The article is based on the writer's MA thesis where he examined the reading of Psalms by Moroccan, Djerba and Iraqi Jews based on field work performed in 1977-1980. The article revisits the connection between taame emet and the reading of tehilim by the these communities in light of Idelsohn’s theory that the Eastern Sephardi communities retained their tradition of tehilim reading according to the taame emet. The historical and ethnomusicological aspects of the topic was examined. A comparison of the teamim of Psalm 24 in the Tiberian and Iraqi tradition shows that A- the Iraqi system is more simple and closer to psalmody, and B- The text in the Iraqi tradition is written in a way which enables identification of the different parts of the verse. The ethnomusicological discourse compares three versions of psalm 24 sung by the three communities referred to earlier. The writer affirms Idelsohn’s claim that Eastern communities retained tame emet however the tradition retained only reveals the structural aspect and not the motivic aspect in contrast to the cantilation of the Torah. The connection between the Jewish psalmody and taame emet could indicate the existence of an ancient reading tradition preceding the Tiberian tradition as it is revealed in the Iraqi manuscripts.

Moses Ibn Ezra dealt with music in two of his main books including Maqalat Al Hadiqah which was written during his exile to Castille. In he deals with the metaphor in the bible and includes philosophical, theological and philological interpretations. The discussion on music encompasses: the definition of sound, and the sonorous process of communication. Parts of the text is edited and translated. Human and animal sounds are discussed as are the voice and musical values of the vocals.

Abraham Abulafia (1240- circ 1291) lists three connections between music and the prophetic experience. A- The playing of the Nevel reminds him of the combination of letters which create the Name; the musical notes revive the soul while the letter combination gladdens the heart B- The playing of the Nevel compared to the mystical experience of prophecy. The widespread analogy of a prophet being similar to a musical instrument upon which God plays music appears twice in Abulafia’s books. C- Music is an organic part of the technique used to attain the prophetic experience; the mystic sings the consonants with the vowels representing the musical tones. In the later prophetic Kabalah books such as the “Sulam Ha’aliyah' by Yehuda Albotini (16th century) instrumental music appears apparently due to Sufi influence.

The Judeo- Arabic treatise “Al Murhid ila al- tafarrud” includes fragments of musical scores. The entire piece, dated here to the 14th century was very much influenced by Islamic Sufism and mystical speculations. Sufi ideas about music influenced Jewish- Egyptian Pietists especially during the 13th and 14th centuries. When mentioned in Jewish literature these ideas were attributed to prophets, to the music of the Levites and King David. The manuscript is translated here and is influenced by Neo-Plutonian and Aristotelian sources.

The article deals with the titles in the psalter and includes a comparison with Judean desert manuscripts, with titles in other biblical books and comparison with neighbouring cultures. The article includes two approaches to analyzing the titles including a tentative reconstruction of the titling process.

In addition to Obadiah the Proselyte's manuscripts and secondary sources on Synagogue chant, 6 manuscripts have been found so far in the Cairo Genizah concerning musical science. One of those documents is presented here with a translation and an explanation. The text (written in Arabic using Hebrew letters) includes a verbal explanation of musical examples or three ancient Arabic finger modes known as 'Taraic'. The article tries to create transcriptions based on these descriptions and deals with the problems of transcribing from these sources.

This article is a translation to French of Ibn Shafrut’s interpretation of Ali Ibn Sina’s Canon book. In this piece Ibn Sina deals with the connection between music and the pulse.

Supplements for the article on the Term “musiqa” in Yuval I, p. 11-35, dealing with sources beginning from the 8th century.

Full text of Abu L-Salt's(1067-1134) Treatise of music, with a translation from the Hebrew Manuscript to English and critical notes.

Supplements for the article on the Term “musiqa” in Yuval I, p. 11-35, dealing with sources beginning from the 8th century.