A Jewish Attitude Towards Music? The Subject of Aural Perception in Medieval Hebrew Writings on Music

After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Rabbis decreed a state of perpetual mourning. In the Talmud, one finds ideas on music relating to this event, and these form the basis of further discussion on the status of Jewish music in the Middle Ages. Certain Geonim displayed an attitude of mistrust and even defiance towards music. The end of the Geonioc period coincided with the advent of the “Great Musical Tradition” of the Abbasids, of which some elements are found in Geonic literature, and further developments occurred from the 10^th century onwards in al-Andalus. Some Rabbis stressed the importance of resisting Gentile customs like music, which they condemned for its frivolous qualities and its connection to sensuous poetry. Poets and philosophers, in contrast, understood poetic language, which consequently enabled them to place their discussion of aural perception (including that of poetry set to music) into a more reasoned framework – one, indeed, that was based on a much fuller appreciation of poetry.

By focusing on Spanish and Provencal Hebrew works written between the 12^th and the 15^th centuries, this paper aims to show how aural perception is central to understanding the Jewish relationship towards music. The question as to whether this relationship can be understood as an attitude is also considered, both in terms of how music was perceived and how such potentially misleading earthly diversions could be neutralised, and this will be examined with reference to general aesthetics theory.