praise, full of an unearthly atmosphere of joy and harmony. The musical instruments – the shofar, lyre, cymbals, trumpet, keyboards, violin, and clarinet – are all played by performers, humans and other creatures, unlike examples in synagogues, where no images of human beings are usually found due to religious law. Hallelujah Suite. Psalm 150 by American painter and graphic artist Ben Shahn was conceived when Shahn was invited to create a mosaic mural for the Jewish Community Center in Rochville in the late 1960s. In the cycle, Shahn juxtaposes 24 drawings, which depict young and old musicians with various types of instruments, reminiscent of ancient Greek and Roman images. Great attention is paid to the performers’ hands – they are enlarged and expressive, emphasizing their importance in the process of the birth of music. For Shahn, it is important to connect the message of Psalm 150 with the cultural and anthropological context; he, like a good observer, captures the different moods and expressions of the musicians as well as their relationships with their instruments. The orchestra of Psalm 150 in Shahn’s compositions is contemplative and consists of individuals. [...] Keywords: synagogue, musical instruments, Psalm 150, shofar, Bible, Temple. [From the publication]

• Muzikologija / Musicology
• Menotyra / Arts