Cantors Assembly • June 1984 • Si van 5744 • Vol XIV • No 1 •
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JOURNALOF SYNAGOGUE MUSIC
Articles:
A New Jewish Opera:
"Miriam and the Angel of Death"
Hazzan Leib Glantz: On His 20th Yahrzeit
Mordecai Sandberg:
His Compositions and His Ideas
The "Jewish" Works of Ernest Bloch
Harmonizing Chant Melodies
A Statistical Analysis of
Bar/Bat Mitzvah Preparation
Ben W. Seller 3
Akiva Zimmerman 7
Charles Heller 9
David Z. Koshner 26
Michael Isaacson 42
Kenneth B. Cohen 46
Departments:
Record Review
Synagogal Art Music of the 17th- 18th Centuries" Ben Steinberg 60
Music Review
'Biti', (Michael Isaacson)
"Eilu D r Varim" (Ben Steinberg)
Lawrence A very 62
"Encore" duets for Tenor and Baritone
(Charles Heller)
Shlomo Shuster 64
journal of synagogue music, Volume XIV,Numberl
June 1984/Shevat 5744
editor: Abraham Lubin
managing editor: Samuel Rosenbaum
editorial board: Lawrence Avery, Jacob Barkin, Ben Belfer, Jack
Chomsky, Baruch Cohort, Charles Davidson, Solomon Epstein,
Sheldon Levin, Saul Meisels, Solomon Mendelson, Chaim Najman,
Abram Salkov, Arnold Saltzman, Moses J. Silverman, Hyman Sky,
Pinchas Spiro, David Tilman.
business board: Israel Barzak, Elliott Dicker, Robert Kieval, Robert
Scherr, Neil Schwartz, Max Shimansky, Shlomo Shuster, Elliot Vogel,
Bruce Wetzler.
officers of the cantors assembly: Ivan Perlman, President; Saul
Hammerman, Vice President; Henry Rosenblum, Treasurer; Harry
Weinberg, Secretary; Samuel Rosenbaum, Executive Vice President.
journal of synagogue music ±s a semi-annual publication. The sub-
scription fee is $12.50 per year. All articles, communications and
subscriptions should be addressed to Journal of Synagogue Music,
Cantors Assembly, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York 10011.
Copyright ® 1984, Cantors Assembly
A NEW J BMSH OPERA:
"MIRIAM AND THE ANGEL OF DEATH"
Ben W. belfer
A new opera, "Miriam and the Angel of Death" based on a
short story, "Devotion Without End/' by J . L. Peretz, had its
premiere performance on J une 17, 1984 in the new Feinberg Audi-
torium of the J ewish Theological Seminary. It was composed by
Lee Goldstein, an Instructor of Music in the Cantors Institute of
the Seminary, to a libretto by Rabbi Raymond Scheindlin, Associate
Professor of (Medieval Hebrew literature in the Rabbinical School.
The opera was commissioned by the Seminary in celebration of the
Year of the Library-5744 (1983-1984), to mark the dedication of
the new Library. It is scored for five voices and two pianos. Mr.
Goldstein has previously written a prize winning opera, scored for
full orchestra, based on Euripides' 'The Trojan Women".
"'Miriam and the Angel of Death" is a welcome addition to an
ever increasing list of operas by J ewish composers on J ewish themes,
i.e. "Gimpel the Fool" by David Schiff, 'The Golem" by Lazar
Weiner, "And David Wept" by Ezra Laderman and two operas by
BruceAdolphe, "MikhaelsThe Wise" and "False Messiah" all of
which were produced by the 92nd St. Y. In addition there are two
operas by Hugo Weisgall on J ewish themes, "Athalia" and "Nine
Rivers From J ordan."
What makes "Miriam and the Angel of Death" different from
the above mentioned works is that the main thrust of this opera is
religious in nature with motifs drawn from Talmudic legend, Kab-
bala, prayer and theTorah itself. The story, which takes place in
Safed in the 16th Century during the time of the mystics, concerns
a brillant young Talmud scholar, Hanania, who commits the sin
of misusing his knowledge of theTorah by hurting others. For this,
the Prophet Elijah punishes him with the loss of his knowledge.
He can only regain it by becoming a penitent. He is advised by the
prophet that he must study with the great scholar, Reb Hiya, at his
yeshiva in Safed. Hanania's redemption will come through the sacri-
fice of a righteous woman whose devotion to the Torah is unques-
tioned. That woman is Miriam, the beautiful daughter of Reb Hiya,
Ben W. Belfer, has been the distinguished hazzan of Temple B'nai Shalom
of Rockville Centre New York for a quarter century. He also is a member
of the faculty of the Cantors Institute of the J ewish Theological Seminary of
America and the Hebrew Union College's School of Sacred Music.
who is ready to sacrifice her life for the sake of her love for Hanania
and the Torah.
The composer and librettist have done a remarkable job in
creating a very effective dramatization of this beautiful Peretz story
for the operatic stage. The five characters in the opera are very ably
portrayed by energetic young singers who not only have very fine
voices but also look and move well on the stage. They are:
Esrog merchant-J ohn Trout, bass
Hiya, an elderly Rabbi-Stephen Kalm, baritone
(Miriam, his daughter-Margaret Chalker, soprano
Hananiah, a young penitent-Patrick Romano, tenor
Sarah, the ghost of Hiya's wife-Mi hal Shiff, mezzo-soprano
Although there are some solo selections in this work, it is truly
an ensemble opera largely consisting of duets, trios, quartets and
culminating in a full bodied quintet in the wedding scene. It would
be difficult to single out any one singer. They are all deserving of
the highest praise for their fine singing and excellent interaction, not
only vocally but also dramatically. This is a tribute to the stage
director, Mr. Charles Kondek, who had to overcome the difficulty of
working on a stage which was not conceived for operatic productions.
Mr. J ohn lacovelli designed a very effective and imaginative
set despite the limitations of the stage. Mr. Lee Goldstein, who
conducted, very ably and carefully guided his musical forces through
the intricacies of the score. The fine blending of pianists Victoria
Von Ark and Stuart Raleigh provided excellent support for the sing-
ers. We must also mention the excellent work of the lighting de-
signer, Mr. Alan Baron, and costume designer, Mr. Gabriel Berry,
whose design of the costume for Sarah, the ghost of H iya's wife,
was especially imaginative.
The composer proudly acknowledges the influence on his com-
positional styles of Hugo Weisgall, who was his teacher, and of
Richard Strauss and J . S. Bach. The opera is an excellent example
of fine contrapuntal writing with resulting lush harmonies achieved
through this horizontal form. Mr. Goldstein makes use of some tradi-
tional synagogue motifs, namely the popular MaozTzur theme (see
Example 1) at the beginning of the wedding scene and also the
B'ruchim Habaim, Mi adir and the Sheva Brakhot — the seven bene-
dictions of the marriage ceremony.
The wordless melody chanted by Reb H iya (see Example 2),
with which the opera begins evokes a mystical quality reminiscent of
the slow wordless melodies of the hassidim. It is used again in the
last scene when Hananiah regains his lost knowledge. This time he
is joined by Reb Hiya in a duet suggesting a wordless scholarly
discussion.
The sheva brakhot provide the central theme for a very exciting
quintet in the wedding scene in which the characters express their
individual feelings. Although it is a fine example of vocal contra-
puntal writing, in the opinion of this reviewer, the overly busy and
heavy piano scoring in this section, seem to be in conflict with the
vocal writing. This was also evident in the duet between Miriam
and the Ghost of her mother, Sarah. In both cases the otherwise
fine diction of the singers was adversely affected. Perhaps Mr. Gold-
stein will take this under advisement when he decides to orchestrate
this opera.
The J ewish Theological Seminary of America is to be con-
gratulated for commissioning this outstanding cultural effort, thanks
to the generosity of Mr. Leonard Goodman.
We look forward to continued efforts in the field of Jewish
musical creativity in the years ahead.
EXAMPLE
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/efus ^pe^Aof^^o-7r?or7~aa.
EXAMPLE 2
HAZZAN LEIB GLANTZ: ON HIS 20TH YEHRZEIT
Akiva Zimmerman
(Translated from the Yiddish
by Samuel Rosenbaum)
('Twenty years have gone by since the passing of the talented
hazzan, LeibGlantz. He died a day after Shabbat Shi rah, 13Shevat
5724. 1 saw him for the last time on the morning of Shabbat Shi rah
on his way to meet with his old friend, the poet Eliezer Shteinman.
The latter, in his article, 'The Last Sabbath" writing on his long
friendship with Glantz, points out that it was symbolic that the great
Hazzan Pini Minkowski died on the day before Shabbat Shirah,
5684, Glantz a day after Shabbat Shirah, both lived to be 65; in
gematria, Has! Silence!)
Glantz was born in Kiev on 23 Si van 5658, (1898). His grand-
fathers, R. Nahum and R. Naftali, as was also his father, were haz-
zanim. From earliest childhood he was bathed in Torah and haz-
zanut. He came to the amud for the first time at the age of eight.
At 14, he was engaged as the choir director of the Morkrover shtibl
in Kiev where his father served as hazzan. For the first time in a
hasidic klayz'l (small synagogue) were the tornalities of Sulzer,
Lewandowski, Baruch Schorr and the other 19th century masters
heard.
Glantz was also, from his early youth, active in Zionist circles
and served his first hazzanic tenure in the Zionist shtibl in Galaz,
There he met and became associated with Zalman Rosenthal, editor
of "Our Times". From the 14th Zionist Congress on he was an
official delegate to every Zionist congress which followed. Much of
his time, when he was not singing, he devoted to Zionist activity.
His first compositions were a setting to Bialik's "Aharey Mot/"
("When I Die . . .") and to Rosenthal's poem, 'The Broken Roof".
It is worthy of note that as his first opus dealt with death, so did
his final, a new setting to the Kaddish.
He came to America in 1926 where he immediately became a
figure to be reckoned with in hazzanut and an aggressive worker in
the Zionist movement, particularly in work in behalf of the J ewish
National Fund.
He visited Palestine for the first time in 1930 and was greatly
moved by that experience. During the time he was active in Zionist
work he did not accept a hazzanic post. It was not until 1941 that
8
he signed a five year contract in Temple Sinai, and after that at
Shaarey Tefillah, both in Los Angeles.
He became a sought-after concert artist all over America,
Canada, South Africa, and of course, in Palestine. He settled in
Israel in 1954 and became the Chief Hazzan of theTiferet TzVi
Congregation in Tel Aviv, where he also established a cantorial
academy for the study of hazzanut.
During his active career Glantz made litterally hundreds of
recordings, most of them of his own original works as well as of
arrangements of hassidic nigunim. It was well known that Albert
Einstein was an avid fan of his hassidic music. 90 of his 216 com-
positions were created in Israel, in spite of the fact that he lived
there no more than 10 years. This gives some indication of how
deeply Israel had rooted itself in his soul. Thousands upon thousands
of J ews came to hear him daven in those golden years. He was highly
thought of in Israeli musical circles, and was named a judge in the
great Egel competition sponsored by the city of Tel Aviv.
