King David opens Sefer Tehillim with a psalm that fittingly introduces the entire book, as it teaches that the man who departs from evil
and does good (34:15) is truly happy and firmly rooted. Sefer Tehillim was composed with ten expressions of song:
Psalm 4, For the Conductor; with instrumental music. A psalm of David. . . .
The Midrash says that this psalm was expressed in three forms of praise - by orchestration (Nitzuah), by instrumental music (Nigun)
and by song (Mizmor). "With instrumental music"... (Binginot) pertains to the prophetic faculty, as it says, "And it came to pass,
when the minstrel played, that the hand of God came upon him" (2nd Melachim 3:15). "For the Conductor"... (Lamnatzeach) pertains to Him
who is eternal (Lanetzach); G-d's orchestration is eternally everlasting.
The Radak writes: "It seems that the Menatzeach (conductor) was the one in charge of the singers, and all the psalms were recited and
chanted as directed by the conductor. There was also a conductor in charge of the musical instruments called Neginot, and a conductor
for the instruments called Sehminit. The songs were chanted in unison with the playing of instruments, such that every instrument was
related to a different soul-lifting melody. The different musical instruments used in the Beit HaMikdash included the lyre, the harp,
cymbals, ram's horns and trumpets. There were also many different kinds of melodies: Alamot, Neginot, Maskil, Michtam, Shigyon,
Nechilot, Shigyonot, and Gitit. In addition, there are many varieties of the instrument called Asor. It is not known whether or
not the musicians who played the instruments where also the ones who sang.
"For the Conductor; with instrumental music"... It is usually necessary to activate the Ruach HaKodesh, spirit of the Holy One, in
oneself by means of music, but David would become aroused on his own as the Ruach HaKodesh rested upon him from the beginning.
Hence "a psalm of David," which conveys that first came the inspiration for the psalms and the music followed to give them a
higher plane of understanding and expression.
These correspond to the ten men who composed them: 1) Adam, 2) Malchizedek, 3) Avraham, 4) Moshe', 5) David, 6) Solomon, 7) Asaf, and
8-10) the three sons of Korach.