3
MISSINAY- MELODIES IN THE MODAL CHANT
OF ABBA YOSEF WEISGAL
Joseph A. Levine
FOREWORD
"Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting
at the posts of my doors."
With this verse from Proverbs (8:35) Abba Weisgal, then thirty-six
years of age and newly installed as Cantor of the Chizuk Amuno Congrega-
tion in Baltimore, paid tribute to his predecessor, Reverend Hermann Glass.
The occasion was Glass's seventieth birthday and the date was J anuary,
1922. Both the epigram and his elaboration upon it ran now be applied to
Wasgal's own career: "For over four decades the congregation has praised
his heartfelt song and taken note of the untold hours of thought which went
into his masterful interpretation of the Hebrew liturgy. The traditional
melodies which he introduced have become an established part of the syna-
gogue's ritual."
Joseph Levine was privileged to have served as Assistant Cantor at
Chizuk Amuno during the years 1958-1961, where he was struck by the
uniqueness of the worship service. Weisgal. who was then in his seventies,
recalled at once every great cantor of the era and yet seemed different.
His voice, a sizeable baritone long past its prime, still possessed a youthful
suppleness that enabled it to soar and cascade easily through the intricate
runs of an orientally-inspired cantorial line. The tunes, in which all present
joined heartily, were strange and at the same time more joyous than any I
had heard during my adolescence in New York City. The male choir admittedly
added to the sonority of sound, but the impact of Weisgal's solo chant of the
Kaddish d'Rabbanan every weekday morning was fully as great as anything
he performed on Sabbaths or festivals.
In time, I was able to isolate the various elements of cantorial art which
set apart his distinctive improvisational style. Rapid psalmodic declamation
capped by melismatic flourishes at the very ends of phrases; bold attacks
followed by sudden dynamic changes: extended use of parlando emphasized
by a kind of Talmudic cheironomy; idiomatic blending of traditional prayer
motives with cantillation melodicles and Sabbath zemirot phrases; military
marches juxtaposed with hassidic lullabies. On specific holy days he added
seasonal themes at benedictions and/ or quoted fragments from the old syna-
gogue song stratum known as Missinai at signature verses. He alternated the
various prayer modes meaningfully, juxtaposing one with another as emo-
tional tinting and intellectual innuendo. In short, his musical language was
a melange of ideas half- invented, half- recalled, performed with such verve as
to offer a constant intellectual and auditory stimulus to those whom he led
in prayer. The atmosphere at Chizuk Amuno was always charged when he
officiated. The phenomenon of a starkly silent congregation, so often encoun-
tered today, did not exist in Weisgal's synagogue. Instead, the services ran
their course to the intermittent hum of a lively give-and-take between pulpit
and pew.
None of the above techniques was alien to hazzanic are; only Weisgal's
application of them was exceptional. His prayer chant was distinguished by
the fact that no one contributing element overpowered the others or obscured
the underlying poetic or musical logic. On the contrary, each ingredient
underscored the gorgeous symmetry of his song by maintaining its integrity
within the homogeneity of the mixture. As in the case of jazz, it was not
Weisgal's choice of tunes that set him apart as a creative artist, but rather
his extraordinary organization of accessible musical material. This was espe-
cially true of his mature improvisations, whose perfection of form was truly
astounding. In this sense, the hazzanic practice of his later years, from the
post-war period of 1949 until his retirement in 1973, may be considered a
Gesamtkuntswerk, an all-inclusive work of religious art.
To Levine, in 1958, when he first entered Abba Weisgal's orbit as a
seminary student engaged to officiate at a High Holiday suburban service,
Chizuk Amuno appeared as a time-warp, through which the grandeur of
Solomon Sulzer and the Wiener Israditische Kultusgemenide had returned
after a hundred-year hiatus, One felt compelled to preserve the gestalt before
it was swallowed up by the suburban tidal wave which would become known
to American J ewish historians as East European Reform. Levine asked Abba
to record specific passages. He recorded his public renditions of the minor
festival liturgies, when the deployment of electronic equipment was not
prohibited and copied tapes which others, equally sensitized to the frailness
of the paradigm, had been making for almost a decade. He had soon amassed
a representative library of the yearly liturgical cycle, which was periodically
augmented during the duration of his Baltimore years, some five in all.
The present article comprises part of a doctoral dissertation on the life
and works of Abba Yosef Weisgal. In addition to a compendium of his sacred
chant the 1000-page effort includes a scholarly analysis of his musical style
and a biographical study, based largely on Weisgal's oral reminiscences to
the writer, on his long career as Hazzan in only two pulpits; Ivancice,
Czechoslovakia, and Baltimore, Maryland. The dissertation is titled Emunat
Abba, which literally means Faith of our Father. It implies both a paraphrase
and a continuation of the work begun in Shirei Hayyim Ve-emunah, whose
title connoted: Songs of my Father, Shlomo Hayyim; as well as Songs of
my Congregation, Chizuk Amuno. The latter institution, which Weisgal served
as Cantor for over half a century, is still recalled in the present work. How-
ever, in the thirty years since Abba dedicated his own volume to his father,
another generation has arisen. During that interval, which saw the maturation
of the American Conservative cantorate, Weisgal himself has come to be
regarded as a Patriarch of the Old School. It is, therefore, fitting that Levine's
explication of Weisgal's Synagogue practice be dedicated to the Man of Great
Faith who inspired it, Abba Yosef Weisgal.
One traditional thread which ran through Abba Weisgal's modal
chant was an ancient stratum of High Holiday melody-fragments
dating from about 1100 to 1400 C.E.I To a terrorized medieval
Jewry they had already appeared quite old and were popularly
ascribed to the period of Sinaitic Revelation. The name assigned
these melodies in Ashkenazic lore was missinay (From Sinai).*
From the year 1096 on, the Jews of Western Europe were subjected
to an ongoing series of atrocities known to history as the Crusades.
1 Idelsohn, Abraham Zvi. Thesaurus of Hebrew Oriental Melodies, VII.
Leipzig: Friedrich Hofmeister, 1932, Introduction, xxxix.
2 Werner, Eric. The Sacred Bridge New York & London: Columbia Uni-
versity Press, 1959, p. 503.
TEXTS
abandoned communities hovering between expectation of death and
hope for the Messiah. These emotional extremes were reflected in
their religious poetry, which took the dual forms of both martyrologi-
cal dirges and glory poems. Although the texts of those times have
Mass migration Eastward resulted, which left the small, half-
been forgotten, many of their missinuy tunes were absorbed by the
statutory prayers (Category I, 4A through #6, listed below) and
later interpolations (Categories II, #7 through #14, and III, #L5
through #18). They are still functional today, mainly during the
High Holidays and, to consecutively lesser degrees, on Fasts, Fes-
tivals, Sabbaths, and weekdays. The mi ssi nay-bearing texts fall
under the following three headings: tephillot qebha3 (Statutory
Prayers) ; piyyutim (Laudatory Hymns) ; and sdihot (Penitential
Litanies.) 4
MISSINAY-BEARING
I. tephillot qebha (Statutory Prayers)
(1) barekhu (Call to Prayer)
(2) shema (Proclamation of Faith)
(3) abhot (Opening Benediction)
(4) qedushshah (Sanctification)
(5) alenu (Adoration)
(6) qaddish (Doxology)
1 1 . piyyutim (Laudatory Hymns)
(7) me'orah (Tight")
(8) ophan ("Angel")
(9) zulat/ge' ulah ("Only/Redeemer")
("Permission")
("Shield")
("Resurrection 7
Three-fold")
("Ascent")
Litanies)
(10) reshut
(11) magen
(12) mehayyeh
(13) meshullash
(14) silluq
III. sdihot (Penitential
")
('
&emu-Consort
Standi ng-amidah
Section-divider
yo tserot,
inserted in
shema-Consort
qerobhot,
inserted in
amidah
(15) Individual Biblical Verses
(16) Grouped Biblical Verses
(17) Composed Verses
(18) Hymns of Forgiveness
inserted in
amidah
and in
special sections
9 Werner, Eric. A Voice Still Heard. University Park & London: The
Pennsylvania State University Press, 1976, pp. 26-32; in Mishnah Avot 1.14,
Shammai advises: "Fix a period for thy study of Torah." Bab. Ber. 29b links
the term Qebha (fixed) with prayer, though in a negative sense.
4 Kieval, Herman. "The Main Types of Piyyut," pamphlet, in conjunction
with lectures on High Holiday Liturgy. New York: Cantors Institute at
the J ewish Theological Seminary of America, 1958-59.
The missinay "tunes" are actually migrating motives which
appear, throughout the year, as seasonal leitmotifs (leading motives).
They are allusive themes, whose occurrence is predicated on certain
theological concepts, chiefly, man's mortality and God's transcend-
ence. They may be quoted, out of context, as a passing reference to
that equation. 5 They were historically inserted into the prayer
chants to achieve a traditional coloring without the introduction
of a fixed form. Each hazzan shaped them differently, therefore,
they were never officially codified, but continue to exist in many
variants.6 Despite the amorphous condition of their descent, they
belong to the common patrimony of both Eastern and Western
Ashkenazic rites.7
A family resemblance marks all the missinay themes; primarily
through the Biblical motives which they exhibit and, secondarily,
through the tonal curves of Southwestern Germang Minnesong
toward which they tend. Their tonality is major-sounding, with
cadences often in the relative minor, similar to late Gregorian chant
and Minnesong of the same period. 8 While a number of them show
the influence of their time and place, they have been thoroughly
assimilated into the traditional Ashkenazic style. Not only are the
borrowed elements hardly discernible, the separate motives are
almost all derivatives of universal J ewish cantillation, as documented
in the supplemental chart which follows this article.
The name missinay is nowhere recorded in connection with
songs per se; it was applied, however, to the various modes of
Scriptural reading.9 The nigunnim straddle the borderline
between unrhythmical recitative and strict melody;
that is, they are unrhythmical chants in which some
bars occur with strict rhythm.lO
The single richest source of missinay motives is the legal formula
proclaimed thrice on the Eve of Atonement, kol nidre (All Vows).
The kol nidre motives are employed simultaneously in
other missinay tunes. The same loose form and . . .
5 Werner, Voice, op. cit., pp. 26-32.
6 1 delsohn, Thesaurus, VI I , I ntro., xnxvi .
7 Avenary, Hanoch, S.V. "Mis-Sinai Niggunim," Encyclopedia J udaica
1972, 12: 152.
8 I delsohn, J ewish Music in its Historic Development New York: Henry
Holt & Company, 1929, p. 125.
9 sepher has dim, ed. J udah Wistenitzki. Berlin: H. Itzkowski, 1891, #817.
10 I delsohn, Thesaurus VI I , I ntro., xxxvi .
manner of employment was common in the Minne-
song which flourished in Germany during the eleventh
to the fifteenth centuries ...Just as the Minne-
singer built his music out of his folksong and familiar
Gregorian chant, so too, Synagogue composers created
their melodies out of their ... Biblical cantillation,
prayer modes, and snatches of song from their Gentile
environment.il
There is one basic difference between missinay melodies and the
prayer modes which antedated them; their over-all sequence is
usually constant. Their traditionally prescribed profiles are, at best,
approximations of a musical idea which must be realized in sound.
The challenge they hurl at. each hazzan, to improvise creatively on
a theme, is more Oriental than European. Hence,
There is no 'archetype' for any of the missinay nigun-
nam; only different 'realizations' of a certain image."
Other Oriental features include a plasticity of rhythm which cannot
be fitted to regular bars without distortion, a suscept ability to
ornamentation, a modal tonality, and a loose dependence upon text
which permits entire phrases to be sung without words.
Any attempt to fix missinay nigunnim within a definite pattern
runs contrary to the spirit of Ashkenazic hazzanut, the very heart
of whose nature is improvisation. One proof is the limitation of all
coloraturas to the solo voice, contrasted with the Sephardic practice
of having them performed together with the congregation. In the
Catholic Church rites, melismatic runs are generally reserved for
the choir.13 Another proof is the fact that no two identical versions
of the missinay mother-lode, kol nidre, have ever been written.
Comparison of the five earliest composed settings, by Ahron Beer,
Samuel Naumbourg, Salomon Sulzer, Louis Lewandowski, and Abra-
ham Baer, yield a plethora of variations in choice, sequence, and
11 IdelSOhn, 'The Kol Nidre Tune," Hebrew Union College Annual. Gn-
cinnati: 1931, p. 499.
12 Avenary, Mis-Sinai, Op. cit., 153.
13 Cohen, Francis L., S.V. "Music," Jewish Encyclopedia, 1905, Vol. IX,
p. 121.
14 Beer, Ahron, 1765, MS published in Idelsohn, Thesaurus, vol. VI, p.
187; Naumbourg, Samuel, 1847, zemirot yisrael, no. 4; Sulzer, Salomon, 1865,
(to text authorized by Wiener Kultusgemeinde. lo al atsmi) Schir Zion, vol. II,
no. 395; Lewandowski, Louis, 1871, Kol Rinnuh, no. 107; Baer, Abraham, 1877,
Baal T'fillah, no. 1301.
8
realization of every motive.14 Moreover, it is apparent that in Eastern
Europe certain themes had been lost during the process of trans-
migration from their birthplace along the Rhine. So as to provide
melodies for the full text, other motives, still preserved, were substi-
tuted, out of the original order. 15 Paradoxically, the missinay roots
were frozen by the Sephardic-Oriental approach of rigidly preserving
fixed tunes, century after century. In the hands of the Ashkenazic-
European hazzanim the missinay nigunnim flowered into elaborate
fantasias, which were developed from the original melodies.16
The prayer texts which bear missinay themes antedate the
melodies by many centuries; some, like shema, by millenia. How-
ever, both texts and melodies show internal similarities, common
words and common motives that migrate from prayer to prayer
and always seem to match up. These poetic images, paired with
tonal counterparts, serve to underline fundamental Jewish truths.
For example, the words,
adonay melekh (God is King; Rosh Hashanah -- shaharit),
will be sung to the same leitmotif as
ashre ha'am (Happy are God's people; Rosh Hashanah --
shophar),
as well as
venislah ('May the people be pardoned; Yom Kippur -
arbhit ) .
The midrashic allusion in all three instances is to the omnipotence
of God, who alone can bind the spiritual wounds of mortal man. As
is evident from even the above limited analogy, the metrical deter-
minant for each musical realization of a missina phrase is the
number and spacing of syllabic stresses provided by the underlying
text, exactly as in psalmodic recitation. Sulzer, alone among nine-
teenth-century transcribers of missinuy nigunnim, understood this
and notated them in free rhythm.17
15 A venary, Mis-Sina i, 153.
16 Glantz, Leib. "The Musical Basis of Nusah Hatefillah," Cantors Assem-
bly of America, Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Convention. Kiamesha Lake:
1952, p. 18.
17 Werner, Voice, pp. 28-32. In defense of the other well-meaning com-
pilers who set Synagogue chant in Victorian forms, Idelsohn reminds us that,
though Ashkenazic song had an oral tradition of 1000 years, it could only point
to a ninety-year-old printed literature (in 1923); Thesaurus VI, Intro., xxiv.