On Shabbat Shi rah he gave a talk to colleagues in Tel Aviv. He
collapsed in the midst of his talk. He was taken immediately to a
hospital to no avail. Thousands attended his funeral and accom-
panied him to his final resting place in K'rit Shaul. Among the chief
mourners was his life long friend, the third president of Israel,
Zalman Shazar.
Following his death, there were printed seven volumes of syna-
gogue music, Yiddish and Hebrew songs as well as the volume
'Tharint' ("Reflections"), an anthology of articles and essays about
his life and accomplishments. In Tel Aviv, a street was named in
his memory.
Glantz's own words on hazzanut offer a fitting conclusion to
this brief biography:
"Hazzanim must remember that they are not only musical
craftsmen", certainly not just "singers". They must themselves
create and plan, they must serve as their own architects of
contemporary J ewish prayer. They must be the true shlikhey
tzibbur, the authentic mediators between the congregation and
the Almighty. They must be creditable spokesmen in behalf of
thej ewish people in God's own spiritual tongue, the language
of I srael's "Song of Songs".
MORDECAI SANDBERG:
US COMPOSITIONS AND HIS IDEAS
C HARLES H ELLER
"Like diamonds set in gold" was how Berele Chagy described
Mordecai Sandberg's settings of Hebrew.
Edward Clark, a former Head of BBC Music, said of Sandberg:
"A composer in whose path new music is following."
These two comments, recalled by the composer's widow Mrs.
Hannah Sandberg, represent the impact of Sandberg on two kinds
of listeners: one concerned with expressing the Hebrew Bible and
prayers and the other with developments in modern music in general.
In this article I wish to present Sandberg's work and achieve-
ments both to a new generation of music lovers and to an older
generation that has not heard his work since the last major concerts
given in New York some years ago.
Mordecai Sandberg was born in Romania in 1897 and qualified
as a physician. He settled in J erusalem in 1922. He studied music
and philosophy from an early age and gradually devoted more and
more time to these subjects until by 1939 he felt he had to devote
himself entirely to composing. His unique combination of expertise
in music, medicine and in the universalistic philosophy of J udaism,
derived from a profound study of the Bible, gave him a heightened
awareness of the role music could play in life. His main aims became
the setting of the Bible and the development of a musical scale
(including microtones) that would be intelligible to listeners of
varied backgrounds — ideally from all regions of the world. His
search for the appropriate kind of music to express the words and
deeper meaning of the Bible led to the conclusion that only through
the use of microtonal intervals could the Hebrew words take on their
full flavour. In other words, Sandberg felt the need for an oriental
tonal system to express oriental words. He pursued the study of
different tonal systems, Eastern and Western, in order to develop
his own 'Universal Microtonal System' aimed at being intelligible to
Charles Heller is Choir Director at Beth Emeth Yehuda Synagogue,
Toronto. His original research on diverse aspects of Jewish Music has been
published in the Canadian Folk Music Journal and the Journal of the Arnold
Schoenberg Institute. He also taught a course in Jewish Music at the Uni-
versity of Toronto School of Continuing Studies. His most recent set of musical
arrangements is Encore! (duets published by the Toronto Council of Hazzanim,
1983).
10
all races of mankind. The result was the confident use of microtones
as an integral part of his flowing melodic lines, creating for the first
time sophisticated 'occidental' music that could express the Hebrew
Bible and prayers with a sound appropriate to the nuances of spoken
H ebrew.
I n 1939 Sandberg was on a lecture tour of the U .S., and was
prevented by the outbreak of war from returning to Palestine. He
remained in New York, where he was able to mount concerts (at
CarneigieHall and Town Hall). These were always carefully noted
by the music critics, as were broadcasts such as those on CBS per-
formed by the CBS Symphony Orchestra. In 1970 he moved to
Toronto, where he became associated with York University, teaching
a course on Music and the Bible. A concert of his work, including
the Cantata Jerusalem, was given there in 1972. He died in 1973.
The chief aim of Sandberg's compositions is flowing melody,
following closely the contours of the text. From this stems Sand-
berg's use of polyphony as the interweaving of independent melodic
lines, and the use of microtones. Let us examine this more closely.
The exploitation of altered sounds has been one of the main
features of twentieth-century music. Its most familiar manifestation
is through the electronic synthesiser, which is now almost a standard
instrument for modem composers. Earlier microtonal compositions
by Sandberg and others have, however, been largely ignored today,
in the wake of cheap and accessible recordings using modem elec-
tronic instruments. As a result, the work of the microtonal pioneers
has been relegated to the textbook. Sandberg has not even been
treated that well, as no standard modern text dealing with micro-
tones, including a major article by the J ewish musicologist Artur
Holde,l even mentions his name. The only discussion of Sandberg's
work that I have seen is by J oel Walbe.2
Sandberg's understanding of microtones could only have come
about as a result of his scientific training. With the aid of skilled
technicians, he was able to construct such instruments as organs
tuned in quarter-, twelfth- and sixteenth-tones, a four-keyboard
clavichord and two special guitars. So proficient had Sandberg be-
come in his studies of microtones that he spoke on this subject to
a conference on new music in London in 1938. The striking fact
1 Arthur Holde, "Is there a future for Quarter-tone Music?" Mus.Q.,24
(1938) pp. 528-533.
2 J oel Walbe, Der Gesang Israels und seine Quellen (Hamburg: Chris-
tians Verlag, 1975).
11
is that the Czech composer, Alois Haba, was present at the same con-
ference but he spoke on a different topic. Today, however, every
college music student is taught the name of Haba in association
with microtones, but none will have heard of Mordecai Sandberg.
This discussion of microtones should not confuse or deter the
reader. Sandberg's aim, as we have said, was to create melody that
would express the meaning of the Bible; the most effective way of
doing this being through the use of microtones. But despite the
precise notation of the microtonal intervals (for which the composer
devised a practical system3), Sandberg was aware that performers
and conventional instruments could not easily reproduce them. As
a result, he sanctioned performances where, as a compromise, the
microtonal shadings were ignored.
Microtonal shadings of pitch are especially important in oriental
music, but they are present even in the kind of J ewish music we are
used to. There are in my synagogue alone two practitioners of liturgy
who use microtones in a consistent way, as in the following examples:
a) End of Torah portion
_ ±
b)wedding Service . . *
jj : e J 5 I S 5 & r. \ f
Sos to- sis ve-so-geil ho-a-ko- roh
Sandberg was fully aware of the use of microtones in J ewish
music, and addressed Hazzanim on the subject. Many well-known
Hazzanimand others involved in J ewish 'Music became supporters
of Sandberg, and their names are to be found as dedicatees of his
works. These include the late David Putter man; Hazzan Edgar
Mills of Newark, N.J .; and Dr. Samuel H. Goldenson, Senior Rabbi
of Temple Emanu-E I, New York, where Moshe Rudinow and Lazar
Saminsky performed Sandberg's music. Roitman, Katchko and
Glantz also admired and performed his work. The connection of the
latter with Sandberg is of particular significance, since Glantz'spub-
3 The commonest symbols are:
\j£ three quarter-tones sharp; O" three quarter-tones flat.
JU quarter-tone sharp; £. quarter-tone flat;
12
lished work is itself notated using microtonal intervals.4 (It is also
worth mentioning that Katchko would on occasion tell his organist
not to play, as he felt the organ could not provide suitable sounds
to accompany his singing.)
What can the listener expect from Sandberg's music? Primarily,
as the composer himself stressed, the expression of feelings intended
by the Hebrew text itself. Sandberg was particularly devoted to the
Book of Psalms, which is familiar to many cultures, and composed
two different settings of the whole Book. The music does not attempt
word painting, but the achievement of the overall mood of the text.
The score may be performed by any forces available — voices a
Capella, instrumental ly, or both.
The achievement of a particular mood was also behind the com-
position of Ezkemh, a Holocaust memorial based on passages in the
Yom Kippur liturgy, which expresses hope in the ultimate victory of
Jewish values. Those present at the first performance of Ezkerah
in New York in 1952 were moved beyond applause to an awareness
that they had not attended a mere concert but something approach-
ing a ritual.
It is worth considering at this point why Mordecai Sandberg
has been relatively neglected since the last major concert in New
York in 1960. There are several possible reasons. One is the sus-
picion that may have been held by critics that a physician could not
be a legitimate composer (Sandberg's patients were similarly doubt-
ful that they were being treated by a musician). Unfortunately this
pointless and damaging attitude is still to be found amongst music
critics: it smacks of more than a little professional jealously.
Secondly, there is the unfamiliar appearance of Sandberg's pub-
lished scores. It is unfortunately the case that many singers, whether
or not they are specialists in J ewish music, are not secure even with
a score of diatonic music; they would hardly feel any more secure
when confronted with the unfamiliar notation of microtones. In this
respect we may compare Sandberg's approach to notation with that
of Bartok and Grainger. 5 These three composers devoted great
ingenuity to the accurate notation of vocal music; but, equally, all
three emphasised that the performer should not be daunted by the
4 See for example his Sabbath Morning Service (ed. David Loeb, Tel Aviv
Institute of Liturgical Music/Israel Music Institute, 1971).
5 Bela Bartok and Albert G. Lord, Serbo-Croatian Folk Songs (N.Y.:
Columbia University Press, 1951); with reference to Grainger, compare the
elaborate notation he used when describing such folk song discoveries as
Lord Melbourne (Journal of the Folk Song Society [London], Number 12),
with the 'practical' notation in his set of British Folk-Music Settings, such
as Brigg Fair (London: Schott, 1911).
13
printed page. Bartok and Grainger produced 'simplified' versions
to encourage actual performance; Sandberg however preferred to
leave his notation intact, so that the performer would be encouraged
to perform the music exactly as intended.
Then there is the remarkable absence of Sandberg's name from
any standard reference work. 'Nothing succeeds like success' they
say; conversely the neglect of Sandberg's name by one source has
led to his neglect by all the subsequent writers who used that source.
Finally, I suggest that critics in the 1950's, when large-scale
concerts of Sandberg's music were arranged, did not have the back-
ground to accept his music immediately. Things are different today,
however, as I hope to make clear in the following discussion.
Music-lovers are today probably better prepared to accept Sand-
berg's music than they have been in the past. This is partly because
we have had our preconceptions removed — this is one of the achieve-
ments of modern music. We approach new works with 'clean ears' as
it were (to use R. 'Murray Schafer's phrase). Another modem de-
velopment has been the acceptance of a holistic world-view, as op-
posed to a dual istic view; it is dualism which is at the root of Western
classical and romantic music, being derived from the tension of key
structure. The following remarks by Professor Alan Lessem shed
light on this concept: "Stravinsky said: 'In the Kingdom of Heaven,
there is no drama, there is only dialogue which itself is only a dis-
guised monologue'. Sandberg, as I interpret him, wrote a music
that is essentially contemplative ... The partial and dualistic
world-view of Western tradition is now on its way out. Witness to
this may be seen in the way that many of our younger people in
music, for example, are now turning to the East and to other non-
Western musics in which the holistic world-view has still survived.
It is this holistic world-view that permeates Sandberg's music. "6
The value of this 'Eastern' approach to music was expressed by
Ernest Newman in an article on B loch's music, which may be quoted
here as it sheds light on what we may expect from Sandberg's music.
