Cantors Assembly Journal of Synagogue Music

Cantors Assembly • June 1986 • Iyar5746 • Vol. XVI • No. 1 •

JOURNAL OF SYNAGOGUE MUSIC

Moses J. Silverman: 1914-1986
A Brief Retrospective

Joseph Achron On His 100th Birthday

Preservation and Change in the
Musical Tradition of the Karaite
Jews in Israel and in the United States

Music and Prophecy

Are Children Good for a Synagogue?

The Commissioning Process

Samuel Rosenbaum 3
Philip Moddel 5

Jehoash Hirshberg 21

David Weintraub 30

Elliot B. Gertel 37

Morton Gold 43

journal of synagogue music, Volume XVI, Number 1

June 1986/ Iyar 5746

editor-. Abraham Lubin

managing kditor: Samuel Rosenbaum

editorial board: Lawrence Avery, Ben Belfer, Baruch Cohort,
Charles Davidson, Morton Kula, Sheldon Levin, Saul Meisels.
Solomon Mendelson, Chaim Najman, Pinchas Spiro, David Tilman.

business manager : Robert Kieval

officers of the cantors assembly: Saul Z Hammerman, President;
Solomon Mendelson, Vice President; Robert Kieval, Treasurer; Henry
Rosenblum, Secretary; Samuel Rosenbaum, Executive Vice President.

journal of synagogue music is a semi-annualpublication. The
subscription 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 © 1986, Cantors Assembly

MOSES J . SILVERMAN (1914-1986):
A BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE

Samuel Rosenbaum

The rabbis teach: " Shneyparnassim tovim yesh lahem Yisrael,
Moshe veDavid, " Israel is blessed with two great leaders, Moses and
David.

In one tragic moment, on the morning of May 16th, American Jewry

became bereft of a leader who combined in himself both qualities ascribed

to Moses and David: the quality of mind and the quality of heart, the gift
of wisdom and the gift of song.

For almost five decades he served the men, women and children of
Anshe Emet Synagogue with the elegance and dedication as befits a Moses
and a David. He was active in every area of hazzanic service long before
the expanded parameters of the contemporary hazzan's role became the
model on which the Cantors Assembly built its vision of the American
cantorate. He served as pastor, teacher, organizer and provider as befits a
parnass.

Most of all he was a sheliah tzibbur of unsurpassed skill; traditional,
yet innovative, artistic and dramatic without theatricality, sensitive yet
direct and understandable while still radiating that aura of mysticism and
faith which are the hallmarks of authentic hazzanut.

For over four decades he was in the leaderhip of the Cantors
Assembly, working side by side with colleagues who were like he,
intoxicated with a passion for hazzanut, determined to bring their dream
of a new cantorate to reality; to mold a formless cluster of private
practitioners into a profession of distinction, stature and service.

I will always cherish the memory of him as he was all those wonderful
years when work and hope and joy abounded and flourished: vibrant,
impeccable in bearing and manner, radiating confidence and dependability.
He was a joy to be with, gentle, caring and loyal, yet he did not easily
tolerate incompetence or fraud. He had a passion for perfection in himself
and in others. He demanded and gave only the best.

Samuel Rosenbaum is the Executive Vice President of the Cantors
Assembly and has served as Hazzan of Rochester 's Temple Beth El for
forty years.

He could have devoted himself only to his congregation. We of the
Cantors Assembly must be eternally grateful that he chose to do
otherwise, for he more than any other single individual, helped shape the
American cantorate of today. He became concerned early on with where
the hazzanim of the future would come from, with what professional tools
they would need, with what new materials he could use to enlarge their
perspectives as guardians and transmitters of the synagogue's musical
tradition. Most important, he became concerned with raising the funds
needed to bring his concept of the cantorate to life.

In the process he served in every office in the Cantors Assembly. He
capped that with three terms as President. Afterwards, he refused to
become merely a past-president, and he compiled an astounding record in
providing the funds needed with which to confront the future.

During the last two months of his life, in spite of his deteriorating
health, he insisted on conducting one of his most intensive campaigns for
scholarship funds. He seemed driven to make this drive a big one and he
did. By the first of May most of his contributors had sent in their gifts, but
still, a day did not pass but what he continued to send me the scattering of
checks which continued to come in.

On Friday morning, May 16th, the mail brought me two envelopes
from Moe, addressed in his hand and mailed on May 12th, the date he
entered the hospital. As usual, the checks were accompanied by a carefully
written note which included the list of enclosed checks and the grand total
for this year. Only this time, as if it was an afterthought, under the total he
added and underlined, "Thus far."

At the nadir of his life and quietly terrified at the ordeal awaiting him,
he was insisting, "It's not over, there's more to come." Azyashir Moshe!
The song of Moses was not ended, but would continue to echo on and on.

Our lives will never again be the same. We will be poorer for his
absence, but far richer for having lived in his company for an altogether
too short a time.

JOSEPH ACHRON On His 100th Birthday

Philip Moddel

Any time dedicated to the memory of a creative genius would sanctify
the moment and honor the person. This tribute is dedicated to Joseph
Achron who was born one hundred years ago. Though, during his lifetime,
he was a brilliant star on the firmament of great musicians, an outstanding
viloinist and a noted composer of a hundred musical works, most of them
published - after his death in 1943 - his fame fell into oblivion. Today, 40
years later, his music is still conspicuously absent from concert programs.
New compositions are struggling to win public hearing in a competitive
world. Few friends and no relatives are left to take an interest in promoting
his works.

Joseph Achron was born on the 1st of May 1886 in Losdzey the
county of Suwalky in Russia. His father gave him his first violin lessons.
The family moved to Warsaw to expose him to better teachers. He soon
proved to be a child prodigy. His eminent talent developed quickly. When
9 years old, Achron made his concert debut; and some time later, a critique
of his artistic talent, found in the "Rigaer Tageblatt" (1900), states "His
program - Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto and Tartini's Devil's Trill
-demands a technique rarely mastered at such a youthful age."

Joseph's success was the pride of his family. However, this happiness
was not shared by his paternal gradfather, Mordecai Achron, the owner of
a store in Mariampol. A very pious Jew himself, he regarded his
grandson's violin playing as not too respectable an occupation. He did not
want a "klezmer" in his family. When he heard of Joseph's success he
exclaimed, "I would be happier if he had learned 'a blatt Gemorah'
instead."

ST. PETERSBURG

In 1898 the Achron family decided to move to St. Petersburg to give
Joseph the opportuity of studying with the greatest violin teacher of the
time, Leopold Auer. After some difficulties in obtaining permission to
settle in Russia's capital, the authorization was granted and Julius Achron
found a job as a proof-reader with the Hebrew periodical "Hamelitz". He
worked hard to provide for his family but died of anemia within a short

Dr. Phiiip Moddei is Cantor Emeritus at Temple Beth Emet,
Anaheim, California. Portions of this article are excerpts of his
"Biography of Joseph Achron" published by ISRAELI MUSIC
PUBLICATIONS LIMITED, Jerusalem, Israel.

time. Joseph entered the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he studied the
violin with Auer and harmony with Lyadov. His keen intellect and musical
talent made him a favorite pupil. Achron was graduated in 1904 and
received the highest honours of his class of outstanding students. He was
also awarded a prize of twelve hundred rubles donated by Grand Duke
Michael, the Czar's brother.

Achron was now a recognized master of his instrument and had
twelve published compositions to his credit, among them the Eighteen
Variations on Kamarinskaya.

$-ffii UTmrfr^plffll j i

. 2 Thtmm and variation rx

raiqua") from "Varlarlom on Kamarimkayo", opus 12.

At that time Berlin was the centre of European music culture, which
attracted leaders in the fields of art and music; it was thus with great
enthusiasm that the young artist accepted an invitation to give concerts in
Germany. His recitals there proved to be as successful as those on his
Russian tour. At a concert attended by the German Empress, the great
violinist, Joseph Joachim, remarked: "In elegance of (playing) he matches
Jan Kubelik, but he exceeds him in beauty of tone." And after a concert
conducted by Glazounov, the St. Petersburg Zeitung wrote, in March 20,
1908, "His interpretation of the Tchaikowsky Concerto give Achron a
place among our greatest virtusos. His excellent bowing technique, his
purity of intonation, . . brilliance and virtuosity are never an act of
exhibitionism but part of his musicianship." Achron later remembered
with pride his concert at the Leipzig Gewandhaus where he played
Beethoven's Violin Concerto (with Achron' s own cadenza) under the
direction of Arthur Nikisch. The great conductor invited Achron to his
home where the young composer played some of his own works,
accompanied at the piano by Nikisch.

The next three years Achron spent in giving concerts, his
headquarters remaining in Berlin. The compositions written during this
period were for violin and piano, most of them short pieces, which Achron
included in his concert repertoire.

Achron had reached a high goal in his life. He was famous and
successful and could have pursued the career of a distinguished violinist.
But the glitter of the concert hall did not attract him for long and he found
little contentment in the prospects of a virtuoso career proper. His
innermost desire was to express himself, not as an interpreter, but as a
creator of music. His musical integrity and his desire for perfection led him
to interrupt his concert work. Achron, now twenty-one years old, returned
to St. Petersburg and became arduously engrossed in the study of
compositon, applying himself to counterpoint, fugue and form. At the
same time he completed a course in orchestration under Maximilian
Steinberg, the son-in-law of Rimsky Korsakov. After three years of
intensive study he wrote his first Violin Sonata, opus 29, his most
ambitious work thus far.

