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J O U R N A L

OF SYNAGOGUE

MUSIC

March 1976 / Adar 1 1 5736

Volume VI

Number 3

CONTE NTS

"HAGGADAH" : A Search For Freedom

Music In The Synagogue:
A Composer's Viewpoint

Salomone ROSSI'S

"HASHIRIM ASHER LI'SHELOMO"

The Hazzanic Recitative :
A Unique Contribution
To Our Music Heritage

An American H azzan In Sweden

Pinch as Spiro 3

Peter Nagy-Farkas 12

Dr. Daniel Chaxanoff 16

Gershon Ephros 23
Maynard J . Gerber 29

DE PARTME NTS

Brief Music Reviews Michael Isaacson 34

Music Section

Selected Tunes from the

Portuguese J ews Congregation of Amsterdam

From Our Readers

Journal of synagogue music, Volume VI ,N umber 3

March 1976/ Adar II 5736

editor : Morton Shames

managing editor : Samud Rosenbaum

editorial board: Saul Mdsds, Marshall Portnoy, David J . Putter-
man, Moses J . Silverman, Pinchas Spiro, David Til man, Dr. Max
Wohlberg.

businessmanager i Yehuda M andd

officers of the Cantors assembly: Michal Hammerman, Pres-
ident; Kurt Si I ber man, vice President; Ivan Perl man, Treasurer;
J acob Barkin, Secretary ; Samud Rosenbaum, Executive Vice
President.

journal of synagogue music is a quarterly publication. The sub-
scription fee is $12.50 per year. Second-class postage paid at New
York, New York. All articles, communications and subscriptions
should be addressed to J ournal of Synagogue M usic, Cantors Assem-
bly, 150 Fifth Avenue, New York 10011.

"HAGGADAH"-A SEARCH FOR FREEDOM

PINCHAS Spiro

"Haggadah" is an exciting work that casts a magical spell on
audiences wherever it is performed. Both words and music speak
directly to the heart with an overpowering impact. When the chords
of the final "Amen" swell and crash with majestic grandeur, no
audience can resist the urge to rise and accord the oratorio a thun-
dering ovation. I will add, without reservations, that it is well-
deserved.

The accolades should be given in equal measure to Cantor
Harold Lerner who authored the text, and to Dr. Morton Gold who
composed the musical score.

The structure of the text is basically that of the traditional
Passover Haggadah. Like the Seder, the oratorio, too, is divided in-
to two parts, and all the main themes of the original are included in
it. The interpretation, however, is contemporary and much of the
material is updated. As the title indicates, the dominant theme is
man's constant search for freedom. The inspiration for this theme
comes from the words of the Mishnah: "I n every generation, every
man must regard himself as if he himself was freed from slavery."
Therefore, Cantor Lerner's "Haggadah" concerns itself not only
with the plight of the Israelites in Egypt — an event that happened
long ago — but also with the parallel, on-going story that all hu-
manity is experiencing in every age, and particularly in our own
generation. And so, as an example, the Kiddush is not merely a
blessing over the wine "in commemoration of the "Exodus from
Egypt", but a sanctifi cation of God's name through the sanctifica-
tion of all humanity that was born in His image. Lerner's message
is : "One God, one world. . . let it be one freedom, too. . . A white
freedom, a black freedom, a yellow and a red one. . . Let all who are
hungry, come eat; let all who are thirsty, come drink; let all men
be free!"

Pinchas Spiro is the distinguished haxxan of Tifereth Israel
of Des Moines, Iowa. He is a composer-educator of national repute,
having composed a number of outstanding services for young
haxxanim for weekdays, Sabbaths and festivals. He has also pub-
lished manuals for cantillation of the Tor ah and Haftarah.

The following excerpts show how Lerner lends a fresh and
contemporary feeling, as well as a sense of universality to the
ancient story.

In the section "Magid", which is a summary of J ewish history
from Abraham to Moses, the following words are spoken by the
Egyptians, expressing their hatred for the children of Israel:

"See how many ! See how great !

They're here ! They're there ! They're everywhere !

These people are a threat to our existence !

"See how many ! See how great !

The jobs ! The money ! These strangers have it all !

These people are a threat to all Egyptians !"

These hysterical lines, which echo the words uttered by bigots
throughout history, are frighteningly reminiscent of the remarks
by an American general, and more recently of the infamous remarks
by the modern Egyptian tyrant, Sadat.

A typical example of the way Lerner adapts traditional concepts
and gives them a contemporary relevancy is the song "Dayenu".
In it he lists the many problems in the world that require solution —
war, arms race, pollution, starvation and hatred. Only when these
problems have been eliminated and all men are truly free — 'This
would be enough !"

The conclusion, "Nirtsah" sums up the entire theme of the
oratorio in a most meaningful way : "Next year, as we tell the story
again, may our search for freedom have ended, and may all God's
children be free !"

Cantor Lerner deserves praise for a major original accomplish-
ment. He has succeeded in developing the theme of the search for
freedom in such a way that the entire work holds together as a
homogeneous entity. The language that he uses has a simplicity and
a sincerety that speaks directly to the hearts of the listeners-young
and old alike — and stirs them deeply.

J udging by the happy union of words and music, I can sense
that there was a genuine sympathy between the composer and the
author. The moods and nuances of the entire text are expressed to
perfection in the music. In fact, one almost gets the impression that
the words and the music were written by one person.

Prior to the appearance of "Haggadah", I had never heard of
the composer, Dr. Morton Gold. Now, I am certain that we will hear
a great deal about him in the future. The following information
about the composer appeared in the program notes of the oratorio's
premiere performance. Dr. Morton Gold is presently Associate Pro-
fessor of Music at Nasson College in Springdale, Maine. He is a
graduate of Harvard and holds a doctorate in Musical Arts from
Boston University. He has composed an impressive number of sa-
cred and secular works. One significant final item: Dr. Gold is the
son of Cantor Leon Gold of Boston.

The excellent musical score of "Haggadah" is indeed a convinc-
ing testimony to composer Gold's professional competence. His
familiarity with the liturgical aspects of our J ewish musical heri-
tage is evident in his judicious use of appropriate traditional themes
throughout the oratorio. The Three-Festival motif of "Akdamut"
appears several times, and there are hints of canti Nations here and
there, notably that of "Shir Hashirim" on the words : "Freedom is a
song of love." The deep J ewish roots of the composer are apparent
in many other subtle ways.

Notwithstanding the incidental inclusion of some traditional
themes, it must be stated that the music of the oratorio "Haggadah"
consists primarily of original material. Listening to the work in its
entirety, one is impressed by the over-all unity of the oratorio. The
listener gets the esthetically and emotionally satisfying feeling of a
well thought-out work that develops its themes, step by step, gather-
ing momentum until it reaches its logical conclusion in a grand and
breath-taking climax. The unity of the work is somewhat surprising
when we consider the fact that the composer has employed an un-
usually large number of diversified musical styles in the course of
the one-hour oratorio. These styles range from the classical recita-
tive and chorale to the modern idioms of jazz and blues, as well as
a dash of the Negro spiritual, Hassidic chant and the Israeli shep-
herd song. At all times, however, the composer is in his element and
in full command of the material and techniques. The skillful com-
poser utilized the diversified styles to achieve dramatic contrasts
and variety, and they seem to live very well with one another.

The opening lines of the oratorio start with the grandeur and
flourish befitting a Biblical epic. The Kiddush that follows it is a
marvelous virtuoso vehicle for the main soloist. (He is called the
"Leader", and he sings almost half of the entire oratorio.) The un-

conventional Kiddush is a brilliant composition that vigorously
states the theme of the oratorio — the search for universal freedom.
What follows can be regarded as development and variations on this
theme.

The entire oratorio, with the exception of a few words, is sung
in English. In keeping with the traditional custom, the Tour Ques-
tions" are sung by the children's choir. The charming melody of the
children, in a quasi-Pentatonic mode, is dramatically contrasted by
the full chorus that echoes the recurring question, "Why tonight?".
Towards the end, there appears the Gemoreh nigun of "Mah
Nishtanah" in the original Hebrew.

Next we have the episode of the "Four Sons". The part of the
Wise Son is assigned to a child's voice asking the traditional question
in a lovely and plaintive chant. In contrast, the part of the Contrary
Son is delegated to a booming bass voice. This is the only section in
the oratorio that is pointedly dissonant. There is a clearly evil sneer
both in the solo line as well as in the ominously dark and harsh
accompaniment to the lines, "What's all the fuss ? What's the big
deal?". There is again a sharp contrast in mood with the appearance
of the Simple Son. His part is sung by a trio of women's voices in a
breezy, light-hearted tune which, to me, brought to mind a group
of young girls asking the simple-minded question : "When do we eat
already ?". The musical interpretation goes along with the humorous
touch by utilizing a tongue-in-cheek style reminiscent of the swing-
ing, syncopated rhythms popular among teenagers. The "One Who
Cannot Ask" is called here, 'The Mute Son". It is a short solo with-
out words. The melody is a recapitulation of the theme of the "Four
Questions".

