1
composer: Yehezkel Braun
title: Psalm Verses (Eighteen Canons)
publisher: Israel Music Institute catalogue number: IMI 6403
voicing: any combination of voices (2 to 5 parts)
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: Psalms year of composition: 1982
timing: depends on which canons are chosen
recordings: none
statement: Each of these little gems is a setting of a verse or
two from the Psalter. The simpler ones are two-part canons at the
unison. The more complex canons involve up to five parts, are in
mixed meter, have entrances in different keys and involve inversion
of the subject. A word of warning to the conductor: the composer
has written many of these in the form of "puzzle canons;" you'll
need to figure out their solutions. But it's worth the effort. These
are fun to sing and lovely to listen to. Use your imagination in
selecting a sub-set of the eighteen, allocating them to various
combinations of voices, and arranging ways to bring each canon to
a conclusion.
2
composer: Joseph Hadar (arranger Jack Klebanow)
title: Erev Shel Shoshanim
publisher: World Music Press catalogue number: WMP 03
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano timing 3:15
language: Hebrew
text: Moshe Dor year of arrangement: 1986
recordings: The Songs We Sang (HZ-906)*
statement: "Erev Shel Shoshanim" is an Israeli song, conceived in
a "folk" style, and tremendously popular both in Israel and the
Diaspora in the 1960s. The text of this secular love song is a paraphrase
of verses from the Biblical Song of Songs, in which the poet entreats
his lover to join him in the fragrant garden for an "Evening of
Roses." This one is quite easy to learn, and has achieved great
popularity among U.S. high-school choirs; the tempo is slow, the
meter remains quadruple, the mode is Dorian, and voice parts are
simple. The trick here is to perform the work with a warm tone and
expressive legato phrasing.
3
composer: Robert Starer
title: Song of Praise
publisher: MMB catalogue number: MMB 89001
voicing: mostly unison (some two-part), any combination of voices
accompaniment: piano (or harp, violin and cello)
timing: 4:40
language: Hebrew and English
text: from Psalm 92 year of composition: 1988
recordings: none
statement: Robert Starer belongs to the generation of young Jewish
musicians who fled Austria in the 1930s. After spending a decade
in Jerusalem, Starer eventually settled in the United States. "Song
of Praise" is one of Starer's many works in which he alternates
Hebrew and English lyrics. The writing is basically tonal (or modal),
but frequent and unexpected modulations are common. The voicing
is flexible enough so that this piece works equally well with all-male,
all-female or mixed choirs, large or small.
4
composer: Tzvi Avni
title: Mizmorei Tehillim (Psalm Songs)
publisher: Transcontinental Music Publications catalogue number:
991377-12
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 6:25
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: from Psalms 47, 48, 150 year of composition: 1967
recordings: Zamir 25 (HZ-907)*
statement: This three-movement work was commissioned for the 1967
Zimriyah International Choral Festival in Israel. Its texts reflect
both the uniqueness of the host nation, and the joy a foreigner
experiences when coming to the Holy Land. This is one of the last
works from Avni's "Mediterranean" style period, incorporating the
rhythms and modes of the Middle East. The first movement is set
in a lively 5/4 meter. The second movement evokes the Palestrina
ideal in its polyphonic texture made up of independent, lyrical,
flowing lines. The finale returns to the mood of the opening: joyous
homophony in mixed meters. This colorful work is very rewarding
for more advanced choirs.
5
composer: Ernest Bloch
title: Silent Devotion and Response (from "Sacred Service")
publisher: Broude Brothers catalogue number: BB 179
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella (optional prelude for organ)
timing: 2:15
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: Psalm 19:14 year of composition: 1933
recordings: The entire Sacred Service can be heard on SONY SM2K47533.
statement: This octavo is a brief excerpt from Bloch's magnum opus,
"Sacred Service" ("Avodat Hakodesh"), one of the only truly great
choral-orchestral settings of the Jewish liturgy. The brief prelude
("silent devotion") for keyboard (actually a reduction of the orchestration)
may easily be omitted. This neo-romantic work gives the chorus the
opportunity to show off its blend and its ability to phrase expressively.
The tempo is slow, the mood is contemplative and the mode is Dorian.
6
composer: Yehezkel Braun (arranger Joshua Jacobson)
title: Durme, Durme
publisher: HaZamir catalogue number: 982012
voicing: SSATBB
accompaniment: piano
timing: 2:00
language: Ladino
text: traditional year of composition: 1981
recording: Sepharad 92 (HZ-903)*
statement: In 1981 Israeli composer Yehezkel Braun composed "Seven
Sephardic Romances," a song cycle for soprano and piano. This work
was based on love songs from the ancient traditions of Jews who
lived in Spain prior to the sixteenth century. The Ladino language
is a jargon combining elements of Castillian Spanish and Hebrew,
with the former predominating. In 1990 Joshua Jacobson arranged
the entire cycle for mixed chorus. In "Durme, Durme" a troubadour
sings to his beloved. The arrangement is not difficult, but does
call for the choir to divide into six parts.
