Torah Reading Trop (Ta'amim) - The musical cantillation notes for reading the Torah

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Torah Reading Trop: The musical cantillation notes for reading the Torah

The words of the Torah are to be read with their accompanying musical cantillation notes. These notes are known in Yiddish as trop and in Hebrew as ta’amim.

by Michoel Slavin

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45 Comments

Rochel Leah Solow July 4, 2022

Anyone know where I could find a chart of each symbol and what the symbols name is Reply

Eric December 21, 2023

in response to Rochel Leah Solow :

The Wikipedia entry for 'Hebrew cantillation' has useful charts Reply

Help - Musical Notes April 12, 2021

Is there way to post musical notes (on a staff) to help out with the learning? Reply

Shloime weiss Miami June 9, 2021

in response to Help - Musical Notes:

It will help my son Reply

Bumy Goldson Beitar Illit September 12, 2021

in response to Help - Musical Notes:

Chabad doesn't post weblinks in these forums, but if you copy and paste the following into google:

"judaisme" "taamim"

the first link that shows up (Taamim alsaciens) should take you to a french site that has the taamim in sheet music form. Reply

mendem paris March 13, 2021

why is there no continuation of shalashelet Reply

Shloime weiss Miami June 9, 2021

in response to mendem:

Yes agread Reply

C Cohen ohio January 18, 2021

Question about the "Esnachta:" Rabbi Slavin has a particular emphasis on this sound that I don't hear with other readers. Is this unique to Rabbi Slavin and his personal reading style? Or is this an ideal emphasis and should therefore be taught this way? Reply

Anonymous December 19, 2022

in response to C Cohen :

This is his personal style. Reply

Dovid Clifton December 21, 2022

in response to Anonymous:

ANd in fact, if you find old recordings or old trop sheet music, you will find esnahcta has two notes to it, wheras Rabbi Slavin essentially has no musicality to the esnachta. However, I believe he is trying to make clear that esnachta is a strong stop, so he is interpretively changing the stadnard to a better job in making the reading comprehensible to listeners. Reply

Leibel Goldreich Crown Heights, Brooklyn, NY January 17, 2021

Rabbi Slavin is the "official" Torah, Megillas Esther, and Eicha reader in the Lubavitcher Rebbe's, main shul downstairs in 770 Eastern Parkway every Shabbos, Yom Tov and other holidays and fasts during the main minyan aka the Rebbe's minyan. I have been attending this shul since 1979. I forget when he became the main reader. In any case, the way he reads here is not slowed down for teaching purposes, it is the actual speed which he reads in practice. Reply

Moshe Beigel Buenos Aires August 14, 2020

I have a question when I know what to apply for example the two types of pashta or kadma veasla and asla gueresh? Thank you. Reply

Rabbi Mendel Adelman for Chabad.org August 14, 2020

in response to Moshe Beigel:

When a pashta symbol is all alone, not followed by an asla, it is the first type of pashta. Similarly, when the asla is not preceded by pashta/kadma, it is an asla geresh. It isn't so easy at the beginning, but you will soon be able to tell in an instant which of the two it is. Reply

Dovid Clifton August 14, 2020

in response to Moshe Beigel:

Not sure what you are asking. There is only one type of pashta. The symbols for kadma and pashta are identical in most printings (some printers have made subtle differentiations between the symbols, but they are hard to notice). So perhaps you are asking about how to tell pashta and kadma apart? Or perhaps you are asking about why pastha is sometimes printed twice on the same word.

As to azla/geresh, they are identical. It has two names, one where paired with kadma, and one when not paired. But it is really the same thing. If you like, I can explain why that happened. Reply

Travis niedzwiecki 45.48 May 2, 2021

in response to Rabbi Mendel Adelman for Chabad.org:

I know how you are feeling Reply

Moshe Beigel Buenos Aires August 15, 2020

in response to Dovid:

yes i am asking why pashta is printed twice Reply

Dovid Clifton August 17, 2020

in response to Moshe Beigel:

This is because pashta and kadma look the same. To avoid confusion Pashta is always printed as far left as possible (end of word), even when the accent is earlier in the word. So, assuming you have a good chumash, this is how to interpret:

Marked over two different letters - pashta, with the access on the earlier letter
Single mark, not on last letter - kadma
Single mark on last letter - potentially ambiguous. Good prints will make sure that if it is over the left edge of the last letter (i.e., as clos eto the end as possible) for pashta, and over the right side of the letter for kadma.

Note where the accent is on the last syllable, and the last letter has no vowel, the kadma SHOULD appear on the second to last letter with a single mark, while a pashta should appear on the last letter (no vowel), and some chumashim will also put two pashta marks, over each of the last two letters. This is all consistent with the explanation above. Reply

Pat October 24, 2018

Add a comment...I have a question. Tipcha is classed as a disjunctive trop on Mechon Mamre's website (I can give you the link if you ask, comments won't let me put it in). However, on bible.ort.org it is not shown at either the start or the end of a segment as if it divided that segment from a different one. So is one of these sites wrong, or if not, why is tipchah classed as disjunctive? Thanks Reply

Dovid Clifton August 4, 2019

in response to Pat:

Brooklyn It is a disjunctive. Examine it in context throughout the Torah. You will find that where the word meaning indicates connection there is almost always Mercha (or Munach when immediately preceding Esnachta). When it indicates otherwise, it is almost always Tipcha. Reply

Joshua Philadelphia September 21, 2018

never learned this, very happy to as an adult, thank you so much Chabad.com!
Question: the playback ends at 1 minute 17 seconds "sof pasuk" (which I assume means trope to "end sentence").

