Archival Mystery Storytime

Come, sit by the fire

This, right here, is the earliest known musical notation of a Jewish song (and it’s a song that’s notated with trope, cantillation marks for liturgical recitation).

The story of how we got this, the mystery it caused, and the fascinating backstory of the likely author of it are all a pretty good story. So I thought I’d tell it! Thanks to the archivist…