The answer to all the questions posed until now is given in the
section "Mag\d" — the narrative of the story of the Exodus, start-
ing with God's promise to Abraham and climaxing with the 'Ten
Plagues". This section is sung, alternately, by the Leader and the
chorus in a series of recitatives and chorales. They are all extremely
effective. The chorale, 'Your Children Will Be Strangers", in par-
ticular, is a major musical piece with a great deal of substance and
strength. The first half of the oratorio ends with a grand "Hallelu-
yah" chorus in which the entire ensemble joins forces. This is one
of several numbers in the oratorio that can very effectively be per-
formed separately in a concert.

The second half of the oratorio starts with the obligatory ex-
planation of the four main ingredients of the festive meal. In be-
tween the explanations of the symbolic meaning of Matsah,
Maror, Karpas and Pesach, there are four songs for solo and choir
that are patterned on the popular after-dinner Seder songs. The
first song, "Mighty God", is a take-off on "Adir Hi/". Like the
original, it consists of a list of laudatory adjectives for the name of
God in a cumulative fash ion. The music, likewise, gathers strength
and majesty as the total of the adjectives mounts and increases.

Following the recitative with its explanation of Maror, there
is a refrain, "Search and Inquire" (taken from TseyUTMad) ,
along with a spoken narration about the persecution of the J ewish
people throughout history. It concludes with a chorale, "In every
generation they rise in hate against us. . ." which ends with the
Hebrew words "Ani Ma'am/n". This is one of the few difficult
choruses in the oratorio, but at the same time, it is one of the most
sublimely beautiful, haunting and rewarding.

The third song, "Dayenu" parallels the traditional song by the
same name, but the similarity is only in the spirited delivery. The
text and the music are completely original and contemporary. De-
spite the lively tempo, the message of this song is quite serious. This
is probably the most relevant song to the problems that plague our
present-day world.

The fourth song, "I Once Had a Little Bird", is a contemporary
setting of "Chad Gadya". (The contention is that it is far more like-
ly that a modern father would bring home a canary rather than a
little goat. . .) Like the original, it is a cumulative song with a
simple and charming melody sung by the children's choir. The sim-
plicity of the melody is contrasted by an intricate orchestral accom-
paniment, with a major role given to the percussionists who provide
a variety of sound effects. It is a real fun piece.

The concluding portion of the oratorio starts with a magnificent
thanksgiving (Hallel) chorus, 'The Lord Brought Us Out", which
is among the most inspired pieces of the oratorio. This is also a com-
position that can be performed separately in a concert.

After a summation of the message of the oratorio by the Leader
and chorus, "Haggadah" concludes with a rousing chant, "L'shanah
Haba'ahBirushalayim" in theHassidic musical idiom, and with an

"Amen" to end all "Amens"! As I said at the outset of this article,
this is the point where no audience can resist rising to its feet and
giving the work and its authors a well-deserved standing ovation.

The musical score of "Haggadah — A Search for Freedom" was
written for tenor solo, mixed chorus, children's choir (mostly uni-
son), chamber orchestra and organ. An alternate accompaniment
has been provided by the composer that requires only a piano, an
organ and percussions.

The oratorio was premiered at Temple Adath Yeshurun in
Syracuse, N.Y. on March 31, 1974, with Cantor Harold Lerner as
soloist, the 100-voice J amesville-Dewitt High School chorus, a chil-
dren's choir from the synagogue and the Ithaca College Orchestra
conducted by Thomas Michalak. A superb recording that captures
all of the excitement of the live premiere was released by Temple
Adath Yeshurun. It demonstrates vividly the breath-taking beauty
and power of this new work. Cantor Lerner's voice and interpreta-
tion are dazzling. The chorus is well -rehearsed and inspired, if some-
what lacking depth and strength in the male sections. The orchestral
accompaniment is lush and colorful.

A few months after its premiere, the oratorio was performed
again by Cantor Lerner and the same choirs at the annual conven-
tion of the Cantors Assembly at Grossinger's. On this occasion, the
accompaniment consisted only of piano, organ and percussions. The
conductor was the composer himself. The effect of the work on the
large audience of cantors and guests was electrifying, and an en-
thusiastic standing ovation was accorded to Dr. Gold, the composer-
conductor, to Cantor Lerner the author-soloist and to the excited
and inspired teen-agers of the High School choir. Si nee the conven-
tion performance was my first opportunity to hear it, I thought at
that time that the simplified accompaniment was adequate and
quite effective. Later, when I had a chance to listen to the recording
with its full orchestral accompaniment, I realized how pale the
simplified accompaniment seemed by comparison. The colorful and
imaginative orchestration brings out to the fullest degree all the
grandeur and magnificence that are inherent in this inspired work.

The preceding evaluation of the oratorio "Haggadah-A Search
for Freedom" was written by me early last year. Since then, I have
performed the work in my synagogue in Des Moines on March 23,

1975. The unusual circumstances of our performance have brought
to light several important aspects of this work that can be of prac-
tical value to those who might contemplate performing this work in
the future, and I am anxious to share with them my experiences.

My decision to perform "Haggadah" was reached at the con-
vention. Upon returning home, I spoke at length to my rabbi and
sold him on the idea. Together, we formed a Music Committee for
this purpose. We all agreed that we should perform the work with
full orchestral accompaniment, but we realized that our 16-voice
choir was too small for a work of this stature and that our resources
were too meager. Fortunately, we came up with an idea that solved
our problems and, indeed, gave the entire event an unexpectedly new
and deeper dimension. The idea was that since the oratorio em-
phasised the universality of mankind's quest for freedom, why not
turn the performance into an inter -faith event! We contacted the
pastor of a large Episcopal church in our neighborhood and sounded
him out on the possibility of presenting "Haggadah" as a joint pro-
ject. His immediate response was enthusiastically affirmative. We
agreed to combine our adult and youth choirs, and the church even
offered to share in the expenses. Our combined choruses now num-
bered 60 adults and 40 children. I n the early stages, we rehearsed
separately, and only towards the end we held joint rehearsals. What
amazed and elated me was the excitement and enthusiasm of the
non-J ewish singers, and their total emotional involvement in the
music and in the message of the text. (I had noticed a similar reac-
tion on the part of the mostly non-J ewish H igh School choir that
performed the work at the convention.) They displayed a great
interest and curiosity regarding the many Passover symbols and
rituals, and the rabbi and I were glad to supply them with answers
and explanations.

Besides the initial investment of purchasing the vocal scores
and renting the orchestral music, the big hurdle was the expense of
hiring an orchestra of 23 musicians. At first, we considered using a
High School orchestra, but were afraid that the music might prove
to be too difficult for them. It was our good fortune to learn about
the existence of a Music Performance Trust Fund. This is a national
public service organization, created and financed by the American
Federation of Musicians, that provides grants for free performances
by non-profit institutions. We applied to our local chapter of the
A.F. of M. and were pleasantly surprised when we were given the
requested grant.

A few weeks before the performance (which was scheduled to
take place in the main sanctuary of our synagogue), my rabbi sug-
gested that we ask the pastor of the co-sponsoring church to be the
narrator of the "Search and I nquire" segment. (This is the part
that recalls the horrors of J ewish persecution throughout history.)
Our only hesitation concerned the fourth verse which reads as
follows:

"Search and inquire of Crusaders,
Blindly following their faith ;
Spilling the blood of their fellow-men
In the name of a prince of love!
And where is freedom found?
Search and inquire!"

We met with the pastor and frankly asked him whether he had
any reservations regarding the reading of this particular verse. He
assured us that he had no greater love for the Crusaders than we
did, and that he would regard it as an honor and a privilege to do
the narration exactly as written. I am simply at loss to describe the
emotional impact that the simple and sincerely-felt delivery of the
narration had on the vast J ewish and non-J ewish audience.

The event started with introductory remarks by the rabbi who
explained the significance of Passover and its symbols and rituals
and related them to the message of the oratorio. We further en-
hanced the performance by placing a beautifully-decorated model
Seder table at the center of the pulpit. I performed my role as
Leader/soloist in front of that table, lifting each ceremonial symbol
as I sang about it.

The success of the evening was beyond our wildest expecta-
tions. I am referring now not to the musical aspect of the perform-
ance but to the ecstatic feeling of good-will, brotherhood and, yes,
love that engulfed the entire assembled audience.