Newman wrote: "Melodies run their course ... (however), har-
mony, in passages of this kind, does not arrogate to itself the licence
permitted to the melody: these flights into the melismatic are at
present only possible if contact with a more or less standardized
base is always maintained. But some day, no doubt, a further step
6 Address given at the Sandberg Memorial Concert at York University,
January 1974. Transcribed from a tape recording.
14
will be taken in the direction of emancipation. Instead of a melisma
being restricted, as now, to a solo instrument ... the whole
orchestra will more or less partake in it. This, of course, will lead
insensibly to the conquest of a whole new world of harmony and
rhythm/" It seems to me that, in Sandberg's music, this 'further
step' has indeed been taken.
'Most of Sandberg's output comprises settings of Hebrew texts.
His profound knowledge of Biblical texts enabled him to use them
as the basis for expressing his universal istic views. But despite this
devotion to the Hebrew language, he regarded himself as a composer
who could be understood by anyone. This aspect of his work has
indeed recently encouraged radio broadcasts of some of his composi-
tions in the United 'States. Nonetheless, it is surely the Hebrew-
speaking community which has a primary responsibility for the
preservation and performance of his music.
Acknowledgement
All the biographical information in this article was obtained
from interviews with the composer's widow, Mrs. Hannah Sandberg,
who has devoted herself to supporting study and performance of
her late husband's work. Sandberg's works are available through
Mrs. Hannah Sandberg, 11 Catford Rd., Apt. 723, Downsview
Ontario M3J IP9 Canada; and through the composer's daughter,
Mrs. J udy Naimon, 853 Loxford Terrace, Silver Spring, MD 20901
(Tel. (301) 593-1499).
7 Ernest Newman, B loch's Melodic Freedom, Times (London), 28 Dec.
1941; quoted in Suzanne Bloch, ed., Ernest Bloch: Creative Spirit (New
York: J ewish Music Council of National J ewish Welfare Board, 1976), pp.
18-19.
15
PUBLISHED MUSIC OF MORDECAI SANDBERG
Ezkerah (I Remember). Oratorio in three parts.
Symphonic Psalms (The entire Book of Psalms, in fifteen volumes. Only two
volumes published to date).
Volume I. Psalms 1-5 and 6-10.
Volume XIV. Psalms 120-135.
First String Quartet
Ruth. Oratorio.
The Vision of Isaiah. For Baritone and Organ.
Prayer for Peace (Sim Shalom). For Soprano, Tenor, Baritone and Organ
(or Piano).
* The Lord, The Lord (Shelosh Esreh Mi doth). For Baritone and Organ (or
Piano)
Koheleth (Ecclesiastes). Voice and Piano.
Tel-Auiv. Voice and Piano.
Elisha (Fantasy). Violin and Piano.
Palestinian New Year Festival comprising six pieces:
* The Season of our Gladness (Zeman Simchatenu) for Baritone and Piano.
Psalm 15, for Oboe (or Soprano) and Strings.
Psalm 128 for Soprano and Piano.
Orah'Elul' for Violin, Cello and Piano.
Orah'Elul' for Mixed Chorus and Piano.
Kaddish for Cello or Trombone (or Voice) and Piano.
Sonata in A for Piano.
J erusalem for Viola or Voice and Piano or Orchestra.
Psalm 1.30 for English Horn or Voice and Piano or Orchestra.
The Song of Songs (Sonata No. 3 for Violin Solo).
Sextet for Clarinet, two Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano.
The Five Points; Epilogue for Strings and Piano.
* Reprinted below.
Following are two samples of Sand berg's creativity: "Shlosh Esreh
Midoth," and "Z'man Simchatenu." They seem to have been among those
pieces best received by concert audiences, the pieces which touched listeners
most strongly. Our readers are reminded that the copyrights are reserved
by Mrs. Sandberg. Inquiries regarding performance should be directed to
her.
16
-ZEMAN SIMCHATHENU
(The Season of Our Gladness)
A SUC COT H SONG COMPOSED IN 1939. FIRST PERFOR MED BY MOSHE RUDINOW.
In this composition a popular text has been combined with a quotation from the\
Pentateuch .
"Glad day have we, feast of joyance, Israel, let us rejoice
Unto our Succah came a caller, Abraham our father.
Blest he who comes, Blest he who comes, Abraham our father.
Jointly the glad day adorn we, with palm-branch, myrtle and citron.
Glad day have we, feast of joyance, Israel let us rejoice. "
"Be thou joyous on thy feast day, be thou only, only joyous. "
"Glad day have we, feast of joyance, little ones, let us rejoice."
Translation from the Hebrew Original by Abraham Regelson
************************
In order to facilitate the adaptation of the traditional musical notation to
a finer differentiating method of composition, Mordechal Sandberg has Invented
some new accidentals :
EXPLANATION OF UNUSUAL ACCIDENTALS:
The symbol <> Indicates Sharpening these signs do not
fix the amount of
» » <T « flattening the alteration
n " *f n one quartertone sharp
M 11 f fl II tl flat
" " 4 " three T1 s sharp
\ « T. s flat
11 one third tone sharp
* two third tones sharp
rt one third tone flat
tf two third tones flat
n one eighth tone sharp
*>
^
*>
h
^
" $ " one eighth tone flat
On the normal" piano
the usual -*£- substitutes for <,
the usual b substitutes for f
unless expressly Indicated otherwise.
{ Principle of minimal error )
etc.
etc.
17
Dedicated to Cantor David Putterman
ZEMAN SIMCHA1HENU
(The Season of Our Gladness)
ASuccoth Song-For Baritone and Piano
B y Mordechai Sandberg
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SHELOSH ESREH MIDOTH
The Thirteen Attributes
MORDECAI SANDBERG
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Copyright f 940 by ffannah fio$ner
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22
Siualoah Kareh Mi doth 6
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Ta - mach- ti je - the- do -thai bi - sche - losh es - reh mid- doth,
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Sluloih EiraJi Midoth «
28
THE "JEWISH" WORKS OF ERNEST BLOCH
David Z. KUSHNER
Although Ernest Bloch has been described in various encyclo-
pedias and dictionaries as a "J ewish" composer, and, although his
fame today rests largely upon a smattering of compositions with
distinctly J udaic associations, an analysis of the musician's total
oeuvre indicates that the so-called "J ewish" works represent a small
facet of his art. Be that as it may, however, this body of musical
literature established for its creator an international reputation and
did much to set in motion the course he was to follow as a major
creative artist.
Prior to the realization of the "J ewish" works, Bloch's music was
derivative and reflective of the influences of his teachers and of the
cultures which they represented; consequently, there are such
France-Belgian examples as the early tone poem(s) Hiver — Prin-
temps (1904-05)) and still earlier German post-romantic Symphony
in C-sharp minor (1901-02) which, in its original version contained
descriptive titles for each of its four movements.
Following the performances in Paris of the music drama, Mac-
beth (1910), with resulting intrigues, personality clashes and cabals
involving the composer and others, it became clear that it would
be a monumentally difficult task to achieve a successful career as
a composer.? Despite his disillusionment at the Parisian reversals
(favorable commentary concerning Macbeth was given by Pierre
Lalo, Romain Rolland and Nadia Boulanger),l Bloch, undaunted,
discovered the means by which he would most appropriately be able
to express himself musically. For some time there had been germi-
nating in his innermost being a reawakening awareness of his own
heritage. In a letter to Edmond Fleg (dating from 1906) ,2 whose
We are grateful to the J ournal of Musicological Research for permission
to reprint this article.
f The composer was trying to lecture at the Geneva Conservatory, com-
pose, and simultaneously work in the family business (Swiss tourist mer-
chandise) .
1 See the writer's article, "The revivals of Bloch's Macbeth," The Opera
journal (Spring 1971), pp. 9-12.
2 Suzanne Bloch, program notes for performance of the Sacred Service
at Lincoln Center, December 4, 1969, p. 1,
29
own family name was originally Flegenheimer, Bloch disclosed that
he had immersed himself in a study of the Bible and that, as a
consequence thereof, there emerged a feeling of pride in his J ewish
ancestry, a pride which he retained throughout his life. Fleg's inter-
est in J ewish concerns seems to have been engendered by the Dreyfus
Affair (1894-1906). Several years later he sent Bloch a libretto
based upon the Biblical story of J ezebel. But the tongue was un-
suitable for him; "the language bothers me: Hebrew would be
better for me, I am certain," he remarked. 3
The remark is especially significant in light of the fact that the
musician had only recently completed two song cycles to French
texts, the Historiettes au Crepuscule (Camille Mauclair) in 1903 and
the Poemes d'Autornne (Beatrix Rodes) in 1906. The biblical subject
matter was, no doubt, a paramount consideration in the determina-
tion of a suitable language; however, it is also apparent that Bloch
was consciously identifying himself with the language of his fore-
fathers.
It was now self-evident that Bloch had found himself both per-
sonally and musically. During the period 1912-16, he created a
series of epical works based upon or inspired by the Holy Scriptures
and referred to by him as the "J ewish Cycle." When Fleg, who had
become a leading figure in Jewish cultural life, sent the artist a
French translation of Psalm 137, the composer again made reference
to the particular quality of the Hebrew language and, in a charac-
teristically effusive outpouring of his deepest thoughts, suggested
that "New forms should be created, free and well-defined, also clear
and sumptuous."4 The prophetic nature of these words can be seen
in the light of new forms which manifested themselves according
to the requirements of the J ewish subjects which, no longer lying
dormant, came to center stage in Bloch's creative thinking.
From the outset of the "Jewish" venture, it became obvious
that the creation of a narrowly nationalistic art, with the expected
quotation of folk melodies, was not what the composer envisioned.
In the strictest sense, this approach would, in any event, have been
an impossibility since a J ewish nation in a fixed geographical region
did not exist at that time. What did transfix the musician was a
concern for the more elusive J ewish soul, the collective soul, so to
s Ibid.
4 lb\d. f p. 2.
30
speak, of an age-old people. Viewing himself as part of this unbroken
continuum, it was Bloch's intent to release his personal interpreta-
tion and conception of J ewish music.
A sumptuously orchestrated setting of the 114th Psalm, with
the text sung by a dramatic soprano, was the inaugural work in the
"Cycle." Motifs of shofar-like intensity, which become, in the con-
text of the "Jewish" works, a Blochian trademark, appear with
stunning effect to enhance the pronouncement, "When Israel went
out of Egypt . . .," which opens the Psalm, and to dramatize the
closing words, 'Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord
..." The vocal line, at times struggling to be heard above the
barbaric splendor of the orchestration, calls to mind synagogal chant,
no mere accident to be sure.
The symphony Israel, begun in 1912 but not completed until
1916, is perhaps the most explicitly Jewish of the works under
examination. Its genesis has been given by the composer:
I intended first to call this work Fetes juives, but I hesitated,
and it was Romain Roland who suggested Israel.
Of course, what I meant by Fetes juives was rather the
symbolic meaning of these festivities. The first movement,
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, a retour sur soi meme,
qualms of conscience ... It seems to me that nowadays
more than ever Man may atone for his follies ...
As for the musical idiom, I was never much preoccupied
by the prevalent styles of the moment, the accredited theories
or fads, and I wrote my music just as I felt it.5
First performed on May 3, 1917 at a concert of B loch's com-
positions given by the Society of the Friends of Music in New York,
the symphony is dedicated to the Society's president Mrs. J .F.D.