He now wielded all the formal and technical tools with the greatest
precision and, thus equipped, he proceeded in his creative work with
renewed enthusiasm. At precisely this point the most significant event for
his further development occured, leading him to that sphere of creation
whose purest exponent he was later to become.

THE HEBREW MELODY

At the age of twenty-five Achron had thirty-two compositions to his
credit, many of these had already been published and some were in the
repertoire of well known violinists. He had come a long way since his early
days in Losdzey but recognition and success had brought a certain
estrangement from his own heritage. The Jewish atmosphere of his
parents' house, the "cheder" and the synagogue were memories of the past;
he lost all identification with the environment and had become completely
absorbed in the musical renaissance of Russia - and perhaps even more -
by the trends which dominated the musical styles of the Western world.

This tendency of the assimilated composer at the turn of the century
found a reaction in a number of Jewish musicians who were bound by
Jewish tradition. Stimulated by their love of Judaism and their longing for
the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland, these men strove toward the
creation of their own style of musical expression and, what is more
important, awakened a response in the heart of many Jewish artists who
might otherwise have drifted beyond the borders of assimilation.
Conscious of their heritage, the members of this group founded the

'Society for Jewish Folk Music" in St. Petersburg, in 1908. It was no
accident that this renaissance originated in Eastern Europe. There, the
confinement of a people within the walls of the ghetto served as
self -protection, and Jewish life could find its own expression and develop
deep roots. The apparent poverty and lack of culture within the ghetto
brought about a renewed yearning for the Zionist ideal, which included
the rebirth of the Hebrew language, literature, art and music.

The enthusiastic members of the Society for Jewish Folk Music,
formed a special committee consisting of such men as Mikhael Gniessin,
Moses Milner, Lazar Saminsky, and Alexander and Grigory Krein.
Headed by Joel Engel, a branch of the Society was soon established in
Moscow. In 1911, the president of the Society in St. Petersburg, Salomon
Rosowsky, had attended one of Achron's recitals and had visited the
young artist-backstage at the end of the performance. This is Rosowsky 's
account of the meeting: "I felt drawn towards him at once. We found a
common interest. I started talking about Jewish music, and he grew keenly
interested in every aspect of this new field. He told me that the idea of a
Jewish music had never entered his mind. Our discussion in that small
dressing room was to be of the utmost importance for both of us. Thus
started a friendship that was to last a lifetime. Rosowsky became Achron's
mentor, and the two men exchanged almost a hundred letters in the
ensuing years.

His first experiment was a composition for violin and piano on a
theme he had heard as a boy in a Warsaw synagogue. He wrote the
"HEBREW MELODY", his best known composition, in a half-hour.

This composition had its first performance in St. Petersburg in 1912,
at a ball-concert given by General Skalan, the Czar's adjutant. On that
occasion Achron presented a program of classical music and, when asked
for an encore, decided to play the newly-composed "Hebrew Melody", not
expecting the piece to find particular favor in the judgement of this
aristocratic society. As he began to play, a magic spell seemed to quiet the
audience. There was an atmosphere of intense interest while the strains of
the Hassidic melody filled the sumptuous hall of the palace, "gave vent to
the outburst of suppressed pain and emotion, and then, towards the end,
falling back exhausted." When Achron ended there was tumultous
applause and the composer was asked to repeat the piece.

ifjjjtfw tr B i ry i r ti ^g

Ex. 1. lUglnning of th*"H*br«wM*ledy" < opul33.

Henceforth Achron concentrated his efforts towards the cultivation
of Jewish music. He became chairman of the music committee of the
"Society"and, with passionate determination, focused his imagination in
a new direction. He had found his way home. Elated by the immediate
success of his HEBREW MELODY, he composed, a month later, the
Ballad on a Hebrew Theme for cello and piano, entitled "Hazan"(opus 34)
As in the previous work, the chant of a cantor in Suwalki had been his
inspiration. The cello takes the cantor's part in a conventional rhapsodic
style:

j' JTHCqu

/T i t? r i

The 'cello theme from

This was followed by three pieces based on Jewish folk songs, the Hebrew
Dance and Hebrew Lullaby, opus 35, and Dance lmprovisions, opus 37.

The Variations on "El Yivneh Haglil," opus 39. stand out as the

masterpiece among Achron's piano compositions. The work was

conceived in a virtuoso pianistic style and was dedicated to his brother
Isidor, an outstanding pianist.

Achron was an instinctive contrapuntist and his technique was often
a point of dissension between him and his colleagues in the Society. They
were more interested in the harmonization of folk tunes which left the
melody in its original form, while Achron preferred to exploit and develop
its inherent contrapuntal possibilities. In his Sher, opus 42, for example,
the contrapuntal design virtually overshadows the melody. Harmonic
problems were a constant challenge to him. He once said to Rosowsky,
"To compose a Jewish melody is not difficult; the problem is how to create
Jewish harmony and Jewish counterpoint."

Achron was opposed to those who forcefully wanted to create a
Jewish style. As desirable as such an achievement might have been, he
believed that it had to take a natural course in order not to become
imitative and artificial. In his essay, "On Jewish Music" Achron wrote,
"To create artificially music which would be considered Jewish would not
only be unnecessary but impossible.. . If, however, music is developed by
gradual assimilation of every-day life, and shaped into artistic form by
composeres who were actually bred in a Jewish atmosphere, and who
succeeded in expressing their own experience musically, such a creative
product would be welcome and accepted as an improtant and integral part
of music as a whole." And to those who advocated a purely Jewish style
Achron replied, "Let it be said that such purity does not and cannot exist
at all. This is as true of art as it is of the constituents of life, since
inter-influences are not only unavoidable but desirable."

The constant strain of performing and composing affected Achron' s
health. Upon his doctor's advice he travelled south to the Ukraine in order
to seek rest. A year later he accepted a professorship at the conservatory in
Kharkov, where he became head of the violin and chamber music
department. But in the spring and summer of 1914 Achron was again
giving concerts in Western Europe.

THE WAR YEARS

In August, 1914, when the guns announced the conflict that was to
beset the world for the next four years, Achron found himself in Berlin. It
was not safe for an alien subject to be caught in the troubled political
stream of Central Europe at this time and Achron wanted to return to
Russia as soon as possible. The border between Germany and Russia was
already closed and the only route open to him led through neutral Sweden.

He hurried to Paris and boarded the ferrytrain to London. In England he
planned to embark on the next boat for Sweden. But when he arrived in
London the trunk that contained his music, manuscripts, and personal
belongings, was missing. Weary and disappointed he spent a day searching
for his possessions and at last found them in the cloakroom of Charing
Cross Station. By then, however, he had missed the ship to Sweden. He
finally secured a berth on another vessel and reached Stockholm annoyed
at the delay. Yet the incident had been a blessing in disguise, since the first
ship struck a mine and sank to the bottom of the sea, losing many of its
passengers and all its cargo.

Achron eventually reached Kharkov and ramained there until June
1916. The war was in progress, and in order to serve his country to the best
of his ability, he joined the music corps. His headquarters were again in St.
Petersburg, now named Petrograd, and his duties were to entertain the
troops along the front.

In 1920 Achron married Marie Raphof, an accomplished singer who
directed the vocal department of her father's music school in Petrograd.
Both Joseph and Marie were thirty-four years old then and matrimonial
bond became a very happy one. Marie was endowed with poetic talents
and translated the lyrics of many of Achron' s songs from the original
Yiddish into Russian and German.

At the end oft he war Achron was offered a chair in the Conservatory
in Petrograd. But he felt uncomfortable in the post-revolutionary
situation and declined the offer, although gratified by this mark of esteem.
He explained that as a performing artist, he felt the urge to travel. Thus he
was able to retain his artistic freedom, and to resume his concert activity to
a greater extend than ever before. Between October 1918 and November
1922 Achron gave over one thousand recitals. Despite his busy schedule he
found time to compose and to complete his second Violin Sonata, opus 45.

Achron's stage presence was modest, free of mannerisms, and he was
"embarrassed by too much applause." As a violinist Achron was conscious
of every technical aspect of his instrument. He wrote an essay on the
"Fundamentals of Violin Playing," published in German and Russian by
Universal Edition. This was followed by the publication of a study on "The
Execution of the Chromatic Scale on the Violin," which was published in
German, Russian, French and English. Achron's method was widely
adopted by string players, and Jascha Heifetz gave credit to Achron as the
originator of the system.

The year 1922 was a significant one in Achron's life. He realized that
the conflict between the career of a soloist and that of a composer
demanded a decision. The divergence between the two paths became
pronounced, and in his inner struggle the creative force again won the
upper hand. But the unsettled conditions of the post-revolutionary war
years seemed far from ideal. The insecurity of life in Russia prompted the
momentous decision to leave his native country for the West. Achron
returned to Petrograd for the last time. At his farewell concert there, on
October 14, 1922, he shared the program with his wife, who sang a group
of songs. Thus ended a period in Achron's life in which his artistic
development had been closely bound up with the culture of Russia, his
training guided by masters of the national movement of that county, and
his spirit stimulated by the enthusiasm of the Society for Jewish Folk
Music.

RETURN TO BERLIN

In December 1922 Achron took up his new residence in Berlin. In the
1920's this city was a Mecca for artists, and, through the influx of the
intelligentsia from countries of oppression, Berlin also became a centre of
Jewish culture. The Society for Jewish Folk Music, founded in 1908. had
been disbanded by the Soviet Government in 19 18. It somehow survived in
an unofficial manner for another four years, and finally ceased to exist in
1922. Now. many a former member had found a home and intellectual
stimulus in Berlin. Joel Engel. the guiding spirit of the Jewish national
school, tried to continue the work of the "Society" there by establishing
the publishing firm of Juwal, with a branch in Jerusalem. He was assisted
by Mikhael Gniessin. who also took up residence in this city.

