Tish’a B’Av, the 9th of the month of Av is a day of mourning in the Jewish calendar. It is a complete fast day, like Yom Kippur. On this day, we remember the destruction of the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem. The Jews were expelled from Spain on Tish’a B’Av, 1492. The day is a focal point of bitter memories for the Jewish people.
We chant the Book of Eicha, Lamentations, on this day. The melody of Eicha is the most beautiful of all of the trope musical systems applied to our sacred texts. Its mournful melody yearns to find hope amid destruction, as we sing ‘Take us back, O Lord, to Yourself, And let us come back; Renew our days as of old.’
Below is the Trope Music, (Exercise for Lamentations Tropes, M’gilat Eicha), and the musical notations of Tropes 1-19. Each trope number corresponds with the music on the attached pages. Amen is chanted first. It uses the same melody as no. 7, Tevir. If you know how to chant Torah, the approach to chanting another book in the Ta’n’ch (Torah, N’vi’im, Ketuvim) is the same. In fact, six of the Eicha Tropes are identical to Torah tropes (No. 9-14)
For the date upon which we will be chanting these tropes this year, please check the CBS Calendar or Home Page.
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Eicha 1
Eicha 2
Eicha 3
Eicha 4
Eicha 5
Eicha 6
Eicha 7
Eicha 8
Eicha 9
Eicha 10
Eicha 11
Eicha 12
Eicha 13
Eicha 14
Eicha 15
Eicha Amen