Lanier.
Israel is divisible into three clearly delineated sections: a slow
introduction ("Prayer in the Desert"), an Allegro agitato ("Yom
Kippur") and a Moderato ("Succoth"). What emerges is a stirring
musical fresco expressing the composer's conception of the mean-
ing of J udaism's most solemn festival, and the period of thanks-
giving which follows five days later. The intervals of the fourth or
fifth create in the listener's mind an aura of ancient rites some-
5 Ernest Bloch, from program notes for the Vanguard recording of Israel,
1952 (VRS 423).
31
how yet alive and meaningful. They conjure up the call of the
shofar, the atmosphere of the canti Nation and prayer modes of
the synagogue, as well as the many motifs which are accented on
the final beat of the measure, analogous to the Hebrew language
itself in which so many words are stressed on the final syllable.
The Succoth section of Israel offers a fertile field for speculation
as to possiblej ewish sources for the primary thematic material. One
theme, for example, bears a strong resemblance to the Passover
seder song, Echad Mi Yodea (examples 1 and 2).
k
" * J J IS CJ" W 1
Example 1. Israel
I 3
E - Chad mi yo-de ■ ■ a.
Example 2. Echad Mi Yodea
It is quite conceivable that Bloch had heard his father sing or
hum this tune, one which was known to the J ews of central Europe.
Toward the close of Succoth, which Deuteronomy describes as a
harvest festival, two sopranos, two contraltos and a bass join the
orchestra; the score requests that they be "placed among the instru-
ments, or at the rear of the platform." Curiously, the text was
written only after the music had been completed, and then for the
purpose of employing vocables rather than syllables.
Adonai, my Elohim
my Elohim!
Allelouyah! my Elohim!
Hear Thou my voice, my Elohim,
Hear my prayer.
I implore Thee, my Elohim,
Thou art my refuge.
1 implore Thee,
I n Thee I trust,
I am steadfast, my Elohim!
Hm [with lips closed]
Allelouyah!
sopranos and altos
sopranos
alto solo
soprano
sopranos and altos
32
Adonai, my Elohim!
my Elohim, Thou art my refuge.
H ear Thou my prayer, hear my cryi ng bass
In Thee I trust, my Elohim!
1 am steadfast. alto and bass
The instrumental body calls for 4 flutes (2 interchangeable with
piccolos), 3 oboes, English horn, 3 clarinets, 3 bassoons, contra-
bassoon, 6 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, 3 or 4 tympani,
bass drum, cymbals, side drum, 2 harps, celeste, triangle, low tam-
tam and strings (with a minimum of 4 double basses sounding I ow
c).
A section of the soprano solo (Example 3) seems to be based
upon the cantillation mode of the Song of Songs (Example 4). The
Symphony draws to a close in a prevailing mood of tranquility and
serenity. Israel is not widely performed today, yet it remains one of
the most significant utterances of the "J ewish Cycle."
Thou art my
r e f ■ u g e my
Example 3
Shir h a ■ s h i ■ r i m a ■ s h e r I i S h I o ■ mo h
Example 4
When B loch's father, Maurice, died in 1913, the Trois Poemes
J uifs, dedicated to his memory, emerged with the white heat in-
tensity that has come to characterize the music of this period.
Israel was, for the time being, put on a back burner to be completed
some three years later.
For his inspiration, the bereaved son adapted some of the
sketches he had made for J ezebd, an intended opera that never
reached fruition. The result was a set of three symphonic move-
ments titled, respectively, "Danse," "Rite," and "Cortegefunebre."
The opening piece is a rhapsodic panoply of exotic "oriental" colora-
tion creating a mood of languor and mysticism. "Rite" suggests a
cultish ceremony belonging to a period lost in antiquity. While the
33
music is more emotional than it was in "Danse," the customary
shofar-calls induce a state of solemnity associative of a religious
rite. The final funeral cortege was described by Bloch:
This is more human. My father died — these Poems are
dedicated to his memory. There is something implacably
severe in the rhythms that obstinately repeat themselves. At
the end, sorrow bursts forth, and at the idea of eternal sepa-
ration the soul breaks down. But a very simple and serene
melody arises from the orchestral depths as a consolation, a
balm, a gentle faith. The memory of our dear departed ones
is not effaced; they live forever in our hearts.
The form is free, but it is really there, for I believe that
our constitution demands order in a work of art*
With the insistent repeated rhythmic patterns, the "eastern"
exoticism (enhanced by the celesta), the "calls" and the non-specific
program, the Poems produce the intended effect without literal
quotation.
In an article by Olin Downes, Bloch illuminated further his own
thoughts :
I believe that those pages of my own in which I am at my
best are those in which I am most unmistakably racial, but
the racial quality is not only in folk-themes; it is in myself!
If not folk-themes you might ask, then what would be the
signs of J ewish music? Well, I admit that scientific analysis
of what constitutes the racial element in music is difficult.
But it would be unscientific to deny the existence of such
elements. 7
For this composer, "racial" consciousness was a dominant factor
in the creative process; indeed, so immersed wass Bloch in his per-
sonal realization of J ewish music that he evidently did not choose
to consider whether, in the twentieth century, one could legitimately
refer to the J ewish people as a racial entity. J udaism is, after all,
a religion practiced in different lands by individuals with different
skin pigmentations, languages, habits, customs and traditions. Be
that as it may, it suffices for the contemporary audience to under-
stand that Bloch believed that what he poured forth on the page
6 Ernest Bloch, program notes of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, March
23, 1917, pp. 1132 and 1134.
7 Olin Downes, "Ernest Bloch, the Swiss composer, on the influence of
race in composition," The Musical Observer, XV (1917), p. 11.
34
was an amalgam of the expressions of his ancestors whose "racial"
currents he felt coursed through his being.
With the advent of World War I , two additional psalms were set
to music: Psalm 22 for baritone and orchestra and Psalm 137 for
soprano and orchestra. Psalm 22, dedicated to Romain Roll and, is
all desolation and negation, reflective of the lengthy text which com-
mences, "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Why art
Thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?'
Psalm 137 y beginning, "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down,
yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion," is an affirmation that the
J ew, even in captivity in an alien land, will never forget his home-
land. As in the earlier Psalm 114, the soprano appears to be in
competition with the orchestra. A master of text setting, Bloch
here adroitly silences the voice following the words, "0 daughter of
Babylon, thou art to be destroyed ..."
The Psalms contain many deeply-felt passages, both textual
and thematic. Their poignancy and expressivity bear the stamp of
a highly original mind; even the meaning of poetry, as undeniably
singular as David's, is in Bloch's setting enhanced and personalized.
With the Hebraic rhapsody for violoncello and orchestra,
Schelomo, the composer had arrived as a prophetic voice. In actu-
ality, this staple of the 'cellist's repertory, was initially conceived
as a vocal work, a setting of texts drawn from Ecclesiastes. Maria
Tibaldi-Chiesa, the Italian critic and long-time champion of Bloch's
music, quoted the composer's notes for a performance of Schelomo
at the Augusteo in Rome on J anuary 22, 1933 in her biographical
essay, published by G.B. Paravia in the same year. In them, the
now widely esteemed musician stressed once more his concern for
language, remarking that neither French, nor German, nor English
was suitable, and that he was insufficiently knowledgeable in Hebrew
for an undertaking of this magnitude. Fortuitously, Bloch made the
acquaintance of the cellist Alexander Barjansky in Geneva toward
the end of 1915, heard him perform, and quickly established rapport
with the virtuoso and with his wife, a sculptress. His interest in
the subject matter of Ecclesiastes was rekindled; instead of the
delimiting human voice, he would substitute the voice of the deep-
throated cello.
While Bloch was working on the composition, Mrs. Barjansky
created a statuette of King Solomon destined for the composer. In
his appreciation, Bloch dedicated his rhapsody to the Barjanskys.
The premiere took place at a concert of the Society of the Friends
35
of Music with the artist on the podium and Hans Kindler as soloist.
This was the very same concert, on May 13, 1917, at which Israel
was given to the world.
From beginning to end, Schelomo achieves an illusion of free
fantasy; however, the work is divisible into three sections with an
introduction and a coda. The solo instrument, endowed with phrases
of supreme lyricism, is at times declamatory and on other occasions
intensely dramatic; indeed, its discourse is primarily vocal in nature
owing, in all probability, to the original intent concerning medium.
The orchestra is a vast palette of color ranging from the subtlest
transparency of texture to voluminous waves of sound; yet again
do the celesta and harps serve as color agents.
The frequent pauses, the repetitions of single notes and of
entire passages, the huge leaps, the chromatic progressions and in-
flections, the innumerable changes of tempo and meter, the constant
mood alterations — all of these seem to provide a musical mosaic
of theTalmudic prose. The cello melodies, often morose in char-
acter, serve as a tonal representation of the monarch who, despite
the trappings of power, found himself meditating upon the perennial
human condition, "Vanity of vanities; all is vanity."
The listener, carried along on the emotive eloquence of the
music and by the kaleidoscopic coloration, is generally unaware of
the architectonic logic of the score. Commencing with a cadenza-
like lamentation in the solo instrument, and leading to an orchestral
outpouring of magisterial splendor, the first section closes with
another cello cadenza, this time an abbreviated melancolic transi-
tion to part two.
The middle section, rhythmically free and containing melis-
matic configurations reminiscent of many chants, is permeated with
an ever-recurring gemora nigun (cf. the "Nigun" movement of the
Baal Shem Suite).
Part three, which, as might be anticipated, recalls material
presented earlier in the work, and which introduces a quartertone
in the cello's part, is essentially dolorous. Solomon, pondering the
vagaries and vicissitudes of life sees passing before him his world
of paradoxes, the magnificence and the barbarity, the hope and the
despair. For a while, a vision of a better world arrests the King's
attention, but reality returns as the music moves inexorably to a
pessimistic conclusion. A contrabassoon solo, present during the
final five measures, adds to the bleakness of negation. All, it would
appear, is truly vanity.
36
Schelomo, alone among B loch's output, ends without a trace of
hope, but then the subject requires nothing less than a faithful
rendering in sound.
01 in Downes, who had occasion to observe the composer during
this period, recalled the encounter in vivid detail:
. . . The experience was unique and unforgettable: the
scene on an afternoon in a stuffy little bedroom with an
upright piano in it here in New York, where a maniac with
blazing eyes, jet-black hair and a face lined with suffering
and will and vision sat at a piano, beating it as a madman
his drum, and, bawling, singing, shouting, released a torrent
of music which poured out of him like lava from a volcano.
There was the visitor's sudden realization that he was privi-
leged to stand in the presence of genius — an overworked
term. This, however, was genius, and no mistake. The piece
was Schelomo . . .8
While Schelomo ends conveying futility and hopelessness, the
String Quartet No. I, the first three movements of which were com-
posed in Switzerland (the fourth was Bloch's first creative endeavor
in America, August-September 1916), closes with an air of resigna-
tion, an acceptance of the inevitable. Although it is a work generally
omitted from a discussion of J ewish music, owing to its abstract
form, it has, according to the composer, distinctly Hebraic references.