An exemplary specimen of modal chant, into which missinay
fragments have been introduced, is cited to illustrate the depend-
ence of both missinay and modality upon Biblical motives; Abba
Weisgal's mosaic of Scriptural verses from selihot (Penitential ser-
vice).
lekhu na venivvakhehah yomar a do nay. Come, let us
reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall become white as snow ...
blot out our transgressions for Thy sake ... May
the words of our mouth and the meditation of our
heart be acceptable before Thee, Lord, our Rock
and our Redeemer ... For in Thee, God, do we
hope, Thou shalt answer, Lord our God (Ex. 1)18
The piece opens in a subdued Talmudic Lern Steiger or Study
mode (Ex. 1 1). 19 At the words, meheh phesha'enu, blot out our
transgressions (measure thirteen), it modulates to ahabhah rabbah,
in the same register, articulated via a series of "sighing" melismas
typical of this mode in Eastern European usage (Ex. 111)20 A
return to the Lern Steiger is accomplished at yihyu leratson, May
the words of our mouth (measure twenty-two), via missinay mo-
tives, realized in dovetailed descent (Ex. IV).21 It concludes with
quotes from the vidduy (Confessional) mode at the words, kl lekha
li Weisgal, Abba Yosef. Shirei Hayyim Ve-emunah. Baltimore: 1950,
p. 16f; based on Isaiah 1: 18, 43: 25; Psalms 19: 15, 130: 5.
19 Idelsohn, Thesaurus VIM, no. 234 a & b; texts excerpted from b. Bab.
Mets, Chap. I. Trope-sources, in alphabetical order, are: Eng (English), H.
Mayerowitsch & G. Prince, "Cantillation for Reading of the Torah," in ed.,
J. H. Hertz, The Pentateuch and Haphtoruhs, London, The Soncino Press,
second edition, 1962, p. 1045f; Lith (Lithuanian), Solomon Rosowsky, 'The
Yearly Cantillation Cycle," (MSS 1955). abstracted in Levine, Emunat Abba,
Vol. IV, New York, Jewish Theological Seminary, 1981, Appendix B; Nath
(Nathanson), Moshe Nathanson, "Neginoth Hat'amim," in ed., Alexander
Harkavy, Pentuteuch and Huftoruhs, New York, Hebrew Publishing Co., 1928,
pt. 2, p. 1; Weis (Weisgal). Abba Yosef Weisgal, personal cantillation tradition,
transcribed, Levine, Emunat Abba ZZ. Baltimore, Hebrew College Press, nos.
332-38, 344-46. The Biblical readings are abbreviated thus: TOR (torah),
HAPH (haphtarah), HHD (High Holy Days), RQS (rut-qohelet-shir hash-
shirim), EKH (ekhah), and MEG (megillah).
20 Idelsohn, Thesaurus, VIM, no. 232; travelling sequences such as this
one, often chordally-inspired, were resorted to by huzzunim in the absence of
clearly-defined motives; ahabhah rabbah is the only principal synagogue
prayer mode having no roots in Biblical cantillation.
21 Naumbourg, zemirot yisrael, op. cit., no. 207; Sulzer, Schir Zion, op. cit.,
vol. II, no. 240; Lewandowsky, Kol Rinnuh, op. cit., no. 186b; Baer, Baal
T'fillah, op. cit., no. 1021a.
10
adonay, For in Thee ... do we hope (Ex. V).22 This conclusive
reference to the Penitential theme of the service consists of three
missinay motives, a comprehensive selection of which is given in
the "Prototype" column of the supplemental chart following this
article.23 The missinay elements, in turn, are identical with trope
figurations, listed in the "Parallels" column of the same chart. A
third column, "Recurrences," documents the ubiquity of the mis-
sinay melodies, forty-four of which were isolated in selected tran-
scriptions of Abba Weisgal's habitual Hazzanic practice. As antici-
pated, the only text to incorporate more than two or three, in a
set order, was kol nidre; and even that familiar chant did not
exactly duplicate any published setting, to the writer's knowledge."
In modal prayer chant, the arrangement of themes is generally
left to the cantor's discretion. Weisgal's lekhu na veniwakhehah
achieved a satisfying symmetry and an aura of antiquity that
was uniquely characteristic of his hazzanut Three traditional
elements combined to produce this effect. The first was a series of
recitation levels, which arched upward from g to c' and back down-
ward. This aspect is not illustrated in the examples below, as it
would have necessitated quoting all of the thirty-one phrases con-
tained in the piece. The technique was psalmodic and it balanced
each musical period-unit into two equivalent halves. Within those
questioning and answering hemistichs was embedded the second
traditional element, cantillatory motives. Holding both of these
elements in suspension was the modal matrix, replete with asso-
ciative overtones of all the sensory dimensions. The tonal center of
gravity hovered throughout above that of the initium, or opening
phrase, creating an air of resignation well suited to the penitential
season. The ethos, or characteristic mood, was indicated by the
composer's heading Adagio Pensieroso, and by his sequence of
modal choices; Study, Entreaty, Confession. These were suggestively
reinforced by the types of missinay fragments used to frame them;
reshut (Permission), qaddish (Doxology), and qedushshah (Sancti-
fica tion) .
The total feeling, nonetheless, was one of self-renewal, whose
prototypical text-the Twenty-third Psalm-exactly matches the
three stages of Weisgal's lekhu na veniwakhehah in its emotional
22Baer, ibid., no. 1105; Idelsohn, Thesaurus VII, no. 239; Baer, Baal
T'fillah, no. 1102a.
23 Nos. 8, 20, 31; also Levine, Emunat Abba IV, Appendix C.
24 Cf. Levine, Emunat Abba /, no. 85.
11
progression. First comes thoughtful submission; the Lord is my
Shepherd, ergo, I am a dumb animal. Second, fervid prayer;
the summit of forgiveness scaled in an upward climb out of the
Valley of Death. Finally, transfiguration; from sheep to guests
in the House of the Lord, forever.25 The shrouds of the nether-world
are cast aside in the bright consolation of maqam rehav.26 The
setting epitomized the ethos of the High Holy Days, submission to
the will of the Almighty:
hayyom haratolam. Today, all mankind is judged ...
If as children, have mercy on us as a father, ... if as
servants, . . . pronounce our sentence clear as light.27
Abba Weisgal's treatment of this text epitomized the old Haz-
zanic style of Eastern Europe. Various modes appeared, only to
fade one into another, ever reinforcing a textual idee fixe. The most
sublime modal inventiveness was enlisted in order to sustain a
pervasive prayer-ethos. The tonal structure was built up solidly,
through age-old motivic references chosen for their communicative
import. The entire approach abjured the slightest hint of vocal
display but sought, instead, to attune its message to the collective
heartbeat of an assembled congregation. Through the medium of
a passionately delivered chant it frequently attained a metalinguistic
level where its intrinsic musical pathos spoke for itself.
25 For this analogy I am indebted to Rabbi Jacob Agus of Beth El Congre-
gation in Pikesville, MD; the writer's recollection of a talk in the House of
Mourning, "The Twenty-third Psalm as Metaphoric Transfiguration," ca.
1962.
26 Idelsohn, Taledot Hanneginah Ha'ibhrit (Tel Aviv & Berlin: Dvir Pub-
lishing Co.. 1924, pp. 211 ff, informs that the mode rehau in which Ashkena-
zim read the Torah on the High Holidays and in which Sephardim read the
Book of Job on Fast days was thought, by the Arabs, to have influence over the
good and evil spirits who gather to listen. Its Ecclesiastical counterpart, the
Lydian, allegedly uplifted those who were depressed and emboldened those
who were afraid.
27 Liturgy of musaph lerosh hashshanah, tr. J. L., Philip Birnbaum, ed.,
High Holyday Prayer Book. New York: Hebrew Publishing Co., 1951, p. 333.
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26
THE RE|UVENAHON OF THE WEEKDAY MODES
Pinchas Spiro
The intricate system of modes and motifs by which every
service and each major part is identified, constitutes one of the most
fascinating aspects in the colorful mosaic of our liturgical musical
heritage, lovingly and reverently preserved and passed on to us
through countless generations.
In addition to its musical value, the system of modes and
motifs has an important psychological significance. Each set of
chants has its distinct character and flavor which lends each service
an individual and distinct atmosphere and mood. By recreating the
individual atmosphere of each service, through the use of the correct
modes, we are able to recollect vividly the fond and stirring mem-
ories of our parents' and grandparents' pious devotion and faith.
Each time we worship, we are able to re-live these memories intensely
and to experience them anew. This manner of daily identification
is a living link between the past, the present and the future. This
psychological phenomenon has, without doubt, contributed much to
the survival and preservation of our traditional patterns of Jewish
living and our Jewish emotional experience.
There is something unique and quite special about the music
of the weekday service. Unlike the other, more festive services of
the year usually chanted by professional hazzanim, the weekday
service has always been the domain of the untrained layman. There
was a time when almost every practicing Jew was able to lead the
congregation in the chanting of the weekday service. The privilege
of performing this task was usually assigned to those observing a
Yahrtzeit. To lead a service on such an occasion was considered a
great mitzvah and an homage of the highest degree to the memory
of the departed.
Pinchas Spiro is the hazzan of Tifereth Israel Synagogue of Des Moines,
Iowa. His distinguished career includes service to congregations in Phila-
delphia, Cleveland and Los Angeles. He holds as his first hazzanic priority
the age-old responsibility of the hazzan to work for the continuity of the
Synagogue's musical traditions, teaching them to colleagues and to the men,
women and children of his congregation so that they may be passed on to
succeeding generations intact and enhanced,
In addition to the "Complete Weekday Service," recently published by
the Cantors Assembly, he is the composer of a number of musical works and
the author of "Haftarah Chanting", published by the Jewish Education Press
of New York.
27
Although the weekday nusach contains parts which are based
on the most ancient of the preserved Jewish musical modes, it did
not attract the attention of Jewish musicologists until the end of
the 19th century. Only then do we find it notated in several scholarly
anthologies. We can understand the apparent lack of interest in
the weekday service when we consider the basic musical difference
between this service and the other services of the year. Because
the other services, (Sabbath, Festivals and especially the High Holy
Days) were chanted primarily by professional hazzanim with con-
siderable musical training and vocal ability, they developed to a
high degree of complexity, obviously to satisfy the needs of the
professional musicians for artistic expression. The weekday service,
on the other hand, because it was always led by laymen, sometimes
lacking in vocal and musical ability, remained simple and utilitarian
in nature, to accommodate the average layman who chanted it.
Before we begin a detailed discussion of the weekday service,
it is necessary to state that there are several musical versions of its
modes, originating in different localities. The version that we will
discuss and analyze is the one which is current in most American
congregations. It is of East-European origin.
The weekday morning service (Shacharit) can be divided into
three main sections, each with its own distinct Musical Formula,
as follows:
MUSICAL FORMULA I -From the beginning of the service up
to Yishtabach (#1).
MUSICAL FORMULA I l-From Yishtabach up to the Amidah
(#2).
MUSICAL FORMULA III - The Amidah (#3).
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28
MUSICAL FORMULAS I, II, III-
The common denominator in each of the three Musical For-
mulas is a rather limited range, consisting of approximately five
notes. Add to this the hurried, unrhythmic, plain psalmody style
of performance, and you have the unpretentious vochedigen char-
acteristics which are the hallmarks of all the weekday services.
The first section of the weekday morning service consists of
two parts: Birkot H ash a char (Morning Hymns and Blessings) and
P'sukey D'zimrah (Psalms and Passages of Song). Together they
are known as the Preliminaries to the Service. The first part, Birkot
H ashachar, was intended to attune the waking person's soul to
worship. In our present day service, much of that part is recited
individually by the worshippers before and after putting on the
Talit and T'fUln. Originally, the entire Birkot Hashachar section
was intended merely to be recited at home, before going to the
synagogue to join the congregation in prayer. Much of this collec-
tion of exceptionally beautiful and meaningful prayers is written
in the first person singular.
The Ba'al T'filah starts the formal part of the service with
the recitation of the 14 short Birkot Hashachar. Up to the A mi da h,
he chants only the concluding line or two of each prayer. It is
necessary to state, even at the risk of being obvious, that the primary
function of the Ba'al T'filah is to keep the congregation praying
together. By concluding each prayer aloud, he indicates to the
congregation when to proceed to the next prayer. He is the pace-
setter, and he will, naturally, allow enough time for the recitation
of each prayer in its entirety.
The application of FORMULA I is illustrated in the musical
example #4.
29
It is interesting that this mode is identical to the mode in
which the Torah blessings are chanted on Shabbat (#5).
/Tk
m m *
chu et A-do-nai ham-vo-rach.
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai
no- trr. ha-to-rah.
This is also the mode in which, on Shabbat, the section between
Shochen Ad and Et Shem Ha'el Hamelech is chanted (#6).
y
- cue:.
...-rorn v'-ka
A very common mistake is to utilize this same mode for the
Preliminary Service on Shabbat (#7a). The correct mode for this
section on Shabbat is in major (#7b), or in the Hassidic tradition,
the upper part of the same scale (#7c). Illustration #7d demon-
strates the weekday mode for the same section. (Compare it with
Formula I)
/h sli'.-ii-mar
1
r v T -;;.'. -ya;. jia-o-larn
Vf^PH---^F
=3=
Ma-gid d T -va-rav 1 T -ya-a-kov , chu-kav u-misn-pa-tav 1 ' -yis-ra-el
ia-rucn £:
■>~! -Ila-;c31 ' hs-u-lam; /a-r u2:
Of musical interest is the fact that when the Ba'al T'filah
happens to be a mohel with a B'rit Milah that day, he chants the
prayers V'charot Imo Hab'rit and Vayosha to the tunes of the
canti Nations Of Az Yashir Mosheh on Shabbat Shirah.
30
Liturgical ly, the Chatsi K a dish before Bar'chu marks the divid-
ing line between the preliminary part of the morning service and
the Shacharit proper. Musically, however, the point of departure
from the First Section (FORMULA I) to the Second Section
(FORMULA II) occurs a little earlier. In some congregations, the
second melodic formula is introduced as early as the end of Az
Yashir Mosheh, starting with the words Ki ladonai ham'luchah
umoshel bagoyim. In other congregations it is introduced at the
end of Yishtabach, starting with the words B'rachot v'hoda'ot The
second Musical Formula is a variation of the "Ahavah Rabah" mode.
It introduces a new and fresh color and the effect is quite dramatic.
However, the modulation from Formula I to Formula II is fairly
simple. (Note, in musical illustration #8, that all we need to do
is to change from E flat to E natural. Note also the introduction
of the B flat in a prominent way.)
Yish-t.a-bacn shim- c ha la-ad rr.al-ke- - nu,.
i:
>cs-oL me-a-ta.'i v f -sd o-lam. . . ,
In the Sabbath service, the "Ahavah Rabah" mode is introduced
a little later in the service, towards the end of the prayer Titbarach
Tsurenu. The section starting from this point up to the Amidah
is the only part of the service that utilizes the same mode for both
Shabbat and weekdays. It is important to note that the use of
the "Ahavah Rabah" mode during the weekday service is limited to
the lower part of that scale. The difference between the weekday
"Ahavah Rabah" (#9a) and the Sabbath "Ahavah Rabah" (#9b)
is more than just the number of notes that each utilizes. Simplicity
versus elaboration is what makes the difference between the voche-
digen and Shabbesdigen typical praying styles.
31
A #9 a - W eekdays , - , -,,, 2=
4kh»!j.,j jj. 1 j jj 'J m -^^-rm
V'-chu-lam m'-ka-b'-lim a-le-hem ol mal-chut sha-ma-yim zeh mi-zeh
y ^ J P"3 nL v.
