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Rachel A Listener's avatar

On note 7, wondering if this type of music was based on “modes”, sort of a minor key? Were chords used or was it a singular melody? Noting the historical context of the times, could it have been anything other than minor?

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Matt Austerklein's avatar

Thanks! While we associate Jews with “minor” in our collective imaginations, this is definitely not the case. The Jewish soundscape was largely connected to the sounds of the Christian street - no “modes” or formalism to speak of though. Check this out for more:

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Yaacov Lyons's avatar

I love how well researched this is!

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