What is written afterward (shalsheles...) ? Is that not also part of the trope? I notice different cantillation symbols which hadn't appeared previously. Is there a reason the recording does not address the final words from shalsheles to yerach-ben-yomo? Reply

Anonymous January 1, 2019

in response to Joshua :

Those 4 are the most complicated ones, and also show up the least. shalsheles, for example, shows up only 3 or 4 times. yerach-ben-yomo isn't even known. not entirely sure why they weren't included, but that is a possible reason. Reply

Anonymous Boca Raton April 3, 2019

in response to Anonymous:

You can listen to Yerach Ben Yomo and the Karnei Parah on the reading for Parshat Masei. You can find a Mercha Kefulah is in Parsha Toldos, in the 5th aliyah. The Chabad Shalshelet is basically 2 Pazers. The Karnei Parah and a combination of the Mercha Kefulah and Telisha Gedola. It should also be noted that Chabad Darga appears to be slightly different than the regular Ashkenazi Darga. Reply

Dovid Clifton August 14, 2020

in response to Anonymous:

Also note that karnei fara as you described it is not universal at all. There are many traditions for how to sing it - I believe even within Chabad, and no one way is dominant,

A common way to do shalsheles is as three pazerim, with the last note removed form the first two. Reply

Adrienne Wasserman August 22, 2018

I just came across "how to read Torah and Haftorah" with audio. The "suggestions" button did not respond, so I'm expressing my enthusiasm on your site. This is exactly what I need to practice my Hebrew reading. The pace works for me. Thank you. May I ask for more information (excuse my ignorance) of what will be on the Torah and Haftorah audio site? Obviously, it has to be a limited selection. I will also be using the Torah music trope. Thank you. Reply

Meir Kagan August 20, 2018

Amazing, I’m 12 and I’m going to lain so this is great! Reply

Anonymous Portland, Oregon May 26, 2018

I decided to chant Torah Nitzavim and would like an example plus the trope signs and the musical notes for each trope I can play on the piano. Thank You. I should explain that my family married into a Cohanim family. All the members of my family are descended from Rachel Leah Cohen, the daughter of Yehoushua Leib Cohen, a Cohanim, and we have no relationship at all to another group that uses our name. Rachel Leah Cohen, my great grandmother, married my great grandfather, Aaron Leyba Subotnick, in Lithuania while Lithuania was under the control of the Czar of Russia. That is why I am doing what I am doing right now because of their influence. I want to emphasize that I am only interested in Parashat Nitzavim, Torah chanting only and do not want Haftorah chanting which has a different melody. I know the difference. Reply

Anita Lichtblau Toronto November 3, 2017

Hello, Could you send me the musical score for piano, so I can help my son? Reply

Dani London April 28, 2017

The LAST three Ta'amim I have the music score for these.
e-mail me if you want me to send you a copy.
L'Shalom Reply

Gabbi Melbourne September 10, 2017

in response to Dani:

Hi Dani, do you know if they're sung anywhere online? Please email me the music or the recording via the editor
Thanks,
Gabbi Reply

irwin pressman florida March 2, 2020

in response to Dani:

Haftorah Trop Please send me the musical notes for the Haftorah Trop, Reply

Adam Davis Johannesburg August 22, 2020

in response to Dani:

Hi Dani - do you perhaps have the musical score for the trop for Tehillim ? Reply

Adam Davis Johannesburg August 24, 2020

in response to Dani:

Hi It's 3 yrs since you posted this - but could you send these to me too please. thanks ! Reply

Alex March 14, 2021

in response to Dani:

Hi, any chance you can please send me the music sheet music for the laining notes. My 10 y.o is just getting into keyboard and he's expressed an interest in starting to learn his BM parsha and plan early. Would be most grateful. Reply

Dovid Clifton August 24, 2020

in response to Adam Davis:

I don't believe there is a known Ashkenazi way to do it. There is a Sephardic version, but I don't know of a score or recording. Reply

Adam Davis Johannesburg December 21, 2022

in response to Adam Davis:

Anyone knownanwebsitebor redording of the Tehillim trop ? Thanks ! Reply

Anonymous Brooklyn June 28, 2016

This is incomplete This is not complete. It doesn't finish off from shalsheles until the end. Please finish it off, thank you! Reply

Anonymous March 25, 2016

The last line IN response to B from Los Angeles asking about the last verse: those last four marks are extremely rare, with the final three final found only once in the Torah. The fourth-to-last, Shalsheles, is simply three of pazeir (beginning of forth line) stretched across the word. The third and second I don't know, and I don't think there is even a Chabad tradition for the last one. Hope this helps. Reply

Joshua Philadelphia September 21, 2018

in response to Anonymous:

Thanks very much! Reply

Paul Shapshak, PhD January 3, 2015

Please answer as I'm a bit confused.

1. Do you have a file which shows the writtenmusic notes with corresponding Hebrew for the cantillation tropes?

2. The tropes in the above list do not correspond in toto with the list of tropes called Set Aleph, etc. Reply

Sam C May 13, 2014

missing Parshios in Devarim Hi rabbi Slavin,

Thank you very much for sharing all the Torah reading audios, When you get a chance can you complete sefer Devarim. Reply

David Niles Phoenix, AZ February 26, 2013

compliment Rabbi Slavin's chanting is very enjoyable. He is a "guten" bal koreih. Reply

B los angeles, CA April 9, 2012

where's the last verse? it's missing from the audio... Reply

Neal Walters Dallas, TX September 5, 2011

Possible Answer This article on the Chabad website might explain it.
Reply

Torah Reading Trop: The musical cantillation notes for reading the Torah

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