These, however, are tied less to specific thematic or accentual ele-
ments, but rather to such subjective personal traits as anguish, vio-
lence and bitterness. In so far as Bloch identified himself as a
member of the Hebrew "race" (as distinguished from the J ewish
religion), these characteristics may be construed, by transference,
as Hebraic — within the context of this music.
Bloch continued to compose numerous other works in various
genres and for various media, but, from time to time, he returned
to J ewish subjects for his inspiration, as for example, in the Baal
Shem Suite for violin and piano (1923; orchestrated in 1939); Three
Sketches from Jewish Life for cello and piano (1924) ; Meditation
Hebraique for cello and piano (1924; dedicated to Pablo Casals) ;
Abodah for violin and piano (1928; dedicated to Yehudi Menuhin) ;
the Sacred Service (1933) and the Suite Hebraique for viola (or
violin) and orchestra (1951).
8 Olin Downes, "Ernest Bloch at 60/' The New York Times (October 27,
1940). IX, p. 7.
37
Of these "J ewish" works, Baal Shem, or Three Pictures of Chas-
sidic Life, has achieved in recent years the recognition which it is
due. The title derives from the name given Israel of Miedziboz by
his followers; i.e., 'The Wonderworker through Invocations in the
Name of God." Baal Shem was a founder of the Chassidic move-
ment which flourished in 18th-century Poland and exists yet today.
In opposition to rationalism and secular education, Chassidic J ews
retain a mystical approach to religion, their practices including sing-
ing and dancing to the point of frenzy. The three movements of
the Suite are titled, respectively, Vidui (Contrition), Nigun (Im-
provision), and Simchas Tor ah (Rejoicing in the Holy Scriptures).
The Nigun, with its rhapsodic flights of fancy, its open fifths and
dotted rhythms, and its sensitivity to the tonal capacities of the
violin, has become a staple of the repertory.
The Sacred Service, commissioned by San Francisco's Temple
Emanuel for $10,000, was composed in Switzerland during the period
1930-33, following Bloch's successful five-year appointment as Direc-
tor of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. In a lecture on
the Service, or Avodath Hakodesh, delivered on September 16, 1933
at the Conservatory, the composer made a number of revelatory
remarks.9 He acknowledged having had a Bar Mitzvah at the tra-
ditional age of 13, but admitted that he was "not educated religi-
ously." Having undertaken the task of composing a Sabbath Morn-
ing Service to texts drawn from the Union Prayer Book used by
Reform Synagogues, he assumed the responsibility of learning the
Hebrew language from Cantor Reuben Rinder of Temple Emanuel.
As the Cantor was indisposed owing to an accident, Bloch, with his
customary tenacity, instructed himself in Hebrew grammar, going
so far as to delve into the roots of the words, which for so many
are learned by rote without regard for their deepest (spiritual)
meaning.
During the course of his lecture, the composer revealed the
substance of his religious thinking:
My conception of God and religion has been put into this
work. I am not a religious man, outside at least. I have
been in all kinds of churches, moved and bored in them; but,
perhaps the service which has filled me with deepest emotion
9 The entire lecture is included as an appendix in Robert Strassburg,
Voice in the Wilderness (Los Angeles: Trident Shop, California State Uni-
versity, 1977), pp. 136-142.
38
has been the Catholic Church, with the exception of St.
Peter's of Rome which I felt was for the rich of Wall Street. 10
The Sacred Service was envisioned as the embodiment of a
philosophy acceptable to all humankind — in short, a message uni-
versal and cosmic, not one limited only to the Hebrew people. The
texts, in the main, are drawn from the Psalms, Deuteronomy, Exodus,
Isaiah and Proverbs. Musically, there are five divisions to be per-
formed without pause. Where responsive readings would normally
occur, Bloch has inserted brief instrumental interludes during which
the congregation (or audience in the case of a concert hall setting)
may meditate or pray as they might wish.
The opening orchestral Meditation presents a mixolydian motif
which recurs throughout the Service as a unifying motto. Part I
contains the central profession of the J ewish faith, Shmu Yisroel
("Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One").
Part II, with its thrice-repeated Kodosh (Holy), from which
derives the Sanctus of the Catholic Mass, expresses the unity of
creation and the affirmation that God shall reign forever.
Part III is concerned with the law, and the purification of heart
necessary to submit to it with joy ("May the words of my mouth
. . ."). The Cantor and the chorus dominate this central portion
of the work.
In the fourth part, the Torah having been returned to the Ark,
the focus is now on earthly matters; the Cantor intones "Earth
sees His Glory." Etz Chuyim ('Tree of Life"), a song closes the
section.
The Epilogue, Part V, contains the prayer that men will come to
worship the one true God and live in brotherhood in His world.
On that day, sings the chorus, "the Lord shall be One, and His
name, One."
The Kaddish, the prayer for the departed, is a reminder that
those who have completed their existence on earth yet live in the
hearts and memories of those they have left behind, and that they
have entered the protection of the Divine Being. The final strophe
10 Bloch returned briefly to the United Sttates to arrange for the per-
formances of the Sacred Service. Oddly, Temple Emanuel did not hear the
work until March 1938. The world premiere was given at Turin, Italy on
J anuary 12, 1934 with Bloch conducting.
39
of the closing hymn, Adon Olam ("Lord of the World"), appears to
express a very personal view:
Into His hand, I commit my spirit
And, with my spirit, my body.
The Lord is with me —
I shall not fear.
Following the familiar three benedictions and amens, the Cantor
bids the assemblage "Shalom," Peace.
The grandeur of the "J ewish Cycle" is, in the Avodath Hako-
desh, replaced by a compelling, but low-key, strength. Scored for
baritone (the Cantor), chorus and orchestra (or organ), there are
significant solos as well, assigned to soprano and alto voices. With
this colossal epic, Bloch joined with such masters of sacred choral
music as Bach and Handel, Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, and
Bruckner, in creating a transcendent musical monument.
During the final decade of his life, in which period Bloch com-
posed largely abstract works, the Suite Hebraique for viola (or
violin) and orchestra emerged, the outcome of a six-day "Bloch-
fest" in Chicago held November 28-December 3, 1950. This cele-
bration of the artist's 70th year included a luncheon given in his
honor by the Covenant Club of that exceptionally musical city. The
Suite was written in appreciation to the J ewish organization; it
received its first performance January 1, 1953 by the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Rafael Kubelik.
Although the themes, with characteristic augmented seconds,
have Hebraic allusions, it would be well nigh impossible to define
specific sources for them. The scoring for viola or violin is a practical
consideration. The orchestration without piccolo, English horn,
tuba, trombone, celesta or piano, is in keeping with the rather light
style of the piece. The solo passages are not of the tour de force
stripe associated with other concerted compositions (e.g., the Con-
certo symphonique for piano and orchestra, 1948).
The brief cadenza, which appears in the opening Rhapsodie,
contains the basic folk-like material with which the movement is
permeated. The second movement, Processional, is in three-part
form; its opening quarter-note rhythm in the strings (including
harp) is indicative of the title. The concluding Affirmation, also in
tripartite form, is jaunty and positive in manner.
Unlike other "Jewish" works, the Suitte Hebraique does not
seek to ponder imponderables nor plumb any depths; passionate
40
and tumultuous climaxes are absent. The aim is to entertain rather
than to provoke thought. It is among the few "light" items in the
Bloch catalog (see also the Four Episodes for chamber orchestra,
1926), and, consequently, sheds a light on the composer not often
encountered.
Bloch's quest for a musical identity found fulfillment in the
"J ewish Cycle," in which he gave to the world a uniquely personal
J ewish music. This point is paramount to an understanding and an
appreciation of what the musician had, in fact, achieved. To say,
as some reference sources do, that he was the leader of a J ewish
nationalistic movement is as simplistic as it is misleading and in-
accurate. The "J ewish" works are an expression of the self, the
result of which is a subjective outpouring which touches the hearts
of many, not because of a J ewish identification, but because of
the music's communicative power enabling it to supercede national,
racial and religious divisions.
While the creations of the "J ewish Cycle" and the later works
with J udaic derivations established for Bloch an enviable reputation
in North America, the "Jewish" label which attached itself to
virtually all references to the composer came, ultimately, to assume
certain negative qualities. It hindered, for example, a fuller appraisal
of the vast majority of the pre-J ewish works and, more importantly,
those which followed the "Cycle." The "J ewish composer" tag also
caused a misconception in the public mind that Bloch's music was
overly insular and, hence, incapable of universal appeal. A part of
the problem was due to Bloch's own statements, given verbally or
in the form of interviews and articles, which, when taken out of
context, produced an all too handy categorizing of this humanistic
and universal musical personality.
The stock musical vocabulary, that is the chords built on fourths
and fifths, the "Bloch rhythm" (the writer's designation for the
composer's sometimes obsessive preoccupation with the Scotch snap
and its reverse), the augmented second with its Hebraicizing effects,
the shofar "calls," the exotic, polychromatic scale constructions, the
coloristic treatment of the orchestra, the constant state of flux with
regard to meter, rhythm and tempo and the frequent ostinatos, when
coupled with authentic or simulated Hebraic melodies or even frag-
ments tend to produce in the listener's mind, if he is so inclined,
an aura of ancient Hebraica. This is substantially enforced by the
specifically descriptive titles and is an excellent example of the power
of suggestion.
41
It is significant, however, that all of the Bloch arsenal, when
applied, as it was so often, to music which has noj ewish imputation,
is readily identifiable as characteristic of this particular composer.
The "J ewish" works represent a vital portion of the artist's corpus,
but they reveal only one side of his multifaceted art. Bloch, never
a follower of fads or fetishes nor an admirer of "isms," may be
referred to as an eclectic par excellence. Alongside Israel and
Schelomo there are concerti grossi, string quartets and suites for
solo violin and violoncello.
The "J ewish" compositions are J ewish in the sense that they
were created by a J ew with pride in his heritage and possessed
with a fierce desire to bring his understanding of that heritage to
his fellow men through a language the world could understand, the
universal language of music.
42
HARMONIZING CHANT MELODIES
Michael ISAACSON
What I'm about to share with you has already been said and
demonstrated many times before; in fact, the underlying principle
of harmonization is as old as polyphony itself. Yet, faulty har-
monizations in recent "lead sheet" publications of Jewish music
have suggested that it is time once again to remind each other of
harmonic principles that serve the nature of synagogue chant par-
ticularly well. All through this presentation I would like you to
remember and redigest this one idea:
'The best harmonies are directly from the melody itself and
are not superimposed upon it."
Let us first recognize that the prevailing harmonic system in
our western culture is tertial (ex 1). Most harmonies in both
popular and classical music can be analyzed as aggregates of sound
build in intervals of thirds. This is so because the melodies they
serve are also triadic or based on scales which are nothing more
than moving tones between triadic structural points. To employ
anything but tertial harmony with these melodies would be to go
against the doctrine of harmony from within the melody itself.
But what do we do when we have a chant that is not triadic
or based on a major-minor scale system? According to the above
doctrine if tertial intervals aren't in the melody then tertial har-
monies shouldn't be used. The answer is always to be found in the
melody itself.
In example 2 we have a kiddush setting that is built on the
intervals of the second, fourth and fifth — the quartal system. In
fact it shifts tonal centers from F to Bb. On closer observation
when ordered into a quartal scale (ex. 3) we arrive at a mixolydian
likeness but without an E (third), A (a sixth), or B natural (leading
tone).
