SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics by Catriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

SHEYIBANEH BEIT HAMIKDASH...
A series of articles on Beit HaMikdash-related topics by Catriel Sugarman intended to increase the knowledge, interest, and anticipation of the reader, thereby hastening the realization of our hopes and prayers for the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Beit HaMikdash.

Hygros ben Levi Goes Public!
I entered the Mikdash Compound through the Eastern Gate and crossed the always- crowded Ezrat Nashim to the 15 semi-circular stairs that led to the Nicanor Gate. I had been assigned by my paper to interview the sometimes-elusive Hygros ben Levi who “was over the singing” in the Mikdash. Located on both sides of the Nicanor Gate, the well-ventilated underground Lishkot HaShir consisted of a rabbit warren of store rooms for the musical instruments used by the Meshoririm, the Levi Choir, workshops where the Mikdash luthiers and other craftsmen worked, some insulated music rooms and, last but not least, the spacious office of Hygros ben Levi, director of the Meshoririm. I recalled the Mishna, “And there were rooms underneath the Ezrat Yisrael which opened into the Ezrat Nashim (further to the east). There [in these rooms], the Leviyim stored their harps, lyres, cymbals and all other types of musical instruments” (Midot 2:6). As today, in the days of Bayit Sheini, the two entrances to the Lishkot HaShir were adjacent to the Nicanor Gate. When I arrived, an aide of the choirmaster welcomed me warmly, offered me a chair, and requested that I make myself comfortable. The choirmaster would only be a couple of minutes. The Leviyim had already finished singing Shira Shel Yom and were returning to the Lishkot HaShir. A few minutes later, Hygros ben Levi himself appeared, and, opening the door to his massive office, invited me in. He started the interview by pointing to a glass display case that contained a number of antique instruments; they were magnificent. And on his massive desk was a dazzling Chatzrotzra – a trumpet.

“This Chatzrotzra which we use is a narrow bore trumpet and therefore it produces a brighter, more penetrating sound than the conventional instrument. In fact, all our Klei Negina are special, nevertheless, as important as musical accompaniment is for our choir, it is the human voice that is the Ikar. The ‘Leviyim, who were the singers – Asaf, Heman and Yedutun and their sons and brothers – arrayed in fine linen, with symbols and lyres and harps…" participated in the festivities that surrounded the dedication of Bayit Rishon. In Bayit Sheini, the question arose whether the omission of the vocal singing and accompanying music invalidated the Temidin. The Sages ruled that the Leviyim's voices were sufficient even if they were not accompanied by musical instruments. Note Arakhin 11a. On Shabbat, the Leviyim sang, but were not accompanied by musical instruments. The vocal singing was considered an Avoda and therefore was permissible on Shabbat; the instrumental accompaniment was not an Avoda and therefore was not permissible on Shabbat (Sukka 50a/b). For this reason, while we do not neglect our musicians, we place particular emphasis of the quality of our singers. Remember how the righteous Chezkiyahu HaMelech restored the Beit HaMikdash to Divine service after it was desecrated in the days of Ahaz his father. II Divrei Hayamim (29:25–30) relates how this worthy king ‘set the Leviyim in the House of the Lord with cymbals, lyres and harps…’ The Leviyim did not only play musical instruments but also ‘sang praises with gladness.’"

Sipping some freshly squeezed orange juice, Hygros ben Levi leaned back in his chair and continued, “Choral singers vary greatly in their ability and performance. Our best choral singers and musicians – and our Meshoririm are the best in the world – must possess (among others) the following abilities:

to sing or play precisely in tune and with a pleasing vocal “timbre” or quality which blends with the other singers;
to sing or play at precisely controlled levels of volume, matching the dynamics and expression marked in the score or prescribed by me as conductor, and not sing so loudly as to be markedly detectable as an individual voice;
to sight-read music fluently;
to sing or play solo passages when required;
to thoroughly memorize the music, and thus be able to keep eyes on me.
to remain completely alert for long periods, monitoring closely what is going on either in a rehearsal or in the Azara;
to accept direction for the good of the group, even when the singer disagrees esthetically with the instructions;
to be punctual and arrive consistently on time, mentally and physically prepared to sing and play.”

“The most important thing is for everyone to remember – and make sure that you emphasize this in your forthcoming article – is that we are not entertainers; our Shira is an indispensable and integral part of the Avoda of the Beit HaMikdash! Know before Whom you stand or in our case, know before Whom you sing or play your musical instrument! We do not go on tour as other choirs do. If I told you the astronomical sums we’ve been offered to appear at various music festivals abroad, you wouldn’t believe me. Absolutely staggering, staggering, staggering!”

“You know that a great number of composers have written choral works. However, composing instrumental music is in many ways different from composing vocal music. The requirements of including text, making it intelligible and catering to the special capabilities and limitations of the human voice makes composing vocal music in some ways more demanding than composing instrumental music. Due to this difficulty, many composers have never composed choral music. However, the greatest composers of them all, David HaMelech and the other inspired composers of T'hilim did not shrink from this daunting task.

Tehillim are ideal for vocalists accompanied by instrumental music and the singing is in the antiphonal method.” Mystified, I asked for an explanation. Assuming a professorial air, Hygros ben Levi pontificated, “One group of Meshoririm sings a line to which the second group of Meshoririm responds. This is facilitated by the extreme ‘parallelism’ of T'hilim. ‘Parallelism’ can take a number of forms. Perhaps the most common form of the antiphonal method is ‘synonymous’, where the same thought is expressed in different ways. I’ll give you an example. “Lord, who shall sojourn in Thy Tabernacle? Who shall dwell upon Thy holy mountain?’ (15:1) Then there is the ‘antithetic’ method where the thought is reinforced by means of contrast, ‘For the Lord regardeth the way of the righteous; But the way of the wicked shall parish” (1:6). Finally, there is the ‘synthetic’ method where the thoughts build up to a crescendo. “Happy is the man that (a) hath not walked in the counsel of the wicked, (b). nor stood in the way of sinners, (c) nor sat in the seat of the scornful…’ (1:1). Everything has a structure!” I thought, I’ll never listen to the Meshoririm sing Shir Shel Yom the same way again.

Catriel's book in progress: The Temple of Jerusalem, A Pilgrim’s Perspective; A Guided Tour through the Temple and the Divine Service