7
composer: Yehezkel Braun
title: Shir Hashirim (Cantici Canticorum Caput III)
publisher: Transcontinental Music Publications catalogue number:
992035-25
voicing: SATB, solo soprano
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 13:00
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: Song of Songs, chapter 3 year of composition: 1973
recordings: none
statement: Yehezkel Braun's fascination with chanting is evident
in many of his compositions, including this one. Braun's textures
are frequently woven of chant-like lines which are soaked in colorful
modalities and seem to float above any sense of terrestrial meter.
This six-movement work is a setting of the entire third chapter
of the Biblical Song of Songs. It is a beautiful evocation of amorous
dreams, the lively dancing of lovers, and the splendor of King Solomon's
court.
8
composer: Nira Chen (arranger Joshua Jacobson)
title: Dodi Li
publisher: World Music Press catalogue number: WMP 017
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: clarinet, flute, percussion
timing: 3:30
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: after Song of Songs 3:6, 4:9, 4:16, 6:3. year of arrangement:
1993
recordings: The Songs We Sang (HZ-906)*
statement: When European Jews began to return to the land of Israel
at the beginning of the twentieth century, they were determined
to create an ideal new life, based on the ancient Hebrew civilization.
Among the manifestations of this new life-style was a body of popular
secular songs whose texts were taken from the Old Testament and
whose melodies were in tune with the rhythms and scales of the Middle
East. Nira Chen's Dodi Li provides an excellent example. The text
is taken from the greatest Biblical love song, the Canticle of King
Solomon. The exoticism of the melody is reinforced by the repeated
horah rhythm and the modality, vacillating between Dorian and Aeolian.
In this arrangement, the amorous quality of the text is the springboard
for a sensuous interpretation. The tempo is slow and languid, the
dynamics expressive.
9
composer: folk (arranger Joshua Jacobson)
title: Adijo Kerida
publisher: HaZamir catalogue number: WMP 016
voicing: SATB (div.)
accompaniment: piano
timing: 3:45
language: Ladino
text: traditional year of arrangement: 1991
recordings: Sepharad 92 (HZ-903)*
statement: It is unclear whether the origin of this song is from
ancient Spain or Violetta's aria "Addio del passato" from Verdi's
La Traviata (1853). Whatever its history, this sad ballad of unrequited
love is well known among the Sephardim (Jews who trace their ancestry
to medieval Spain) living in the Balkan countries. The Ladino dialect
is more than five hundred years old and is related to the language
spoken by the Jews of Spain before their expulsion by the Inquisition
in 1492. In this setting, the piano imitates the sound of a Spanish
guitar. The voice parts can be handled easily by most choirs.
10
composer: Michael Gelbart (arranger Matthew Lazar)
title: I Have a Little Dreydel
publisher: HaZamir catalogue number: 982002
voicing: SATB, T solo
accompaniment: piano (optional bass and drum set)
timing: 3:00
language: English
text: Michael Gelbart year of arrangement: 1989
recordings: LIGHTS (HZ-901)*
statement: Originally written in Yiddish, Michael Gelbart's "I Have
a Little Dreydel" has proven to be a popular children's song for
Chanukah. In English translation it has captivated several generations
of American children, as well. Utilizing the styles of 1950s rock-'n'-roll,
this lighthearted arrangement conveys the joyous aura of the Festival
of Lights. After a deceptively simple a cappella introduction by
the choir, the piano boldly enters in 12/8 rhythms. The soloist
carries the melody for the most part, while the chorus enjoys the
sounds of "doo-wop."
11
composer: Joshua Jacobson
title: Shavu'ot
publisher: Transcontinental Music Publications catalogue number:
991455-8
voicing: SATB (divisi)
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 4:45
language: Hebrew
text: Exodus 20 and a hymn by the eleventh-century German Rabbi
Meir Ben Yitzhak year of composition: 1991
recordings: Seasons of Our Joy (HZ-908)*
statement: The holiday of Shavu'ot celebrates the first harvest
of Spring and commemorates the giving of the Decalogue at Sinai.
This composition is an attempt to convey some of the mystery surrounding
the theophany, the revelation of the Lord's presence. The text of
the Ten Commandments is preceded and followed by verses from an
eleventh-century hymn which is chanted in the synagogue on Shavu'ot.
Traditional Ashkenazic melodies for both texts have been utilized
in this composition. The antiphonal effects of this piece work best
if the choir abandons the stage and surrounds the audience on opposite
sides of the hall. The aleatoric sections are meant to simulate
a deep reverberation, as if the voices were being echoed in an extremely
resonant chamber. This piece works best with a large choir performing
in a reverberant venue.