The Eb and Ab from the kiddush fragment are part of a new
quartal scale beginning on B b (B b , C, Eb, F, A b ,B b ).
Michael Isaacson has a Ph.D. in Composition from Eastman School of
Music. He is a composer who pursues his craft in Los Angeles, dividing his
ability between films and television and music of J ewish inspiration. He
has written a number of Sabbath and holiday songs, an innovative wedding
service, a moving instrumental and vocal setting for a pre-Selihot work en-
titled, "Light for the Heart's Dark Place," with the text by Samuel Rosenhaum.
43
When we try to superimpose a foreign system of harmonization
on this chant (ex. 4) the results are less than natural and satis-
factory. It almost works except for the last two bars which are
caught in that tonal shift. We all have seen efforts like this that
try to reconcile one system upon another meet with only mediocre
success.
A much more constructive tool would be the adoption of sus-
pended chord symbols which more closely reflect the quartal system
of harmony.
There are three varieties:
1. O us — A perfect 5th with the fourth suspended
2. C 2 — A perfect 5th with the second suspended
3. C 4 — The stacking up of two perfect 4ths (the outer in-
terval obviously becomes a minor 7th)
When you invert these three types example 5 results.
If these suspended chords were used only in their pure form
they would indeed be limited, but as the last measure of example 5
suggests, when an additional tone is brought into play for voice
leading purposes the results can be quite satisfying.
Mental exercise: see if you can spell E sus , E 2 , and E 4 and
label all of its inversions.
when you are comfortable with this quartal system you will
appreciate how much better it serves chant melodies. Let us look
at the kiddush now (example 6) with our new chords. Doesn't it
sound like it is one family?
Remember: historically and aesthetically the best harmonies
are horizontal (in the melody) not vertical (superimposed). They
are the result of careful analysis of the melody. If you see a lead-
sheet which suggests a foreign system use this method to create an
alternative harmony.
I hope this will be of some use to you in your pursuit of excel-
lence. A Hazzan constantly labors not only towards a better purity
of spirit and voice but towards a higher level of music as well.
44
HARMONIZING CHANT MELODIES
by Dr. Michael Isaacson
CONVENTIONAL HARMONY IS BUILT ON THIRDS (1ERHAL SYSTEM)
C <S* C/Gr
Hoar I^kW. 2"W
MOST CHANT MELODIES ARE BUILT ON FOURTHS AND FIFTHS AND SECONDS (QUARTAL SYSTEM)
[£X.2] KIDDUSH
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-ICoC HA - A — rto/#v»
QUARTAL SCALE
MISSING: A THIRD (To define Major
or Minor or 6rti)
A LEADING TONE TO ENFORCE
MAJOR OR MINOR
ran
TO HARMONIZE EX.4 WITH TERTIAL HARMONY WOULD BE A MISTAKE
45
*t
n"IS BETTER "ID USE VOCABULARY OF QUARTAL HARMONIES (SUSPENDED CHORDS)
fETi IN PURE FORM ^ _ OR W.TH NON-HARMONIC BASS
i
£
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* % *
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REMEMBPWPt
I Hb Klz S UL T AN I HAKMUN I bS!"
46
A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF
BAFVBAT MIWAH PREPARATION
Kenneth B. Cohen
Z wish to extend my deepest gratitude and appreciation to the
Cantors Institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary, class of '82,
and Cantors Jack Chomsky and Michael Krausman, for their
assistance and support in this project.
At the 35th Annual Cantors Assembly Convention ('May 2-6,
1982) held at Grossinger's New York, a questionnaire was distributed
to those hazzanim who attended. The questionnaire sought to deal
with a wide range of issues related to the manner in which B'nai
Mitzvah programs are currently being run in North America today.
This survey was conceived in the hope of documenting the atti-
tudes and methods of dissemination of the J ewish oral tradition
(B'nai Mitzvah) for present and future generations.
Our form consisted of 19 short answer questions, as well as a
brief biographical section outlining each respondents background in
hazzanut. The results of the survey have now been tabulated and
will be placed into the archives of the Cantor's Assembly.
WHO ANSWERED THE QUESTIONNAIRE
Of the approximately 225 hazzanim registered at the conven-
tion, 72 or 33% responded to the survey. The respondents included:
women, faculty members of the Cantor's Institute, and a broad
cross-section of men whose native backgrounds range from such di-
verse geographical regions as: Germany, Hungary, Rumania, Greece,
Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Israel and Canada. Their various
Hazzanic, J udaic, and educational backgrounds are also noted on
the survey.
1. How much contact, if any, do you have with B'nai 'Mitzvah
program? (i.e. days during the week, hours).
Hours Per Week % Of Respondents
15%
1-3 18%
5-7 13%
8-12 42%
15 8%
25 4%
Kenneth Cohen is a recent graduate of the Cantors Institute of J ewish
Theological Seminary of America. He will assume the post of Hazzan at
Temple Sholom in Greenwich, Connecticut in the fall.
47
By far, the vast majority of respondents (42%) teach 8-12
hours weekly, and on at least 4 days during the week (i.e. Monday
thru Thursday and frequently Sunday). It is interesting to note
that 15% of those surveyed have absolutely no contact whatsoever
with the B'nai Mitzvah program. Of the remaining 85% that do
have contact with the program, 10% are solely involved on a super-
visory level. 8% instruct over 15 hours weekly and one out of
every twenty Hazzanim spend over 25 hours a week training their
young students.
Lesson times are typically 30 minutes in length and frequently
vary according to the students needs. It is not uncommon for a
Hazzan to schedule two meetings per week with a particular student.
2. How long in advance do you begin preparation for the B'nai
Mitzvah?
Months In Advance % Of Respondents
3 * 2%
4 8%
5 11%
6 28%
7 8%
8 11%
9 8%
10 5%
11 4%
12 15%
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of all respondents begin their prepara-
tion 5 to 9 months in advance. The mode, or largest figure within
this set, start B'nai 'Mitzvah lessons 6 months ahead of time (28%).
Of those surveyed, 15% initiate their training at least one full year
prior to the date. One out of every 10 Hazzanim begins his program
3 to 4 months in advance. Indeed, one practically minded respondent
stated that the correct amount of preparation depends upon the
ability of each student.
3. What is required for a typical B'nai Mitzvah student at your
synagogue? (Specify readings, number of verses) :
(A) Torah Reading (Fri., Sat., Sun.)
(B) Haftarah Reading
(C) Blessings before and after
(D) Lead parts of the service (Specify)
(E) Torah/Haftarah summaries
(F) English readings
48
(G) DVar Torah
( H ) Thank you speech to those present
(I) Other
Each of the categories presented above will be examined sepa-
rately. I n order to understand the analysis which follows let the
percentage given below reflect the number of respondents which
require that particular skill. For example, the first category reads
"63 % Torah Reading: " this means that 63% of the Hazzanim
surveyed require their B'nai 'Mitzvah to read from the Torah. The
comments which may follow the percentages give a more detailed
account of each of the required skills.
(1) 63% Torah Reading; On Saturday morning, most students
generally learn the Maftir portion.
(B) 100% Haftarah Reading; the number of verses mastered
vary according to each individual.
(Q 100% B I essi ngs before and after.
(D) — " ■ ~
(D) 62% Lead parts of the service; Their participation may
include any and all of the Saturday Morning Service, from
Schochein Ad through Adon 01 am.
(E) 35%Torah/Haftarah Summaries.
(F 41% English readings; Usually three to four readings;
Prayer for our Country.
(G) 20% DVar Torah.
(H) 41% Thank you speech to those present.
(I) 13%o Other; Other requirements include: Havdalah,
Birkat Hamazon, Kiddush, Tallit-T'fillin practicum, and
Closing Prayer; 'There is a special program where chil-
dren must fulfill certain projects such as visiting the old,
associated Jewish charities, funeral homes, etc. ...
and then they are permitted to read the Torah as a special
privilege."
4. In your opinion, a Bat-Mitzvah should be responsible for: (Re-
spond by using the letters listed in question number 3).
It should be noted that question number 4, as opposed to num-
ber 3, is an opinionated question. It asks the respondents what they
believe the requirements of a B at-INWtzvah should be; not what the
requirements actually are. The results of this question will take
the same form as that of question number 3.
(A) 51%) Torah Reading; optional.
(B) 82% Haftarah Reading.
(C) 72%) Blessings before and after,
49
(D) 56% Lead parts of the service.
(E) 39% Torah/Haftarah summaries.
(Fp 37% English Readings.
(G) 23% DVar Torah.
(H) 35% Thank you speech to those present.
(Q ll% Other; parts of the service; a talk based on research;
readings.
5. Who prepares and approves of your students (Haftarah and
Torah) summaries?
Rabbi.
Cantor.
Other
Rabbi : 40%
Cantor: 52%
Other: 6%
Based on the statistics above, we note that one out of every
two cantors prepare and approve of their students summaries. In
40% of the synagogues surveyed, the rabbi oversees the students
work. Ten percent of the time, the students summaries are reviewed
by one of the following Hebrew educators: Assistant rabbi, associate
cantor, Hebrew school teachers, and the educational director.
6. How many Torah readers do you have in your congregation?
Torah Readers % Of Respondents
10%
1-5 50%
15-25 21%
50-75 5%
600 1%
Hazzan functioning as Torah reader: 13%
The range of responses to this question is staggering. The
gamut extends from synagogues without any Torah readers (10% ),
to a congregation which can call upon more than 600 people to lane
Torah. Half of those surveyed have between 1-5 individuals able
to function as ba'alei k'riah; over 20%, between 15-20 people; and
only a handful (5%) of congregations have 50-75 Torah readers. I n
addition, the survey also showed that one out of every eight cantors
are called upon to read the Torah regularly as part of their duties.
7. What percentage of those Torah readers (See question number
6) have been trained by you since you assumed your pulpit?
50
Torah Readers
In
Congregation
%
Trained By You
33%
20-30
10%
50
12%
66
5%
90
7%
100
33%
The figures indicate (See bracket above ]) that the two op-
posite poles are the most popular responses to this question. On the
positive side, one-third of the respondents have trained all of their
Torah readers. On the other hand, there are an equal number of
Hazzanim(33%) who have not trained a single Torah reader since
they have assumed their current pulpit.
If we take into account the remaining statistics, we observe that
there is an even split between those cantors who have trained 10%-
50% of the current Torah readers and those who have trained
50%-90%. I n other words, once again, there are just as many Haz-
zanim who train their Torah readers as there are those who do not.
8. Do you read the Torah in your congregation?
Shabbat Yes No
Weekday Yes No
High Holiday Yes No
YES NO
Shabbat 42% 58%
Weekday 28% 72%
High Holiday 15% 85%
The first category's statistics are somewhat misleading. Of the
4 out of every 10 Hazzanim who read the Torah on Shabbat, many
only read occasionally Shabbat morning, while others merely read
the portion for Mincha L 'Shabbat.
During the week, the cantors' role with respect to Torah read-
ing is even more diminished ( 28% ) . A few have indicated that they
read only when the ba'al keriah is unavailable.