(fh r 7"i| 3 — a — 4 ' — U=^ ^ ■ J~~ L ~^^ yr * wli* 1
n)^.j-4-* r **$~r* *
V'-no-t'-nim r'-shut- zeh la-zeh l'-hak-dish l'-yo-ts'-ram b'-nachat ru-ac
#9b - Sabbath -* *>_ rt-J^^^KS*"* />
V'-chu-lam m'-ka-b'-lim a-le-hem ol mal-chut sha-ma-yim zeh mi-zeh
V'-no-t'-nim r -shut zeh la-zeh l'-hak-dish l'-yo-ts r -ram
na-chat ru
The problem of one mode being used for several completely
different occasions requires further comment since it relates to the
common misunderstanding of the concept nusach. Professor Max
Wohlberg writes as follows:' "We must consider the fact that a
scale in no wise is sufficiently descriptive of the characteristic
motives of a given mode. Thus, one may be able to place Atah
Echad and Magen Avot in one scale. That scale, however, will not
give us the peculiar differences between these two dissimilar modes."
Isadore Freed is the author of the following two comments:2
"Nusach is in reality a mold consisting of scale, patterns within
that scale, and devotional style or feeling specifically prescribed
for a given ritualistic usage.
"Mode is to be understood as applying to certain melismatic
patterns within a fixed scale, plus the special devotional mood in-
herent in the prayers for which a given mode is used."
The Third Section of the weekday service consists of the
Amidah. (Please refer again to Formula III) The Avot section
has the characteristics of the Pentatonic scale. According to Dr.
Eric Werner,3 this part of the weekday service is based on the most
l'The History of the Musical Modes of the Ashkenazic Synagogue, and
their Usage," by Max Wohlberg. (Proceedings of the 7th Annual Convention
of the Cantors Assembly, 1954).
2 Isndore Freed: HARMONIZING THE JEWISH MODES (Sacred
Jewish Press).
3 Eric Werner: a VOICE STILL HEARD, The Sacred Songs of the
Ashkenazic Jews (The Pennsylvania State University Press).
32
ancient of all the preserved Jewish modes. (Clement of Alexandria
and Plutarch had already made mention of this mode.) The mode
of the weekday Avot is identical to the mode in which we chant
the blessings after the Haftarah on Sabbath and holidays. (#10)
^^=.
la- ruch a-tah A-do-nai, K-lo-he-nu ve-lo-
-vo-te-nu,
E-lo-hey Av-ra-ham, E-lo-hey Yila-c!.ak, ve-lo-hey Ya-a-kov,
^?h^=£
^
Ha- el ha-fTH-do! ha-gi-bor v T -ha-no-ra rll el-yon
. H<a-i-j?h u-tah A-cio-nai, ma-ger. Av-ra
^- j; :£l:i^^^^
il Isi-yon ki hi t<:t ^l:a-vt-na
BfSizii
va-me-nu * . .
The concluding part of the weekday Shacharit contains a
variety of nuscha'ot. It may be regarded as a recapitulation of the
themes of the Morning Service. (The late Hazzan Gershon Ephros
used to compare the structure of the weekday morning service to that
of a Sonata form.)
The Tachanun section starts like Formula I of P' sukey D'zimrah
(#11). Shomer Yisrael is sung either in minor or in "Ahavah
Rabah" (#12). The concluding paragraph of the Tachanun, as
well as the Chatsi Kadish that follows, are sung to the mode of
the Amidah (#13).
V'-nu ra-chur. y'-cha-per a-von v'-lo yash-chit, v'-hir-bah l'-ha-
ps^I-
-#* 0—0
;iv u-do / f -io ya-ir kol cha-ma-t o. . . ,
^12 (Same as Formula! 1 )
a ffi^ l£ame as form ula nj
Baer
PS
* s i
■ hc-mer ±bs-ra-el , sn ' -ir.or sh * -e~rit Yis-ra-el , v r - al yo-vad Yis-ra-
lETT*:
f^^^^i^^
*=&$
■il na-o-r. ' -rir: sh ' -ma Yis-ra-cl .
^h'-ma Yis-ra-el.
, #13 (Ca ^^^^^rmu^lII )
-*— — *
lc— iju v' -cha-per al c:ia-to-*e-r.u l'-ma-yn sh'-me-cha.
4- + w +4+ ^r
Yit-^a-dal v '-vit-ka-dash sh'-mey ra-ba b T -a-l T -ma di v T ra chir-utey._
The Torah Service for Mondays, Thursdays and special occa-
sions is sung in a mode curiously similar to that of the Torah cantil-
lations for the High Holy Days (#14). The two versions of Gad'lu
(#15a and #L5b) show how similar this mode is to the mode of the
first part of the service (Formula I).
r ai- :"-. b:_r.-t:u-a ha-a-ron va-yo-mer Ko-sheh. . .
mm
*>£*
-i-d'-lu lj-dc-nai i-ti u-n'-ro-m'-mah sh'-rr.o yach-dav.
#131
P*^S^S^ ^££Jg£^^^E^^
-lu la-do-nai i-ti 'j-n'-ro-m'-man sh'-mo yach-dav.
34
The Torah blessings are sung either as on Shabbat (#16a),
which is precisely Formula I, or in Major ending in the relative
minor (#16b). In many German communities, the melody of the
canti Nations for the High Holy Days was also used for these bless-
ings (#16c).
Ba-r'-chu et, A-do-nai harn-vo-rach. . . .
.no-ter. ha -t, a -rah.
The four Y'hi Ratson supplications are sung in the "Ahavah
Rabah" mode. (The melody with which I am familiar seems to
me oddly reminiscent of the melody of Eli Tsiyon. See illustration
#L7)
*§E
gtt^
fe
*
^
S
^&** P§
- vim.
Y' -hi ra-tscn mi-lif-nc y
3 :j e - d a - e ns -ma -
The Chatsi K a dish following the Torah Reading is in Major,
except for the concluding phrase which modulates to the relative
minor. The A shrey is like the Ashrey of P'sukey D'zimrah. The
Shir Shel Yom is sometimes sung in Major.
The weekday Minchah consists almost in its entirety of musical
material contained in the Morning Service. The A shrey is like the
Ashrey of P'sukey D'zimrah. The Chatsi K a dish is like that after
Tachanun. In most communities, the Amidah is chanted exactly
like the A midah of the Morning Service. In some, however, the
musical mode of the Amidah for Minchah changes at the end of
L'dor Vador and continues this way until the end of Shalom Rav.
The alternate musical version is of Hassidic origin (#18).
35
. ...KiEI mc-lech ga-dol v T -ka-dosh a-tah, Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai,
a ^Hq- ^ji u^
ha-el ha-k?.-doEh. A-tah cho-nen l'-a-dam da-at, u-m r -la-med
The weekday Ma'ariv consists almost totally of a limited ver-
sion of the "Ahavah Rabah" mode. Particular attention must be
paid to the typical resting point of the concluding phrase: Baruch
Atah Adonai. The illustrations #19a through #L9f all rest on the
4th note. (#L9g does not follow that rule. I included it to show
that there is no universal agreement even on this point.)
0. KpiiroFi
p.;;-- rucu a-tah A-do-nai,
ha-ma-a-riv a-ra
W. Bogzester
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai
#1
ha-ma-a-riv
\$3qrJ^3 ^ ^jr gjjjli^j i l
a - ra - vim.
M. V/ohlberg
T3a-ruch a-tah A-do-nai ,
#19f
ha-ma-a-riv a-ra-vim.
^ b&^^ ^ ^rtbGa
P. Spiro
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai,
ha-ma-a-riv a-ra-vim.
delsohn, Vol. VIII p. 7
Ba-ruch a-tah A-do-nai,
ha-ma-a-r-iv a-ra-vim.
36
In the regular weekday Evening Service, the prayers Ahavat
Olam and Hashkivenu are only concluded by the Ba'al T'filah. When
the hazzan chants these prayers on special occasions in an elaborate
manner, he will very often use the Friday Evening mode. However,
when he reaches the concluding phrase, he invariably modulates back
to the weekday "Ahavah Rabah" mode.
Twenty years ago I set out to write the music for a complete
weekday service. I was motivated in this effort by the badly deterior-
ating conditions in this area of public worship. It seemed that only
very few in each congregation were able to conduct the daily services
in the proper traditional manner. Moreover, there was a growing
trend, in both youth and adult congregations, to introduce Sabbath
and holiday chants into the weekday services. The reason for that
seemed to be the desire of the younger element in the congregation
to participate actively in the daily weekday services, just as they
participated actively in the Sabbath and holiday services. Since
there were no congregational chants whatsoever in the traditional
weekday service, they simply "borrowed" from the familiar and
readily-available Sabbath and holiday chants and incorporated them
into the weekday service, disregarding the fact that these chants
were not in the correct weekday mode.
The situation urgently required correction, since the hastily-
mumbled service of old no longer fit into the concept of a meaningful
contemporary service. It seemed clear that both youth and adult
services had to include a reasonable amount of congregational singing
and participation if praying was to continue to serve as an elevating
and inspiring experience. I decided to try and offer a solution by
writing a complete weekday service that not only would adhere
to the time-honored traditional modes, but would also contain
the ingredients of a fresh and contemporary service, namely, an
abundance of congregational chants.
I gave the project a great deal of thought and consulted many
knowledgeable colleagues. Before starting, I set several clear goals
for myself. The first was to determine for whom the service was
intended and to write it accordingly. At that time, I was mainly
concerned with the Sunday morning "Talit and T'filin Club" that
was put in my charge. It consisted of pre- and post-Bar Mitzvah
students who conducted and participated in a spirited Shacharit
service. This was followed by a breakfast which included the bless-
ings of N 'Mat Yadayim, Hamotsi, Birkat Hamazon and aD'var
Torah. The activity was a great success. There was, however, one
37
thing wrong with it — the entire service consisted of Sabbath mel-
odies. My main objective, therefore, was to write an authentic
weekday service aimed at youth congregations. But that did not
necessarily mean that the needs of the adult minyan would be com-
pletely ignored. I have always been a staunch advocate of the
principle that in matters of liturgical music, it is a mistake to teach
the children one special version and then, as they grow up, to tell
them: Now we will teach you how the adults do it! I set out to find
a common denominator between the adult and youth services and
to write accordingly a version that would satisfy both. Because
of the simple character of the weekday service, finding the common
denominator was a relatively easy task.
The second goal which I set for myself was to write a weekday
service with a great deal of congregational participation in it. The
most pressing task was to replace the Sabbath congregational
melodies which had infiltrated the daily service with authentic
weekday chants. That proved to be more of a challenge than I had
anticipated because the traditional weekday service never included
congregational chants. In fact, even the most elementary responses,
such as Baruch Hu Uvaruch Sh'mo,Amen and XheKadish responses,
were never chanted by the congregation in unison to any recogniz-
able rhythmic weekday melody. (For the sake of historical accuracy,
it is necessary to state that in the old-fashioned shul, the daveners
recited the entire service audibly, and even though the Ba'al Tfilah
faced the Ark, he was always aware of their presence and had the
warm feeling that they were with him at all times!)
Before proceeding with my project, I asked myself the following
two questions: (1) Why were there no congregational chants in
the weekday service? (2) Would the authentic character of the
weekday service be altered adversely if I were to include congrega-
tional chants?
In my search for an answer to the first question, it became
apparent to me that the complete lack of congregational chants
and responses in the weekday service was directly related to the
special conditions which have been unique to that service. The
most important of these was the rushed nature of that service. It
was always conducted hurriedly and did not provide the time and
patient atmosphere which are essential to relaxed chanting. Another
factor which might have inhibited the creation of congregational
chants was the limited range of the weekday mode and its austere
simplicity. I became aware of this aspect when I tried my hand at
composing a few congregational melodies in the weekday mode. I
38
found myself constantly fighting the restrictive limits of the basic
weekday musical formulas.
When I was ready to begin my work on the complete weekday
service, I was convinced that by adding distinctive weekday chants,
the authentic character of that service would not change adversely.
Such chants may have been impractical in the past, but today they
are not only desirable — they are indispensable. I was less sure
of my decision to allow myself a certain degree of freedom in the
compositions which were intended for congregational chanting. It
is important to add that while I permitted myself to experiment
with enlarging the range of the melodies, I tried to be most careful
to remain within the general bounds of the correct nusach. By that
I mean not only the scale and the number of notes which could be
used, but, more important, the character of the mode which is
determined by the recurring melodic patterns, by the tendency to
return to certain prominent notes and by concluding phrases with
typical cadences. The few extra notes which I added for the sake
of melodic variety, were used sparingly in order not to make them
too prominent. The process of composing these melodies was a
combination of careful calculation, plus an instinctive feeling for
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39
the particular mode. The following example, (Ma Tovu #20),
which is the first congregational chant in my weekday service and
the first one to be composed, illustrates clearly my method.
The ultimate test of each new congregational chant was its
natural blending with the part that preceded it, and its smooth
transition to the part that followed (#21).
Solo) A-tah ffi-bor l'-o-lam 4-do-nai, m'-cha-yey me-tim a-tah rav l T -ho-
HA-CHA-yJM RA-3IK etc. (Solo) V r -ne-e-man a-tah l'-ha-cha-yot me-tim etc
An important melodic element which I incorporated into the
new congregational chants was the Israeli idiom. It is basically a
modal idiom, and it blends easily with the weekday modes (#22).
#--
A-ha-vat, o-la
bet Yis-ra-el am- cha a-hav- - t a:i . . .
pm m^rw F ^ mm
-*-* r • — i — ~r +
sh-ki-ve-nu A-do-nai E-lo-he-nu l'-sha-lcni, v f ~ha-a-mi-de-nu mal-
ke-nu l'-cha-yim.
In addition to drawing from the melodic material of modern
Israel, I have also incorporated into the new congregational chants
material from our old and beloved folk songs. These folk songs,
unlike those of other peoples, have been to a great extent religious
in nature. I found that they, too, blended well with the weekday
mode ( #23).
40
ShI
=Jh=i
^g J. !'.-}- ji i>i,j, §
S^--i£.f3T^e:-f
■■i-ii'- ::uii - :iu a- vi- i:u ku- la- :ju K r - e- chad
g te^j ^ ^ roz^
:iia.
While I took some liberties in my experimentations with the
new element of weekday congregational chants, I tried to be par-
ticularly careful not to tamper with the parts which are reserved
for XheBa-al Vfilah. Acutely aware of the need to allow the week-
day service to remain accessible to any layman with average ability,
I have kept his part simple, rhythmically free and strictly within
the limits of pure nusach. (See #24)
24 (Golo-Kree Chant )
A #24 jboiQ - tr ee ^nant ) v -^^m^* ^^
Ash-rey yo-sh'-vcy ve-te-cha, ipd v T -ha-1 ' -lu-cha se-lah;
pOMGRSGATION (Strict Tempo)
ASH-REY HA-AM SHE-Kk-CHA L0, ASH-REY 'HA-AM 3HE-A-DG-KAI E-LC-HAV
I must confess that when I compiled the very first, experimental,
edition of my "COMPLETE WEEKDAY SERVICE," I erred in
my decision to use Sabbath melodies for those parts of the service
which used the "Ahavah Rabah" mode for both Shabbat and week-
days. I reasoned that since the mode was the same, it was unwise
to confuse children with two different settings of the same prayer.
