[Avodah] The Vilna Gaon and Secular Wisdom

[Yitzchak Schaffer]

On 2011-02-06 18:17, Prof. Levine wrote:
> R. Israel of Shklov (d. 1839) wrote:
> ...
> all the branches of secular wisdom, including algebra, trigonometry,
> geometry, and music. He especially praised music, explaining that most
> of the Torah accents, the secrets of the Levitical songs, and the
> secrets of the Tikkunei Zohar could not be comprehended without
> mastering it

I've always wondered how much of "music" would fall under this banner. 
The Gra was contemporaneous with Mozart, so he presumably had access to 
Classical-period music. I think Baroque music was out of favor at that 
time, and Bach (for example) was relatively obscure. Not sure about 
Medieval/Renaissance music. I suppose it depends on how much the Gra 
would have delved into then-historical music.

But in the end, what is "it" that informs understanding of the Tikkunei 
Zohar? Musical forms and compositional styles are so varied, and I would 
guess that the Levitical songs were a good way off from anything 
happening in Europe in the Gra's time.

-- 
Yitzchak Schaffer