On the High-Holidays, approximately one out of every six Haz-
zanim read the scriptural portion as part of their participation in the
services,
61
9. Is the reading triennial full other.
Triennial : 38%
Full: 50%
Other: 12%
The figures listed above are self-explanatory. Half of the con-
gregations surveyed read the entire sedre. Thirty-eight percent
adhere to the triennial reading. And the remaining 12% fall into
the category of "having created their own mi n hag" according to the
communities particular needs and abilities. Some of these "minhagim"
include: (1) reading up to hamishi during Monday and Thursday
and from hamishi to the end of Shabbat; (2) biennial; (3) selective
verses which highlight the reading; (4) three p'sukim per aliyah;
and (5) chanting approximately one full aliyah (or fifteen lines)
each Shabbat.
10. Does your congregation hireTorah readers?
For Shabbat.
For Weekday.
For High-Holiday.
Salary range $
Ages
Sexes
% of Congregations Which Do Not HireTorah Readers: 62%
% of Congregations Which HireTorah Readers: 38%
Shabbat: 70 %
Weekday: 44%
High-Holiday: 57%
Salary Range:
Shabbat: $35-$50.00
Yearly: $6,000-$25,000.00
High-Holiday: up to $2,000.00
Ages: Mode : 24 or 65 Years of Age.
Sexes: Male Only.
Nearly two-thirds of the respondents claimed that their congre-
gation does not hireTorah readers. Rather, they depend upon the
services of the trained layman (teens/adults), rabbinic interns, sex-
tons, as well as the skills of the rabbi, cantor (See question number
6), and ritual director.
Based on the data received, the typical Ba'al Keriah is a male,
either 24 or 65 years of age (an equal number of each). His re-
52
numeration for reading on Shabbat ranges from $35-$50 dollars.
Whereas, full-timeTorah readers (Shabbat, hoi, hagim, and yamim
nora'im) may receive anywhere from $6,000-$25,000 dollars annually.
11. Do you teach B'nai Mitzvah.
Individually.
In a group (How many?)
Both.
Other
Individually: 38 %
In A Group: 4%
Both: 58%
Nearly 40% of the respondents teach the B'nai Mitzvah solely
on an individual basis, while 4% elect to instruct in a group environ-
ment. On the other hand, the majority of cantors (58%) teach in
both settings; individually and in a group, in the following manner:
Initially, the students are expected to learn the Haftarah/Torah
b'rachot and trop in a group (ranging in size from 10-20 people).
Once these basics are mastered, the B'nai Mitzvah are then assigned
to individual appointments during the course of the week.
12. Do you teach canti Nation in any of the following?
Adult Education.
Hebrew School.
Home.
Office.
Other
Additional Cantillation Programming:
Adult Education: 37%
Hebrew School: 47%
Hebrew High School: 1%
Those Who Do Not Teach: 14%
Place of Instruction :
Home: 19%
Officee: 78%
Chapel: 3%
In addition to teaching cantillation to the B'nai Mitzvah, almost
half of those polled have developed and maintain a trop curriculum
with their Hebrew School. 'Over one-third of the respondents hold
adult education courses and a few cantors haveTorah reading core
63
at the High School level (It should be noted that one out of every
seven Hazzanim do not teach cantillation outside of their B'nai
Mitzvah program).
By far, most cantors (78%) hold their classes in their syna-
gogue office. Yet, nearly one out of five teach in their homes. A
few use the small chapel or main sanctuary as their place of in-
struction. This enables the student to gain familiarity with the
physical environment of the service and eliminates some of their
anxiety in the process.
13. Should the B'nai Mitzvah program be the responsibility of the
Hazzan? Yes No Why or why not?
Yes: 82%
No: 10%
Unsure: 8%
The overwhelming majority of respondents (82%) believed that
the B'nai 'Mitzvah program should be the responsibility of the
Hazzan. They maintain that the Hazzan is the musical expert in
the synagogue, best qualified and most knowledgeable to instruct
in theta'amim and liturgy than anyone else. Many understood the
program to be a natural adjunct to the duties of their profession:
"It is an excellent opportunity to impart basic synagogue skills and
important J ewish values and attitudes with respect to prayer, in
general, and to the role of the Hazzan, in particular." Moreover,
others realized that the quality of the B'nai Mitzvah experience
could extend or diminish the family's future relationship with the
synagogue.
A number of respondents believed that the cantor need not be
the sole individual responsible for the student's Bar/Bat Mitzvah
program. Rather, it is the obligation of the entire executive staff
of the synagogue (i.e. rabbi, educational director, youth director,
executive director and Hebrew School instructors) to ensure a well-
rounded religio-educational experience for their B'nai Mitzvah.
Other hazzanim were more reluctant to assume responsibility
for the program. They believed that the nature of the cantor's in-
volvement be determined, in part, by the size of his congregation
and the extent of his other duties. One Shaliach Tzibbur expressed
this notion extremely sardonically by exclaiming, 'The cantor should
take responsibility (of the B'nai 'Mitzvah) providing there is no one
else sufficiently qualified to instruct. I n my case, I happen to be
lucky."
54
A small group of klei-kodesh (10%) were prepared not to be
involved with theB'nai Mitzvah training. They felt that "theB'nai
Mitzvah program usually involves force feeding music to often, tone-
deaf, highly resistent, young recalcitrants." Another hazzan pru-
dently cautioned all colleagues of the profession by claiming,
"Bar/Bat Mitzvah lessons places too much of a strain on our voices
. . . and that daily tutorials, for hours at a time, can be detrimental
toones vocal health." Perhaps, an underlying tone for many of the
respondents could best be summed up by one man's extreme frustra-
tion with the program. "I would rather it be handled by someone
else ... too much of a bother."
14. What are your B'nai Mitzvah students greatest:
Problems : (i.e. Family, financial, reading, psychological)
Complaints:
The most effective way to report the responses to this question
is to itemize the different problems and complaints, vis a vis the
B'nai 'Mitzvah students, as perceived by the Hazzan.
Problems :
Hebrew Reading!
lack of motivation.
busy suburban schedules and too many other com-
peting interests.
lack of self-confidence.
lack of parental support.
psychological stress as a result of:
(a) divorced parents;
(b) peer pressure;
(c) chanting in front of the congregation.
insufficient personal experience with J udaism at
home/in the shul.
tone-deafness/a-musical.
apathetic to J ewish "things."
Complaints:
. 'Missing televised Angel (baseball) games."
. lack of understanding and support by their parents.
. they hate Hebrew School.
. Haftarah is too long.
Students do not know how to daven.
. my parents cannot help me at home . . , I need
more time.
55
Why spend so much time preparing for the event,
when it's over in just a few hours?
A number of Hazzanim responded by expressing their own per-
sonal problems and complaints in dealing with the B'nai Mitzvah:
lack of consistency in their students progress.
'Self- motivated in the early stages, then a lull, fol-
lowed by a return to their work as the invitations
go out.
"I occasionally feel that I am striving too much
towards perfection. My feeling is quality not
quantity, Perhaps I place too much pressure on
my students."
My students are far too alienated in services.
15. How would you evaluate your success in your current B'nai
Mitzvah program?
Successful: 87 %
Good/Fair: 9%
Not Successful: 4%
Evaluation of one's measure of success is a highly subjective
issue. Listed below are responses from different Hazzanim showing
how they measure the success of their programs.
My boys and girls all do beautifully. Many come
back to read more Haftarah and Torah portions.
In addition, I develop close relationships with
many of the students.
I even have B'nai Mitzvah students who read in
all of our High-Holiday services with the High-
Holiday trop.
It has been successful from the standpoint of the
student learning what he or she wanted . . . and
the congregation is very satisfied with the results.
After completing the program, my students have
developed a personal sympathy for J udaism. In
that respect they are successful. However, I'm
largely disappointed with their lack of attendance
at service-s and level of observance in general.
Excellent. A balance of training by the ritual direc-
tor, hazzan, and assistant rabbi.
The good students do well — poor students do
not!
56
I am 80% successful in my eyes . . . 100% suc-
cessful in the congregations'.
Quite successful. I am the first in my school to
teach theta'amimand avoid using a tape which is
memorized.
Relatively good. But I have difficulty inspiring the
kids to do more than the bare minimum. I'd like
to see them do as much as possible.
I could be more effective if the children were ade-
quately prepared in reading Hebrew.
I n terms of an effect on the average student's life
— poor.
M ost of my students and their families come out
of the experience with positive feelings. This is
what I believe to be moat important.
My children are well -prepared, motivated, and
confident on the pulpit. I always have a good rap-
port with them.
Most (students) successfully learn the invaluable
skills of Torah and Haftarah canti Nation.
Surprisingly good. They tend to avoid disgracing
themselves or the congregation. Occasionally we
produce an individual with a voice, knowledge, and
a trace of n'shama.
My weakest students come through very nicely.
Great success.
16. After the Bar/Bat Mitzvah, how many students continue on to:
Confirmation.
Hebrew High School.
Attending services.
Other
Confirmation : 7 5%
Hebrew High School: 5 0%
Attending Services: 0%
Other (Youth Group) : 50%
Chronologically, beginning with Confirmation, three-quarters of
all B'nai Mitzvah return to be confirmed. However, the high per-
centages may be misleading because in many cases it is a requirement
for all the B'nai Mitzvah to promise to continue onto confirmation
as a condition for having a Bar/Bat Mitzvah,
67
By the time the latter reach Hebrew High School the 75% who
return for confirmation are reduced to 50% (i.e. a reduction of 33%
— all in one year).
Not surprisingly, the majority of the respondents reported that
hardly any B'nai M itzvah attend services once they celebrate their
Bar/Bat M itzvah. The various reactions to this phenomena range
from, "it is a hopeless condition/' to "no more or less than before."
With regard to youth programming, half the student body tends
to become involved. In addition, a post-Hebrew High School class
occasionally develops when there is a demand for it.
17 Do you have tutors/assistants in your B'nai M itzvah program?
Yes No If so, How many? — Ages — .
Sexes — _
Yes: 70%
No: 30%
How Many? One or Two.
Ages: Average age: 16; Range: 14-21.
Sexes : Equal number of males and females function as
tutors.
'Sevently percent of the respondents have at least one or two
tutors assisting in their B'nai Mitzvah program. The typical tutor
has been described as being a high school or college student, of
either sex. I n addition, most cantors are frequently assisted by the
ritual director, sexton, rabbinic intern, or layman who help those
B'nai Mitzvah students plagued with reading problems, tone-deaf-
ness, etc. . . .
18. How long in advance is the student required by Temple policy
to attend services? (i.e. frequency per month, months in ad-
vance).
Frequency Per 'Month :
Once: 15%
Twice: 26%
Three times: 22%
Every week: 37%
Months In Advance:
Two months: 9%
Three months: 12%
Four months: 3%
Six months: 21%
58
One year: 44%
Two years: 8%
Five years: 3%
No Set Policy: 20%
Based on the figures above, the norm indicates that the B'nai
'M itzvah student is required by Temple policy to attend services
nearly every week, beginning anywhere from six months to a year
prior to their date. One out of every five synagogues do not have
a set policy regarding the attendance of services by the B'nai
M itzvah.
As we have all realized in our own programming, there is always
a great disparity between theory and practice. The general senti-
ment is that although the students are encouraged to attend services
regularly, the Temple policy is poorly enforced.