It did not take me long to realize my serious mistake. In the first
place, while the name of the mode ("Ahavah Rabah") is the same
for the two diverse occasions, there are subtle differences which
distinguish its usage on Shabbat from its usage on weekdays. Also,
I was reminded of the principle that requires us Vhavdil ben hakodesh
v'hachol- to distinguish between the holy and the ordinary. Most
important, I realized that by using Sabbath melodies on weekdays,
41
(even if they were in the same mode), I was defeating the entire
purpose since I was leaving the door open to others to do the same
in other parts of the service where the modes are completely dif-
ferent.
Following are several comparative examples of the distinctive
difference in the usage of the "Ahavah Rabah" mode for the same
responsive chants on Sabbath and weekdays. The examples are
taken from the latest edition of my Complete Weekday Service.
#2 5a KAUjLtK t Jaaaatn )
KA-jOSH KA-Dv3EE KA-DQSH ADO-NAI TS'VA-OT IV LC CKOL HA-A-RETS K T VC- CO.
#25b KADC6H (Weekaays) j> gBB L k ^
^P
Ka-dosh ka-dodh ks-dosh Ado-nai ts'va-ov, m T lo chol ha-n-retr k'vo- do.
#2gc MI CHAMOCHA (Sabbath)
MI CHA-Mu-CHA BA-h-LIM A-Du-NAI, Vil KA-MQ-CHA KE- -DAR HA-KO-DSSH MO-
S^^EfeBgiri
RA T' -HI -LOT
fed MI CHAMOCHA (Weekdays)
SSH FE
Mi eha-mo-cha ba-e-lim A-do-nai , mi ka-mo-cha r.e- -dar La-ko-desh no-
ra t'-hi-loL o - seh fe - le .
Note should be made that there are times when the weekday
mode is legitimately used for more festive occasions. The Avot is
chanted in the weekday mode (Formula III) for all the Minchuh
services of the year. That includes the Minchah for Shabbat, Shalosh
R'galim and Rosh Hashanah. The point of departure from the week-
day mode to the specific mode of the special occasion occurs either
at the beginning of L'dor Vador, or at its conclusion. Any explana-
tion of that phenomenon by me would be purely speculative.
Among the prayers which I assigned for congregational chanting
were V'ahuvta and Vayomer. The melodies I used were the au-
thentic Torah cantillations. I have also included, as an optional
42
chant, the canti Nations of the opening lines of AZ Yashir Mosheh,
utilizing the motif of Shi rat Hayam. The two concluding phrases
that precede it were given a stylized ending which makes the
transition to Shi rat Hayam seem natural. (#26)
v T -et ro-d'-fe-hem hish-lach-ta vim-tso-lo; k r -mo e-ven t 'ma-yirr. a-zim.
Utilizing cantillations as a regular part of every service may
not seem like an exciting idea to those who have not tried it, but
I cannot emphasize enough its importance in terms of musical and
general enrichment for the congregation. Presently, the understand-
ing of the skill of Torah cantillations is normally associated with
one person only — the Torah Reader. The congregation remains
totally passive during the Torah Reading. Some may follow the text
with their eyes and some may use the time to read the translation
or to look up some commentary. I suggest that it is time to allow the
congregation the opportunity to become acquainted, even though
peripherally, with the skill of chanting with trop by encouraging
them to chant the ancient canti Nation melodies of two of the most
important prayers in the entire Siddur. The total familiarity with
these two chants should add a new and deep dimension to the
process of following the Torah Reading. I might add that in congre-
gations where these two prayers are always, (weekdays and Sab-
baths), chanted to the melodies of the cantillations, there should
be no difficulty in training youngsters to become Torah Readers.
It would also be especially helpful to Bar Mitzvah candidates. I
want to take this opportunity to commend the editors of the
Rabbinical Assembly Weekday Prayerbook for adding the trop
symbols to the texts of these prayers. I hope that the new edition
of the Sabbath prayerbook, now in preparation, will include a
similar feature.
Although I have included a very large number of congregational
chants in my Musical Siddur, I am not suggesting that all of the
chants be used at every service. The number of chants used should
depend on the type of service and on the occasion. At youth ser-
vices, (often abbreviated), it is advisable to have as much congrega-
tional participation as possible. In established and well-organized
youth services, there can be a system of rotating the chants, for
43
the sake of variety. At the adult minyan, only a limited number
of chants will ordinarily be included. On Sundays and national
holidays, when the service is especially relaxed, additional chants
can be effectively included. The idea of rotating the chants can be
beneficial in the adult daily minyan too.
Following is a list of all the congregational chants included
in the new edition of the "COMPLETE WEEKDAY SERVICE,"
(published by the Cantors Assembly). The list is divided into
three categories:
GROUP A: — Prayers (or responses) that are intrinsically congre-
gational. These are always chanted by the congrega-
tion on Sabbaths and holidays. They should likewise
be chanted by the congregation at every weekday
service :
Shucharit
P'sukey D'zimrah Responses: "Hal'luyah"
Chatsi Kadish Responses
Response to Bar'chu
Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh — Baruch K'vod
Sh'ma
Mi Chamochah — Adonai Yimloch
K'dushah Responses
Ken Y'hi Ratson (Y'varech'cha)
Chatsi Kadish Responses
Kadish Shalem Responses
Hal I el Responses :
Ki L'olam Chasdo
Hoshi-ah Na
Alenu
Minchah
Chatsi Kadish Responses
K'dushah Responses
Kadish Shalem Responses
Alenu
Ma'ariv
Response to Bar'chu
Sh'ma
Mi Chamochah — Adonai Yimloch
Chatsi Kadish Responses
Kadish Shalem Responses
Alenu
44
GROUP B: — Prayers that have traditionally been treated (on Sab-
baths and holidays) as suitable material for congre-
gational singing. It is suggested that an attempt be
made to include all or most of these in every service,
especially when it is conducted in a leisurely manner.
Shucharit
Baruch She'amar
Ashrey (all or part)
Yishtabach
Baruch . . . Yotser Or
Et Shem Ha' el
Or Chadash
Vahavi'enu
M ' chalkel Chay im
Sim Shalom
Alenu — Shehu Noteh Shamayim
Hallel conclusions
Minchah
Ashrey (all or part)
M' chalkel Chayim
Shalom Rav
Alenu — Shehu Noteh Shamayim
Ma'ariv
V'hu Rachum
Ahavat Olam
Emet Ve'emunah
Hashkivenu
Yiru Enenu
Alenu — Shehu Noteh Shamayim
GROUP C: — Prayers that are not usually chanted by the congre-
gation on Sabbaths and holidays. Also, prayers that
precede the service and are not part of the service
proper. I have given these prayers prominence and
have arranged them for congregational participation
because of their meaningful contents. These are in-
tended mainly for youth congregations, but there
is no reason why some of these cannot be used at
the adult daily minyan.
Ma Tovu
V'ha'arev Na
Elu D'varim
46
Elohai, N'shamah
AzYashir
Titbarach Tsurenu
Ahavah Rabah
Avinu Ha'av Harachaman
V'ha'er Enenu
V'ahavta
Vayomer
Emet V'yatsiv
L'dor Vador (K'dushah)
Shomer Yisrael
The following description of the manner in which the new service
was introduced to a daily minyan might serve a practical purpose.
When I came to Des Moines, some eight years ago, I found in the
daily minyan the following conditions which, I suspect, are typical
in many other congregations: There were several elderly gentle-
men who took turns in acting as Ba'aley T'filah. Each sang the
service in his own special way, and no two of them chanted alike.
There was no congregational participation to speak of. The few
responses that were chanted (e.g. Kadosh, Kadosh and Mi Chamo-
chah), were chanted to Sabbath melodies. Since both the rabbi
and I attended the daily minyan regularly, we discussed the situa-
tion and decided on a concerted course of action.
The first step was to train several congregants, mostly younger
people, to learn to chant the service according to my method. (I
gave each a copy of my book, a recorded cassette, as well as indi-
vidual instruction.) To speed up the process, I volunteered to
officiate at every service for a number of weeks. In the beginning,
I included as congregational chants only the items listed in GROUP
A, plus a selected few from GROUP B. Within a short time, several
of my students were ready and eager to relieve me, first of parts of
the service, then of the complete service. The congregation, too,
quickly learned the new responses and the chants and participated
in them with enthusiasm. The success of the experiment was grati-
fying. The lively participation of the congregation and the uni-
formity of the chants never fail to elicit expressions of amazement
from occasional visitors to our daily minyan. I must give due credit
to my rabbi and friend, Barry D. Cytron, who not only supported
me fully, but who also set an example to the congregation by
his correct chanting of the new responses, by learning to conduct
the new service himself and by explaining at every opportunity
what we tried to accomplish. Once our service was established, we
46
could relax our restrictions that only "qualified" Ba'aley Tf'llah
be allowed to lead the service. It was interesting that now even the
old-timers tried to incorporate the new service style into their chant-
ing. Needless to add, the congregational chants and responses were
sung uniformly by the congregation, no matter who led the service.
The new edition of the COMPLETE WEEKDAY SERVICE,
is described as a Musical Siddur because it is intended to be used
as such. It has been constructed in such a manner as to enable
the student to use the book while conducting an actual service.
The suggested method for mastering the service is to use the musical
notation only as long as necessary. The desired goal is to become
so familiar with the melodies that looking at the text alone will
suffice. The music will then remain merely as "insurance" in case
of memory lapse.
The new edition incorporated the following special features:
(1) The entire text of the three weekday services has been repro-
duced in extra large print, along with the music. This feature
should prove to be helpful for those whose Hebrew reading ability
is not fluent.
(2) All the sh'va na vowels are clearly marked in the Hebrew text,
to help the student to distinguish this sh'va (which is pronounced)
from the sh'ua nach (which is completely silent).
(3) There is also a clear graphic distinction in the Hebrew text
between the kamats katan and the kamats gadol. (In the S'fardic
manner of pronunciation, the two are completely different.)
(4) The transliteration of the Hebrew text under the music has
been provided in two parallel lines: The top line is in the S'fardic
version and the bottom line is in the Ashk'nazic version. This
feature makes it possible for the followers of either version to use
the book. Those who follow the S'fardic version have a slight edge.
(5) A determined effort has been made to fit the music to the words
in such a way as to place the accent on the proper syllable (mi I -el
and mil-ra) .
The last item in this list requires some elaboration. The cor-
rect pronunciation of the Hebrew text, and especially the proper
accentuation of the syllables, has not come into vogue until the
very recent past. The observance of the correct mi I -el and mil-ra
accentuation has been spurred on by the growing trend of using the
S'fardic method of pronunciation. This, in turn, is a reflection of
the fact that Hebrew is again a live, spoken language. In hazzanut,
the road of those who wish to be consistent in the proper observance
47
of mil-el and mil-ra accentuation has been rocky at times because
in most of the hazzanic literature, placing the accent on the wrong
syllable is more the rule than the exception. The process of redis-
tributing the syllables so as to make them come out correctly is
not always easy. The main difficulty stems from the fact that the
old-fashioned compositions were written specifically for a specific
manner of pronunciation — words and music were welded together.
Then, there is the built-in difficulty of the Hebrew language, namely,
the fact that the accent falls most often on the last syllable. (On
occasion, the accent falls on the syllable before the last, but never
elsewhere in the word, regardless of the number of syllables the
word contains! ) That means that the composer has to crowd many
syllables into one beat in order to make sure that the accent falls
in the desired place.
There are several things which affect the stressing of one par-
ticular syllable in any given word. The general rule of thumb is
that the accented syllable usually occurs on the strong part of the
measure, especially the first beat. In unmetered music, the accent
usually occurs on the first note of any given rhythmic grouping.
Another way to emphasize a syllable is to give it the highest note in
a given melodic grouping.
Following is an illustration of a widely-used Sabbath melody
in which almost every single word is mispronounced. The first part
(#27a) is reproduced exactly as it appears in "The Jewish Song-
&r," arranged by S. E. Goldfarb. The second part (#27b) is,
what I believe to be, a satisfactory adaptation of the same segment.
m
i
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r^
=zi
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s * r ~~ — ■ r ^ — v • o
Kad T - d f she - nu b' -mits'-vo-se-cho v'-sen chel-ke-nu b'-so-ro-se
^ fT^U^t
P-JJ^M * \j& Jl'jJ Ji g
tr — s> — r
cno sab' -e - nu mit-tu - ve-cho v'-sam-m'che-nu bi-shu-o-se-cho
^WtiSfiT&JtTTfri- •''" i'ttU l j i
Ka-a ' - she - - nu t ' -mit z-vc-te-cha , v ' -ten chel-ke-nu b f -to-ra-te-cha ,
f^^H^^==^nhiiri^
•*$■ — ^-#- — ■ ■ i - — ■ *■- — — r-*~ — it- ^- # # — jg-
Ga-b'-e - - :v± mi-tu- - ve-cha, v ' -sa-m' -ehe-nu bi-shu--a- te-cha.
48
While on the subject of correct use of the Hebrew word, I want
to mention two excellent scholarly dissertations on correct and
incorrect phrasing in the prayerbook. One is a definitive article
by A. Mishcon, entitled: "Disputed Phrasing in the Prayerbook." 4
The other is an untitled lecture by Dr. Max Wohlberg at the 1967
Annual Convention of the Cantors Assembly. 5 The main thrust of
both these papers is to show how the meaning of some prayers can
be twisted by incorrect phrasing. Most of the examples cited had
acquired the status of "tradition" over a long period of usage. Still,
such "traditions" are in the category of Chilhim lo tovim, and an
effort must be made to correct them.
Among the many errors which Dr. Wohlberg lists are the
following:
(a) Incorrect: Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'mey raba /
B'al'ma di v'ra chirutey v'yamlich malchutey /
B'chayechon uv'yomechon etc.
Correct: Yitgadal v'yitkadash sh'mey raba b'al'ma di v'ra
chirutey/ V'yamlich malchutey b'chayechon uv'
yomechon etc.
(b) Incorrect: ... V'imru ( Congregation responds : Amen! )
Correct: . . . V'imru Amen! ( Congregation responds : Amen! )
(c) Incorrect: Melech El chey / ha-o-la-mim
Correct: Melech El / chey ha-o-la-mim
(d) Incorrect: Yimloch Adonai l'olam / Elohayich Tsiyon /I'dor
vador Hal'luyah!
Correct: Yimloch Adonai l'olam / Elohayich Tsiyon l'dor
vador / Hal'luyah!
When the idea of writing a new complete weekday service first
possessed me, the deteriorating conditions of this service had given
cause for concern to many hazzanim and music educators. More
than twenty years later, it is rewarding to note a significant improve-
ment. There seems to be a growing interest in the proper chanting
of the authentic weekday modes in both youth and adult congre-
gations in almost every part of the country. The daily Minyan is
enjoying an ever increasing popularity, and no longer do we see
only older congregants acting as B a 'a ley T'fllah. More and more
we see younger people acquiring the ancient skill and exercising
4 A. Mishcon: "DISPUTED PHRASING IN THE SIDDUR" -The
Jewish Quarterly, Vol. VII, No. 4, April 1917. (Reprinted in the Journal of
Synagogue Music, Vol. II, No. 1, February 1969).
5 Untitled lecture by Hazzan Max Wohlberg — Proceedings of the 20th
Annual Convention of the Cantors Assembly of America (1967), pp. 9-12.
49
their birthright of leading the congregation in the weekday services.
