RAM'S HORN TRUMPET.
At the present day one such trumpet, at least, is found in every Jewish community, and is kept by the man who has the privilege of blowing it. On the New Year's festival and the Day of Atonement the trumpet is used in the Jewish ritual, and as the ceremonies connected with blowing it are extremely interesting, they will be briefly described.
The trumpeter, who is not necessarily a priest, but may be any pious man selected from the congregation, prepares himself by bathing, and at the appointed time puts on the white shirt or shroud in which Jews are buried. Before the trumpet is blown, a prayer is said, containing many cabalistic names of angels and malachim, or powers. These names may not be pronounced.
The Rabbi then stands, and gives out the names of the sacred tones in their succession. By the kindness of Dr. Herman Beigel, I have been enabled to hear the tones, and to put them into musical notes,—I believe for the first time since they have been used. The tones are four in number, and are called as follows: Tekeeah (the blowing), Shebârim (the repeated notes), Terooah (the note of joy), and Tekeeah-gedôlah (the lengthened blowing). It is not very easy exactly to express on paper these ancient tones, but the following notes will give a good idea of them.
These tones are blown in three partitions, in the following order:—
| Partition I. | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Tekeeah. | |
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Tekeeah. | |
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Tekeeah. | |
| Partition II. | |||
| Tekeeah. | Terooah. | Tekeeah. | |
| Tekeeah. | Terooah. | Tekeeah. | |
| Tekeeah. | Terooah. | Tekeeah. | |
| Partition III. | |||
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Terooah. | Tekeeah. |
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Terooah. | Tekeeah. |
| Tekeeah. | Shebârim. | Terooah. | Tekeeah-gedôlah. |
Between each partition a pause is made, during which the congregation join in a prayer which is full of cabalistic names of the angels who have charge over the sacred tones. And, according to a beautiful Hebrew tradition, when the trumpet is blown with the proper rites, each tone is transformed into an angel, who ascends to join his heavenly colleagues, and with them forms a crown before the throne of God. So that, ever since the Jewish ritual was established, every New Year's festival and Day of Atonement send forth their own angels, as additional jewels to the heavenly crown.
These tones are the same all over the world, and have been unchanged for countless generations, so that we may be nearly certain that the blast before which the walls of Jericho fell were the four sacred tones which have just been described. The reader will perceive that all the tones are simply octaves, blown with more or less rapidity, the short notes of Terooah being taken as quickly as the trumpeter can blow them, and the concluding note well swelled out, until "the voice of the cornet waxes exceeding loud." Sometimes fifths are used instead of octaves.