Munach

Munach
מֻנַּ֣ח ֣ מָק֣וֹם
cantillation
Sof passuk ׃   Paseq ׀
Etnakhta/atnakh ֑   Segol ֒
Shalshelet ֓   Zakef katan ֔
Zakef gadol ֕   Tifcha/tarkha ֖
Rivia ֗   Zarka ֘
Pashta ֙   Yetiv ֚
Tevir ֛   Geresh ֜
Geresh muqdam [de] ֝   Gershayim ֞
Karne parah ֟   Telisha gedola/talsha ֠
Pazer ֡   Atnah hafukh [de] ֢
Munakh/shofar holekh ֣   Mahpach ֤
Merkha/ma’arikh ֥   Mercha kefula ֦
Darga ֧   Qadma ֨
Telisha qetana/tarsa ֩   Yerah ben yomo ֪
Ole ֫   Illuy ֬
Dehi [de] ֭   Tsinnorit ֮

The Munach (Hebrew: מֻנַּח, also spelled Munah or Munakh), translating to English as "to rest," is a common cantillation sound. In Sephardi and Oriental traditions it is often called Shofar holekh. It is marked with a right angle below the corresponding word.[1]

The munach is found in various groups, including the Katon, Etnachta, and Segol groups. One or more munachs can be followed by many different trope sounds, including Zakef katon, Etnachta, Rivia, Zarka, Segol, and Pazer. It is normally used when the number of syllables in a phrase are so long that an extra note is required to accommodate all the syllables.[2]

The munach is normally a short note. But when it is the first of two munachs followed by a Rivia, it has a longer melody. In this case it may also be called legarmeh (מֻנַּח לְגַרְמֵ֣הּ׀).

Appearances

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The munach has the following appearances in the following sequences:

* When there are two Munachs before a Rivia (legarmeh), there is generally a vertical line (|) drawn between the words to indicate this.

The munach as shown is not always present in all cases.

Occasionally, in the Katon group, a second Munach will be inserted. This occurs when the words have more syllables, and cannot be accommodated by a single munach.[3]

Munach occurs in the Torah 8777 times. Legarmeh occurs 283 times.[4]

Total occurrences

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Book Munach Legarmeh
Torah 8777[4] 283[4]
   Genesis 2271[4] 60[4]
   Exodus 1835[4] 62[4]
   Leviticus 1270[4] 45[4]
   Numbers 1748[4] 60[4]
   Deuteronomy 1653[4] 56[4]
Nevi'im 8624[5] 337[5]
Ketuvim 6150[5] 203[5]

Melody

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Note that the melody for trope is different in Torah, Haftarah, and Megillot. Different Jewish communities also use different Torah tropes. The following should not be considered an exhaustive list of all possible cantillations.

Katon group

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Etnachta group

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Rivia group

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The Munach preceding another Munach before a Rivia:
The Munach immediately preceding a Rivia:

Segol group

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Before a Zarka:
Before a Segol:

Telisha group

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References

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  1. ^ The Art of Cantillation, Volume 2: A Step-By-Step Guide to Chanting Haftarot ... By Marshall Portnoy, Josée Wolff, page 26
  2. ^ Outlines of Hebrew Accentuation By A. B. Davidson, page 39
  3. ^ Outlines of Hebrew Accentuation By A. B. Davidson, page 58
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 6
  5. ^ a b c d Concordance of the Hebrew accents in the Hebrew Bible: Concordance ..., Volume 1 By James D. Price, page 5