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Music has always been a crucial part of human prayer. In the Temple, musical instruments accompanied the songs of the Levites. After the destruction of the Temple, it was the piyyut (liturgical poem) that added a special musical element to prayer. The piyyut was a holy song designed to adorn individual and communal prayer and religious ritual. Communities would create the words and melodies for their own piyyutim.
Today, new piyyutim are no longer added to the services although new tunes are still being created. The music of today’s synagogue is thus a combination of the traditional and the contemporary.
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