Berlin was passing through a metamorphosis

characteristic of this period. The reaction against romanticism, evident in
every sphere of life, had given rise to many schools of musical thought, and
all of these could be observed here. The rich tonal harmonies of Russian
music competed with the expressionist New Music of the Viennese School
of Arnold Schonberg and his circle, with neo-classicism, with neo-baroque,
and with the aggressive strains of the young German modernists' music.

It was French impressionism that exerted the strongest influence on
Achron during his stay in Berlin. His major composition of that period,
the Children's Suite, based on the motifs of the trope, is a happy blend of
traditional cantillation and the tonal color of impressionism. Originally
written for the piano, this work enjoyed great popularity, and was later
transcribed by the composer for sextet. An orchestral arrangement was
made by David Tiomkin in 1942. These twenty miniatures in the form of
preludes have the merit of simplicity that makes the Children's Suite one
of Achron' s best work.

In Achron' s development, the scriptural tropes became thedominant
element in creating Jewish themes. They now took the place of the
Hassidic folktune, which had been the first stimulus to move Achron
toward Jewish art. Hassidic melodies had appealed to his emotions;
cantillation appealed to his intellect. The former had limited possibilities
for development, the latter was a basic source for infinite variations.

: period in Achron' s life also produced most of his vocal
music. No longer imitating other trends, the voice of the Jewish composer
now spoke his innate language. The Canzonetta. opus 52, is one of
Achron' s most profound musical expressions.

forr.rJtj'.MMii 'J ,' Mu_i u_i' U uLjI

Ex. 7. Theme of tti

Joseph Achron, now thirty-eight years old, had spent most of his life
as a musical wanderer. His artistry had delighted audiences in may cities,
but he had never found a permanent home for himself. Nowhere had he
stayed longer than three years. His close friend, Joel Engel, whom he had
followed to Berlin, new decided to settle in Palestine and Gniessin
returned to Russia. Engel's departure, Germany's post-war depression,
and the lure of the New World, all contributed to Achron' s renewed feeling
of restlessness. In Februrary 1924 he finally announced his intention of
leaving for America. A farewell concert of his compositions was arranged
by the publishing houses Jibneh and Juwal. But before crossing the
Atlantic Ocean, Achron wanted to realize a life-long desire-to visit the
Holy Land. He arrived there in spring and stayed for several months. He
gave fifteen violin recitals and derived a good deal of pleasure and
satisfaction from this musical pilgrimage.

IN NEW YORK

On January I, 1925. Achron entered the United States of America.
He spent the first few months with his aunt in Chicago, but travelled to
New York when a Jubilee Concert was arranged in honour of Professor
Leopold Auer's eightieth birthday on April 28. in the circle of his most
famous students. A galaxy of artists appeared at the concert in Carnegie
Hall. Auer, Heifetz. and Zimbalist played Vivaldi's Concerto for Three
Violins, for which Achron had written the cadenza. Rachmainoff, Joseph
Hofman and Gabrilowitch among others, also took part in the gala event.

A short time later Achron took up his residence in New York, where
he was to remain for the next nine years. He soon established himself in
that city and on December 1st. 1930 became an American citizen.
Renouncing the clamouous success of virtuosity, he instituted his own
violin master class, while his wife Marie opened a vocal studio in
cooperation with Alexis Kossloff, a choreographer at the Metropolitan
Opera House. Freed from the strenous task of a demanding concert
interruptions, Achron was finally able to settle down and to devote himself
to composition more than ever before.

His first large-scale work, the Violin Concerto opus 60, written in
August, 1925 and scored in July 1926, was dedicated to his friend Jascha

Heifetz. Accompanied at the piano by Nicholas Slonimsky, Achron first
introduced this concerto to Koussevitzky, in an arrangement for violin
and piano. The work had its first orchestral performance by the Boston
Symphony Orchestra under Serge Koussevitzky, with the composer as
soloist. Critics very much disagreed on the merits of this composition.
While the first movement is rather enigmatic in form and harmony, the
second movement, the finale, captures the listener with its joyful
improvisation on two Yemenite themes.

Alltgro tlocoya ^___^

Ex.9. The two Yemenite themes from the Finale of Achran't Violin Concerto opui 60.

At the same time he was commissioned to compose the Dance Of
Salome (published by I.M.P. Jerusalem), scored for chorus, percussion
and piano.

ACHRON the TEACHER and the STUDENT

Apart from the preoccupation with compositions, Achron devoted
much time to the study and analysis of harmony. He was the eternal
student, with an unsatiable appetite for learning and experimenting. He
left sheaves of paper filled with exercises of chord modulations, mementos
of his endeavours to make harmony fit thestyle. Rosowsky, with whom he
frequently discussed his musical problems, recalls: "In one of my
compositions I happened to use a whole-note scale. Achron strongly
disapproved of my efforts, saying that the whole-note scale was a pattern
employed by Claude Debussy, and favoured by the impressionists, but not
akin to the spirit of Jewish music." Rosowsky replied. "Never mind; if 1
write it. it's Jewish."

Achron's musical credo was not dogmatic. He was tolerant of all
musical forms and fashions, as long as they were within the borders of
good taste and acceptable craftsmanship. He preferred to compose while
sitting at the piano, whistling the themes under his breath while he
developed the rhythmic structure and the harmonic design. He worked
speedily. A major composition was first sketched for the piano, then
orchestrated. He arranged many of his shorter pieces for a variety of
instrumental combinations: "I have no special musical preferences: any
style of music or form - be it polyphonic or homophonic, rhythmic or
colourful, simple or complex, equally appeals to me if it bears markes of
individuality, which I consider the most important in art. The only
elements I exclude entirely are banality, vulgarity, and cheap taste."

Achron's younger brother, Isidor, had meanwhile established a
reputation as a master of the piano. Like Joseph he had travelled and given
concerts in many countries and had also settled down in the United States.
For many years he acted as accompanist to Jascha Heifetz. Isidor was also
a gifted composer who had a Piano Concerto and other works to his
credit. But, because of an estrangement, it was only on rare occasions that
the two brothers joined forces at a public recital.

Joseph was now named professor of violin at the Westchester
Conservatory of Music in New York. Regular hours permitted him to take
time to review and edit many of his previous compositions. In order to
have his works performed for concert audiences he rearranged many of his
shorter pieces for chamber ensembles and rescored Belshazzar. The
orchestral version of this composition, originally written as incidental
musical for the play, became a majestic work that makes use of practically
every instrument of the modern orchestra. It is scored for twenty-eight
wind instruments in addition to strings and a large battery of percussion.

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His association with Maurice Schwartz's Yiddish Art Theatre
produced a number of scores: The Tenth Commandment (Goldfaden),
Kiddush Hashem and Stempenyu (Sholom Aleichem), and the Witch of
Castille (Sholem Asch). In spite - or perhaps because - of the high musical
standard of his work Achron was not able to repeat his previous success in
this field. The audience expected ditties, easy to remember and to whistle,
but Achron gave his theatre music symphonic dimensions. He demanded
great technical skill of each instrumetalist in order to create maximum
sound with a limited number of players. Achron' s mastery of musical
construction is evident in his incidental music to H. Levick's Golem. The
Golem theme of the first movement is repeated in the last one, which
described the disintegration of the Golem. But here the theme is played
exactly in retrograde motion and the harmonies are in a mirrored image of
the first statement. Yet the construction is so remarkably smooth that the
listener does not become aware of the reversal. Only a study of the score
revals the intricate form.

Another work of this most productive period in Achron' s life, his
Evening Service for Shabbat (opus 67), deserves special mention. This
composition was commissioned by Lazar Saminsky, music director of
Temple Emanuel in New York.

IN LOS ANGELES

In the early 1930' s Los Angeles was in the process of becoming the
cultural centre of the Western World. Its warm climate attracted many of
the foremost composers and musicians of our times. A number of European
artists, many of whom owed the disruption of their lifes to political
upheavals, took up residence in California. Thus, Bloch came from
Switzerland, Castelnuovo-Tedesco from Italy, Milhaud from France,
Schonberg from Austria, Toch from Germany, and Heifetz, Horowitz,
Piatigorsky, Rubinstein and Stravinsky from Russia, via Western Europe.

Achron enjoyed the warm friendship of may of these outstanding
men. Schonberg in particular valued Achron' s personal sincerity and
integrity. They spent hours together. The strong personality of Schonberg
the teacher influenced Achron and made him a follower of his method to
compose with twelve-note rows. Jascha Heifetz, another of Achron' s
friends, remarked: "He is one of our foremost modern composers. I
cannot say enough on his behalf, both as a musician and as a man." The

music critic, Morris Browda, wrote: "If Achron the violinist is a worthy
rival of Achron the composer, to me a better statement could be. Achron
the man is a worthy rival of Achron the musician.

Musical life in Los Angeles was, at that time, far less developed than
in the cities on the East Coast, except for the activities at film studios. The
film industry flourished, and a demand existed for musicians in all fields,
as composter, arrangers, and performers. Directors could afford to engage
the best musical talents. Achron soon found himself writing film scores as
well as playing in studio orchestras. This was. of course, not the life he had
mapped out for himself, but it provided the means for devoting most of his
time to serious composition.

It was a source of pride and satisfaction to Achron that the Los
Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra scheduled the first performance of his
Second Violin Concerto on December 19, 1936, under the baton of Otto
Klemperer, with the composer as soloist.

