Sonus triplex: von Varros Triaden zur Trinität

Since his early days Augustine was acquainted with the Varronian triplicity of sound (vocalis, semivocalis—mutus). He employed it even in his Enarrationes in psalmos when explaining the musical instruments mentioned in the Psalter. After having explored the allegorical meaning of the instruments mentioned in particular biblical passages—including the human voice—he interprets their symphony in the final Psalm 150, relating the Varronian triad uoce—spiritu—pulsu to the anthropological triplicity mens—spiritus—corpus as well as to the theological Trinity.

The drum and its significance for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective: Part two

Allowing the (South) African context to inform the construction and enhancement of the comparative paradigm as a reading strategy for the interpretation of the Old Testament enables one to identify and appreciate aspects of significance for the contemporary reader, relating to the interpretation of the text. Bearing in mind the importance of music and its function regarding religious expression, various aspects pertaining to the function and significance of music are being explored in order to enrich the interpretation of Psalm 150, with specific reference to music and musical instruments. (Whilst the focus in Part one [Oosthuizen 2016] is more on some hermeneutical aspects as pertaining to a specific reading strategy, Part two explores the significance of music for the interpretation of the Old Testament from an African perspective with specific reference to the drum and its usage in Psalm 150). Music enables one to comprehend and articulate a very particular aspect of religious experience, and it is of the utmost importance that this be acknowledged and taken into account in the current debate regarding appropriate strategies for the interpretation of religious texts in an African context. Three aspects serve to illustrate how the comparative approach can be augmented by drawing attention to aspects of particular interest for an African reading of the Old Testament: �music as space to encounter the divine�, the infectious nature of music, and �drumming� as a point of contact between the Old Testament and Africa.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: In our encounters with the biblical text, the (South-) African context can inform a comparative reading of the Old Testament. In so doing, the �comparative paradigm� is augmented by allowing insights from various disciplines to inform the reader and to apprise a reading strategy that allows for the encounter with the text to be understood not merely in terms of a historical-descriptive or linguistic exercise only, but provides an opportunity to explore various perspectives pertaining to the appreciation and interpretation of the text (Psalm 150).

Stravinsky and U2 Fix Psalm 40

This paper examines the reception of Psalm 40 by Igor Stravinsky in the second movement of his “Symphony of Psalms” and by U2 in their song “40,” the final track on their 1983 album War. Though both limit their reception to only the first three verses of the psalm, their appropriation of the text indicates two different interpretations of the psalm within the Canon. Stravinsky places the verses between the concluding verses of Psalm 39 and the entirety of Psalm 150, the result of which is a typical personal lament psalm made up of lament, petition, assurance, and praise—a very different structure than the canonical Psalm 40's assurance followed by lament. U2's appropriation, on the other hand, is arguably more faithful to the text of the canonical Psalm 40 in that its concluding lyrics hearken back to the harrowing opening track of their album, the “lament” “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” The paper concludes by arguing that both Stravinsky and U2 remain faithful to the spirit of the psalter as a whole by re-appropriating the words of the psalmist for each musician's own Sitz I’m Leben.

The Devil, the Violin, and Paganini: The Myth of the Violin as Satan’s Instrument

Stringed instruments are included in Psalm 150 among those appropriate for music-making in praise of the Lord. For that reason, angels frequently appear in medieval and Renaissance art playing bowed and plucked instruments. The later association of the violin and the Devil is therefore a departure from the religious tradition. This paper traces the appearance of this notion in eastern European folklore, Shakespeare and his contemporaries, reactions to instrumental virtuosity in the Baroque period, Tartini’s dream, and the career of Paganini, in whom the myth reached its apogee.