I hope that the availability of my weekday service has contributed,
even if in a small measure, to the brighter picture of this area of
public worship.
By way of a conclusion: For years I used to grit my teeth and
suffer silently whenever I had to listen to the campy tune of Shehu
noteh shamayim, with its ending that resembled "shave 'n a haircut
— two bits!" One of the nicest things about writing a new service
was that I finally had a chance to try and change all that. Since
the traditional melody for the opening lines of Ale nu L'shabe'ach,
(attributed to Sabel and Sulzer), is in a quasi-pentatonic mode,
somewhat reminiscent of the Gregorian Chant, I decided to follow
the same style. The result was a chant that had an A — B — A
form. (#28 is a two-part arrangement of it, introduced here for the
first time.) The new chant, to my delight, caught on immediately
in my congregation, and before long I started receiving notes from
colleagues who informed me that it had become popular in their
congregations as well. Perhaps this chant will some day become so
popular that everyone will forget who composed it and will think
of it as "a traditional folk tune." I guess that only then will I know
for sure that I have succeeded!
t f ? f v * \ rlf V <4 \ * '
I^-IIM Ml- VS-.- AL. V T - AT, HA- A-KETS MI- TA-CHAT ED QIM
50
BIBLIOGRAPHY
IBaer, A. — "Ba'al T'fillah" (Sacred Music Press, Reprint) (1877).
2 Bogzezter, W. — "T'filas Arvis L'chol" (Metro Music).
3Ephros, G. — "Cantorial Anthology", Vol. V, Y'mot Hachol (Bloch 1957).
4 Freed, I. — "Harmonizing The J ewish Modes" (Sacred J ewish Press).
5Friedmann, A. — "Shir Lishlomo" (1901)
6 Friedmann, A. —"Die Musi kali sche Ausgestalung Der Schmoneh Esreh."
(The Musical Structure of the Sh'moneh Esreh) Musikbeilagezu "Der J udische
Kantor" (No. 6 - 1930).
7Glantz, L. — 'The Musical Basis of Nusach Hatfillah" (Proceedings of
the 5th Annual Convention of the Cantors Assembly, 1952)
8Hertz, Joseph H. — 'The Authorized Daily Prayer Book" (New York,
1948).
9 Idelsohn, A. Z. — 'Thesaurus," Vol. VII (The Traditional Songs of the
South German J ews, 1932).
10 Idelsohn, A. Z. — 'Thesaurus," Vol. VIM (The Synagogue Songs of the
East-European Jews, 1932).
11 Katchko, A. — "Weekday Service" (Unpublished Ms.)
12 Kwartin, Z. - 'Tefilos Zebulun, III" (1938).
13 Lachmann, J . — "Awaudas J isroeil" (1899).
14 Millgram, A. — "Jewish Worship" (The J ewish Publication Society of
America, Philadelphia, 1971)
15 Milhaud, D. — "Prieres J ournalieres a L'usage des J uifs du comtat-
Venaissim" (Paris 1927).
16 Mishcon, A. — "Disputed Phrasing in the Siddur" (The Jewish Quar-
terly, Vol. VII, No. 4, April 1917; Reprinted in the Journal of Synagogue
Music, Vol. II, No. 1, February 1969).
17 Nesvishsky, A. E. — "Hamispalel" (1903).
18 0gutsch, F. — "Der Frankfurter Kantor" (1930).
19 Rosenhaupt, M. — "Shirey Ohel Yaakov" (1895).
20 Weisser, S. - "Minchas Yehoshua" (1930).
21 Werner, E. — "A Voice Still Heard, The Sacred Songs of the Ashkenazic
Jews" (The Pennsylvania State University Press).
^Wodak, M. - "Hamnazeach" (1898).
23 Wohlberg, M. — 'The History of the Musical Modes of the Ashkenazic
Synagogue, and their Usage" (Proceeding of the Seventh Annual Convention
of the Cantors Assembly, 1954).
24 Wohlberg, M. — Untitled Lecture (Proceedings of the 20th Annual Con-
vention of the Cantors Assembly, pp. 9-1 2, 1967).
51
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG'S "KOL NIDRE" AND
THE JEWISH ELEMENTS IN HIS MUSIC
Hans H. Stuckenschmidt
Religious feelings did not always play a role in Schoenberg's
creative processes. In the next-to-last year of his life he wrote
an article "My Attitude Towards Politics" which described the influ-
ence which politics played in his personal creative process. At
the age of twenty he had been introduced to Marxist theories
by friends, presumably Oscar Adler and David J . Bach. At that
time he sympathized with the Social Democrats, took part in
their struggle for the broadening of their right to free votes, and
as conductor of male choruses was called "Comrade", in German
Genosse. But even before he was twenty-five the difference be-
tween himself and the workers became clear to him.
Austrian social democracy was anti -religious at that time, and
even if Schoenberg told the painter Wassily Kandinsky in a letter
of 1922 that he had never been free from religious feelings, one can
be sure that the atheistic side of the socialist-materialist creed
was not unknown to him.
In the years before the First World War, Schoenberg experi-
enced the same disillusionment with the materialistic view of the
world as almost all the great thinkers of the time. J osef Rufer found
in 1956 at Los Angeles among Schoenberg's manuscripts sketches
and notes for a huge work simply called "Symphony". In the first
movement with the title 'Turning-point in Life" he looks back
to the past and forward to the future. The second movement is a
scherzo 'The J oy of Life", by the way with a theme in which the
twelve notes are used for the first time. The third movement, an
Allegretto, he called 'The Bourgeois God", the fourth "Interlude",
and the fifth "Psalm on Biblical words". Then the most important
title comes in number five: 'The Belief of the Disillusioned Man".
Once in the text of his Symphony, Schoenberg refers to Isaiah 58
Hans H. Stuckenschmidt is well known in Germany as a music critic and
musicologist. His career covers many aspects of musical creativity: composer,
conductor, critic, lecturer and teacher. He has been an indefatiguable sup-
porter of contemporary music throughout his career, giving early support and
recognition to Schoenberg and Stravinsky, in particular. His definitive biogra-
phy of Schoenberg is based on over 4000 source documents. His many books
and essays on 20th century music placed him among the leading international
writers on the subject.
This article was originally presented at the First World Congress on
J ewish Music held in J erusalem in August 1978.
52
and 66, cwidto] eremiah 7 and 17, prophetic books about punishment
for false religion, hypocrisy and idolatry, and also to the Last J udg-
ment.
As a young man in 1898 Schoenberg left the Jewish com-
munity and became a Protestant. 35 years later in Paris he again
became a J ew. A witness to the ceremony was Marc Chagall.
His oratorio "Jacob's Ladder", of which the poem had been
written between 1915 and 1917, is based on biblical foundations.
The title and elements of the contents came from Genesis. J ewish
questions were discussed in the drama 'The Biblical Way" in
1926 and 1927. A year later Schoenberg began to write the text
of the opera "Moses and Aron", based on the second and fourth
books of the Torah.
From 1933 on, Schoenberg occupied himself methodically with
the Jewish question. In a letter to his cousin Hans Nachod he
wrote that he was trying to unite J ewry in a common action. Al-
though he was no Zionist he wanted to found a J ewish Unity Party.
In August 1933, when still living in Paris, he wrote a sketch
for this party, which later became part of a big article about a
Jewish Four Points Programme. This is important in connection
with the "Kol Nidre". Schoenberg had left Europe in the fall of
1933 and finally settled in Los Angeles. The events in Germany
brought Schoenberg's thoughts back more and more to the J ewish
problem. In the summer of 1938, the rabbi, Dr. J akob Sonderling,
asked him to arrange the old traditional melody "Kol Nidre" for his
service. He began the work on the 1st of August and finished it
on the 22nd September 1938. The piece, written for rabbi, mixed
choir, orchestra and a big percussion section, got the opus number
39 and had its first performance in Los Angeles under Schoenberg's
direction.
How seriously he regarded this work is proved by the catalogue
of his articles. For 1938 it mentions three different manuscripts-
"Studies for Kol Nidre", "About Kol Nidre" and "Notes on Kol
Nidre and the Four Points Programme". This latter one I had
just mentioned in connection with the J ewish Unity Party.
"Kol Nidre" means "All Vows". The repentant sinner is freed
by prayer from promises which might bring him into opposition
to God. But the evening prayer that precedes the "Kol Nidre"
opens with a conjuration spoken by the rabbi to the assembly.
It contains a kind of genesis, which is borrowed from the Kabbala.
At the climax of the conjuration come the words "biyeshivah shel
53
maalah uveyeshivah shel matah", "In the name of those above and
in the name of those on earth". Then follows the permission of
the community to pray together with the sinners.
Schoenberg gave both parts, the conjuration and the actual
"Kol Nidre," a new and very personally inspired form in the English
language. He dealt similarly with the melody. It has come to us
from collections of the nineteenth century, when cantors such as
Salomon Sulzer, Moritz Deutsch and Louis Lewandowsky made ar-
rangements of the Jewish songs. But their synagogue music, alas
Leonid Sabanejeff has noted, is influenced by Catholic and Protes-
tant musical cultures. Abraham Idelsohn, great authority on Jewish
music, finds in the various parts of the "Kol Nidre" melody Spanish
elements from the sixteenth century and coloraturas from the eigh-
teenth century, intermingled with ancient motifs like the Esther
melody and the prophetic songs. The beauty of the theme has also
attracted non-Jewish composers. Max Bruch built on it, in 1881,
his famous hebraic melody for cello and orchestra, and Emil Nikolaus
von Reznicek in 1923 based the overture of his opera "Holofernes"
on it.
In the main, Schoenberg uses the first five bars of the melody,
which are of Spanish origin and which can be found as number 267
in Felipe Pedrells catalogue of Catalan songs, noted in A minor.
The intervals of the two opening bars, falling minor second
and major third, become motivic elements and appear for the most
part unaltered but transposed into different keys. The intervals of
the ascending fifth in the third bar acquires motivic significance. In
both cases Schoenberg keeps to the tonal, functional property of the
intervals, and only the basic tonality is changed. "Kol Nidre" is a
tonal work. It is written in G minor and ends in G major. With
it Schoenberg continues the group of works which began with the
G major suite for string orchestra, composed in 1934 in America,
and to which the organ variations on a recitative in D minor of 1943
and the G minor variations for wind orchestra of 1944 also belong.
In his later works, that means after the development of the
twelve-note technique, Schoenberg saw no appreciable difference
between tonal and atonal music. In fact the structure of either group
of works demonstrates the same compositional technique. It is the
technique of permanent or continued variation. Typical of this is
the way in which the melismatic motif of the penultimate bar of
Schoenberg's introduction is chromatically varied, completely within
the spirit of oriental music, and the way in which this chromatic
variation itself is worked in the mirror forms of the old Netherlands
54
school-which is comparable to the dodecaphonic methods of the
fourth string quartet and the Ode to Napoleon, both works in twelve-
note technique written before and after the "Kol Nidre."
The work is written for speaking voice, mixed chorus and
orchestra. Schoenberg wants six to eight sopranos, six altos
tenors and basses, two flutes, oboe, two clarinets and bass-clarinet,
bassoon, two horns, trumpets and trombones, bass tuba, six to
nine first violins, 3 to 5 second violins, 3 to 4 violas, 3 to 4 cellos,
2 to 3 counterbasses, tympany, xylophone, flexatone, big drum, tam-
tam, small drum and bells. "Kol Nidre" has two parts which corre-
spond to the synagogal rite. The first, fifty-seven bars long, of
which half is an orchestral introduction, accompanies the opening
of the book of the Zohar and the reading of the conjuration. The
chord sequence G minor, E flat minor, B flat minor, E flat minor, has
the note B flat in common, held in the flute and horn, while at the
same time the divided celli, muted, sul ponticello, tremolando, can be
heard playing the notes G — F sharp — D — F sharp. The chrom-
atic oriental melisma follows on from the held B flat. On the repe-
tition of the chord sequence an important descending bass figure
distinguishes itself, it is played by bass clarinet and celli pizzicato,
and consists of the notes G, E flat, B flat and F sharp, a version
of the E flat major triad in downwards arpeggio to which the F sharp
is added as a minor third. This acquires motivic significance during
the course of the piece.
Here the relationship of the "Kol Nidre" with the Ode to Napo-
leon becomes clear. The twelve-note row of the latter is so constructed
that the tonalities of F flat minor, G minor and B minor continually
alternate with one another.
With the words of the rabbi "The Kabbala tells us" a new 6/8
movement opens pianissimo. After "Let there be Light" there fol-
lows a sharp uprushing figure on three clarinets, a flexatone trill
with a stroke on steel bells, a flash of lightning in high strings
and woodwind. This very picturesque and most impressive tone
painting is achieved by strictly motivic means. With the Moderato
that follows, the absolution from the vows begins, and with it the
actual "Kol Nidre." The first bars of the melody appear like a canto
fermo in the woodwinds. A real symphonic movement is built on
the march-like rhythm. The chorus, in unison, sings the chief motif,
now transposed to A flat minor. With the words "We repent that
these obligations have estranged us" the Prophetic melody appears.
After a gloomy climax of colour introduced by the bass clarinet, and
carried on by the oboes over a funeral-march-like ostinato in fifths
55
on the basses, the chromatic melisma of the woodwinds announces a
very freely varied reprise, to the words of the rabbi "Whatever
binds us to falsehood".
A cadence, which rapidly goes through the circle of the degrees
of the scale and their related thirds, leads to the concluding G major
triad. The score gives 22 September 1938 as the date when the
work was completed.
The "Kol Nidre," little known by the wider public, is one of the
best of Schoenberg's choral compositions. The art of its motivic
variation is as great as its wealth of harmonic relations, which con-
stantly move on the borders of tonality, yet without ever losing
sight of it. For orchestral colour Schoenberg excelled it only in the
opera "Moses and Aron" composed six to eight years earlier. It is
an example of the manner in which the raw material of a folksong-
like theme is employed for the highest purposes of variation and
symphonic development — much more radically than, for example,
the melody of "Aennchen von Tharau" in the strictly dodecaphonic
suite opus 29 or Ach du lieber Augustin in the F sharp minor string
quartet opus 10.
Among the hundreds of articles, notes and fragments of Schoen-
berg's legacy in Los Angeles were some on the "Kol Nidre" which I
would like to quote here. The first part reads as follows:
'The melody suffers from monotony and sentimentality. This
is partly caused by the circumstance that it is composed in a minor-
like church mode. At the time the "Kol Nidre" originated there was
seemingly no discrimination between the emotional effect of major
and minor. No doubt, Bach would have composed it in major,
because to him, as to us, minor expressed mournful and touching
emotions. Certainly in the 16th century this melody expressed dig-
nity, seriousness, solemnity and awe. Today we feel if not the
contrary so at least the discrepancy between the solemnity of the
words and the sentimentality in which they are presented."
A second note by Schoenberg reads:
"I decided to compose at first the "Kol Nidre." Having consulted
about seven different versions of this traditional tune I found out,
that they have not too much in common as regards to a modern con-
cept of musical contents. Some basic features could be recognized,
but, as it always happens with tradition (which partly could be
translated as an unprecise memory) there were far-reaching differ-
ences to be found. Not every such motive appeared in every version.
56
Even the order in which they succeeded each other was not the
same. But the most striking fact is that also the words were not
used to the same melodies. Besides this melody in spite of its very
striking beginning suffers from monotony which is principally caused
through the minor key in which most of its parts are composed.