In the congregational Bulletin of the co-sponsoring church there
appeared on the foil owing week an article which I should I ike to
quote in part :

"A very special highlight of the Lenten season was our privilege
of sharing and participating with Tifereth Israel Synagogue in
presenting a new Passover oratorio: "Haggadah — A Search
for Freedom". The combined adult and youth choirs, with a 23
member orchestra, gave a magnificent and thrilling perform-
ance for an inter-faith audience of more than 1,000 persons,
completely packing the synagogue. Words cannot adequately
express our deep appreciation to the Rabbi, Cantor and the
members of Tifereth Israel for the warmth and love and fellow-
ship which was ours on this momentous occasion."

My reasons for including all the information and details of the
special circumstances of our performance of "Haggadah" should be
obvious. In light of the recent events at the U.N., I feel that now
more than ever there is a pressing need to establish on-going rela-
tions with our fellow Americans of other faiths, to seek opportuni-
ties to enlist their sympathetic understanding of our plight and to
have them identify themselves with our cause. I am firmly con-
vinced that performances of "Haggadah" in the manner which I
have just outlined will go a long way towards this goal.

In conclusion, I should like to state that in my opinion the
oratorio "Haggadah — A Search for Freedom" is one of the most
meaningful musical works on the theme of Passover, the Festival of
Freedom. I am sure that it is destined to become a favorite and
beloved classic.

MUSIC IN THE SYNAGOGUE: A COMPOSER'S VIEWPOINT

Peter Nagy-Farkas

When one is exploring the relationships between Man and Re-
ligion, a theologian is accepted as a final authority; when the re-
lationships between Man and Music are investigated, a composer
shoul d be the ul ti mate authority. The qual ity and val ue of f i ndi ngs
will depend on the knowledge, professional integrity and power of
presentation of the theologian or that of the composer. I n the case
of searching the relationships between Religion and Music we are
so to speak on a neutral ground. Everyone wants to be sure that his
point of view must be taken into account. A theologian has the right
to express his opinion, because music is part of a religious service.
The participants: cantor, organist, choir members, or soloists, also
rightfully feel a need to be heard, because without them there would
be no music during a religious service. Then, what about the opinion
of the congregation? After all, they are the ones who must listen to
the music. And the congregation, mind you, is not a person ; it is a
multitude with an innumerable variety of religious and musical
backgrounds, The ideal person perhaps would be a philosopher-theo-
logian who is an active accomplished composer. Since I cannot offer
you that ideal person who could tell about some aspects of Religion
and Music, I now humbly offer to the reader the next best authority
in line, an accomplished active composer who is a religious person:
myself.

The nature of Religion could be described as a unifying source
which brings Man closer to God by various means, expressed by his
activities: deeds, thoughts, words, literature, art, music and soon.
This shows us that music is only one component in helping to es-
tablish that desired tie with God through Religion. To me, it is only
logical to recognize music as religious music, if and when the com-
poser himself is a religious person. It is true that one may compose
music that will communicate great joy and happiness while the com-
poser is saddened by some tragedy in his personal life, or that one
is able to write shatteringly depressing music at the times when he

Peter Nagy-Farkas teaches Composition at Westfield State
Teachers College in Massachusetts. He is a graduate of Eastman
School of Music where he studied with Samuel Adler. He has to his
credit a number of major instrumental and vocal works, among
which are a considerable number of compositions for the synagogue

has no reason whatsoever to identify his own feelings, with the feel-
ings produced in the listeners, by his music. I n any case, the composer
is always an honest artist when he faithfully executes his work to
the best of his ability as a craftsman. The exception to this rule is
only when a composer is writing religious music. Let me stop here
for a moment to elaborate on what I mean by religious music.

Music written to inspire a person religiously is religious music
and must itself be inspired by religion. However, it may not always
be possible to communicate religious feelings to the listener. Con-
trary to widespread beliefs, music is not an international language;
as a matter of fact, it is not a language at all. Buddhist religious
music could be as meaningless religiously to a Protestant New
Englander as a Lutheran Bach chorale might be ineffective in trig-
gering religious emotions in a Buddhist monk.

The two major categories of music are :

A. Abstract music: music written primarily for the purpose of
pure enjoyment of sound. The following musical compositions be-
long to this category : symphony ; sonata ; string quartet ; some or-
chestral and chamber music. Although this kind of music often does
have extramusical connotations — tonal expression of divers quali-
ties of the human mind-nevertheless it is considered abstract music.

B. Functional music: music written for a specific occasion. This
category could be subdivided as such :

1. Ceremonial music

a. Religious

b. Secular

2. Entertainment music : with further subdivision into
branches of different kinds of music written for the purpose of
pleasing, of entertaining the listener in some way.

I n writing abstract music the composer tries to reach the listen-
er predominantly through his craftsmanship of sound manipulation.
While composing functional music the composer applies his art as a
complementary component of another non-musical expression of the
human mind. The abstract has the tendency to isolate the individual,
the ego (how successfully that can be achieved is altogether a differ-
ent question). Functional music — looking at it from the standpoint
of religious music — is definitely group oriented, serving the pur-
pose of unifying the individual with his greater self: a religious

denomination. Because of this unique power of music it is best if
the music written for a particular denomination is composed by a
person who himself is an organic part of the same religious body and
whose intellectual, spiritual and emotional qualities would be sum-
marized by his musical craftsmanship and artistry.

There is no doubt in my mind that the guideline for acceptable
practice should be that music performed in a synagogue as part of a
religious service preferably be composed by a J ewish composer. My
argument concerns the quality of music performed for religious pur-
poses. That quality must have certain ingredients, one of which is
the source — the composer. Because religious music is functional,
ceremonial music written specifically for a definite purpose for a
distinct group of people who share the same ideals, aspirations and
destiny, it is only natural that it is best when it is realized by a per-
son who belongs to those for whom he writes music. It is not incor-
rect to avoid the performance of music of non-J ewish origins in the
synagogue for religious services if it is written for the religious
services of another religion. It is unsuitable on religious grounds.

Now, when I have-1 hope successfully-convinced my readers
of how strongly I feel about having religious music in the synagogue
written primarily by J ewish composers, let me say a few words about
certain circumstances which would create exceptions to this rule. If
a non-J ewish composer who is inspired by the text used in a J ewish
religious service writes music honoring the ideas expressed by those
words with his art of composition, then I could not raise any objec-
tion to performing that music during the worship, provided that
the professional quality of that music would match the good inten-
tions of the composer in expressing his respect toward J udaism.
This article would not be complete if I did not mention those "un-
faithful" composers who left — or whose parents left — J udaism.

The following is a true story: it happened to me. One Friday I
went to an evening service in a Temple where the service and the
music were simple and unpretentiously charming. The words of the
Rabbi and the music — mainly Israeli folksongs — filled everyone
present with happiness and joy. However when, after the service, in
conversation with the person in charge of the music I asked what
kind of "more sophisticated" — in other words, "serious art music"
— is programmed for services, my mere mentioning of the name of
Felix Mendelssohn was considered a "faux pas." "Mendelssohn was
not J ewish," I was informed. 'Therefore, it is no use even to consider
his music for use in the synagogue."

Everyone is entitled to his opinion, including myself. It is not
my aim to establish the J ewishness of any one person. In my opinion,
and as an established historical fact, Felix Mendelssohn was un-
questionably a superb composer who wrote compositions dealing
with J ewish themes (an impressive number of musical settings of
David's Psalms and the monumental "Elijah" oratorio). Among
these I am sure one could find some which would be appropriate to
be played in the synagogue. Naturally, I would discard all composi-
tions that were written by him for the purpose of other religious
services or the expression of religious ideas of the religion with
which he had open associations. The very same consideration should
be given to other composers of a similar destiny — e.g., just to name
two other giants in music, Meyerbeer and Mahler.

Nothing could be further from the truth than to say that want-
ing J ewish music by J ewish composers in the synagogue is nourished
by chauvinistic nationalism. The question of what music should be
used, where and when, is to be answered by J udaism as a religion. On
the other hand, it is necessary to point out also that religious music
is ceremonial, it has a function, and if it does not fulfill that function
it has no place being performed, where it was not intended to be per-
formed in the first place. A Wiener Walz might be great in a dance
hall or at a party, but hardly is it appropriate as a prelude for a
service of any known religious denomination. My example of course
is an obvious one, but basically the same idea is behind more subtle
cases of a similar nature. Non-religious music is seldom acceptable
for religious ceremonial purposes at all, with certain exceptions. As
a musician and a religious person I could perhaps accept a Bach
fugue played at the end of a service when, for example, some non-
J ewish persons would honor a J ewish religious service, because the
fugue is an abstract musical form. However a selection from
Handel's "Royal Fireworks" — written to entertain guests at a
garden party — would not be suitable music for seeing the Rabbi
and Cantor leave the place of worship.