Immediately after this successful performance Achron began work
on his Third Violin Concerto, opus 72, which had been commissioned by
Jascha Heifetz and was completed that same year. 1937. It had its premiere
performance on March 3 1, 1939, with Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra. Klemperer again conducted and Achron himself was the
soloist, but this time the critics were quite reserved in their praise: on the
whole it was received rather unfavourably. Reviews states: "The music was
too abstract", "There was no warmth in the work, or in the performance of
the soloist", "The composer did not make his mark."

There is a world of difference between the composter of the Hebrew
Melody, the Canzonetta and the Stimmungen. opus 32, and the author of
the Third Violin Concerto, the Sextet, and the Concerto for Piano alone,
opus 74. The first movement of his Sinfonietta, opus 71. sounds as if it
were written in agony. The movement entitled "Friends" is full of storm
and violence.

In mid- April 1943, while Achron lay critically ill and his spirits were
ebbing, two of his friends. Bronislaw and Jacob Gimpel, secretly arranged
a broadcast of his work in order to surprise and to cheer him. In the
hospital room his wife. Marie, knowingly turned on the radio at the
appointed time. When Achron head the sound of his own compositions.

he sat up with animation and listened with a deep sense of fulfillment to a
movement of his A major Sonata, his Children's Suite, and finally the
Hebrew Melody. This was the last music he ever head. He died on April 29,
1943, two days before his fifty-seventh birthday. His body was placed into
a crypt in the Beth Olam Mausoleum in Hollywood.

Achron's estate, consisting of about one hundred published and
unpublished compositions, was crowed into a trunk and did not see the
light of day for years. The vast majority of his work lies fallow; on rare
occasions only the Hebrew Melody lifts up its woeful voice to sing a tribute
to its creator.

A biographer's perspective may distort the relative merits of his
subject. Was it not the fate of many masters before Achron to fall into
oblivion after death? Mere talent remains forgotten but history has shown
that the works of a genius are often resurrected after many years and may
then grant their creator greater stature than he enjoyed during his lifetime.
In Schopenhauer's analogy talent and genius are compared to archers.
When the man of talent sends forth his arrow, it lands much further than
that of other bowmen, and everyone praises his skill. But the arrow of the
man of genius flies so far ahead that it is not found by his contemporaries.
Only later generations reach the place where the arrow fell, and with
wonder, they realize the genius' greatness. Time will tell whether Achron
was a man of talent or of genius. In either case he has a place in history for
he represents the important phase in which composers rose above the
ghetto level of simple tunesmiths, of "klesmer" and "badchonim," and
made their Jewish voices head in the realm of art music.

PRESERVATION AND CHANGE IN THE MUSICAL TRADITION

OF THE KARAITE JEWS:

IN ISRAEL AND IN THE UNITED STATES

Jehoash Hirshberg

(Reprinted with permission from the Proceedings of the 9th World
Congress of Jewish Studies held in Jerusalem this year.)

In his essay "Theory and Method in Musical Change" John Blacking
had emphasized the distinction between the rare cases of real change and
what is actually "flexible variation." Further he comments that "any
model of society let alone of change, must of needs be a processual model"
and "a radical change does not necessarily have to be synonymous with a
revolution." A study of the musical practiceof the Karaite Jews of
Egyptian origin now settled in Israel and in the United States will provide
a case study of he role the process of flexible variation has played in
overcoming the results of the radical upheaval in the social and cultural
life of the entire community. Emigration of Karaite Jews from Cairo
began soon after the establishment of the State of Israel, and the mass
exodus started after the 1956 and the 1967 wars terminated the process,
reducing the magnificent Cairo community into a tiny group of mostly
aged Karaite Jews, no longer active as a community.

The majority of Karaite Jews immigrated to Israel, where they were
all of a sudden faced with a totally new reality of life, being a "Jewish
minority within a Jewish majority", in the words of the editor of the first
Karaite pamphlet, Bechor Yehudah (1956). They soon regrouped in a few
urban and rural centers, establishing synagogues, and evening classes for
the youth. In America they dispersed in the enormous secular and
pluralistic society, with only one center slowly emerging in the San
Francisco Bay area, now well organized under an enthusiastic and
competent leadership.

Music has always fulfilled important functions in the religious and
social life of the Karaites, with the repertory being generally divided
between strictly liturgical cantillation which dominsted the prayer and
paraliturgical songs used on holidays and all events of the life cycle. With
the uprooting of the community, music has played an improtant role in the
process of social and religious regrouping of the Karaite Jews in their new

Dr. Hirshberg is a member of the Faculty of Humanities, J ewish Institute
of Fine and Performing Arrs of the Hebrew University in J erusalem.

centers, which were at first temporary structures turned into synagogues,
private homes, or, as is still the case in San Francisco, a reform temple
temporarily used by the Karaite community on certain occasions. The
questions addressed in the present paper are related to the ways in which
processes of change in the music reflect parallel processes of social change,
and in which way has music supported and enhanced deliberate actions of
the community in preserving its social structure and self identity under the
new circumstances. The complexity of this question has been stressed in
Blacking's response to Lomax's theories, and has recently been
readdressed in Steven Feld's study of the Kaluli tribe.

The wide range of variables affecting the study will be illustrated by
the first set of examples, which comprises four recordings of the Havdalah
(see chart I and musical example I)

Two sets of variables are involved:

1. Diachronic, in that the informants belong to three distinct age
groups.

2. Local, in that two belong to the American community and the
other two to the Israeli.

The comparison has been done from both emic and ethnic points of
view, taking into account Blacking's suggestion that when the emic
approach is taken, "the social boundaries of the folk who hold the views
are as significant as the musical categories that they are assessing.**

The recordings by Ovadia and by Gaver have been played on three
occasions to informants who were asked to comment on the differences
between them. Mourad Al-Koudsi pointed at Ovadi's version as the one
known to him from Cairo. The community leaders from San Francisco
stated that the variants represent the two synagogues in Cairo, that is, the
old Karaite synagogue in the Harat Al Yahud il Karain, where Gaver had
lived, and the new magnificent synagogue in the more affluent Abassieh
section where the more well-to-do Karaite Jews moved to since the
beginning of the present century, among them Ovadia. The highly
prestigious Hakham (Chief Rabbi), Tovia Babovitch, who was invited by
the Cairo community from Russia in 1933 and served for more than 20
years, used to lead the prayers in the new synagogue.

Still, the Karaite Jews of the Harat al-Yahud preferred their own
traditional singing to that of Babovitch. Jacob Matzliah, who lived in
Abassieh, was critical of Babovitch' s cantillationand openly preferred the
version which he had learned from Rabbi Masouda at the Harat
al-Yahud. While the American informants were positive in thedistinction

between the variants, Rabbi Moshe Dabah, while accepting their
distinction, was reluctant to consider the two renderings as actual different
variants, claiming that they were virtually the same, with Ovadia's weaker
voice responsible for the smaller melodic range which is indeed the most
salient difference between the versions. Dabah' s view is supported by the
analysis of the recordings. Matzliah's variant is closer to that of Gaver,
with its wider range and its final cadence, which repeats itself throughout
the remainder of the long prayer. Yet, the contour of the melody is
different, especially in the middle section, which is a continuous
two-phrase sentence in Ovadia's and Gaver' s versions compared with the
exact repetition of the phrase in Matzliah's rendering. The young Cohen is
nearly identical with Gaver at the beginning, but his final cadence is
modally different from both Gaver and Matzliah. The singing of the
Havdalah should thus be considered a flexible process rather than
replications of any accurate melody. The different replies of the
informants clearly illustrate Blacking's definition of social boundries.

The American informants, as will be shown later, maintain a purist
point of view, in that they are extremely careful of any extreme variant and
deviation from what they consider the authentic repertory. Dabah
represents the more pluralistic approach which admits a flexible variety of
variants as long as they represent the overall heritage. His pluralistic
approach also reflects the social and institutional structure of Karaite
community of Israel. Despite what looks like a hierachical structure of a
community ruled by a Chief Rabbi and a religious council, there is in
reality no autocratic leadership in the Israeli Karaite community, and the
Rabbis and lay members are encouraged to express opinions and ideas.
With only one community in the U.S., there is no need for such pluralism,
and there is a pronounced need for a clear and definite policy.

The second pair of examples represents the diachronic process of
change, which, to use Blacking's terminology, is no more than a flexible
variant, Unlike the cantillation, the paraliturgical songs areactual
melodies with the range of acceptable variants much more limited in them.
The song "Karati be'Koli" belongs to the group of popular songs,
published in a small booklet containing the well-remembered and loved
Karaite song texts. The song was performed by Rabbi Feruz with a small
cantors choir during a national gathering of Karaite Jews in Jerusalem on
Passover, 1985. Upon hearing the performance Rabbi Haim Levi
objected, was invited to the stage and perormed the version he claims is the
more authentic, in that it contains a melismatic phrase, placed in brackets
in example 2, which has been left out altogether in the more recent version.
The song alternates between measured phrases with changing meters and

unmeasured declamatory melismatic phrases. The more recent version,
which omits the ornamental phrase, represents the tendency of the
younger generation, as explained by the religious leaders of the
community, to prefer light, rhythmical songs. Both variants are known
and recognized by the community, and the change is conscious and
deliberate, illustrating an open attitude allowing for flexible variants in
order to keep the younger members interested in the traditional music of
the community.

