Toward A Clearer Definition of the Magen Avot Mode

Primarily motivated by historical and comparative musicology, past studies of Ashkenazi prayer modes were affected by a pre conceived paradigm, which resulted in a distorted perception of these modes. This paper first examines the roots and specific implications of this phenomenon in one such mode, which insiders call 'Magen Avot' and then moves on to propose a new model for a definition of the mode. The model is based on the musical characteristics from which various motifs and motivic variants are drawn. It then explores the structure they create, the degree of freedom in which they are used, the norms of performance and genres to which they are incorporated, and their textual connection and liturgical function.