It is healthy to be faithful to ideals expressed through religion
and music. If one honestly faces his own conscience on this matter,
he will see that because harm is not done to anyone, there is no rule
or law by which one must reject the natural tendency of wanting to
have in the synagogue as a first choice J ewish religious music
written by J ewish composers.

We humans have a wonderful heavenly gift : the freedom of
choice. J ews also should accept and make good use of this gift by
choosing the J ewish road, built and maintained by J ews, not leading
against others, but one which is unique and beautiful.

SALOMONE ROSSI'S "HASHIRIM ASHER U'SHELOMO'

DR. DANIEL CHAZANOFF

As pointed out in previous articles by this writer, Rossi's identi-
fication as a J ew was by no means diminished in the service of the
Mantuan Dukes as musician and composer from 1587 to 1628. His
thirteen books of compositions published from 1589 to 1628 bear
the signature Salomone Rossi, Ebreo (the Hebrew). The official
ducal order of 1606, which absolved him from the wearing of a
yellow badge prescribed for all Jews, makes reference to him as
Salomone Rossi, the J ew, Further, motets, the religious counterpart
of the madrigals, are notably absent among Rossi's listed works.
The madrigals based upon secular texts were sung at court while
motets containing religious texts were intended for church services.
In the writing of religious polyphonic songs, Rossi turned his atten-
tion to the Hashirim Asher Li'Shelomo (The Songs of Solomon),
which he intended for the synagogue service ; these are his motets.

In the light of the Diaspora, the "Hashirim" are significant.
The reader will recall that Italy was the first country of the Diaspo-
ra where J ews could participate in life outside of the ghetto. How-
ever, J ewish religious practice continued within the confines of the
ghetto. Thus, while Christian colleagues such as Monteverdi wrote
both secular (madrigals) and religious (motets) vocal music for
the court, Rossi wrote only secular vocal music (madrigals) for
the Gonzagas. His completeness as a person and his identification
as a J ew were fulfilled by the 33 songs which took him outside of

Dr. Daniel Chaxanoff is the Director of Music for the City
School District of Rochester New York. He has more than two
decades of experience as teacher, conductor, performer and admin-
istrator. He is a first-rate cellist, having served at the first desks of
The Birmingham Symphony, The Berkshire Music Festival among
others. His name and accomplishments have been included in the
8th edition of the "International Who's Who in Music", Cambridge,
London.

This is the sixth in a series of articles on the music of Salomone
Rossi. Dr. Chaxanoff's studies on Rossi were made possible by a
grant from the National Foundation for J ewish Culture

the court. Freed sums it up when he says, "It is remarkable that in
the bigoted atmosphere of the sixteenth century, a composer who
always signed himself Salomone Rossi, Ebreo (The Hebrew) could
have risen to his important place while yet remaining faithful to
the religious beliefs of his forefathers".' This statement speaks well
for the Mantuan Dukes as humanitarian rulers.

Rossi's 33 psalm settings were published in 1622 under the title,
"Hashirim Asher Li'Shelomo," (The Songs of Solomon) for 3 to 8
voices. 2 This collection forms a landmark in the history of synagogue
music. Isadore Freed refers to it as ". . . the earliest known pub-
lished volume of harmonized J ewish music". 3 However, some clari-
fications are necessary here. In the same way that Christian com-
posers of the period used texts from the Christian bible in the writ-
ing of motets, so did Rossi use texts from the Hebrew bible in com-
posing the "Hashirim". Also, the collection was in no way based
upon ancient Hebrew chants and modes. Rather, they were written
in the style of the Italian Renaissance containing a polyphonic tex-
ture and employing modal counterpoint. Music history took a curi-
ous turn when, one hundred years after Rossi set Hebrew prayers
to Renaissance style music, Benedetto Marcello (1686-1739), a
Venetian Gentile musician, created a collection of psalm settings
based upon traditional Hebrew chants. 4 This eight volume work,
bearing the title "Estro Poetico-Armonico" (Eastern Poetic Har-
mony) was published in Venice from 1724-1727. 5 It ". . _ contains
fifty settings for one to four voices with occasional solos for violin
and violoncello and with figured basses added. ..".6 Another Vene-
tian Christian musician, Antonio Vivaldi (1675-1743), one of the
most prolific composers of all time, wrote 12 concerti grossi bear-
ing generic title, "L'Estro Armonica" (The Eastern Harmony).
Since these works form his opus 3, Vivaldi must also have been at-
tracted to the singing in the Venetian synagogue early in his career.
Considering their publication date, the "Hashirim" are enigmatic.
Steeped in Renaissance'style, they were published long after Rossi
applied Baroque harmonic techniques to his compositions; he made
use of the figured bass (chord progressions) as early as 1607 in his
instrumental works. Rossi may have written the "Hashirim" long
before their publication date (1622). This is corroborated by Roth,
who says they were ". . . assembled over a long period of years; all
had been performed before they were printed — presumably in one
or the other of the Mantuan synagogues ..." 7

The original collection is preserved in the Ambrosian Library
at Milan, Italy and comprises, "Hymns, songs and praises brought
together according to the science of playing and music, for 3, 4, 5,
6, 7 and 8 voices ... to praise the Lord and to hymn His most high
Name in manner of holiness". In the dedication, Rossi paid tribute
to his benefactor, Moses Sullam, patriarch ". . . of one of the most
prominent and wealthy Mantuan families, who had been among
the composer's supporters from his earliest days, had helped in his
musical training, and had been one of those who persuaded him to
publish the work". 9 It reads,

To the noble, magnanimous, Moses Sullam of Mantua, who
conjoins erudition with greatness :

'Since that day when the Lord granted me the favour of open-
ing my ear to music, the first and noblest of the arts, and permitted
me to understand and to learn it, I have made a firm resolution and
have been fortunate in devoting the first-born of my songs to the
glory of the Lord, to praise him with hymns of joy and thanks and
to do him honour for the many gifts which he has bestowed upon
me. God has been my aid. He set my lips to sing new songs which
have been written in accordance with the rules of the art, in con-
formity with the spirit with which he inspired me; songs suited to
the days of festival and joy. I have subjected a large number of the
Psalms of David to the laws of music, in order to make them more
attractive. After I had finished my work I was of the opinion that
it would be well to make a selection and to publish these, not to my
glory, but to the glory of the Lord, who of His grace gave me this
life and whom I shall always praise. .."10

Rossi also made poetic use of the family name Sullam, meaning
ladder in Hebrew, when he said, 'The ladder of your glory, like
J acob's ladder, rests on earth and his tip touches the heaven"."

In connection with the publication of his "Hashirim" some con-
fusion exists concerning Rossi's life and work. While Rossi, as a
J ew, lived in the ghetto of Mantua, he earned his livelihood outside
of the ghetto as a musician and composer to the Mantuan Court. All
of his works, including the "Hashirim" were published by the
Bragadini Brothers, in Venice because such facilities were not avail-
able in Mantua. He did not live in the ghetto of Venice and work at
the Mantuan court as is sometimes believed; even though the cities
in question were close to one another such travel on a daily basis
would not have been realistic during the late 16th and early 17th
centuries.

I n its day, the work was controversial because it brought into
focus the ". . . fundamental question whether art-music may take an
essential place within J ewish worship, or should be tolerated at
all ,.." 12 Out of grief for the destruction of the Second Temple in
J erusalem (70 A.D.) , the prevailing view renounced the inclusion
of art music in the synagogue during the Diaspora. 13 Yet, while the
"Hashirim" met resistance, Rossi did enjoy support for his artistic
reform in Mantua and other Italian J ewish communities. This was
due to the help of his friend and staunch ally, Leone (Aryeh) da
Modena who was chief Rabbi of the Republic of Venice, musician
and scholar. In 1605, Leone da Modena :

1. assembled a group of six to eight singers in Ferrara

2. wrote an extensive manifesto in defense of music

3. obtained the support of four other Italian rabbis for
his views in the form of signatures

4. submitted his document to a rabbinical convention
in Venice, and

5. saw the distribution of his manifesto among the
Italian congregations in order to win adherents to
his views. 14

In aligning himself with Rossi, Leone da Modena made two
creative contributions to the "Hashirim". First, he wrote the fore-
word and second, the collection contains a hymn for the wedding
service which he wrote the words for. 15 His preface ". . . to the col-
lection proves how great an opposition had to be overcome among
J ewish authorities and scholars by a musician who set traditional
words to music in a modern style". 16 It reads:

'J udah Aryeh (Leone) da Modena, son of Isaac, to all whose
ears can understand the truth :

'One knows the words of the poet: 'The Lip of Truth shall be
established forever. "Music speaks to the non-J ews: "I was stolen
away from the Land of the Hebrews". The savants have flourished
like grass and have disseminated knowledge, and have been admired
by all other nations, for they have mounted up like eagles into im-
measurable heights with wings. From the Hebrews is the music of
other nations borrowed. Who could forget King David, who, as it
is written, instructed the sons of Asaph, Heman and J eduthun in
music? He made them understand singing and the playing of in-
struments during the periods of the first and second Temple.