19. What "tools" do you use in your B'nai M itzvah program?
Do you . . .
79% use a tape.
17% teach by rote.
7% use a report card.
67% have a Trop program.
8% have a reward system (Please explain)
90/0 Hand-Sign (Chieronomy) .
12% use col ored penci I s.
16% useflashcards.
21% use transliterations (When?)
4% use slides.
9% use poster boards.
1% use films.
22% use blackboard.
26% use printed music.
24% Hertz Chumash.
59
B'nai Mitzvah publications:
50%Hamaftir(Shilo).
7% A Guide to Haftarah Chanting (K'tav).
5% A Guide to Torah Reading (K'tav).
7% Haftarah Chanting (J ewish Ed. Pub.).
0% Computer programming.
8% Play educational games.
Other
The percentages listed above indicate the popularity of the
tools' or aids used by cantors in their B'nai Mitzvah program. For
example, in the first category, it reads "70% use a tape;" this means
that 70% of the hazzanim surveyed use a tape in their B'nai Mitzvah
program.
Many respondents qualified the use of certain tools' in their
program. For instance, many said "they only record a Haftarah for
a student on rare occasions, when the child desperately needs it."
Most felt that the tapes should include just the Haftarah/Torah
b'rachot and trop; not the student's Hafarah.
Though one out of every five Hazzanim use transliterations,
their usage is carefully guarded. 'We use them transliterations)
very infrequently and only when the child has a learning disability
(e.g. dyslexia) or an extreme deficiency in Hebrew reading."
Various respondents were pleased to be able to hand-out printed
music to the musically gifted students, This, of course, facilitated
learning of the b'rachot and trop in far I ess time than was normally
expected.
Under the category of 'other' a few interesting ideas were sub-
mitted. They include: (1) having the B'nai Mitzvah sign a con-
tract obligating them to pledge tzedaka, attend services, and perform
g'milut chasadim; (2) writing a comprehensive handbook for the
B'nai (Mitzvah, including a simplified trop system, with recordings
and printed music, and guidelines for private study; (3) "inject
them (the B'nai Mitzvah) with the fear of God."
60
RECORD REVIEW
Synagogal Art M usic : 17 th- 18 th Centuries
Recorded Live, August 3, 1978 In J erusalem
Produced by the Hebrew University of J erusalem
J ewish Music Research Center
No one even knew that such music existed. The 18th century,
especially appeared largely as a void in J ewish musical history books
until Prof. Israel Adler located these long-missing musical gems.
The fact that they were found for the most part in public libraries
is both noteworthy and significant, for they lay neglected and un-
performed until they were revived by a J ewish musicologist, from a
J ewish university in a J ewish state.
This recording is something of a milestone in J ewish music, as
much for its presentation as for its content. The jacket contains a
description in both Hebrew and English of the works on the record-
ings; this printed text increases the recording's value many times,
not only because it is presented with first-rate scholarship but be-
cause it makes it possible for any interested listener to both hear
and understand an authentic presentation of the musical efforts of our
people at a distant stage in our history.
The music was recorded at a live concert at the Hebrew Uni-
versity of J erusalem on August 3, 1978, by the Cameran Singers
and Chamber Ensemble under the excellent direction of Conductor
Avner Itai, who has since achieved considerable fame with this very
choir. Special soloists on this recording (all achieving fine perform-
ances) include soprano Gilah Yaron, altoMirah Zakai, tenors Nigel
Rogers and Louis Garb, baritone Willy Haparnas, harpsichordist
Valery Maisly and narrator Ehud Leibner. In the background, but
always present, one senses the perceptive touch of the musicologist
Israel Adler, who not only discovered the music but took an active
part in planning its interpretation. Using his profound knowledge of
the period, he guided the performers in their presentation, delighting
in their improvisaton which is so much a part of the 17th and 18th
century style. Having been present myself at the concert I can
testify to the excitement of both audience and performers — an
excitement which is communicated in the recording.
Ben Steinberg, a noted composer and lecturer, is the Music Director of
Temple Sinai, Toronto. He conducted the North American premiere of this
music on a broadcast of the C.B.C.
61
The music itself, ranges from simple to majestic. If not in each
case musically memorable, the pieces are at times charming and
always fascinating to the listener. The two 12th century piyyutim
from the Cairo Genizah (fragments of which are pictured in the
printed introduction) represent a carefully considered attempt at
authenticity in performance and are intriguing in their antiquity.
Salamone Rossi's early 17th century wedding song for double chorus
is performed with understanding and crisp pronunciation. In fact,
the Hebrew throughout this recording is a pleasure to hear. Less
effective in this section is the choral treatment of the traditionally
quiet "echo" group. While there are indeed, fewer voices in this
group, the dynamic contrast should have been greater.
The extracts from the ceremony for the 1786 inauguration of
the Siena Synagogue open with a beatifully read narration in both
Hebrew and English from the Seder Z'mirot Velimud, Livorno 1786.
This alternates with sung portions and proceeds in a style typical of
late 18th century Italy.
Next follow works by Avram Caceres and C.G. Lidarti from
the 18th century Portuguese J ewish community of Amsterdam.
These pieces (Chishki Chizki, Hamesiach M'mim, Le'el Elim, Norah
Elohim, Kol Haneshamah and Befi Yesharim) are performed with
zest by soloists, choir and instrumental ensemble. An especially
beautiful soprano solo is Lidarti's Kol Haneshamah, with its exciting
almost Mozartian Halleluyah ending. The Befi Yesharim would be
a welcome addition to any choral event. Although there are melis-
matic runs which could cause problems for amateur choruses, I have
conducted this piece in concert many times and audiences have loved
it!
CarloGrossi's 17th century "Cantata Ebraica in dialogo" offers
a text which should encourage the morning minyan of every congre-
gation, as the choir members, representing the "Watchers of the
Dawn" fraternity, explain to a passerby why they meet to pray each
morning. In this performance, while there are a few soloist pitch
problems, the choir sings its repeated chorus sections beautifully,
varying the verses through tempi and dynamics.
Portions of the Hoshanah Rabbah cantatas of 1732 and 1733
from the J ewish community of Casale Monferrato, Italy, contain
not only a court discussion among three characters (an accuser, a
defender and God) but some of the most tuneful instrumental pieces
on the recording, ranging from a lovely legato sarabande to a
sprightly, "off-the-string", dancelike overture.
62
Perhaps the most musically inspiring find of all is Louis Saladin's
17th century "Divertissement" for a Circumcision at the Comtat
Venaissin in southern {France. Apart from its Jewish associations,
it is an exhilarating piece of music which may properly be as valued
by listeners today as it was prized by its original community. Its
performance on this disc is a splendid one, both stirring and majestic.
Israel Adler's immensely important work in locating this music
and in organizing its presentation has enriched our knowledge of
Jewish History. No library should be without this recording which
is a treasure, for it offers us musical pleasure, pride in our people-
hood and insights into our past.
Ben Steinberg
MUSIC REVIEW
Michael Isaacson. Biti(My Daughter), for medium voice and harp
with alternate guitar chording. New York: Transcontinental
Music (991300), cl982. 4 pp. ($2.00)
Michael Isaacson has once again created a most useful effective
composition for the cantorate. While, "Biti," an original poem in
Hebrew by Rabbi Kerry Baker, is not very idiomatic in its flow or
feel, it seems to have served Isaacson well with results that are more
than just good. The song, in a conventional A A B A form for
medium voice and harp would soimd fine with piano too. It could
even be re-arranged to include a flute obligato by using an inner
voice played an octave higher. I caution colleagues to check the
Hebrew text (which unfortunately is published only in translitera-
tion) for mistakes and typos.
Isaacson certainly knows how to write a lovely tune and this
melody, no exception, sings easily and gracefully. It also hovers a
bit on the pop/show-tune genre with its melodic leaps of sevenths
which add to its charm. For those of us who are always looking
for a good solo to sing at a Bat Mitzvah, "Biti" is a real find.
63
Ben Steinberg. Eilu DVarim (These Are The Obligations), for Two
Voices, Optional cello and piano. New York: Transcontinental
Music (991228), cl983. 12 pp. ($.95)
Using only a part of the well-known Eilu DVarim text, from the
Birchot Hashachar, Ben Steinberg has created an impressive little
ensemble piece that is singable, practical, and above all J ewish in
its feeling. Eilu DVarim always conjures up memories of the Rapa-
port recitative or the more recent duet-dialogue by William Sharlin.
Steinberg has taken a somewhat simpler, more direct approach to
the text eschewing completely the recitative style of Rapaport and
avoiding the difficult ensemble problems of the Sharlin.
Two voices (medium high), piano and cello are called for in
this delightful composition which I recently heard beautifully per-
formed by student-cantors. I was won over completely not only by
its warmth and gentle flow but also by the authentic modal quality
of the work.
After an eight measure introduction for cello and piano we
have the foil owing: an A section with a refrain, a B section with
the refrain, the return of the A section without the refrain, a C
section with the second part of the refrain, and finally the B section
again with the refrain and a short coda.
The two voices, which first sing alone soon overlap, imitate
melodically and at the end of the sect ions join in unison for the
refrain. All this is accomplished in a deceptively simple manner with
style, taste, and great skill. The cello part, too is nicely woven into
the fabric of the piece and adds immeasureably to its success.
Steinberg, who writes so well for singers, because he obviously
loves them, has fashioned an appealing, useful, much needed work
based on authentic modal phrases. It is a work which is worthy of
any synagogue setting or concert platform.
Lawrence Avery
Lawrence Avery is the beloved hazzan of Beth El Synagogue in New
Rochelle, New York. He is also a composer and arranger and has been a
member of the faculty of Hebrew Union College's School for Sacred Music
for many years.
64
ENCORE! Eight duets for Tenor and Baritone with Piano. Ar-
ranged by Charles Heller. Published by Toronto Council of
Hazzanim, Canada, 1983.
Drawing on traditional Hebrew and Yiddish songs, Charles Heller
has written well-crafted vocal and piano parts in this collection of
eight two-part arrangements. This is primarily light-hearted material
with vocal parts that are relatively unsophisticated. Heller nicely
varies the typical harmonies in parallel thirds and sixths with just
enough unisons, counterlines, and anti phonal parts to keep things
interesting. The harmonies in the piano parts have been carefully
voiced, and while they are certainly not atypical, there are just
enough altered chords to spruce up the simple I, IV, and V triads
that form the backbone of these songs.
For those with somewhat more adventurous musical inclinations,
the arrangement of Mi Ha-ish should be noted. Here Heller fashions
a piano accompaniment with some very fresh and unusual harmonies
and with a lovely melodic and rhythmic filigree which give that part
a life of its own and which complement the plaintive melodic line
to give a mood of haunting reverie.
The arrangements are for tenor and baritone (or two tenors) ;
though in one setting, the baritone must sing a G (above middle C)
which would seem more appropriate for a second tenor. All of the
arrangements are probably accessible enough to be used successfully
by amateurs and, if transposed down 1/2 to 11/2 steps, some would
be appropriate for two part choir.
Shlomo Shuster
Shlomo Shuster has been the hazzan of Niles Township J ewish Congre-
gation for almost a decade. He serves currently, as well, as the Chairman of
the Mid-West Region of the Cantors Assembly.
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