The important aspect of behavior and performance practice is
illustrated by the next pair of examples, Psalm 136, which is a regular
section of all daily and holiday prayers. Like most of the Karaite liturgy, it
is chanted in responsorial style. The first performance displays a constant
overlap between the cantor and the congregation, whereas the second
recording, that of the San Francisco community, represents a slower,
careful performance where the congregation avoids overlap, almost
deliberately. Indeed, Cantor Joe Pesach commented in an interview that
he has been trying to reach "harmony" and order in the prayer, which he
considers essential in the case of his newly organized community. The
sense of heavy responsibility and careful planning in the San Francisco
group clearly contrasts with the spontaneous, flowing style of the Ramlah
congregation.

The final aspect to be considered is that of the development and
expansion of the paraliturgical repertory. Many of the traditional
melodies for the some 130 paraliturgical poems have been totally
forgotten. The Israeli Karaite community has introduced new melodies to
several songs through the two different processes of contrafacta and
newly-composed melodies. The melody of Econ le'mul Shabath was
adapted by Moshe Dabah from an Egyptian folk song.

Mourad El-Koudsi has immediately identified the original song. He,
as well as the San Francisco group, were reserved and even opposed to the
idea of contrafacta of Egyptian tunes, as representing external influence
which might dilute the fragile remnants of the authentic Karaite repertory.
Joe Pesah conceded that such process might suit the large and well
established community in Israel, but could be dangerous to the small and
new San Francisco community. All the same, he supported the idea of
introducing the younger generation to their Egyptian origins through the
guided listening to records of Egyptian music.

While the contrafacta technique was intended to reestablish ties with
the Egyptian heritage, the newly composed melodies represented the most
extreme adjustment to the younger taste, The Karaite Jew Moshe Tanani
has composed two songs which acquired enormous popularity in all
Karaite centers in Israel, while totally unknown and unpracticed in the
U.S. Measured, rhythmic and non-melismatic, Hoy Shuvi Zion represents
the outcome of the process of change initiated in the modification of
Karati Be-Koli. (See musical example 3).

The musical practice of the Karaite Jews represents a conscious and
careful use of the process of flexible variation as means for enhancing the
social, cultural and religious ties of a small community in danger of
dispersal following a radical social and political change. Music is widely
practiced in both of the new centers as an important unifying device, but
the approaches are different according to the different social environments
of the communities. The Karaite Jews in Israel allow for a wide range of
flexible variants and expansion of repertories of songs which provide
material for group singing in the many communal and education 1 events.

The Karaite community in San Franciso, while feeling economically
proud and secure, is in need of a stable leadership capable of preserving
and reconstructing the precious and fragile memories of past heritage, so
that free modification and flexibility might prove to be self destructive. As
written by Blacking "music is the supreme poetry of the heart and the
algorhythms of the heart may tell us more than any words about the
conscience and consciousness of a nation or a community." In the case of
the community of the Karaite Jews of Cairo, music has served as one of the
principal means in their impressive victory over the powers of dispersion
and uprooting, victory achieved through the strength of their deep cultural
heritage and their proud belief in their historical identity.

Chart I - Examples
Excerpt Informant

1. Havdalah Joseph Ovadia, 75, immigrated

to U.S. 1962

2. Havdalah Jacob Matzliah, 7 1, immigrated

to U.S. 1964

3. Havdalah Avraham Gaver, 50, immigrated

to Israel 1970; Rabbi of Ramlah

4. Havdalah Moshe Cohen, 21, raised in Israel

August 1983,
Providence, R

October, 1984,
San Fran., Cal.

5. Karati beKoli Moshe Feruz, 49, immigrated to

Israel 1957

6. Karati Be'Koli

Econ Fmul
Shabath

10. Egyptian Folk

Haim Levi, 55, immigrated to
Israel 1949; Rabbi of Ashdod

Joseph EIGamil, 42, immigrated
to Israel 195 I; Rabbi and
Scholar, Ramlah

Joe Pesah, 40, immigrated to
U.S. 1970, Rabbi and Cantor,
San Francisco

Moshe Dabah, 48, immigrated to
lsreal 1957, Rabbi and Director
of the Karaite Center, Jerusalem

Mourad Al Koudsi. 66,
immigrated 1959, Scholar and
teacher, Rochester, N.Y.

April 1985,
Jerusalem

June 1985.
Jerusalem

June 1985,
Jerusalem

June 1985,
Jerusalem

October 1978,
Ramlah Syna-
gogue (in function)

October 1984,
Foster City Syna-
gogue (in function)

March 1983,
Jerusalem

September 1984,
Rochester, N.Y.

11. Hoy, Shuvi Zion Ofakim Congregation
by Moshe
Tanani, Ramlah

April 1983,
Ofakim

BLACKING John Blacking, "Some Problems of Theory and Method in
the Study of Musical Change", Yearbook of the International
Folk Music Council, 9 (1977), 1-25

FELD Steven Feld, "Sound Structure as Social Structure",

Ethnomusicology, 28 (1984), 383-410

LOMAX Alan Lomax, Folk Song Style and Culture (Washington,

1968)

All field recordings are deposited at the Sound Archives,
The National Library, Jerusalem. The musical examples
are designed to bring out the essential points referred to in
the discussion and are intended to produce all details.

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MUSIC AND PROPHECY

D avid WEINTRAUB

(We are greatful to the Editor of "Dor leDor" of The World Jewish
Bible Society in Jerusalem for permission to reprint the following article.)

"It appears from many passages in Scripture" — says Burney
-"that music was as nearly allied to prophecy as to poetry". It is
interesting to note that vates, in Latin, signifies prophet, poet and
musician at the same time.

"Hebrew has no name for poet — strictly speaking. Indeed there were
no professional poets. Lawgiver and troubadour were united in one and
the same person. This combination lasted with Israel longer than with any
other people since poetry and song were in the service of the Lord and
therefore not in danger of being used for unethical purposes. Moses,
Miriam. Saul. David, Solomon belong to that category of servants of the
Lord. After Solomon, idolarty was on the increase, assigning to poet,
singer and prophet a more private existence. Since the all-powerful God
was the object of their songs, the poetic and musical character became
largely subordinated to the religious one. That's why the name of a
troubadour became completely lost in the title of prophet of the Most
High" 2.

Leo Meyer, in his Handbook of Greek Etymology 3 says that music
comes from the root man, which originally signified, after Roscher's
Mythologisches Lexikon.4 the inspiration necessary of the aoidos for his
presentation.

In English, this etymology is still recognizale in our expression
mantic, defined as "relating to divination, soothsaying, or the supposed
inspired condition of a soothsayer; prophetic, as mantic frenzy"5.

In the Bible, the expression nibba, n'vi'im denotes prophesying,
prophets. But if we look at 1 Chron. 25: I we find the word applied to the
Levitical singers in the sense of musicians: Moreover David and the
captains of the host assigned io the service of the sons of Asaph, and of
Heman and Jeduthun "who made music" — ha n 'viim.

Dr. Weintrauh, currently on the musicology faculty of Bar llan
University, formerly taught at Yeshiva University's Cantorial Training
Institute and was director of the Jewish Music Division at Herzliah- Jewish
Teachers Seminary in New York City.

Further, in 25:2 Of the sons of Asaph, Zaccur and Joseph and
Nethaniah and Asarelah, rhe sons of Asaph; under the hands Of Asaph,
vt ho made music — hanibbo, according to the order of the King.

In I I Chron. 10: 14 we read: Then upon Jahaziel, the son of Zechariah,
the son of Benaian... a Levite of rhe sons of Asaph came the spirit ofrhe
Lord in the midst of the congregation.

Heyman, Asaph and Eytan or Yeduthun and their families are
counted as singers." The singers received still another great title when
Scripture calls them Chozeh-seer another synonym for prophet. "All these
were the sons of Heman (the chief singer) the King's seer in the words of
God" 7

The difference between the singer and the seer, according to
Gressman. 8 is as follows:

Whereas the singer pours out his sentiments in the harmony of sound.
the seer communicates his vision in words. But these words do not lack
rhythm or melody either. For in such a state of vision no seer... uses
colloquial everyday language. He speaks in poetry — like the arabic Kahin
in his Sag-i.e. rhymed prose - an expression etymologically related to
the state the prophet finds himself when he prophesies: M'shugah.

The term "M'shugah" is used in Jer. 29:26 with the connotation of
prophesying: For every man that is " M' shugah" and prophesies. It is true
that the cannotation of " MShugah" here and in other verses is not exactly
flattering — but it appears to be an ingredient of prophecy -though the
preponderance of the state of "M'shugah" seems to detract from the
ponderability of prophecy.

The specific word used for the signing of the Levites -Prophets
Singers-Seers is Massa—Song.

How do we know that this word, which usually denotes burden, also
reflects the activity of the appointed elite of the levitical singers'?

We read in Numbers 7:9 But unto the sons ofKehath he gave none
-because the service of the sanctuary belonging to them was that they

should bear upon their shoulders'-" Yissa' it".

The Talmud asks: "Since the expression 'upon their shoulders' is
used-is it then not obvious that the inference be that they carry it? - But
the word "vissa u" teaches us that "singing" is meant 9.

Gressman interprets the Levitical procedure of "Massa"as follows:

"Sar Hamassa" is the conductor; the expression "Massa"not only signifies
the lifting of the burden itself. It also implies the lifting of the head to a
stately rhythmical anaphonesis with song, dirge, prayer — and finally
synonymous with son itself 10.