'But our exile, our dispersion over the earth, our troubles and
persecutions have made them forget knowledge and lose understand-
ing of art. The wrath of God descended upon the people and he cast
them into a pit void of all knowledge. We had to borrow our wisdom
from other nations, until now Solomon alone is excellent in this
science and wiser than any man of our own people, through which
he was taken into the service of the Dukes of Mantua. Nay, his
musical works, printed in a foreign language, meet with apprecia-
tion as they were I iked by non-J ews. The Lord opened the eyes of
the blind. Despite the opposition of his brethren, he sought to per-
fect the work. His power is unto his God. He added every day to the
psalms, hymns, and Temple-songs till he brought them together in
one volume. Now the people sang his compositions; they were
pleased by their excellence and their ears were delighted by them.

The leaders of the community, headed by the most reverend
and virtuous Moses Sullam (whom may God guard), urged the
author and persuaded him to publish his compositions. I, too, who
am proud to be reckoned among his admirers, brought all my influ-
ence to bear to persuade him to occasion this publication. Finally,
he submitted to our requests and gave his collection to be printed.
H e commissioned me to supervise the pri nti ng of the book, to see it
through the press and to eliminate errors. . . The reader will see
that the author preferred the words to be written from left to right,
contrary to our Hebrew custom, rather than change the musical
notation. He did not consider it necessary to print the vowel signs,
since our singers know the text by heart and read correctly without
them, which does them great honour.

Ye are blessed, my brethren, because we have begun the pub-
lication of the work of the outstanding musician who composed
songs in his sanctuaries on holy-days. Teach them to your children,
that they may be instructed in music, as was the custom among the
Levites. I am convinced that from the moment of its appearance this
work will spread the taste for good music in Israel, to praise the
Lord. Among us people were to be found — of this there is no doubt
— those who infallibly resist all progress and who will also resist
these songs which are beyond their understanding. I therefore con-
sider it advisable to refer to the answer to a question put to me when
I was still Rabbi at Ferrara; all the great scholars of Venice agreed
with me. I demonstrated that there is nothing in the Talmud which
can be cited against the introduction of choir-singing into our
Temples; and that was sufficient to close the malevolent mouths of

the opponents. Despite all they can say, I put all my trust in the
honour and nurture of song and music in our synagogues, to extend
these things and to make use of them until the wrath of God is
turned away from us and He builds His Temple again in Zion, and
commands the Levites to perform their music, and all singing will
be happy and joyful again, not as it is today, when we sing with
heavy hearts and in anguish of spirit for the pain of our dispersion'."

According to Sendrey, Rabbi Modena's foreword to Rossi's
"Hashirim" is also significant because it established, for the first
time, copyright protection for the composer with ". . . the warning
that any reprint or sale of an unauthorized version of Rossi's sacred
compositions was strictly prohibited".'" Prior to Rossi's work,
" . . anybody could reprint any work of an author or composer with-
out penalty". 19 Copyright protection for the creator became official
one century after Rossi in the Statute of Anne, Queen of England,
dated 1710. 20

The original printing of Rossi's synagogue music presents sev-
eral problems involving modern notation and performance. First,
the various vocal parts for the 33 psalms were printed separately,
not in complete score, as was the custom of the period. 21 Second, the
notation for the separate vocal parts was printed from left to right
while the Hebrew words ran from right to left in complete lines
rather than broken down into syllables so as to fit the musical text. 22
Rothmuller mentions the modern solution to the left-right problem,
i.e., ". . . to transliterate the Hebrew into Latin script and print left
to right or to set each Hebrew syllable separately under the notes". 23

A number of writers mention the fact that Rossi's synagogue
music is much simpler than his secular vocal music. The reader
should bear in mind that Rossi's secular vocal compositions were
sung at court by highly trained musicians. Perhaps the synagogue
music was simpler so as to accommodate the musical level of lay
singers. Then, again, this might not have been the case since a num-
ber of musicians at court were J ews and might have formed the
choirs for at least several synagogues in Mantua. This writer sus-
pects that Rossi's intentions may have been governed by such factors
as:

1. the constitution of the synagogue service and

2. the readiness of J ews to accept any form of harmonic music
in the synagogue; resistance had to be overcome. 24

J ust as Azariah de'Rossi ". .. brought Renaissance standards
of historical criticism to J ewish scholarship ..."25 in his book, Me'or
Einayim (The Enlightenment of the Eyes), so did Salomone de'
Rossi attempt ". . . to introduce new standards of Renaissance mu-
sical taste to the synagogue", in the Hashirim Li'Shelomo (The
Songs of Solomon). While Rossi's synagogue music did not meet
with immediate success in his lifetime, its influence was felt as late
as the 19th Century in the temples of Northern Europe.

FOOTNOTES

1. Isadore Freed, Sacred Service (New York: Transcontinental Music Corp.,
1954), Unpaginated.

2. The J ournal of Synagogue Music, Feb. 1967, P. 20.

3. Isadore Freed, loc. cit.

4. Peter Gradenwitz, The Music of Israel (New York: W. W. Norton, 1949),
P. 150.

5. Ibid

6. Ibid

7. Cecil Roth, The Jews in the Renaissance (Philadelphia: Jewish Publication
Society of America, 1959), P. 297.

8. Ibid

9. Ibid

10. Aron Marko Rothmuller, The Music of the Jews (New York: Thomas Yosel-
off, New and Revised Edition), P. 116.

11. Alfred Sendrey, The Music of the Jews in the Diaspora (New York: Thomas
Yoseloff, 1970), P. 273.

12. Artur Holde, Jews in Music (New York: Philosophical Library, 1959), P. 3.

13. Ibid

14. Ibid

15. Cecil Roth, loc. cit.

16. Eric Blom (Ed.) Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians (London: Mac-
millan and Company, 1954) VII, P. 244.

17. Aron Marko Rothmuller, op. cit., P. 116-118.

18. Alfred Sendrey, op. cit., P. 274.

19. Ibid

20. Ibid

21. Cecil Roth, loc. cit.

22. Alfred Sendrey, op. cit., P. 275.

23. Aron Marko Rothmuller, op. cit., P. 118.

24. Ibid, P. 119.

25. Max Wurmbrand and Cecil Roth, The J ewish People (New York: Shengold
Publishers, 1967) P. 206.

26. Ibid

HAZZANIC RECITATIVE:
A UNIQUE CONTRIBUTION TO OUR MUSIC HERITAGE

GERSHON Ephros

I very often think that the scholar who writes the history of our
people's existence in the Diaspora, should find very valuable docu-
mentary material in the hazzanic recitative.

The creative hazzan did not only enthrall his congregants by
his free imaginative flow of J ewish musical expression, he voiced
also our people's suffering and tribulation. He always has been and
still is both the singer and I amentor of his people's woes.

An interesting record of the role of such a hazzan in a J ewish
community is found in an historical sketch of the Chmelnitzky period
(1648-49). We are told how Hazzan Hirsch so moved the Tartars by
his emotional chanting of the "El Mole Rachamim," that they saved
3,000 J ews from the hands of the raging Cossacks.

Occasionally, though not very often, joyous and happy events
in the life of the community and of the individual struck a respon-
sive chord in the heart of the hazzan. He then gave utterance of
thanksgiving in joyful and exuberant song reflecting our people's
will to live under any circumstance. Thus, he expressed our people's
unshaken faith in our physical survival and in the ultimate triumph
of Israel's ideals,

The Recitative, unlike our Nusah Hat'filah which preserved its
refreshing simplicity, went through a process of change and de-
velopment-its origins at times hardly recognizable. Yehudah Leib
Peretz would call it "A Gilgul of a Nigun". However, in many in-
stances the melodic flow and improvisational freedom of the Re-
citative indicate the inspirational source of the Nusah Hat'filah,
which was influenced by and based upon the tiny fragments of the
taame mikra.

Gershon Ephros is the internationally known hazzan- composer-
anthologist and authority on the history of the music of the syna-
gogue. His six volume collection of music for the synagogue is the
classic anthology of cantorial and choral music of the last two cen-
turies. For many years he served Congregation Beth Mordecai of
Perth Amboy, New Jersey as Haxxan. Although now retired, he
continues to be active as a composer, editor and anthologist. His
major works include a highly acclaimed service for Selichot, for
cantor, choir and organ; a service for similar forces for the Sabbath
and several dozen cantorial, folk and instrument works.

The Recitative of recent times and that of the early Baale
T'filiah constitute the basic material for the hazzan.

