Tait Sougstad wrote
I think it's interesting that we have yet (so far) to present any examples of GNT (or LXX!) that are presently set to music (or at least any music that is accessible to a 21st c. American.) I would be very surprised if there were so few musical uses of the Biblical languages through the years that they have been lost to the abyss of history. I understand that for many centuries, Latin was the primary ecclesiastic language, hence the plethora of material in that language. But, I am almost expecting to discover some music set to a Greek or Hebrew text around AD1500. Wouldn't it make sense if while the Renaissance is producing a "back-to-the-text" resurgence, and Erasmus is publishing his GNT, and the Reformation giants are admonishing people to learn the Biblical languages, that someone, somewhere would put some music to a few verses?
I thought that I would be reinventing the wheel by doing this myself, but perhaps this wheel has yet to be invented?
The wheel was invented, but few people have used it. In the last 200 years of Greek pedagogy, there have been few attempts to use music to teach Greek. Rouse in the early 1900's translated many folk songs into Attic and Latin (
http://www.vivariumnovum.it/edizioni/li ... 0Latin.pdf). When you look at modern second language pedagogy literature, you will see that there are articles here and there in the periodicals about the value of using songs in learning languages ()
http://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=son ... CDQQgQMwAA. I believe this is a more recent development.
But translating raw NT Koine text to song is very difficult. Usually the text of scripture has to be modified to fit the tune, since it was not written in meter. So there are some songs which closely resemble Scripture, and others that are compilations of phrases here and there. Looking through some of the ones I have tried to port to Koine are the following. All of these are tied to some LXX/NT text fairly closely, but they all have to change some of the original text to fit the tune. (I can email whoever wants these songs the Greek text, just drop me a note at Louis at letsreadgreek dot com.)
(1) The Joy of the Lord is my Strength
(2) Seek ye first the Kingdom of God
(3) On Eagles Wings
(4) Mighty to Save
(5) Let's talk about Jesus (medley)
Seek Ye First is almost word for word taken from the NT, but you still need to make a few changes to fit the meter.
Source:
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/ns/120#ixzz1DlK7Fqx3
http://www.hymnal.net/hymn.php/ns/120 (Midi, Guitar Pdf, ktl)
ζητεῖτε πρῶτον τὴν θεοῦ βασιλείαν
καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ
καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν
ἀληλούϊα ἁλληλουϊά.
αἰτεῖτε καὶ ὑμῖν δοθήσεται
ζητεῖτε καὶ εὐρήσεται·
κρούετε καὶ ὑμῖν ἀνοιγήσεται·
ἀληλούϊα ἁλληλουϊά.
Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἀνήρ,
ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ παντὶ θεοῦ ῥήματι
διὰ στόματος αὐτοῦ ἐκπορευομένῳ
ἀληλούϊα ἁλληλουϊά.
Mt 6.33 ζητεῖτε δὲ πρῶτον τὴν βασιλείαν [τοῦ θεοῦ] καὶ τὴν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ, καὶ ταῦτα πάντα προστεθήσεται ὑμῖν.
Mt 7.7 Αἰτεῖτε, καὶ δοθήσεται ὑμῖν· ζητεῖτε, καὶ εὑρήσετε· κρούετε, καὶ ἀνοιγήσεται ὑμῖν.
Mt 4.4 ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Γέγραπται,
Οὐκ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ ἄνθρωπος,
2) If one wanted to compose some music to help students memorize passages of the GNT, what kind of musical style should they use?
Well, your choices are (1) to utilize existing tunes (a) Childrens song tunes, (b) Popular music 'pop tunes' or folk tunes (c) Christian song and hymn tunes or (2) write your own. In my opinion, after trying to put to pen more than 100 songs into Koine, tunes like that of 'Seek ye first' and 'On Eagle's wings' are easier to adapt text to because they are slower and syllables can be stretched across a number of beats. In other words, the slower and longer the music, the more ways you have of matching text to tune. But the fun factor is then missing, because those songs are not get up and go songs. Movement songs are really good for the learner. So how would one go about turning any specific NT passage into song?
For example, take the Lord's Prayer. There are about three popular tunes. But a look at hymnary.org pulls up about 13 under "Our Father" and about 14 listed under "The Lord's Prayer." Here is the text(s)"
Mt. 6:9-13
Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς·
Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς·
11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
[ὅτι σοῦ ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεῖα, ἡ δύναμις, καὶ ἡ δόξα
εἰς τοὺς αἰώνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν]
Luke's version is shorter (with many variants also)
Luke 11:2-4
Πάτερ,
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
3 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθʼ ἡμέραν·
4 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν,
καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίομεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν.
So assuming you stick with the longer Matthew prayer. What tune do you pick? Do you make a new one up? Do you use an ancient melody (Gregorian plainsong, mode VII). Most people today know the tune by Malotte (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord%2 ... %28song%29 or maybe Aulde Lang Syne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td_4Jy8TKC4? Using Malotte's version everything goes OK till line 3, then you have to get creative . When you get to ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν you have to fit 15 Greek syllables into the songs 12, so it is really hard to make it fit without changing some words or sing really fast. And that's the problem with putting raw text to verse. Anyway here is a try -- I suppose I should attach an audio file -- I'll do that later.
Πάτερ ἡμῶν
ὁ ἐν [τοῖς] οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· | saying τοὔνομα works better
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· | have to sing really fast
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, |have to sing really rast
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ
καὶ-- ἐ---πὶ--- γῆ---ς· |draw this phrase out
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον [there is a line w/o words in Malotte - use this for the first part of the line]
δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, |sing very quickly
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· |sing very quickly - but better to drop the second ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶ----ς εἰς πειρα---σμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦ---σαι ἡμᾶς
ἀπὸ τοῦ πονη---ροῦ. |sing quickly]
ὅτι σοῦ ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεῖ---α
ἡ δύνα---μις,
καὶ ἡ δό---ξα
εἰς τοὺς αἰώ----νας |τῶν αἰώνων - drop this phrase.
ἀμήν
Perhaps someone who is more talented than I can record it and give it a try.