This is the Biblical text: And Chananiah, chief of the Levites, was
designatedfor song: he was a teacher of singing, because he was a master (1

Chron. 15.22). In Hebrew the rendering of the last word "meyvin"- is
commonly translated; "he understands", but we see from the polarity of
meanings in I Chrn. 25:8 that 'Master' would be the more appropriate
translation. The text reads here: And they cast lots, wardagainst ward, as
well the small as the great, master as well as pupil.

Rashi, similarly commenting on the above quoted verse in I Chron.
15:22, has this to say:

"We have proof of levitical singing mentioned in the Bible on account
of the expression yassor b'massa — not to be read with an 'S' but with a
'SH' — yashor b'massa — that is the lifting of the voice in song".

To impress the people with the sacred calling of the Levites. Solomon
dressed them opulently:

The Levites, who were the singer, all of them of Asaph, of Heyman, of
Jeduthun with their sons and their brethren were dressed up in white linen
(II Chron. 5: 12). Solomon took his cue from Exodus 28: 15 And thou shalt
make the breastplate of Judgement with artistic work, like the work of the
Ephod thou shalt make it: of gold, of blue of purple and of scarlet and of
fine twined linen thou shalt make it. And, a few sentences further, in Verse
31:

And thou shalt make the robe of the ephod all blue. King David also
wears linen while officiating in the processional of the Ark moving to
Jerusalem:

And David was clothed with a robe of fine linen, and all the Levites
that carried the Ark and the singers and Chananiah the maestro of the
song of the singer — David had also upon him an Ephod of fine Linen (1

Chron. 15:27).

The first inkling of an association of prophecy with music we get from
the creation account in Genesis 11. Through the medium of a musical voice
- God's voice, Adam sees the vision of God and can communicate with
the Eternal: And they heard the voice of the Lord God resounding in the
garden of Eden in the cool of the day.

This state of affairs is reversed later when man learned to make the
musical sounds that predispose to the attainment of the prophetic state.

The prophet Samuel gives the following prescription for prophecy to
Saul: E

After that you shall come to the hill of God where there is thegarrison
of the Philistines. And it shall come to pass when thou art come thither to
the city that thou shall meet a company ofprophets coming down from she
highplace withapsalteryanda timbrelandapipeanda harp before them
and they shall prophesy and the spirit of God will come upon thee and
thou shalt prophesy with them and shalt he turned into another man.

The next account of music used as an ancillary to prophecy we find in

the story of the prophet Elisha. He was being consulted in an oracular

fashion about the outcome of a proposed war against Mesha the king of
Moab.

Elisha apparently was not quite in the mood to prophesy at that time.
This is what he said:

As the Lord of hosts lives, before whom I stand, were in not
that I regard the presence of Jehoshaphat the king of Judah — I
would not look at you nor see you. But now — bring me a
minstrel. And it came to pass when the minstrel played that the
hand of the Lord came upon him he said: Thus saith the Lord.. .13

E. Werner and I. Sonne, in their scholarly article in two parts on the
Theory and Philosophy of Music in Judaeo Arabic Literature, make a
difference between the allopathic and homoeopathic use of music and
song in connection with prophecy 14.

The allopathic use would reduce whatever feeling stands in the way to
bring the mood in line with the concentration necessary for prophecy
-whereas the homoeopathic use would increase the excitement already
present in the prophet and thus exaggerate and heighten the prophetic
manifestations.

Gressman makes a sweeping statement, quoting Aristotle:
"While enthusiasm manifests itself with the true prophets seemingly
out of nowhere — without being sought ~ it has to be coaxed out of others
with artificial means, This is done, aside from feasts, dances, honey and
intoxicating beverages through music-in itself a child born out of
enthusiasm" 15. (In this connection it may be noted that the word
"enthusiasm" comes from the Greek 'with God').

It seems that a certain state of "God intoxication" accompanied all
prophecies and prophets, except the prophecy of Moses. Rabbi Elazar
says in the name of Rabbi Josi ben Simra "All prophets prophesied
without knowing what they prophesied — except Moses and Isaiah.
Moses said: M j doctrine shall drop as the rain, m y speech shall distill as
the dew (Deut. 32:2). Isaiah declares: Behold Land the children whom the
Lord has given me are for signs and for wonders in Israelfrom the Lord of
hosts (Isaiah 8: 18).

Rabbi Joshua went further and said that even Isaiah was not aware
that he prophesied, for it is written in Job: My lips start to speak clearly
(Job 33:3) or another possible translation : /should like to know what my
lips speak by themselves.

Even the father of the prophets, Samuel, was ignorant of what he
prophesied, for does he not say "and the Lord sent Jerubaal and Bedan
and Jephtahand Samuel" (Samuel 12: 11): it does not say he sent me, but it
says he sent Samuel - which means that he was just an instrument in
God's hands - that is, God spoke through Samuel.

In the prophecies of Isaiah song is connected with prophecy on many
different occasions. We shall only refer to the actual terminology dealing
with song.

In Isaiah Ch. 12 the following expressions occur strewn throughout
the chapter: The Lord God is my strength and my song.

Sing unto the Lord for He has done excellent things. Sing and shout,
thou inhabitant of Zion.

In Ch. 25:9 This is the Lord for Whom we have waited; let us sing and
be happy in His salvation.

In Ch. 26: 1 In that day the song shall be sung in the land of Judah

In 48:20 Go forth with a voice of singing, declare ye, utter it. even to
the end of the earth. Say ye that the Lord has redeemed His servant Jacob.

In Ch. 52:8: Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice, with the voice
together they shall sing ... break-forth into joy, sing together...

The prophet Nahum calls his prophecy Massa -a song (Nahum 1:1)

Habakkuk calls his prophecy Massa — a song. In Chapter 3 he
exclaimes (Ha b. 3: I 8) I will rejoice in the Lord of my salvation. In verse 1:9
To the chief singer of my melodies -,

The above quotes connecting music and singing with prophecy are
but samples of the vast array of implicit or hidden connections of
prophecy with song.

In conclusion, I should like to allude to an interesting interpretation
on a verse in Genesis (43: 1 1), rendered by a famous Hassidic leader known
for his predilection for Jewish song, the Modzitser Rebbe:

And Israel (Jacob) said to them (his son): If it must be so now , do this:
Take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels and carry down the man a
present — a little balm and a little honey spices and myrrh, nuts and
almonds (Gen. 43: 1 1)

Rashi interprets the expression the bestfruits (in Hebrew: Zimra) as
follows: "Take from the best of the land, the fruit which everybody sings
praises to when it appears". And now the Modzitser Rebbe' s comment:

Jacob said to his sons: Take with you the zimra, the sond, the niggun
from Israel to my son Joseph — in particular the zimras shabhos ~ the
Sabbathsong. Specifically the Psalm, "A Song for the Sabbath Day"
(Psalm 92) because that will make Joseph feel good and lift him up on a
spiritually higher plane in the strange land Egypt.

The Modzitser Rebbe also offers an alternate comment: "Take with
you"- said Jacob to his son -"the art of music which is so necessary for
serving the maker properly." For just as the tunes used in the Temple
during sacrifices had different levels - (referring to the Song of Ascents
and connecting it with different modes) so love of God also has different
levels 17. In holy matters, ascend always to greater holiness,

Footnotes

1. C. Burney A General History of Music, London, 1789 Vol. I p.228

2. P.G: Schneider Biblisch Geschichtliche Darstellungder Hebriiischen Musik.

Bonn, 1834, p. 35.

3. Leo Meyer Handbuch der Griechischen Ethymologie. Leipzig 1902, IV, p.361

4. W. H. Roscher Lexikon de Griechischen RomischenMythologie. S.V. Musen.

5. Funk & Wagnall Dictionary.

6. I Chronicles 15:19

7. ibid. 25:5.

8. Gressman, op. cit. p. 16

9. Talmud Arachin 1 1
10. Gressman op. cit.

1 1. Gen. 3:8-9.

12. I Samuel 10:5.

13. 11 Kings 3:14 ff.

14. Eric Werner and 1. Sonne, Theory and Philosophy of Music in Judaeo- Arabic

Literature, in HUCA XVI, (1941) and XVII (1943)

15. Gressman, op. cit. p. 16, quoting Aristotle Polireia.

16. Midrash T'hillim SHOCHERTOV 90.

17. Talmud Berachot 28.

ARE CHILDREN GOOD FOR A SYNAGOGUE?

Elliot B. Gertel

(Reprinted from "Your Child" with permission of Dr. Morton Siegel,
Director United Synagogue Commission on Jewish Education.)

One would hardly think that children would be a controversial issue
in the shaping of the future of the American synagogue. After all. the
education and involvement in Judaism of the children is of fundamental
importance. In the Shema we read: "And these things which I command ye
this day shall be in thy heart, And thou shalt teach them unto thy children,
and speak of them when thou sittest in thy house, when thou liest down
and when thou risest up." (Deut. 6:6-7). The famous maxim of the Talmud
comes immediately to mind: "As my father planted for me, so do I plant
for my children" (Taanit 23a). And the Sages said that children who are
taught Torah are the builders of our people (Berakhot 64a).

Jews love their children with a love that has stuck others, especially
literary or graphic artists, as unique and beautiful. Thackeray wrote: "I
saw a Jewish lady only yesterday with a child at her knee, and from whose
face towards the child there shone a sweetness so angelical that is seemed
to form a sort of glory around both."

The question is not whether children are important in Judaism; they
are. The question is not whether we love them: we do. The issue, rather, is
whether the modern synagogue can continue to be child-centered and
survive.

As I see it, the issue is two-fold. First , we must ask whether the
synagogue service is to be geared to the child, Secondly, we must decide
whether the synagogue is an extension of the Hebrew School or the
Hebrew School is an extension of the synagogue.