For the sake of clarity and convenience I shall classify the
various types of Recitatives here and abroad during the last few
decades into the following groups :

A — The Parlando Recitative

B — TheT'filah Developed Recitative

C — The Virtuoso Recitative

D — The Improvisational Recitative

E — TheHassidic Recitative

These five categories are chanted by the hazzan with or without
accompaniment.

A — The Parlando Recitative

This recitative is the offspring of our Nusah Hat'filah. Some of the
finest examples are found in the literature of the East and West
European hazzanut. Some of the noblest pieces of Sulzer belong to
this group. You are all familiar with his "Yaale V'yovo," (see
Volume III, Cantorial Anthology, pg. 172). Other shining examples
are: Tzalel Odeser's 'Tikanto Kol Ele" (Volume II, pg. 289) and
"Umishechorav Bes Mikdoshenu" (pg. 290) "Ato V'chartonu" of
Nissi Belzer (Cantorial Anthology III, pg. 296).

These pieces are probably the most original Parlando that East
European hazzanut has produced. A keen listener can hear the idio-
matic speech of the J ew in the Galut herein. I would call the reader's
attention also to the Sabbath Amida (Volume IV, Cantorial An-
thology, pgs. 214, 231), representing a cross section of Birnbaum,
Dymont, Ersler, Sulzer, Weintraub and Weisgal. These different
cantorial personalities chanted the same simple, dignified and noble
Parlando.

B — The Tfilah-Da/doped Recitative

The term tfilah does not refer to any particular T'filah mode, but
to the recitative intended for medium voice and for a good hazzanic
coloratura. It is a davar hashaveh I 'khol hazzan.

This Recitative is exemplified by the very many written by
Eliezer Gerovitch — among these the famous "Yizk'rem Elohenu
L'tovoh" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume IV, pg. 142) ; J acob Beimel's
"Ato Yotzarto," first published in the 35th J ubilee Volume of the
J ewish Ministers Cantors Association, this is also included in Vol-
ume IV, Cantorial Anthology, pg. 369; Rosenblatt's "V'shomru,"
Cantorial Anthology, Volume IV, pg. 142; Y'ruchom Hakoton's
"Hashkivenu," Cantorial Anthology, Volume III, pg. 40 ; Moshe
Steinberg's "Uv'makhalos," Cantorial Anthology, Volume III, pg.
108 ; David Moshe Steinberg's "Ovinu Malkenu," Cantorial Antholo-
gy, Volume III, pg. 302; Joshua Weisser's "Melech Rachamon,"
Cantorial Anthology, Volume III, pg. 303 ; Zemaehson's 'V'seerav,"
Cantorial Anthology, Volume III, pg. 305 ; Adolph Katchko's "Adonoi
Moloch," Cantorial Anthology, Volume IV, pg. 76; Sherman's "Ma
Nomar," Cantorial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 153; Mordecai
Yardeini's "Rachamuno D'one," Cantorial Anthology, Volume II,
pg. 173 ; David Novakowsky's "Adonoi Adonoi," Cantorial Antholo-
gy, Volume II, pg. 314; Zavel Kwartin's "Hoir Hakodesh," Cantor-
ial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 322 ; Israel Alter's Second "K'dusha,"
Cantorial Anthology, Volume IV, pg. 350; Berele Chagy's "Ribono
Shel Olom," Cantorial Anthology, Volume III, pg. 92; Joshua Fein-
singer's legendary "Shichulo Achulo," Cantorial Anthology, Volume
IV, pg. 244; Samuel Bugatch's "Hin'ni," Cantorial Anthology, Vol-
ume VI, pg. 112 and Max Wohlberg's "AtoZocher," Cantorial An-
thology, Volume VI, pg. 173. These are but a few examples of the
many deserving honorable mention.

C — The Virtuoso Recitative

The term Virtuoso does not imply a quality superior to the afore
mentioned Parlando and T'filah groups. As a matter of fact, the
contrary is very often true. Besides, I am not arranging these groups
pyramidally or vertically, but, rather horizontally. However, I would
say that this type of recitative is not a davar hashaveh V khol nefesh.
It is only the exceptional voice and a highly developed coloratura
which could interpret such a piece. Some examples of this type of
recitative would be: David Roitman's "Oshamnu Mikol Om," Can-
torial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 145; Leib Glantz' "Ki Hine
Kachomer" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 86) ; Kashtan's
"Ono Tovo L'fonecho" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 135) ;
and "Ki K'shimcho ;" Karniol's "Rom V'niso," "Ovinu Malkenu'
and "TikantoShabos." The latter are only available in old recordings.

There are other recitatives in this group which are not as com-
plex as the previous mentioned ones and yet do belong in this cate-
gory. They are: J acob Rapoport's "Ezro Hasofer" (Cantorial An-
thology, Volume II, pg. 163) ; Kwartin's excerpt from "Asoro
Haruge Malchus ;" Reb Sholom Anianiver's "Ato Nosen Yod" (Can-
torial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 323) ; David Kusevitsky's TJv'
shofor Godol" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume VI, pg. 126) ; Samuel
Vigoda's "Ernes" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume VI, pg. 135) ; J acob
Rapoport's "V'al Y'de" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume VI, pg. 180) ;
Leib Glantz's T'ka" (Cantorial Anthology, Volume VI, pg. 201) .

D — The Improvisational Recitative

This recitative is musically advanced. It evokes an atmosphere of
nobility and refinement, and is appreciated by the West European
synagogue worshipper. It must have been this kind of recitative
that stirred and shook Franz Liszt when he first heard Sulzer —
"singing full of pomp and fantasy and dreams." ("V'seerav," Can-
torial Anthology — Volume I, Part 2, pg. 158 ; "V'seerav" — Volume
Vl,pg.212).

E — The Hassidic Recitative

The most gifted master of this recitative, the so-called d'veikut
(cleaving to God) was Nissi Belzer. This great East European J ew-
ish melodist was indeed a man of genius. Though self-taught he more
than any other East European Synagogue composer of the 19th
century, was the most eloquent spokesman of the high ideals of the
C hassidic movement. It was he who developed the d'veikut idea —
creating an atmosphere of intimacy, thereby negating the formal
approach of the West European J ewish composer. (Cantorial An-
thology — "Atoh V'chartonu," Volume III, pg. 296). Other recita-
tives may be found in Volume V, pg. 75 ; Volume V, pg. 102 ; Volume
VI, pg. 97.

Let us now examine an interrelated subject, that of the instrumental
accompanied recitative, used by the Conservative and Reform can-
tor for all occasions, though used by the Orthodox cantor only for
concerts and weddings. A few words of caution relative to this reci-
tative is now in order.

The hazzanic "market" is virtually flooded with so-called ac-
companied recitatives of every description, very few of these attain-
ing the standard of adequate musical arrangement. Musical settings
are undertaken by those utterly unqualified to do so, as it is written
in the Talmud, Tractate Chulin "Hakol shochtin, ush'chitoson

keshuro chutz micheresh shoteh v'koton." One of my friends aptly
characterized this type of hazzanic arrangement as Bim-Barn Bim-
Barn.

In contrast, it is indeed refreshing and inspiring to examine
some of the accompanied recitatives written by Cantors of the late
19th and 20th century. These examples are to be noted: Sulzer's
"V'seerav," Cantorial Anthology, Volume I, Part 2, pg. 158 ; Lewan-
dowski's "Ki K'shimcho," Cantorial Anthology, Volume I, Part II,
pg. 84 ; Kirschner's Taper Chatoenu," Cantorial Anthology, Vol-
ume II, pg. 106; Grauman's "V'shomru," Cantorial Anthology,
Volume IV, pg.. 138 ; E. Birnbaum's "Hashkivenu," Cantorial An-
thology, Volume III, pg. 42; Bachman's "Kodosh Ato," Cantorial
Anthology, Volume I , pg. 117 ; etc. Not only are the pieces admirable,
but the very approach of the composers to their task was with love
and reverence.

Accompanied recitatives were further enriched by the creative
efforts of cantor-composers of the first half of the 20th century.
Among these we would cite: Al man's "Birchas Kohanim ;"J assinow-
sky's "Birchas Kohanim ;" Katchko's "Z'chor Ov," Cantorial An-
thology, Volume III, pg. 365; Low's "Rachamono D'one," Cantorial
Anthology, Volume II, pg. 168 ; Silver's "Omar Rabbi Eliezer ;"
Glantz's "Haneehovim," Cantorial Anthology, Volume IV, pg. 305 ;
Zilbert's most harmonically advanced "Ma Tovu," Cantorial An-
thology, Volume III, pg. 3; Milner's Psalm "Ad Ana Adonai," Can-
torial Anthology, Volume II, pg. 242; and Weisgal's "Yaale
Tachanunenu," harmonized by his son, Hugo.

