On January eleven 2012 we discussed that God created sound. Today we are discussing God's creation of the seven note musical scale. Before God created man, He created, “the heaven
and the earth.” The world was brought
into being and set in motion at the will of God in accordance to His laws.
A part of these laws was the eternal concept of seven days ending with a Sabbath and a re-beginning on the eighth day. God, without doubt, created music in the beginning to conform to these laws. The eighth note of the musical scale is essentially the same as Sunday of the next week. Sunday is the eighth day or the day of re-beginning of the same sequence just like the eighth note of the musical scale. If you sing the diatonic major scale and stop on the seventh degree this leading tone demands resolution. The note of resolution is the eighth degree of the music scale which is the same as the first degree i.e. the tonic. The concept of seven degrees in a musical scale cannot be improved upon since the number seven is always the number of perfection in Scripture, and eight is the number of regeneration and re-beginning.
A part of these laws was the eternal concept of seven days ending with a Sabbath and a re-beginning on the eighth day. God, without doubt, created music in the beginning to conform to these laws. The eighth note of the musical scale is essentially the same as Sunday of the next week. Sunday is the eighth day or the day of re-beginning of the same sequence just like the eighth note of the musical scale. If you sing the diatonic major scale and stop on the seventh degree this leading tone demands resolution. The note of resolution is the eighth degree of the music scale which is the same as the first degree i.e. the tonic. The concept of seven degrees in a musical scale cannot be improved upon since the number seven is always the number of perfection in Scripture, and eight is the number of regeneration and re-beginning.
When we study the te'amim (which is the musical notation found above and below the texts of the entire Old Testament) we find that the the tonic of both the psalmodic and prosodiac systems of notation have a tonic note. (See chapter 8 of my book, Music of the Bible in Christian Perspective). This tonic note is called "silluq". This term means "end" and has the same function as the tonic note of our "modern" diatonic scale.. God created and rested in seven days and God made a seven note scale with a resting note. After the seventh day the sequence of days re-begins and after the seventh note the musical scale re-bergins--all this is more than a coincidence! It is the work of an omniscient creator.
Outside of our knowledge of the te'amim, the Pentateuch is relatively
silent as to the specifics of the beginnings of music. However, we do know that God imparted musical
knowledge to man before the flood.
Genesis 4:21 states that Lamech’s son Jubal, “was the father of all such
as handle the harp and organ." We also know that Adam was given domain over the erets (776--see Jan. 17 post) so he no doubt had wisdom concerning music. The more we learn about God
's seven note creation the more we are drawn to the conclusion that a God this wise is capable of guiding us in developing a unified Christocentric music philosophy in the twenty-first century. Praise God!
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