Minor has become during the last century an expression for sad
and touching feelings. At the time from which this melody comes,
church modes were in use, which were preferedly minor-like. In this
century the musical feeling in this respect was not so distinct as in
our time and probably the effect on the listeners was that of
dignity seriousness solemnity. No living musician feels this way
today." Here follows a line with unfinished sentences.
The third part reads:
"Furthermore there were some objections against the structural
appearance of this melody. We are accustomed that melodies are
'built up' onto a certain climax. Nothing of this kind can be observed
in this melody. It ends without any musical reason. It simply does
not continue, but the ending is neither prepared, nor built up, nor
emphasized. This is very unsatisfactory.
Another objection concerned the words. It is known that these
words always have been the object of argument. Nobody could
understand why Jews should be allowed to make oaths and vows
and promises, which they could consider as null and void. No
sincere, no honest man could understand such an attitude.
I assume that at the time when these words were used the
first time, everybody understood them perfectly:
Whenever, under the pressure of persecution, a Jew was forced
to make oaths, vows and promises counter to his inherited belief in
our religious principles, he was allowed to repent them and to declare
them null and void. Thus he was allowed to pray with the com-
munity as a Jew among Jews.
This seems to me the very idea of atonement: purgation through
repentance."
These notes are not dated but very probably written in 1938
after the composition of the work.
In a much later letter to Paul Dessau on the 22nd of November
1941 Schoenberg said how horrified he was on reading the text.
The cancellation of all the obligations which had been assumed
during the year was diametrically opposed to the lofty morality
57
of all the J ewish commandments. Then he realized that the situa-
tion of the J ews in Spain, from which "Kol Nidre" came, justified
this special cancellation. For there the Jews were compelled to
appear to adopt the Christian belief, and through this prayer these
oaths were cancelled.
The first performance of "Kol Nidre" took place on the 4th of
October 1938. Shortly after this day, in Germany, synagogues were
burnt, dwellings and firms owned by Jews were destroyed and
plundered. Schoenberg had foreseen these events as early as 1923
and mentioned them in a famous letter to his friend Wassily
Kandinsky. His prophecy came true.
58
The Structure of the Synagogue Prayer-Chant
ByBARUCH JOSEPH COHON
For some 2000 years now a con-
tinuous "ad lib. solo" has been in
progress in the countless synagogues
throughout the world. Over the
course of a long history the Jewish
people has developed an intricate,
though largely unwritten, musical
liturgy-the synagogue prayer-chant,
supple and unrhvthmical, yet highly
systematized and distinctly pre-
scribed by tradition. The great pio-
neer of Jewish musicology, Abraham
Z. Idclsohn, traced these ancient
prayer-chants back to the Trop, or
cantillations of the Bible. 1 He then
proceeded to analyze the various
modes of these chants into their com-
ponent basic motives or phrases.2 But
he did not live to complete the task
of classification and systematization.
Building on the fragmentary begin-
nings which he entrusted to me, I
have set up a framework which pre-
sents graphically the fixed method,
or nusach, n-hi& governs the tradi-
tional chanting of the prayers. 3 This
nusach is a mold. Within the limita-
tions of its scale, its patterns, and its
ritual application, it affords oppor-
tunity for improvisations of both
flexibility and virtuosity. We ma\- de-
fine this nusach as the customary
musical vehicle of the Hebrew pray-
ers. It is expressed through a num-
ber of modes which with one ex-
1 A. Z. Idelsohn, Jewish Music (New York,
1929), chap. iv.
2 Ibid., chap. 11. See also his Thesaurus of
Hcbrczv Oriental Melodies, VII (Leipzig,
1033), chap. iv.
a This study deals with the Ashkenazic tradi-
tion, that is, the sons' of the Jews of Eastern
and Central Europe, rather than the Sephardic
or Oriental tradition. The majority of Amer-
ican Jews are of A4ikeriazic background.
• Qua Cnnlnntn O^na 71
ception, are rooted in the Biblical
cantillations. 4 These modes are com-
posed of certain characteristic note-
groups or phrases, similar to the in-
dividual note-groups of the Biblical
modes, but subject to much more
variation and alteration. Unlike the
cantillations, the phrases of nusach
never acquired their own system of
notation, so that only in recent times
have they been reduced to writing
at all. Abraham Baer, in his Baal
T fillah,5 produced a faithful but
slightly Germanized representation of
traditional-style chants of the prayers
of the entire-religious year-no mean
undertaking. However, he did not at-
tempt to break these chants down
into their structural elements. Simi-
larly, L. Lewandon- ski's Kol Rinnah
was invaluable to many cantors of the
synagogues of Germanv, who could
conduct an entire service from the
printed score, though they did not
know the nusach behind it.6 F. L.
Cohen of Australia, in his article on
music in the Jewish Encyclopedia:
listed the scales that he considered
basic for the different services of the
religious year, and gave illustrations
from the prayers, which he entitled
Prayer-Modes. This analysis of the
scales in which the Jews sing their
prayers is valuable for its systematic
breakdown into component intervals
and its general relegation of certain
scales to certain occasions in the reli-
gious calendar. It fails, in my opinion,
'The sole exception is the Ahavoh rabboh
mose (q.v., p. 24). See also Idelsohn, Jewish
Music p. 87.
'Published Frankfort a/M., 1877.
Idelsohn, Jewish Music p. 281.
7(New York and London, 1905), IX, p. 122.
59
to hit upon the true meaning and
use of the synagogue mode.
It is very important here to dif-
ferentiate between "scale" and
"mode." The American popular song
Temptation and the Yiddish Elll EM
are basically in the same scale, but
hardly in the same mode [See Ex. I ] .
Es. I
Vl \h Yl 1 Vi 1 l
In synagogue music, then, while a
scale is merely a succession of inter-
vals, a mode, or Steiger, consists of a
combination of traditional phrases
within a given scale. Within the same
scale we often find several different
modes, each for a definite occasion
in the religious calendar. Further-
Lyric by Arthur Freed
Music by Nacio Herb Brown
Copyright 1933 Robbins Music Corporation.
Used by Special Permission Copyright Proprietor
ibu. came — I was a -Ian*. T fiKnul^ Kav» ktuawn ynn wi»«> t emp -te- tian
Ei-li
lo-mr) a-zav-to-ni In fire un flam holjn*n <«« g«-l>renL
Likewise, the Russian Sailor's Song is more, within a single service the first
in the same scale as the Jewish prayer section may be chanted according
"mogen ovos" [Ex. 2], but obviously to a different mode from the second
Ex. 2
i y% i i w i i
Mogftn OVOjft (in Sulxer** iccii^emi^) j
vi-m-ka- desh fibVi - i u-me-ni-acli hi-k-du- shflii-- 1-ma-a- aeyvre- ibi*
not in the same mode. The mode,
therefore, helps to determine the
character of the music. The Jewish
modes, or Steiger, because they de-
veloped as interpretations of the
prayers and holy days, adapt them-
selves admirablv to producing a de-
votional character. Within each mode
are the individual phrases which, we
shall see, are the building stones of
our traditional improvisational song.
section. Since the mode frequently is
named after an important prayer
chanted according to that mode, we
have, for example, the Adonoy mo-
loch mode, the Mogen ovos mode,
etc.
In addition, of course, to the chants
covered by the charts presented here,
the synagogue service is filled with
manv beautiful authentic melodies,
some rhythmical (e.g., the Sephardic
60
H&l-tune, carried into popular us-
age as Hatickvoh), and others without
fixed rhythm (e.g., Kol nidrey).
These melodies do not fall within the
scope of this study, which is limited
to the improvisational chants.
As Idelsohn proved, the majority
of the prayer-chants are derived from
the Biblical cantillations;8 so it na-
turally follows that the characteristic
melodic line should be parallel. A
large part of the Bible is chanted in
major, or in scales featuring the major
third. The entire Pentateuch is in this
scale, as well as Esther, Ruth, Song
of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and in some
places even the Prophets. 9 We are not
surprised, therefore, to find that
much of our HUSdCh features this same
major third. 10 To the Jew, this major
character does not necessarily signify
joy. As a matter of fact, both the
most staid and the most tearful of all
Jewish music have grown out of
scales that feature the major third.
The first of these which we shall treat
is the Adonov moloch scale, named
for a characteristic mode of the Fri-
day evening service. It consists of a
major scale in the classical sense, with
the exception of a minor seventh and
a minor tenth. In this scale, we find
the modes used on the Sabbath, both
evening and morning, and the even-
ing service for the High Holy Days,
also certain special chants such as the
Akdomus (for Shabuorh. See Chart
I, z). The second scale of this study
is the Ahavoh rabboh, named for a
characteristic mode of the Sabbath
morning service. It retains the major
third, but inserts a minor second and
a minor sixth, thus forming the dis-
tinctlv Oriental augmented second on
the second step. This scale is used for
'See note 4 above.
Idelsohn, Thesaurus, VIII (Leipzig. 1932),
chap. II, par. 19.
See note 3 above.
weekday modes as well as on the
Sabbath, and also in certain parts of
the High Holy Day services. Though
it is the same as the Arabian Hedjaz
scale, its use as a vehicle of the most
passionate outcries of the Russian-
Jewish cantors, as well as for count-
less folk songs, has left an unmistak-
ably Jewish stamp upon it. This scale
alone, of all the scales used in our
HUSdCh, has no roots in Biblical can-
tillations; and therefore we find it
used more in some countries than in
others, and entirely unknown in some
places, notably Western Germany.
Thus musically oriented, let us ex-
amine our building stones. I list them
under three main headings: Begin-
ning phrases-those introducing a
sentence or paragraph; Intermediate
phrases-those which carry the main
body of the selection to be chanted;
and Concluding phrases-obviously,
those used to end a sentence, or, in a
slightly more sustained form, a para-
graph: I further divide the second
of these groupings into: pausal
phrases-ending with a musical com-
ma; modulations-one of the most
distinctive features of synagogue
prayer-chants, for where a classical
composer might labor for several
measures over a complicated har-
monic progression, the traditional
precentor achieves the same result
within a few words, through the turn
of a single familiar linking phrase?'
and finally, pre-concluding phrases-
those which demand the resolution of
the traditional concluding notes.
These phrases are all unrhythmical
units, and the time values of the notes
111 learned to appreciate this distinctively
Jewish form of modulation from the late
Cantor Jacob Beimel, a master of melodic
creation in the traditional style. When Jewish
songs began to be harrnonized according to
classical rules, the modulations presented grave
difficulties. See Idelsohn. Jewish Music chap.
XXIII.
61
as I have written them here are rela-
tive. In general, the first or last note
of the phrase, or both, can be
lengthened to accommodate as many
syllables as necessary. Many of these
phrases contain optional notes which
are often omitted in short sentences,
and which I have indicated by paren-
theses.
The form of the phrases is pre-
served through all their variations,
and despite their elasticity, by the
consistency of the accents, which I
have indicated by horizontal lines
above the accented notes. These notes
always coincide with the stressed
word of the particular phrase being
chanted.
Chart i
Modes in the Adonoy moloch Scale
(accented notes of phrases indicated by horizontal line)
Beginning Phrawi Inl*rjnediaie Phrase*
Pausal Phrases
Modulations
Cancluiluiir Phra^as
**P hraje-S marked wiiK asterisk, are esieniial to every selection in KabolnA Snabos mode.
The firjt fieni£n£« of every selection begins with I. Subsequent s*nten£e* or paragraphs may begin
with I. "The last musical »gntgoce of e selection. begiiMvoiKljanii continued wiinl6 , followed by
a Concluding Phrajw
>■ (m Genua tr»A(UMi)
+ Eiseniial to every jeladinn in P'sultty dVimrob moda.
62
Chart ■, continued
frtnflnrlirigPllT-nffK
1
li
Yl, 26 and Kan essential to evury i«W±uMi m lb* n*uk <rf the PcAumiarj Repetition ('
27 and L are tiienLa] to ev«ry xdadLum in Y*kum purkon mule.
* £u«niial to way selection In Yamim DoroLm nuvle (far awmnir Mrvi£«).
IatAEmukaia Phrases
Pauxal PUcaiei Pra ctmttktflkk£pbm£4tt
Chart i
Modes in the Adonoy moloch scale
a) "Receiving the Sabbath"-Kabo-
las Shabos mode (from the Friday
Evening service).
Beginning phrases: Phrase I usually
begins every response by the reader.
Phrase II begins only the last sen-
tenseor verse. 12 Intermediate sen-
12 Certain words in the Friday evening service
are traditionally sung to phrase II: Asher
nishbo'ti b'api, Or zorua latzadik, etc. These,
it will be noted, begin the concluding verses
of their respective Psalms. Therefore the
generalization is justified.
63
tences of a long passage may begin b) "Verses of Song"-P'sukey d'zim-
with "e" or 15. roh mode (from the Sabbath Morn-
Intermediate phrases: Phrase 12 in ing service),
one of its three forms appears in every Beginning phrases: Phrase III is a
mode in this scale. Phrases i2andi5 direct adaptation from the Biblical
are the most typical in the Adonoy chant of the Song of the Sea [Ex. 3].
O-jshi-rck la-do-nny ki go- o go-oh fus v'-ro-ck-vo ro-xnok vb -yam.
moloch scale. Phrase "e" begins a
modulation into the minor, or into
the M ogen OVOS mode, or (in con-
junction with phrase "f") to the
Ukranian Dorian scale.13 Phrase "f
is also used to modulate to the A ha v oh
rabboh mode. Phrase "g" is an end-
ing-phrase modulating into, or out of
the Ukranian Dorian. Phrase "h" is
a turn to major on the fourth (in this
case, F major) or to the Adonoy
moloch mode itself, on the fourth. 14
Concluding phrases: Phrase W is
used more for sentence endings than
for ends of paragraphs. In phrase X,
the seventh (subtonic) occurs below
the tonic and is natural, thus illustrat-
ing an interesting characteristic of
this scale: the subtonic and the third
are both natural, giving the quality
of major, while the seventh and the
tenth (the same notes in the higher
octave) are both flat, producing a
minor quality. The Adonoy moloch
scale is thus further differentiated
from the Greek Mixolvdian. All the
concluding phrases, with the excep-
tion of P and S, show a marked simi-
larity through all the modes.
A typical succession of phrases in
this mode would be: I, 12, W; II, 16,
Y. A longer sentence might be
chanted thus: I, 14, X; 15, f, g, II, 16,
Z.
BFora discussion of this scale, see Thesaurus,
VII, p. xxv, and VIM, pp. x and xii.
'See Thesaurus, VII, chap. IV, p. xxi.
Phrase IV is a simple opening, fre-
quently used in shorter responses in
almost all the modes. Phrase V il-
lustrates the Occidental tendency to
change this scale to a plain major. 14
Intermediate phrases: Phrases 20
and 21 are basic. They are variations
of the same line, 20 usually preceding
2/. Phrase 22 is more ornamental, and
occurs in longer sentences, while 23
often precedes the ending-phrase Q.
Notice the lack of modulations in
this mode. It is used almost entirely
for short responses, so that there is
really no time to introduce modula-
tions, and no need for their function
of affording variety.
Concluding phrases: Phrase P is the
onlv ending on the fifth in this scale.
Although this ending is characteristic
of the P'sukey d' zimmh mode, many
precentors prefer the tonic ending
Q throughout, which does not neces-
sarily signify a Europeanization of
the chant, because the Biblical Song
of the Sea, the source-mode, also ends
on the tonic, as we have seen [Ex. 3].