I n the above works we find the happy combination of intensity
and profound pathos, together with artistic arrangements of very
gifted musicians. They do exemplify the vast potential inherent in
the J ewish melos. The modern harmonic approach to our traditional
chant will not only enhance the melody but will also transform it
into a piece of art.

The A ha va Raba mode, so close to the hearts of both hazzan
and worshipper alike because of its augmented interval and its gen-
eral soft and sentimental character very often becomes monotonous
and boring to the musically cultured ear. The proper harmonization
will bring new vitality and new meaning to this mode. With new
and vigorous harmonic treatment the kol anot chalusha will become
a kol anot g'vurah.

I would now I ike to point to the important contribution of the
'Cantor-Concertist' to the hazzanic art. It was he who attracted
hundreds of thousands of J ews to his performance, thus making his
own impact on J ewish survival as the traditional maggid of old or
the folksredner, or the gifted creator-preacher did in his day.

Lest we forget, it is the permanent Cantor serving his commu-
nity in joy and sorrow who paves the way for the renaissance of
synagogue music today. It is he through his dedication and warm
personality who is able to inspire our youth and elders alike. The
story of a lonely kibbutznic writing in his diary the day before he
fel I on the field of battle for I srael 's i ndependence comes to mi nd —
"I went to hear the hazzan sing the Kol Nidre chant, which has re-
mained eternal amidst the changing times, and also to behold the
J ew who prays to attain purity. On this day, I sought to be for a
while with all J ews and to utter the Kol Nidre, the prayer that binds
us all together, and to enter where J ewish holiness, the shechinah,
is all encompassing. I have the feeling at such a time, that there is
in my heart a certain void, that is waiting to be filled. I too, feel the
urge to learn this holiness, these prayers, so that the J ewish tune
might embrace me, at least, for a moment."

Could there be a more eloquent tribute to the hazzan !

AN AMERICAN HAZBVN IN SWEDEN

Maynard J . Gerber

My wife, Debbie, and I recently moved to Stockholm, Sweden,
where I have taken the position as hazzan of the Great Synagogue.
As of this writing, we have only been in Stockholm for three months.
In such a short amount of time it is impossible to write an accurate
account of what it is like to be a hazzan in a Swedish J ewish com-
munity. However, I can tell what I know so far. I think that what I
have seen here at this point can be of great interest. I would like to
begin by giving a general description of how the J ewish community
is organized, and continue with some of the other interesting as-
pects of the congregation that I have found here.

The Organization of the Community

The following is an excerpt from a pamphlet written by the
community's chief rabbi, Morton Narrowe, entitled J ews in stock
holm. (Rabbi Narrowe, originally from Philadelphia, and a grad-
uate of the J ewish Theological Seminary, has been the community's
chief rabbi since 1965.)

"At present, the J ewish population of Sweden is about 17,000,
about half of whom live in Stockholm. Relatively large communities
exist in Gothenburg and Mai mo.

Trior to the legislation of 1952, all J ewish citizens of Sweden
were compelled by law to belong to the local nearest J ewish com-
munity. Non-citizens were excused until naturalized. In 1952, mem-
bership in the J ewish Community became voluntary and only mem-
bers could be assessed the community dues.

Maynard Gerber, a recent graduate of the Cantors Institute of
the J ewish Theological Seminary of America has just begun to
serve as Hazzan of the Great Synagogue in Stockholm, Sweden,
where he follows the long tenure of theivell-knownhazzan-composer
Leo Rosenbliith, who has just retired. This article records his first
impressions of the Stockholm J BA/ish community and casts some
light on the practices and traditions of that venerable J BA/ish con-
gregation.

"Each member pays dues according to his declared annual in-
come. This information on the income of all tax payers is readily
available and the local Jewish community utilizes governmental
publications for its calculations. Membership is always expensive
because the community dues are calculated according to net income,
before the very sizeable state and local taxes are subtracted. An-
other reason for the high cost of membership is that one may not
deduct a contribution to the J ewish community from taxable income.
This, too, dates from 1952, when the new law declared that contri-
butions to charity or to cultural, educational or religious institutions
were no longer tax deductable.

"Every three years elections are held to choose a twenty-five
member Assembly, which in turn selects a nine person Executive
Board. All members of the community in good standing may vote.
As in the national elections, one votes for a party and not for an in-
dividual candidate. At present the community has three parties —
'Liberal Judaism', 'Jewish Union' (Zionist and traditional), 'Jewish
Unity' (an attempt to find a middle position between the two older
parties).

'There are three synagogues in Stockholm, almost all of whose
worshippers are community members. The large synagogue is Lib-
eral, following the pattern established in Germany during the 19th
century: the congregation uses an organ, employs a mixed choir,
although men and women sit separately during the regular worship
services. At weddings or special memorial occasions, however, men
and women do worship together. The other two synagogues are
Orthodox.

"Many community members are not religious but support the
J ewish community's social and cultural activities. Among these are
a one clay a week religious school, a summer camp, library, Hevra
Kadis ha old-age home, convalescent home and cemetary. The com-
munity is also a major sponsor of the J ewish Center which was
dedicated in September 1963. In addition to the usual cultural and
athletic activities, the Center also houses a J ewish nursery school
and the all-clay Hillel School (grades 1-6). Many Zionist organiza-
tions have their offices in the Center, where youth organizations
and societies have club rooms as well."

"An abridged Siddur is used during Worship Services but the
halachic core of prayer is retained. With the exception of the Swed-
ish translation of the Alenu prayer and special prayers for the
country, for newborn babies, Bnei and B 'not Mitxva and mourners,
all worship is conducted in Hebrew. The sermon is, of course, de-
livered in Swedish.

'The weekly Torah portion is abridged but the traditional
number of A liyot is retained. The Haftarah is recited in its entirety,
according to the Ashkenazic rite. Naturally, all men are expected
to cover their heads at all times in the synagogue."

The Great Synagogue of Stockholm

When I first attended services at the Great Synagogue, where
I now officiate, there were a number of things that caught my eye
as being different from what I was accustomed to in the States. One
of these things was the fact that there are no si del u rim for the wor-
shippers to take to their seats when they enter the sanctuary. There
are some kippot, but there are no taliyot! Everyone is expected to
bring his or her own siddur, and men are expected to bring their
own tallit

Attached to the back of the pew situated in front of each male
congregant's assigned seat, there is a small storage compartment,
wherein can be kept an individual's siddur and tallit (Interesting-
ly enough, this small compartment is not found in the women's
gallery.)

Having these compartments poses somewhat of a problem if
there is small attendance at services. (The sanctuary seats 900
people, but there is usually no more than 100 to 200 people at Shabbat
morning services.) If people sit at their assigned seats, which they
usually do but which is really only necessary on the High Holy Days,
they sit scattered throughout the sanctuary, rather than sitting in
one or two concentrated areas. I believe that this situation makes it
difficult for a congregant to have the feeling of communal partici-
patient in the service. It is as though he is praying by himself. I
think it is also bad psychologically for congregational singing. No
one likes to sing by himself, and if one feels that he is sitting by him-
self, he is more likely to hesitate before joining in congregational
singing.

The synagogue was dedicated on September 16, 1870. It is one
of the master-works of a famous non-J ewish architect, Frederick W.
Scholander, and has been declared a national treasure by the State.
There is a magnificent pipe organ which was installed about ten
years ago. (After listening to this organ a few times, it is difficult
to listen to an electric organ.) The hazzan chants the services from
a pulpit just below the upper pulpit where the Ark is located. The
hazzan faces the Ark when officiating, and only faces the congrega-
tion while chanting the Kiddush.

TheRoleof theHazzan at Services
One particular thing I found quite different from the average
Conservative synagogue in the States, is that the rabbi has very little
to do during services. The only thing he does is the reading of a
Swedish prayer when the Ark is opened during the taking out of the
Torah, and he also delivers a sermon (in Swedish). Page numbers
are never announced during the service, and no comments are ever
made concerning the meaning of the prayers. (There aren't any re-
sponsive "readings" in Swedish, either.) The hazzan leads the whole
service by himself, including reading the Torah (only three verses
per aliya plus the regular maftir), reading the Haftarah in Swedish
after it is chanted in Hebrew by a layman, reading a prayer for the
government in Swedish, reading the Swedish translation of the sec-
ond paragraph of Menu, and reading a short prayer in Swedish be-
fore the mourners' Kaddish, which he then leads.

The hazzan unquestionably has the dominant role in the service.
But the load of responsibilities during the week is shared with an
assistant hazzan. The Hazzan Sheni officiates at services once a
month, in addition to sharing festival services with the Chief Hazzan.
It is he who reads the Haftarah and a few other prayers in Swedish
when the Chief Hazzan officiates. The Chief Hazzan reads these
prayers when the assistant hazzan officiates. The hazzanim and
rabbi wear black robes at services, which resemble that which is
worn by Lutheran ministers. There is even a type of white clerical
collar which is clipped under the collar of the robe.

