Kinnor

The kinnor (Hebrew כִּנּוֹר, Harp ') is an ancient Israelite, vorislamisches plucked string instrument, which is counted compared with the Greek kithara or equated and the Lyre (synonymous with Jochlauten ). The widespread attribution as David Harp of the biblical King David did not take into account the different type of design of a lyre.

Etymology

Kinnor comes before 42 times in the Old Testament, the name and the instrument but there was already a long time ago. The oldest known text to music comes from Ebla and is dated to about 2500 BC. The large clay tablet in cuneiform contains a lexical list of musical instruments and other musical terms, among which is also the Semitic name ki -na- ru. Similar smaller panels from the 26th century BC are known from Mesopotamian sites Shuruppak ( Fara ) and Abū ṢalābĪḫ known. Variations of the word can be read on other clay tablets from Ebla to around 2300 BC. A kinaru (Pl. kinaratim ) called lyre was mentioned on clay tablets dating from the 18th century BC, were discovered in the palace archives of Mari. In 14./13. Century BC seems to have been worshiped in Ugarit as a sacred instrument. The consonant letters knr is six times before in Ugaritic texts, as a deity and as a stringed instrument. The name of equality refers to the connection of sacrificial cult and the music of an instrument whose tone was considered the voice of God. At the same root knr the name Cinyras the mythical king of Cyprus goes back.

The word kinnor also found in the name of Phoenician and Canaanite gods, rulers, and place names: Cinyras, Kinnyras, Kuthar, Kinnaras or Kinnaret ( the Sea of ​​Galilee ), where kinnor was also derived from Sanskrit kinnara ( " tones "). Kunar, the term for " lotus wood " goes back to the Egyptian 18th - 19th Dynasty back. The lyre is mentioned in Arabic texts from the early Islamic period as al - kinnara or kinnīra, but was not widespread.

Finds

After Siegel finds was in ancient Israel at the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, a lyre in use, which had a rectangular body with symmetrical outgoing yoke arms. End of the 8th century, a design was popular, which ran six or more parallel strings between asymmetric arms. Whether it is kinnor or other lyres in the illustrations may be in dispute in each individual case. In the context of wind instruments lyres are shown only very rarely. A seal from the 7th century BC by unknown origin bears a Hebrew inscription on the King's daughter Maadanah. Her name is otherwise unknown. The seal is significant because it shows that there was apparently independently operating women in high administrative positions. It consists of brown jasper and forms a carefully crafted asymmetric kinnor with twelve strings from. Its body is decorated with pearls at the edge and in the center with a rosette.

Kinnor are depicted on ancient Hebrew coins. Some coins bear the inscription with the lyre from the "Year one of the redemption of Israel " meaning the Bar Kochba revolt 132-135 AD

Kinnor in Biblical and Arabic tradition

The lyre is mentioned among others in Gen 4,21 EU. There the Old Testament Lamech descended from the fifth generation of Cain. The son of Lamech by his wife Zillah was Tubal- Cain, he is regarded by biblical and Arabic tradition as the first blacksmith. Another son named Jubal is said to have invented the kinnor. Naama was the daughter of the two. About it the scholar Gregorius Bar - Hebraeus wrote in the 13th century that they have taught the other women singing, dancing and prepare nice. These are the special abilities of the female descendants of Cain from the nomadic tribe of the Kenites. In their camps wine was drunk, with flutes, lyres and drums played music and danced happily. By contrast, the descendants of Seth, the third son of Adam and Eve. They performed on the holy mountain sitting for a life pleasing to God and complained about the immorality and shamelessness that prevailed at the Kenites. It should be their seductive women through the game on the kinnor even managed to attract the sons of Seth. The story is found as " seduction of the devil" ( Talbees Iblees ) and in the Islamic tradition. There Zilla (Arabic Ḍilāl ) at al - Mas'udi applies (around 895-957 ) as the inventor of stringed instruments.

For Cain, Arabic Qain QYN accordingly from the root consonants, include the feminine form qaina (Pl. Qiyan ). Qaina was from pre-Islamic times over the Islamic Middle Ages to the 20th century a singing girl who sang at parties before the guests, played music and hard drinking, but could not be prude. The descendants of Cain represent a mythological combination of forging and music dar.

Overall, the kinnor proves the Old Testament and in the post-biblical traditions as the symbol of professional musicians and singers poets that have occurred in worldly celebrations, drinking bouts with prostitutes and in magical rites. At the same time kinnor had a ritual function in the temple service and the transfer of the Israelite ark. This had emerged (see Qubba ) qubbe from the old red tent sanctuary of the Bedouin, the walks in the tribe by a guardian ( Mage, Priest, Arabic Kahin ) and two music-playing girl was accompanied.

Kinnor in the Jewish tradition

The Jews played the kinnor the musical performance of psalms in the Jerusalem temple and used it for Lamentations. In the Bible the kinnor 22 times, mentioned together with the Nevel, another, probably a bit larger stringed instrument. The Nevel said to have had twelve thick gut strings and was used from the end of the 6th century BC in the Jerusalem temple. The kinnor possessed by various post-biblical details of the Mishnah six or ten, in each case less and thinner ( consisting of Vogeldärmen ) strings as the Nevel. The musicians hit the kinnor with a plectrum and the Nevel with your hands. Both instruments were of the Levites, who were employed as the official temple musicians.

The game played in the temple instrument is manufactured according to the Jewish historian of the first century AD, Flavius ​​Josephus electron, which probably an alloy of gold and silver was meant. On the other hand, King Solomon in the 2nd Book of Chronicles customize musical instruments from fragrant sandalwood, which should come from the fabled land of Ophir. Perhaps the metal used for decorations. According to the Mishnah In determining events occurred at least twelve singers and twelve instrumentalists, one of which had to be nine Kinnar and two Nevel player. For larger parties there were six Nevel and any other Kinnar player. Josephus gives a thousand years later to worthy figures for the musicians: in the temple accordingly to 200,000 singers, kinnor 40,000, 40,000 and 200,000 Sistren trumpets and her musicians have passed.

The name David Harp goes back to a legend that King David, who is never shown with an attribute other than the kinnor in their hands, had secured such an instrument as a kind of wind harp on his bed. Every time at midnight the north wind began to blow and stroked the strings, and then the king awoke from a wondrous noise to study the Torah until dawn. It was probably the lyre kinnor that David said unto the devil prescribed Saul auditioned and was said to have a certain therapeutic effect, according to 1 Sam 1:16-18 EU.