A typical succession in this mode
might be: IV, 20, 2 1, P. For a longer
sentence: III, 22;IV, 12, 20, 21, 23,Q.
c) Y'kum purkon mode. Used also
for Chazoras hashatz (from the Sab-
bath Morning service).
Beginning phrases: Phrase VI rises,
as does I, from the tonic to the fifth,
which is the "reciting tone" of this
64
scale. 15 This is the traditional motive
for the opening of the Precentor's
Repetition (Chazoras hashatz) in
both the Morning (Shacharis) and
the Additional (Musaf) services.
Phrase VII is used for the opening of
the prayer Y'kum purkon, hence the
name of the mode. Phrase VI also ap-
pears as a pre-concluding phrase, for
Chasimoh (i.e. the opening words,
"Boruch attoh adonoy," of the clos-
ing sentence).
Intermediate phrases here are used
with great flexibility; and phrases
from the related modes are sometimes
borrowed. Phrase 29 is reminiscent
of a phrase in the Kol nidrey [Ex. 4],
Ex. 4
Snatches of melody, which, in differ-
ent communities, are inserted in this
mode, I have omitted, as local prac-
tice only. Modulations are an im-
portant feature of this mode. Phrase
"j" represents the turn to Ahavoh
r abb Oh in the Chazoras hashatz
Ex. 5
Rosh Hft^honflh melody
phrases for the Precentor's Repeti-
tion would be: VI, 25, 28, L; 29, 27,
24; 26, VI, K. For the Ykum purkon
prayer, the same mode varies only
slightly: VII, 27, f, 12, K; VI, 15, 24;
24, 28, L. Notice how the same phrase
can be made to serve for either a main
pause or a secondary pause, or both.
d) Eve of the High Holy Days-
Yomim noroim Maariv mode (from
the evening services for the New
Year and the Day of Atonement).
Here we find an even closer rela-
tionship to the classical major. This is
further strengthened by the rhyth-
mical Rosh Hashonoh (New Year)
melody, which recurs in this service
to flavor the unrhythmical chant [Ex.
5]. In this mode, too, we find the
characteristic phrase 12. The use of
this mode is very different from the
restful Kabolas Shabos mode or the
flowery Y'kum purkon. The High
Holy Days are a season of awe.
Therefore the measured tones of this
chant form a staid and dignified
mode.
Beginning phrases: Phrase VIII is
(Ahavoh rabboh then continues
through the rest of the service.)
Phrase "f" is frequently used to
modulate to the Ukranian Dorian in
the Y'kum purkon mode and for the
colorful blessing of the approaching
month (Birkas hachodesh).
Concluding phrases K and L are
only slightly different from their
parallels in the related modes.
A typical succession of these
15 Compare F. L. Cohen's use of "reciting" note
and "final" note in his diagrammatic presenta-
tion (Jewish Encyclopedia, IX, p. 123).
the invariable beginning. It is also
used, in the Eastern European tradi-
tion, for the words "el chay v'ka-
yom," whereas the German tradition
uses phrase 3 i, which is similar to the
Sabbath Eve setting of these words.
Intermediate phrases: Phrase 30,
with its variant in major, serves as
either a pausal or a pre-concluding
phrase, in different degrees of sus-
tention. No modulations occur in this
mode; variety is supplied by the peri-
odic insertion of the rhythmical
melody.
65
Concluding phrases: Phrase S con-
cludes boldly in major. Modem syna-
gogue composers often continue this
phrase up to a major tenth (e-na-
tural) .
A typical succession in this mode
is: VIII, 30, 12, T; 30, S.
z) Akdomus mode (a special mode
for certain poetical sections, prin-
cipally from the Shabuoth Morning
service).
Beginning phrases: All the begin-
ning phrases move to the fourth. The
major on the fourth is the charac-
teristic tendency of this mode.
Intermediate phrases: There are no
modulations in this mode. The form
of the text-sentences gives rise to a
set of pre-concluding phrases. Phrase
402 is an elaboration of 401.
Concluding phrases: The Eastern
tradition ends always on the tonic;
but the German use of phrase XII
as a concluding phrase takes the mode
into F major.
A typical succession in the Eastern
tradition would be: IX, 40, 401, M;
XI, 41, 402, N. In the German tradi-
tion: XII, 42, 401, 41, 403, XII.
Chart 2 (p. 2 5)
Modes in the Ahavoh rabboh scale
In this scale, we find that the vir-
tuosity of the cantorial art has made
full use of the flexibility provided by
the traditional modes. The individual
phrases used here in the weekday
mode are used on the Sabbath and in
some portions of the Holy Day ser-
vices as well, the principal difference
lying in the presence or absence of
embellishments.
a) Sabbath mode. Used also on High
Holy Days (The main part of the
Sabbath Morning service is chanted
in this mode).
Beginning phrases: I and II rise to
the third, III to the fourth, and IV
and V to the fifth. The tonic is the
resting note; selections generally be-
gin and end on the tonic. The main
reciting note is the fifth. The third
functions as a pausal note. Phrase
VI usually begins the second half of a
long passage, though occasionally it
may introduce a paragraph.
Intermediate phrases: Phrase 30 is
a basic return to the fifth. Phrase 50
is the most commonly used of the
pausal phrases. Phrases io and 20 are
often combined to form a sequence.
Of the modulations, "e" and "f'-to
the minor on the fourth-are the most
frequent. This minor on the fourth
is actually the closest key, since it
uses the identical intervals of the
Aharoh rabboh. Phrase "g" modu-
lates to the Adonoy moloch mode
on the fourth, or to major on the
fourth. Phrase "h", when used fol-
lowing a modulation with "g", is a
return to the tonic Ahavoh rabboh.
Appearing by itself, "h" may modu-
late to Ahavoh rabboh on the fifth.
Phrase "j" modulates to Ahavoh rab-
boh on the fourth.'" The distinctive
feature about all the pre-concluding
phrases, with the exception of the
weekday phrase ioi, is that they all
move to the seventh below the tonic.
This, rather than the second or the
dominant, is the sound that demands
resolution in this mode. It is invari-
ably followed by one of the conclud-
ing phrases. Phrase 102 is the one gen-
erally used for the Chasimoh words
("Boruch attoh adonoy") on the Sab-
bath.
Concluding phrases: Phrase Y is
found in the German tradition for
Sabbath morning. The upper octave
"For examples of intricately beautiful tradi-
tional-style modulations, see Thesaurus VIII,
"OS. 157 (Hin'ni) and 260 (Weintraub's
Ufros) .
66
Chart 2
Modes in the Ahavoh rabboh Scale
(accented notes of phrases indicated by horizontal line)
Beginning Phrases
O Pausal Phrases Modulations Pre-ccuudmLiqgPtirajes
InLermediale Pkrasea
Candmhrig Puraseff
(in Gcnan tradbiuai a»V)
IP*
5Q(j?gpabqvr) :
102 (se* abovp) :
Q(5«e above)
m
(g»e above)
is used for climactic effect only, in
phrases U, W, and X, the lower
octave being the rule.
A typical long passage in this mode
might be chanted thus: I, T; IV, 50,
e, f, 30, g, h, 104, S; VI, 20, 40, 10,
20, 103, 102, R.
b) Weekday mode (from the morn-
ing and evening services for week-
days).
The plainest of the phrases, with a
minimum of modulation, characterize
the weekday use of the Ahavoh rab-
boh scale.
Phrase 101 is regularly used as a
Chasimoh (i.e. for the words "Bo-
ruch attoh adonoy" of a closing sen-
tence), usually preceding the con-
cluding phrase P or Q.
A typical succession in the week-
dav chant would be: II, 50, Q; 101,
P. A longer sentence might be
chanted thus: V, 50, e, 50; I, Q; e,
10, 102, 101, P .
67
The last two scales to be treated
here (Charts 3 and 4) feature the
minor third. Due to the differences
of racial environments, these scales
contain modes more widely known
in Eastern Europe than among Ger-
man Jews. The latter, influenced to
some extent by German music, tend
to chant more in the Adonoy moloch
scale, and in plain major. Both
groups, however, have some modes
in both of the following scales. The
Mogen ovos scale (Chart 3) is a
natural minor, rather than a harmonic
minor; and its modes have their re-
citing notes on the fourth or the
fifth step of the scale. The Psalm-
mode scale (Chart 4) is essentially
the same from the tonic up, but has
several accidentals below the tonic,
namely the third, the sixth, and, in
some modes, the seventh-all sharp.
Its resting and reciting notes are
usually the tonic.
Chart 3
Modes in the Mogen ovos Scale
(accented notes of phrases indicated by horizontal line)
l Vi l 1 h l l
B«gxmiii£Phr»4eJ Intermedial* PhraMt Cmckwti^Plir***
68
ft* running PVwa <■ «
r P% t*»1 PlirMM
Chart 3, continued
* Phou** iMcbwi wiih. axUciik ar^ •«*atial io every Jtlu&aain *p«d£ud izukW
Chart 3 the beginning of the weekday morn-
Modes in theMogen ovos scale ing service),
a) Birkos hashachar mode. Used also The origin of this mode is in the
for weekday P' SUkey d' zimroh (from concluding phrase of each section of
69
the Pentateuch. Although cantillated
in major, the Pentateuch mode turns
to minor in its final note-groups [Ex.
6],
Ex. 6
-j -y* — r T
Mer-chah tif- chnh aof po-tfuk.
Beginning phrases rise directly
either to the fourth or the fifth.
Intermediate phrases: Though these
seem to have very little variety, a
skillful precentor can easily avoid
monotony. This is probably the plain-
est of all the modes, as further evi-
denced by its lack of all modulation.
Concluding phrases: B is the char-
acteristic phrase of this scale. Notice
its close similarity to A, F, K, P, and
51. They are distinguished from B
more bv the atmosphere connected
with their use than by any actual dif-
ference of note pattern.
A typical passage in this mode
would be: II, 14, A; I, 12, 13, B.
b)T'filloh mode (from the weekday
morning service).
This is basically a pentatonic mode,
built on the second benedictions over
the weekly reading of the Prophets
(Haftoroh) .17
Beginning phrases: Phrase IV in its
longer form contains the fifth, a sort
of compromise between this ancient
mode and modern ears. The fourth
is the reciting tone here, and the third
is a pausal tone.
Intermediate phrases: Here we find
the beginnings of a modulation in
the German tradition, probably to
Adonoy moloch on Z?fc>; but phrase
"h" seems to be about the extent of
the development of the modulation.
Phrase 201 is regularly set to the
Chasimoh words.
17 Thesaurus, VIII, chap, n, 2.
Concluding phrases: Phrase D il-
lustrates the occasional ending on the
third in this mode.
A typical succession of these
phrases is: IV, 22,21,22,20,201, C.
c) Mogen ovos mode (from the
Friday Evening service).
From this calm chant the scale
takes its name. Some of these phrases
seem to indicate a feeling of eternity
-the ending on the fifth, for ex-
ample. All the phrases are sung with a
serenity that is Sabbath peace.
Phrase 34 is a typical representative
of this mode. Phrase "j" modulates
to minor or to Mogen ovos on the
fifth, through a transposition of the
ending motive B. The Festival phrase
601 is used here rather rarely to
modulate to Ahavoh rabboh on the
fifth.
A typical succession of these phrases
might be: II, 34, 35, 36; V, 32, 3 I, 33;
301, E.
d) Bor'chu mode (from Sabbath
Morning service).
This mode is very much like the
Mogen ovos with the addition of
some distinctive phrases of its own.
The German tradition here includes
what is sometimes termed a separate
mode, the Y ishtabbach Steiger, dis-
tinguished by phrase "k".18
These phrases would be chanted
thus: VI, 40, J; 41, 42, B.
e) Minchoh mode (mode of the
Sabbath Afternoon service).
This is a flowing chant of con-
tinuous motion. A reciting note is
difficult to locate, but the phrases
turn around the fourth and the tonic.
Idelsohn points out the sources of
this mode in the Pentateuch and the
Prophets. 19
7Slbid., VII. chap. IV, p. xxxii.
19lbid., VIII, chap, n, par. n.
70
A typical succession of these
phrases: VII, 501, L; 50, 51, 52,
502, K.
f) Festival Maariv mode (from
the evening service for Passover,
Shabuoth, and Sukkoth).
The fifth is the reciting note here.
Phrases 63 and P are most frequently
heard in poetic passages (piyutim).
Notice the variant traditions of
phrase 64, employed for designated
words such as "el chay," here as in
the High Holy Day evening service.
A typical succession of these
phrases is: IX, 60, 42, 62, 60,' 601, N.
g) Study mode (used in any service
for reciting sections of the Talmud
embodied in the ritual, as this is the
chant of the Talmud).
The main characteristic of this
mode is its fluidity. It stays quite
close to the minor chord tones, oc-
casionally modulating to Ahavoh
rabboh by altering two notes in
phrase 70 to produce "n". This mode
has very little form in its improvisa-
tions, compared with the other modes
we have covered; more freedom is
exercised. 20
A typical succession is: XI, 71, n,
71, 72, 36, Q.
Chart 4 (pp. 30-3 I )
Modes in the Psalm- mode scale
a) The Psalm-mode.
This mode is used in various parts
of the services of the religious year.
One important function of the mode
is for chanting Hallel, that section
of the book of Psalms which is re-
cited on the first of every month
and on the Festivals. It is noteworthv
that this mode does not follow the
indicated Biblical cantillations of the
20ltid 9 par. 21. See also example no. 236
(Rappaport's Eilu d'vorim).
book of Psalms, the key to which
markings seems to have been lost.
The Psalm-mode bears marked simi-
larity to the Selichoh mode (see
below), and uses many of the same
phrases.
Beginning phrases: The opening
moves from the dominant below the
tonic, to the third, as in I, or from
the tonic to the fifth, as in II.
Intermediate phrases: Pausal tones
here, as in most of the simpler modes,
are the tonic, third, and fifth. The
modulation is to the A mi do h mode
for Festivals (see below), and occurs
regularly on the words "hal'lu es
adonoy kol goyim."
Concluding phrases all end on the
tonic.
A typical succession is: II, 15, 14,
I 3, A; XIII, 12, k, B.
b) Bor'chu mode for Sabbath and
Festivals (from the Friday Evening
and Festival Eve services).
Here we find all the accidentals of
this scale. Phrase V is a beginning of
special sentences, and is not always
found in the German tradition. Ger-
man Jews chant this part of the serv-
ices, in general, more closely to the
Adonoy moloch mode than to the
minor.
A typical succession here is: III,
E; 20, G; V, 21,20, 1, IV, F.
c) K'rovoh mode for Sabbath and
Festivals (from the additional prayers
of the Sabbath and Festival Morning
services).
A very simple mode, showing di-
rect Biblical influence.21
d) Amidoh mode for Festivals (from
the morning service for Passover,
Shabuoth, and Sukkoth).
This mode provides one of the
most remarkable single features of
2Zlbid, par. 10.
71
the synagogue prayer-chant: con-
cluding phrase J ends on the sub-
dominant below the tonic, although
the tonic is the central note of the
mode. Moreover, phrase J identifies
the service as a festive one. This
application of the principle of the
leitmotif, credited to Wagner, col-
ored the synagogue chants from of
old. The concluding phrases of the
two Amidoh modes presented here
-J and R-are outstanding examples
of the tradition which formed a kind
of supplementary calendar, making
each holiday recognizable by a
single phrase of music.
