When I say "song", I mean the combination of tune and words; and yes I'm probably thinking Ashkenazically here. It seems like any European old-timer I've met knows the "good old fashioned" tune for Psalm 23 (Mizmor L'Dovid, Hashem ro'i lo echsar). How old is that? More generally, what are the oldest songs still popular today?
Answer
I have heard from my uncle, who has been very active in the Jewish Music industry, that when he played the tune Ashkenazim use for singing the seder (order) of the Seder Night (Kadesh, Urchatz, etc.) for his music professor, the professor exclaimed that the tune was at least 1000 years old.
Then I sang the tune for some sefardic friends who exclaimed that they use the same tune (albeit with some Middle Eastern twists). They sang it and lo and behold it is the same tune Ashkenazim use! Who knows how old that tune is?!
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