One would not think that either issue was very controversial; one
might even suspect nit-picking in raising these issues. But the truth is that
both issues are old, even ancient, sources of controversy, and that dealing
with them now may be our only way of extricating ourselves from the
vicious predicament of synagogues that are either empty or are
kindergartens.

Elliot B. Gertel is rabbi of Beth El- Keser Israel of New Haven, CT. He
has written extensively on the Conservative Movement and has a special
interest in liturgy and nusah. He is a frequent contributor to these pages.

What do you do with children in the synagogue?

In his classic essay, "The Child in Jewish Literature," Solomon
Schechter, the father of American Conservative Judaism, showed that the
problem dates back thousands of years. The religious life of the child, he
relates:

began as soon as it was able to speak distinctly, or with the fourth
year of its life. As to the character of this initiation we learn
from...Talmudical passages, that is consisted in teaching the child
the verses. "Hear, Israel: the Lord our God is One" (Deut.
XxX111.4) It was also in this year that the boys began to
accompany their parents to the synagogue, carrying their
prayer-books. At what age the girls first came out-not for their
first party, but with the purpose of going to the synagogue-is
difficult to decide with any degree of certainty... I hope that they
behaved there more respectfully than their brothers, who played
and cried instead ofjoining in the responses and singing with the
congregation. In some communities they proved so great a
nuisance that a certain Rabbi declared it better to leave them at
home rather than to have the devotion of the whole congregation
disturbed by these urchins. Another Rabbi recommended the
praiseworthy custom of the Sephardim, who confined all the boys
in the synagogue to one place, and set a special overseer by their
side, with a whip in his hand, to compel them to keep quiet and to
worship with due devotion. (Studies in Judaism, First Series,
1896, pp.3656)

We don't have to enter into a long historical or sociological inquiry to
know that there will always be tension in the synagogue between the need
to cater to the children and the need to hold the interest of older people.
The problem with toddlers is best solved by the common sense of parents
who ultimately learn how much the congregation will tolerate and just
when the children must be removed from the sanctuary.

But the problem with Hebrew School aged children is more complex.
How much should they be made to feel that the rabbi is speaking to them?
If the rabbi speaks only to them, are the adults not going to be put off by
being ignored when they, too, have limited hours to hear a substantial
Jewish message? If the service is directed toward the children, will it not
become juvenile, with the music overly simplified, the atmosphere less
devotional, the intensity of prayer giving way to the restlessness of the
classroom?

It would seem that compromise is called for. The rabbi, cantor and
choir have just so many services. Perhaps once every six weeks or so they
should direct their energies toward making the child feel comfortable and
desirable, and even, in the synagogue. The Hebrew School should prepare
the child to feel comfortable in the prayers of any synagogue. But in order
to feel comfortable in his or her synagogue, the child should be addressed,
whether in groups, through special services that transform vocabulary
words learned in Hebrew School into building blocks for communion with
God, and for loyalty to one's congregation and Jewish community.

No one denies that children should feel comfortable in the synagogue.
But there seems to be a lot more debate today regarding their actual role.
This is because, for the time being at least, children are at more of a
premium than they were a generation ago. Congregations can't guarantee
their own continuity (they know that families tend to pull out when
Hebrew Schools are no longer needed), but they are desperate to have a
present-to attract enough young families to keep the bar and bat mitzvah
factory rolling. The attempt to keep the young families happy results in
so-called "synagogue programming," which plots to parade children and
parents, and which utilizes gimmicks that hardly communicate to parents
that commitment, study and hard work are the only pillars of Jewish
parenting.

The question, then, may not be whether children are good for the
synagogue, but whether synagogues are good for children. In many
congregations, children are paraded across the bimah not so much to
enhance the child's experience as to amuse the adults or to bolster the
attendance. Hebrew Schools are really bait for new members, What does
such a congregation offer adults? How can it teach a child to anticipate
some day taking his or her place among the adults, when the synagogue is
so child-oriented?

The first question a young parent asks of the synagogue is, "What can
you do for my children?" Yet the Torah says, "V'shinan-tam le-va-nekha,
And ye shall teach the commandments unto your children** (Deut. 6:7).
Theparent must find a place in the congregation, must study, in order to
teach his own children.

Many of the great, old downtown Jewish congregations in American
cities had no Hebrew Schools. A synagogue wasn't a place for a school.
There were Talmud Torahs for that, whether at the Jewish Community
Center or under other auspices. A synagogue was a place for adults to
study and to pray. It was a place for the hevrah, for the holy society, for
groups that studied Jewish Law, recited Psalms, visited the sick, helped
the poor, tended to the burial of the dead in dignity.

One did not choose a synagogue because it offered the best
babysitting service. One did not choose a synagogue because it offered a
platform on which to parade one's child like the proverbial Hollywood
parent. Rather, the synagogue was joined because of its conductiveness to
worship because of the level of its study groups, because of the beauty with
which the prayers were chanted, because insights of the rabbi. Parents
joined a synagogue not for Hebrew Schools, but because one was a Jew,
and a Jew needed to pray, or at least to try to pray.

How can adults or children believe that Judaism is anything more
than a bar mitzvah factory when they attend (alleged) services where the
only message the rabbi offers the congregation is a list of the bar mitzvah
boy's hobbies or an account of his parents'achievements or social
standing, a superficial send-off often accompanied by shallow praise?
Friday night dinners are offered to young families who don't try to have
them at home. Birthday services are the only holiday services children
attend, for they are in public school on Sukkot, Pesah and Shavuot. Life
cycle Judaism, in this style, has become a way of life in synagogues where
Judaism is not a way of life, an obsession in synagogues where adults fail
to learn the art of prayer and shun the discipline of Jewish study.

Can such gimmickry really produce Jews who will take the synagogue
seriously? Or will it just produce Jews who expect the same gimmickry
when-but not until-their own children want to play synagogue?

Children should not become pawns in the effort of synagogue leaders
to entertain adults or to gain members. They should not be used as pawns
in synagogue services and, even more important, not in Hebrew Schools.
If there are two Conservative synagogues in a community, they should
have a united school that combines the best talents of all possible teachers,
and that provides but service to students. Better yet, the Reform and
Orthodox synagogues should be united with the Conservative Synagogues
in a system of Jewish education which would allow for different tracks in
religious orientation and yet combine forces for teaching orientation and
yet combine forces for teaching basic skills and values.

The United Synagogue "Guidelines For School Coordination" read
as follows:

Ideally... Conservative congregations, when faced with a massive
decline in school enrollment, or when such a decline is projected in
the years to come, are urged to negotiate with another (or more)
Conservative congregation(s) in the immediate geographical area,
with regard to a combined school system.

The United Synagogue standard go on to say the where

there is more than one affiliated congregation in a community,
each should regard itself as complementing the work of the other.
Whenever possible, joint advisory committees shall be appointed
to minimize areas of competition and to extend and further areas
of cooperation.

What is required is a change of attitude on the part of Conservative
congregations (and synagogues in general) in order to conform with these
ideals. Until such a change in attitude comes, children will be exploited
and even the United Synagogue will be caught in contradiction. The
United Synagogue should not, for example, be giving Solomon Schechter
awards to congregational schools save when all congregations in a
particular area have combined forces and shared resources. Otherwise, the
United Synagogue is really encouraging superfluous schools.

It is about time that the Conservative congregations in any given
community get together and take stock of their collective facilities with a
sense of being part of the same Movement. Dialogue should be opened on
what each congregation can or can't accommodate and on how they can
cooperate.

The day will come when the aging of all our synagogues and the fewer
children available for Hebrew Schools will make it necessary for the
national bodies of Jewish religious movements to create dioceses, as in
Catholic and Protestant church groups, so that existing facilites will be
better utilized and will better suit geographical needs. If we show Jewish
children that synagogues close down when they don't have Hebrew
Schools, then what are we saying about Jewish adults? If our children
figure out that they are but pawns to get adults into a synagogue (and they
usually figure this out when their parents talk about pulling out of the
synagogue after Hebrew School graduation), what message will they get
about Jewish education and about synagogues? I discovered, in a
telephone survey of the 136 graduates of the Hebrew Schools of our
community who still live in the area, that while very few children are
permanently turned off by this state of affairs, something almost as bad
happens-they plan to use the synagogue in the same way that their
parents do!

Only when there is cooperation within the various synagogue
bodies-United Synagogue, Union of American Hebrew Congregations-can
there be cooperation within a specific community. In Europe, the kehillah
or Jewish Community Council managed by paying the salaries of the staff,
so that rabbis were never regarded as the hirelings of the officers of their

respective congregations, but as being retained by the community at large.
The synagogues were not in the education business-a task for which most
are hopelessly unqualified. Rather, the community saw to it that schools
functioned, and that different tracks of education were offered to those
who were more Orthodox or more liberal in their parents' interpretation
of Judaism.

A Hebrew School works only to the extent that it influencesparenfs
to feel comfortable in a particular synagogue's interpretation of Judaism,
and involves them in learning and in teaching their children. This is the
philosophy behind such programs as the United Synagogue Parent
Education Program. If parents learn no more about Judaism than they
knew before they joined a synagogue, if they are active in a Hebrew School
but develop no feeling for the synagogue as an institution, then the future
of synagogue and Hebrew School will be very bleak indeed.