Chart 4
Modes in the Psalm-mode Scale
(accented notes of phrases indicated by horizontal line)
Bcgumu^PfcraMC ImUjiimjJmU Pturaiar Cnnf Wing PKr wi
Pauial Piiruft* Modulation* PrcConduAng Pfaraig*
1
41
pS
#Phc***« n*f*^^ *-**h *«*— i^ irt tumniimLto cvmry sd*<toea.m.tf*ciiimAtnaJm.
72
Chart 4, continued
Beginning Phrai** f*ii»T » t»wl|af» Pbrai** Cm^ludinePtiEaAef
Z{s*e above
* Phr««i xruu-ked waih ajt*ri*k ara ei*«alliJ to evmry*
in <p*<:ifiaJ i
73
The intermediate two-part phrase
40 is often repeated, and the second
half of it is used for the Chasimoh
words.
A typical succession: VII, 13, 42,
41, 40, 40, n, 80; IX, 42, 40, n, J.
e) P'sukey d'zimroh mode for the
High Holy Days (from morning
services for New Year and Day of
Atonement).
This is another simple mode. The
second half of the two-part phrase
"p" appears in the S'lichoh mode
(see below).
f) K'rovoh mode for the High Holy
Days (from the additional prayers of
the morning services of New Year
and the Day of Atonement).
In this mode we find both a major
seventh and a minor seventh, the
latter (subtonic) being combined
with a major sixth. Phrase 601
modulates to the Ukranian Dorian.
Concluding phrases: M is used
almost exclusively for the end of the
first half of a passage. Phrase P is
taken over from the melodies of the
ritual poetry (piyutim), and gen-
erally concludes the selection.
A typical succession is: XI, 60, q,
M; 61, 42, 601, Q.
g)Amidoh mode for the High Holy
Days (from morning services for
New Year and the Day of Atone-
ment).
The two most distinctive features
of this mode are its characteristic
ending R, and its use of the modula-
tion to the more flexible Ahavoh
rabboh mode. It tends to draw
heavily on the K'rovoh and S'lichoh
modes also.
A typical succession: XII, 701,
Insert improvisations in Ahavoh
rabboh scale, returning to 70, r, R.
h) S'lichoh mode (the chant for a
group of penitential prayers).
Idelsohn divided the S'lichoh mode
into two, one with major charac-
teristics (as shown in phrases XV, S,
u, and 85) and the other with minor
characteristics. The minor, predomi-
nate, especially in the Eastern Euro-
pean tradition. This mode leans
heavily on the Psalm-mode scale and
the Ukranian Dorian scale.
A typical succession: XIII, 80, 84,
85, 801, 802, (improvise in Ukranian
Dorian), 601, A; XIV, 83, 82, s, B.
Baruch J oseph Cohon is the hazzan of Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills,
Cal. He has written extensively on the origin and development of nusah
hatefillah. This article is reprinted with permission from the Vol. Ill, No. 1
(1950) issue of The J ournal of the American Musicological Society.
74
REVIEW OF NEW MUSK
Samuel Adler. Avot-Zachrenu Lachayim for Neilah, for Cantor,
mixed choir, and organ. New York: Transcontinental
Music (991081), cl980. 6 pp. ($.40)
Using texts from the Neilah service and musical motifs from
Neilah as well as earlier portions of the High Holy Days, Dr. Adler
has fashioned a setting which ably demonstrates both his craftsman-
ship and his powers of creativity. The work consists of two major
divisions. The first, Avot, contains a closely-knit interplay between
the Cantor and organ; choral participation here is minimal. A more
prominent role is given to the choir in Zachrenu, the second division.
Particularly interesting in the latter segment is the composer's sensi-
tive choral-writing which effectively emphasizes the text. In general,
harmonic structures remain within the two diatonic systems in which
the work is written: Avot, on A; Zachrenu, on G.
Michael Isaacson. Kaddish for S'lichot, for Cantor and mixed choir,
a cappella. New York: Transcontinental Music (991061),
cl979. 7 pp. ($.65)
Avinu Malkeinu, for Cantor and mixed choir, a cappella.
New York: Transcontinental Music (991063)) cl979. 8 pp.
($.65)
Mr. Isaacson has given us two useful and well-conceived works.
In the first, he has created a choral accompaniment to a traditional
High Holy Day melody used for the Kaddish. Without altering this
melody, the composer has added a contemporary feeling by using
supporting harmonies that are in a more current style than one
would expect the tonal' melody to generate.
The second work is constituted of three consecutive statements
of the Avinu Malkeinu prayer, each set for different forces. The first
statement is delivered by the Cantor and is marked by an emphasis
on several words by means of somewhat lengthy hesitations on their
final syllables. Next, a warm, melodic line and easily-flowing rhythms
characterize a choral restatement of the text. A simultaneous presen-
tation of these two settings comprises the final statement of the
prayer. The harmonic style of this tonal work is similar to that found
in Mr. Isaacson's Kaddish.
1 In the course of this review, "tonal" is meant to include modal and
major-minor systems.
75
Sidney Friedman. U-vachodesh Hashvi-i: In the Seventh Month,
for mixed choir and organ. New York: Transcontinental
Music (991060), cl979. 8 pp. ($.65)
A passage taken from Pinchas (Numbers: XXIX, 1) serves as
text for this composition. That Mr. Friedman endeavored to write
a setting which reflects some meaning of this text, is evidenced in
the opening measures where one finds the organ articulating shofar-
like leaps of fifths. Mr. Friedman has constructed his composition
on two motives, employing a different manner of choral treatment
for each. The initial motive, formed of a major second, is stated
in familiar style. The second motive begins with an upward leap
of a fourth and is handled contrapuntal ly. The work is tonal and is
conceived in a conservative, twentieth-century style.
Lawrence Avery. Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee: Al Tifgi Vi
Le-ozveich, for voice and keyboard accompaniment with
chord names for the guitar. New York: Transcontinental
Music (991068), C1979. 4 pp. $1.50)
Cantor Avery has cast verses 16 and 17 of the initial chapter of
the Book of Ruth in a pleasant and unpretentious manner. Consisting
of a gentle, melodic line supported by an easily-negotiated piano
accompaniment, the work can be readily performed and will serve a
utilitarian purpose. Although the accompaniment is designated "for
Piano or Organ," the pianistic style of writing precludes a direct
transference of the accompaniment to the organ. The composition is
tonal, and, except for its final chord (containing an added sixth),
is free from any harmonic surprises.
Burton H. Scalin, Ph.D.
76
Morton Gold. Songs of Praise, MS from the composer. Oratorio
for chamber orchestra, mixed chorus, children's chorus
and soloists.
In the spring of 1978 a committee in charge of planning the
50th anniversary celebration of Congregation Beth El in Omaha,
Ne, where I was Hazzan at the time, decided upon my recom-
mendation, to commission Dr. Morton Gold to write a new work
to honor the memory of Harry and Sadie Kulakofsky, two pillars
of the Omaha Jewish community. The theme was to be related
to Shavuot. Shavuot, of course, means bikurim, matan Torah,
Hal I el, thanksgiving, etc.
I proceeded to cull various biblical and liturgical texts suitable
for these themes and chose not to venture upon an original text.
Upon submitting the various texts to Dr. Gold, we decided that
the work would be a X-part work entitled "Songs of Praise", divided
as follows:
1. Thanksgiving — bikurim
2. Revelation at Sinai — matan Torah
3. Songs of Praise — hallel
The result was a truly beautiful oratorio scored for chamber
orchestra, large chorus, children's chorus and soloists. At the pre-
miere performance, we also utilized dance as an added feature
although this is by no means necessary for the successful per-
formance of the work. The premiere of Songs of Praise took place
on June 3, 1979.
The work contains some delightful choral numbers and separate
ariosos for tenor or soprano and orchestra. Or, if one chooses, simply
piano or organ. There are also a few charming simple tunes for
children's chorus. There is the beautiful antiphonal Modim where
the chorus sings the Modim d'Rabanan as an English response
to the cantorial solos. There is "Then Your Beloved" (AZ lot
Shibhu Ahuuim) from Etrat which ends with a rousing Mi Kha-
mokha, bringing Part I to a close.
Part II depists the entire revelation at Sinai, utilizing the Ata
Nigleta text in both Hebrew and English in its entirety as it exists
in the High Holyday Mahzor. Here, the composer consciously chose
to depart from the mixolydian nusah in favor of a dramatic declama-
tory minor to create his Cecil B. DeMille-like scenario.
77
To those who are not yet familiar with Morton Gold's orches-
trations, let me assure you that you are in for a delightful surprise.
Dr. Gold utilizes his instrumentation to the fullest, and achieves
remarkable effects and colorations. He is most skillful at creating
a multitude of moods and settings in a variety of symphonic styles.
However, Dr. Gold, being the son of Hazzan Leon Gold, brings
an added bonus to his music. Here and there one gets more than
a generous taste of nusah, trope, Akdamut and even shofar blow-
ing! To be sure, the section of the Ata Nigleta, starting with
V'ne-emar to the end of the piece, can be used effectively at any
traditional Rosh Hashanah Musaf service-by cantor and choir.
As for strictly choral numbers, there are, at least, two rousing
psalms destined to become choral favorites: the opening Psalm
100 -Acclaim the Lord and Psalm 150, Haleluyah. Yes, in F
minor, no less, with dance-like rhythms and harmonies that don't
sound at all like Handel or Lewandowski. There is a beautiful
lyrical and elegant setting of Psalm 116, "How shall I Render
Thanks", for tenor. Although it is set in English, I tried it in the
Hebrew, and it works.
There is a choral version Psalm 117, Praise the Lord, which
is very much like a spiritual. The settings to Hodu LaShem and
Blessed Be The Lord for children voices are extremely charming,
even if the melodies themselves are the least original of Gold's
other tunes. But his orchestration more than vindicates the com-
poser.
One could not attempt a review of "Songs of Praise" without
reference to No. 2 "And It Shall Be", clearly a fine number in its
own right. This segment of the work consists of four short choral
numbers set to the text of Deuteronomy 26, depicting the entire
Bikurim pageant. Here, Gold mixes his ability to write lovely
choral passages with his knowledge of Jewish motifs. First, we
hear a unison chant to the theme of Akdamut; then there is a
motif "And thou shalt come" reminiscent of the Hagadah. An
a cappela chorale "Look forth from Thy habitation" leads to the
final exclamation "I call Heaven and Earth to witness this day"
where the composer fuses the two introductory themes into one
climactic finish. The successful premiere of the work in 1979
prompted a local music critic to write "Dr. Gold has the distinct
ability to capture the American pioneering spirit while, at the
same time, preserving the beauty of his tradition",
78
An attractive feature of Songs of Praise is its adaptability. One
can easily perform segments of the work at different times during
the year. At times with full orchestra and chorus or with smaller
forces. Morton Gold is unquestionably a gifted composer whose
works are yet to gain wider acclaim. One can only hope that his
inspired and creative pen will continue to bring us beautiful works
such as, "Haggadah," "Havdalah," "Songs of Praise," "Proverbs of
the Sages," etc., all of which were commissioned by members of the
Cantors Assembly and their synagogues. His works certainly de-
serve more attention.
Chaim Najman
79
RECORD REVIEWS
THE RUSSIAN JEWISH COMPOSERS, Vol. I (violin and piano)
and Vol. II (violoncello and piano). Musique Internationale M7501
and M7504.
Barry Serota is a phenomenon of unique importance to all
interested in the history and performance of Jewish music. His vast
knowledge of the past and his impressive collection of old Jewish
recordings make him important. What is unique are his systematic
reissuing of the most valuable and enlightening old cantorial record-
ings on modern LP discs and his new recordings of Jewish art music.
No modern Jewish record library can do without them.
Most of the Russian Jewish composers whose works are repre-
sented on the two volumes reviewed here were members of the
Jewish Folk Song Society which flourished in St. Petersburg and
Moscow from 1908 to 1918. All were professional, highly skilled
musicians who wished to express their Jewishness within the medium
of classical art music, and they took as their model the Russian
nationalist movement in music of the 19th century. Most of the
names are very familiar since nearly all these men later came to
America or Israel and subsequently had successful careers in our
midst. They belonged to the first generation of Jewish secular com-
posers who knew their Jewishness and were proud to display it.
The quality of composition varies. The most consistently excel-
lent are those by Joseph Achrnn (Stempenya Suite and A gad ah)
for violin and piano. Here the Jewish elements are most fully inte-
grated into the art style, reminiscent of Bloch's Jewishness in his
art works, i.e., the Jewishness doesn't glare and is more a feeling
than a specific Jewish mode or rhythm. The harmonic style, too,
is similar to Bloch's, whose Jewish music can be understood better
once Achron's and the other's pieces on these records are known.
Since Achron was once regarded by his and Heifetz's violin teacher,
Auer, as Auer's greater student, it is no wonder that Achron's
pieces are the most idiomatic and creative for the violin. Though
less distinguished, the other pieces on the violin record by Lazare
Saminsky, Joel Engel, Jacob Weinberg, Michael Gnessin, and Solo-
mon Rosowsky successfully stress the rich lyrical tone of the violin
and are beautiful. There is more pure tunefulness in their pieces
where the harmonies are seemingly modally derived and where there
is no emphasis at all on unusual violin colors as in the Achron.
Of great importance in the high quality of Volume I is that
the Vilna-born violinist Yosef Yankelev is a first-rate artist with
80
a nice but not overly sweet tone. He and pianist Yvonne Figueroa
play with a fresh, vital sensitivity. Both adapt well to the different
styles and techniques of the different composers.
Volume IV is a little less attractive partially because cellist
David Sella does not play as beautifully or carefully as Yankelev,
and the performers (Sella and pianist Paul Posnak) have too cool
an interpretation. But the fault must also lie with the music itself
which in some cases seems less inspired. Alexander Krein's Hebrew
melody, Op. 43. for example, despite an impressionistic accompani-
ment that distinguishes it from all the other pieces on both records,
never goes anywhere, and the melody by itself, though clearly derived
from Jewish song, is plain. On the other hand Weinberg's well
known Berceause Palestienne is a haunting melody that is devel-
oped in a charming manner; usually heard as a violin piece, it works
well here on the cello.
The two major works by Rosowsky — Rhapsody and especially
Fantastisher Tnnz, Op. 6 (the latter a trio joined in by Yankelev) —
are the highlights of the cello disc and should be the principal reason
why everyone should want the record, especially if one's only
knowledge of Rosowsky is as the musicologist-author of a famous
book on cantillation. Both are saturated with Jewish motives, but
whereas in some other works these motives, especially those in the
Ahava Rabba mode, become tedious, in Rosowsky' s music they are
finely controlled by the composer.
The value of these professionally manufactured recordings lies
in their bringing together excellent performances of the music of
the Society so that Jewish historians can judge the true position of
this music in Jewish cultural history, Jewish performers will realize
the availability of a rich, barely tapped repertory. Jewish music
devotees can enjoy a different, expression of a familiar tradition, and
general music lovers will expand their repertory of beautiful music.
Serota provides excellent, extensive notes on the jacket of Volume I
which help the uninitiated in identifying the composers and the place
of the music. Sound reproduction is generally outstanding.
These recordings and a catalogue of all Serota' s records available
on LP can be obtained from Musique Internationale, 3111 West
Chase Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60645.
Dr. John H. Baron
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