12
composer: Max Janowski
title: Avinu Malkeynu
publisher: Friends of Max Janowski catalogue number: F-053
voicing: SATB, T solo
accompaniment: piano (or organ)
timing: 3:20
language: Hebrew
text: synagogue liturgy year of composition: 1967
recordings: none
statement: Janowski's affinity for the Eastern European styles of
synagogue music is apparent in this setting of the penitential prayer,
"Avinu Malkeynu" ("Our Father, Our King"). The soloist's line, in
the Aeolian mode, is replete with melismatic ornaments. In the traditional
manner, the choir alternatively gives the cantor harmonic support
or repeats the main melodic ideas. The keyboard part (piano or organ)
is not technically demanding, but is of great interest in its exploration
of various colorful modal harmonies.
13
composer: Louis Lewandowski
title: Mah Tovu
publisher: Broude Brothers catalogue number: CR-69
voicing: SATB, T (or bar) solo
accompaniment: organ (or piano)
timing: 3:00
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: liturgy year of composition: circa 1882
recording: Majesty of Holiness (HZ-912)*
statement: Louis Lewandowski was the first musician to serve the
Jewish synagogue as a choirmaster serves a church. In 1864 the building
in Berlin of the Oranienburgerstrasse Temple, which was equipped
with an organ, offered Lewandowski the opportunity of creating an
entire new service with organ accompaniment --- a task never before
undertaken. The culmination of his career came in 1882 with the
publication of his magnum opus, Todah W'Simrah (Thanks and Song),
a setting of the entire liturgical cycle for four-part choir, cantor
and organ. "Mah Tovu" is the prayer recited upon first entering
a synagogue. Its homophonic style, somewhat reminiscent of Mendelssohn,
evokes the pomp and formality of worship in nineteenth-century Berlin.
14
composer: Martin Rosenberg (arranger: Joshua Jacobson)
title: Tsen Brider
publisher: Transcontinental Music Publications catalogue number:
991433-12
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano
timing: 4:30
language: Yiddish
text: Martin Rosenberg year of composition: 1942
recordings: Hear Our Voices (HZ-909)
statement: Martin Rosenberg, a conductor and educator in pre-war
Poland and Germany, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1939 and sent
to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp where he was brutally tortured.
As soon as he recovered, he organized and conducted a clandestine
chorus of prisoners. When it became known that the Jewish prisoners
of Sachsenhausen were to be transferred to the death camp at Auschwitz,
Rosenberg composed this gruesome parody on an old Yiddish folksong
called "Tsen Brider." In Rosenberg's version, which he called a
"Jewish Requiem," the ten brothers are murdered, one after the other,
in the gas chambers. This rearrangement of "Tsen Brider" for mixed
chorus conveys the horror and irony of this Holocaust lament in
a musical language that is simple and direct.
15
composer: Salamone Rossi
title: Halleluyah
publisher: Broude Brothers catalogue number: CR-25
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 2:30
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: Psalm 146 year of composition: 1982
recordings: ROSSI (HZ-910)*
statement: Salamone Rossi (c. 1570 - c.1630) was a Mantuan violinist
and composer in the employ of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga. He was also
the first composer to publish a collection of polyphonic motets
for the synagogue. The thirty-three motets, set for three to eight
voices, include psalms, hymns and prayers for synagogue services
or for sacred concerts. "Halleluyah" is included in the liturgy
for Sabbath and festival morning services. Rossi's setting is largely
homophonic, similar in style to church music composed by his Christian
colleagues.
16
composer: Moshe Wilensky
title: Uri Tsiyon
publisher: Transcontinental Music Publications catalogue number:
992019-8
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 2:30
language: Hebrew
text: Isaiah 52:1 year of composition: 1959
recordings: Zamir 25 (HZ-907)*
statement: One of the favorite themes of the "enlightened" Jews
of the nineteenth century and the Zionist Jews of the early twentieth
century was that of the Jewish people awakening from centuries of
slumber to begin a new life. The words of the ancient prophet Isaiah
("Awake, O Zion! Clothe yourself in splendor -- arise, shake off
the dust, sit on your throne, Jerusalem!") were exceedingly relevant
to this modern audience. Moshe Wilenski's setting of these lyrics
captures the excitement of this renaissance. "Uri Tsiyon" is based
on the Mixolydian mode and is replete with the syncopated rhythms
of the horah dance. There is a great deal of variety in this little
piece: homophony and polyphony, dynamic changes, modulations. A
rousing way to end or begin a concert program.
17
composer: (and arranger) Paul Ben-Haim
title: Roni Akarah (Sing, O Barren)
publisher: Israel Music Publications catalogue number: IMP 313
voicing: SATB, solo SATTBB
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 9:30
language: Hebrew
text: Isaiah 54 year of composition: 1956-57
recordings: RCA International (Camden) LP INTS 1365
statement: This four-movement motet is one of Ben-Haim's finest
choral works. Paul Ben-Haim, who emigrated to Palestine in 1933,
is generally regarded as the father of the "Eastern Mediterranean"
school of composition, and "Roni Akarah" is a fine example of that
style. The modes, rhythms, melodies and textures are reminiscent
of he Middle East, while the forms are those of European art music.
This work will challenge the finest choirs, and leave a stirring
impression on the audience.
Publishers