THE COMMISSIONING PROCESS

MORTON GOLD

(A paper presented at the Midwest Conference of the Cantors
Assembly in Southfield, Michigan, April 1, 1986)

I am here today, primarily, to discuss the various solos I have written
as part of larger, essentially choral compositions. With the exceptions of
the Sabbath Eve Sacred Service, all excerpts have been taken from works
which were commissioned from me. The fact that I have written the kind
of music I have is due in large measures to the confidence shown in me by
four distinguished cantors in the Conservative movement: Cantors
Harold Lerner, Pinchas Spiro, Jerome Kopmar and Chaim Najman. They
all went to a great deal of effort to see to it that I created new works of
music, music that was Jewish in character and subject matter. Any success
I may have achieved is due in large measure to the depth of their desire to
see me create. They could have chosen another way. To be blunt about it,
commissioning a new work is costly, time consuming, and offers as much
chance for success as buying a ticket in the state lottery!

These cantors and others like them could have chosen another way.
They could simply have performed music composed ten, thirty, fifty, or
even a hundred years ago. Need I remind you of the biblical injunction
ever to "sing to the Lord a new song' ?" There are many cantors who simply
function as booking agents bringing packaged attractions to their
congregations. On the surface it seems as if they are doing much for "Jewish
music", "creativity," and the like. In reality, what they are doing is full of
"sound and fury," signifying very little. For those of you who have not
brought forth new music, ] should like to offer a few observations on the
commissioning process, the philosophy that attends it and its consequent

Commisioning a new piece of music may be compared to building a
house. You can get anything you want depending on how much you have
to spend. The cost will depend on the size of the house and its
appointments. Using the same analogy, how much the music will cost will
vary with its length and the forces involved. And, one should add the
caveat that there is no guarantee that you or others will like the finished
product. For the most part, every cantor has been his own entrepreneur in

Dr. Gold is a well known American composer who has created
extensively in the field Of music Of Jewish interest. He present!,, teaches
music in the Detroit public school system.

the sacred act of music creation. The idea of two or more congregations
joining together to commission a work is an idea whose time has come!
The fact that each synagogue is a private fiefdom having little to do with
others inter (or intra) denomationally is a condition that does little for
Judaism, Jewish music, or Jewish culture in a community. It is
increasingly difficult to find one or two sponsors to undertake the
financial obligation of bringing a major new work into the world. What
kind of costs are we talking about, and not parenthetically, why?

First of all, there is the cost of paying the composer to write and
arrange the music. Then there are the inevitable other expenses. These
expenses will vary with the kind of work being composed. If you are
thinking about a new V'shamru for yourself and your choir, with or
without organ, the expenses will be comparatively small. While the
creation of any new composition for the synagogue is laudable, you merely
adding to an existing stockpile. There is no shortage of V'shamru' s or any
other prayer in the service. What there is a shortage of is the major choral
work with orchestral accompaniment that is Jewish in nature and also in
its appeal.

I am not going to discuss the phrase "Jewish in nature' used in the
previous sentence. The late Louis Armstrong put it quite nicely when he
discussed the definition of jazz. "Like the Master of the Universe, it is what
it is!" When Jewish children participate in high school, collegiate, or
community choruses, the highlight of their experience is a performance
with orchestra. The music performed is frequently sacred and almost
always not Jewish in nature. The lone Jewish entries are the "Sacred
Service" by Ernest Bloch and the "Chichester Psalms" by Leonard
Bernstein. These Jewish pieces may be likened to a few strands of spaghetti
in a musical pot. Need I mention the frequent performance of the masses
by Haydn, Mozart. Schubert et al, or the more ambitious masses by Bach
and Beethoven, or the requiems by Berlioz and Verdi. We can do better
than we are doing. The praise of the name of God demands that we strive
to increase our efforts.

While sheer numbers nor length will guarantee neither quality nor
critical acclaim, a work for soloist(s), chorus and orchestra will offer an
alterntive to the conductor of the local symphony or university who is
looking for a viable alternative to his usual programming. While there is a
catalogue of compositions Jewish in nature, it is not a vary large one.
Surely it is not as large as the list of possibilities from non-Jewish sources.
This is when you come in. You can see to it that music of a Jewish nature of
spirit, content or association is both commissioned and performed. In

order to do this, you will have to band together, either in association with
other congregations in your own city, or with those of other cities, in or out
of your state. Why? I have previously referred to expenses. Large forces
require more of everything, but the cost is worth it?

A rough list of the expenses follows. Should the text not be in the
public domain, a libretto will have to be provided for the composer. Then
there is the copying and duplication of a piano-vocal score; copying and
duplication of the orchestral score; extraction and duplication of the
orchestral parts. You now have music but no performers. You now will
need to procure a chorus, orchestra and conductor.

With regard to the chorus: a high school group might do, but more
often than not, it will not. A community chorus, if one exists and is of
suitable quality, might be acceptable. You might try to assemble a chorus
utilizingthe temple and church choirs in your area. Cantor Spiro has made
the performance of my "Haggadah" an annual event in Des Moines in
exactly this way. You may use a collegiate choral group if it is available, or
if you have the resources, hire a professional group and augment it with
others. I would advise against hiring even professional singers who have
not sung together. Good solo singers do not usually make a good chorus.

With regard to the orchestra: You may pay for a community
orchestra which is usually a semi-professional group. You may prefer to
rent a collegiate group and possibly augment it with selected professionals,
or hire a professional pick-up group, or use your nearby symphony
orchestra. "If you will it, it is no dream," is a philosophy that applies
equally well to music. And as J. Penny Arbuckle was wont to say: "You get
what you pay for" to which I add if you are lucky.

We have mentioned such items as the costs of commissioning,
copying, duplication and the assembling of performing forces. In addition
to the conductor and other soloists, if any beside yourself, there are other
factors to consider. These include: the physical set up of groups, rehearsal
facilities, the number and location of separate and joint rehearsals,
programs, lighting, programs, extra security and custodial personnel.
Indeed, it would be enlightning should any of the cantors who
commissioned music from either myself or others write about their
experiences up to and including the premiere performance.

I have selected works from the body of my music which have been
distributed. Each demonstrates a different aspect of my style. In large

concerted works. I frequently use a vocal solo without chorus to express
lyrical thoughts usually (but not always) of a nondramatic nature.

I. Psalm 93. The Lord Reigneth.

This comes from my Sabbath Eve Sacred Service. It was composed in
1964 and uses Ashkenazicpronunciation. It was not commissioned and
I have not yet orchestrated the work. While it has its moments of
drama, it is essentially a non-theatrical work. I did not have an earthly
audience in mind. While the Psalm is quite tonal, its harmony has
moments which are more adventurous than others. The Form is ABA
with a brief coda.

2. What follows are the settings of the text of the Kiddush in two very
different styles. The first setting I added to my service six years after it
was completed. By that time I started using the Sephardic pronunciation.
Most of the service employs the pentatonic scale as a motif in the
various prayers. When I reached the phrase, kivanu vaharta, I used this
motif and scale in a most triumphant manner.

3. The second setting of the Kiddush text was originally for Cantor and
treble voices and later recast for mixed choir, at the commission of
Hazzan David Lefkowitz. This setting is taken from the larger work
"Day of Joy." While the inclusion of a choir is most desirable, the
Kiddush may be chanted as a solo. Hazzan Kopmar who commissioned
"Days of Joy," specifically requested an Eastern European flavor to the
music, and also the appropriate nusah. 1 was only too happy to oblige
him. If you are at all uncertain of my musical roots, this selection should
remove any doubts.

4. The next excerpt is taken from "Havdalah, "commissioned by Hazzan
Spiro. Originally, I used a very brief solo for the setting of Amar Rabi
Elazar. When I recast the work with orchestral accompaniment at the
commission of Cantor Najman, I wrote another settig to this text. The
piece is in three sections. The first is semi-recitative in nature, the
second very lyrical and emotional, reflecting the spirit of the next. The
concluding sections recall the beginning.

5. PSALM 116 from "Songs of Praise," in English (Mah ashiv
la-Adonay). While the larger work is extroverted, dramatic and even
theatrical in nature, the setting of this Psalm deliberately is not. The
form is ABA.

6. The last two excerpts come from "Proverbs of Sages." The music was
missioned by Hazzan Kopmar for his youth chorale in Dayton, Onio,
but may be performed by any treble choir. Proverbs is based on
excerpts from Pirke Avot. The text required the services of one who
could capture its spirit quickly and adequately. There are many
different moods in the solos, as well as the concerted pieces.

7. I conclude my presentation with an excerpt from "Songs Of Praise"
which was commissioned by Hazzan Najman to commemorate the 50th
anniversary of Temple Beth El in Omaha, Nebraska in 1979. Of all my
compositions, this is the least known, and consequently the least
performed. The excerpt you are going to hear is the conclusion of Part
One. The chorus consisted of an expanded temple choir augmented by a
professional chorus. The orchestra was drawn from the Omaha
Symphony and was conducted by the composer.

Hazzanim are soloists by nature. However, you ought to be interested
in a situation where you could shine more brilliantly, if you had many
others to keep you company, musically speaking. Why not think in terms
of a one-hundred chorus instead of a small choir? Why not think in terms
of an orchestra of no less than three dozen, instead of an organ and/ or a
few instruments. After all, no less a personality than King David
enumeratred all the instruments he could think of to praise the Lord. It
seems to me that almost in exasperation he concluded: "Let all that has
breath praise the Lord."

A SABBATH EVE SACRED SERVICE
Excerpt from PSALM 93 Morton Gold

(Allegro) (Music Illustrates Feeling of Text)

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A SABBATH EVE SACRED SERVICE
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DAYS OF JOY
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