Format of the Service
The format of the Shabbat morning service is abbreviated. The
service begins with Baruch Sheamar and continues with Psalms 92
and 93, Ashre, Ax Yashir, Nishmat, Yishtabach, Barchu (skipping
the Half-Kaddish), and going through to the Amidah with only a
few minor deletions. (El Adon is not said.) The approach to the
Amidah is different from what I've seen in the States. The hazzan
chants the Avot, G'vurot, and K'dusha (with responses). Then the
congregation reads the rest of the Amidah silently. However, when
they have finished, the hazzan begins chanting from R'tse Has-hem...
and continues through Sim Shalom. This same format is used for the
Musaph Amidah. The Kaddish Shalem is chanted after theShacharit
Amidah, but not after the Musaph Amidah. The rest of the service
follows the traditional pattern except for the following alterations :
Mi Sheberach is not said; the references to the sacrifies in the
Musaph Amidah have been replaced with a quotation from the Ten
Commandments concerning the observance of the Sabbath; En

Kelohenu is not included ; those words in theAlenu pertaining to the
choseness of the J ewish people have been deleted. The services con-
cludes with Adon Olam. (It is interesting to note that references to
the "chosen people" concept had been completely taken out of the
liturgy. I say "had been" because up until about fifteen years ago,
the leaders of the community were adherents of the German Reform
movement. Things have been changing gradually and some phrases
referring to the "chosen people" have been put back into the Siddur.)

The Past vs. the Future
Things have been changing gradually in the J ewish community
here. I see the trend here as becoming more like the American Con-
servative synagogue. Rabbi Narrowe has been advocating mixed
seating for a number of years, but it will be very difficult to achieve.
Although most people don't object to mixed seating on religious
grounds, the present situation is the tradition here. Many women
like to sit in the women's gallery and do not want to change, only
because they are so accustomed to sitting there. The hold that "tra-
dition" has on people never ceases to amaze me.

Learning Sivedish
Ever since we arrived here in September, my wife and I have
been attending an intensive course to learn Swedish. We go to class
Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. Although most con-
gregants do speak English, it is most important to learn Swedish.
I must be able to read certain prayers in Swedish (which I have
recently begun to do), and of course all community events are in
Swedish. If one is to become a leader in the community, one must be
able to speak the national language. I think to some extent, I am now
experiencing what immigrant hazzanim must have experienced when
they came to the United States in the first quarter of this century,
and they had to learn English. I think I can now appreciate what my
grandparents must have gone through when they came to America
from Russia and Poland.

In Conclusion
IVe only given you a few of the many interesting things I've
encountered here in Stockholm. In many ways, I feel that I've gone
back in time. In the United States, one hears people talk about how
it was in Europe. I am now in Europe, in a community where many
things still exist the way they were before the Holocaust. (Sweden's
J ews were not touched during World War II, because Sweden was
neutral.) I feel that it is a great opportunity to serve in such a com-
munity, and that the experiences I will have here will prove to be
invaluableto my growth not only as a hazzan, but as a person as well.

REVIEW OF NEW MUSIC

Every spring offering from Transcontinental Music contains
mixed blessings. This year's selection of newly published works
from Marie Freudenthal holds true to its heritage. Some brief notes
about these pieces are offered for your perusal.

TCL 650 HI NAY MA TOV By Gershon Kingsley-SATB a Capella
Kingsley takes a chassi die-like tune and, before you know it, whips it
into a frenzy. While his scoring is so dense that voice parts can al-
most pick any triad member to sing, his rhythms are exciting and
suggest the Broadway-rock sound that the composer is so well known
for. If only for the fun of putting a performance of it together, the
piece is recommended.

TCL 655 V'SHAMRU by Simon A. Sargon — SATB — organ An-
other needless addition to the repertoire. Mr. Sargon, who replaces
Samuel Adler as Temple Music Director in Dallas, has composed an
obvious old-fashioned setting. No new light is shed.

TCL 651 SILENT DEVOTION from SHIRU LADONAI SHIR
CHADASH by Gershon Kingsley for unison Choir, Tenor
Cantor and keyboard accompaniment (piano or organ)

A humble mixture of Hebrew and English combine to create an en-
tirely forgettable piece. The piano accompaniment will sound awk-
ward on an organ. The word Adonai is consistently mis-accented. In
musical theatre parlance this piece is known as a throw-away.

WJ 1412 HANADNEDA (The Swing) Words by Gad Nahshon,

Music by Ami ram Rigai for medium voice and piano
A beautiful Israeli lyric is set in the usual popular folk idiom. It
offers a nice easy addition to a children's choir program either sung
as a solo or in unison ensemble.

WJ 1411 AHAVOT OLAM by Emanuel J . Barkan

For high voice and organ accompaniment
While the melody is soundly constructed on the obvious modal ma-
terial, the accompaniment is not. Awkward organ passages along
with peculiar harmonies within this style combine to create an in-
trusion on a melody better left alone.

TV 576 THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD - Psalm 23 by Gershon

Kingsley Voice and organ
Mr. Kingsley obviously hears this piece best accompanied by guitar
but suggests the picking rhythms and suspensions in the organ ac-
companiment. Lamentably it sounds ponderous on the kinds of or-
gans used in most churches and synagogues. The ambitus of the
melody is so limited as to suggest a drone. If this setting is designed
for the youth market why not set it for guitar?
The traditional English translation is accompanied by a contempo-
rary translation from the new Gates of Prayer. (New edition of the
Reform Prayer Book)

TV 546 ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT poem by Robert

Frost, music by J ack Gottlieb. Voice and Piano
Conceived as a companion setting to another night song "May We
Lie Down," both texts are included in the new Gates of Prayer.

Dr. Gottlieb has created a charming, child-like atmosphere for
Frost's poem. It begins over a single bass line, travels through ro-
mantic word paintings (staccato bass arpeggiations echo the text
"I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet") and chromatic
meaderings in the accompaniment to a quiet conclusion. The com-
poser notes that this song is concerned with existential despair. It
is refreshing to have new material such as Frost's poem in the new
Reform Prayer Book. One hopes that many more thoughtful settings
like the above will find their way into the Transcontinental catalog.

Michael Isaacson

(Editor's Note: Also included in Transcontinental^ spring assort-
ment is Isaacson's AN I CHINOR L'SHIRAYICH, a wedding song
set to the text of Yehnd.a Halevy, suitable for medium voice and harp.
Composed for his own wedding, Isaacson provides an idiomatic set-
ting for the harp that is both light in texture and brief in length.
With the increasing availability of competent harpists, the instru-
ment should be given fresh consideration as a charming alternative
to the organ at weddings. SR)

MUSIC SECTION

Editors Note We gratefully acknowledge the coop-
eration ofHaxxan Sherman P. Kirshner of Hampton,
Virginia in the preparation of 'Selected Tunes From
the Portugese J ews Congregation of Amsterdam/'
in this edition.

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INDEX

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IOGRAPHY

David R I C A R D was horn in 25,12,1904 in Amsterdam where his father,
Dr. Benjamin Israel Ricardo, was the Rabbi of the Portuguese community, Also the father
of his mother, of the Vega family, was a famous hazan and it was this grand-father to
whom he owes the strongest bounds and the finest knowledge of cantorial art . His know-
ledge of Hebrew was due to one weekly lesson given to him by his very educated father,
teaching him the language in the philological way of ancient Greek and Latin.
After the Bar-Mitzvah he Joined the Mizrachi Youth Movement and, at the age of 18, he was
chose as the conductor of this Youth choir. Shortly afterwards, after many good successes,
he was honored with the nomination as conductor of the Sephardic choir "Santo Servicio",
In this position, he directed the entire sacred services of the great Sepharedic synagogue.
Out of this experience and in view of the imminent extinction of his famous community
he began since 1941, i.e. during the German occupation (though he himself already settled
in Israel) to write down from his memory all the most important liturgical melodies,
which today from the unique "collection Ricardo" . Already in 1931 he visited Palestine
but returned in order to study a profession (mechanical engineering) , emigrating finally
to Israel two years later in 1933. Since he started life anew in Israel he felt his total
and also human duty to perpetuate the famous Amsterdam tradition. In order to realize
this idea he founded a kind of home-service, activating all the members of the family,
sons, cousins and even his musician wife, Many of the songs have also been recorded in
the Jerusalem Archives of Oriental and Jewish music and during broadcasts of the Israel
Broadcasting Authority.

As Mr, Ricardo always stresses, it is an interesting phenomenon that still in today's
cantillation and song of the Amsterdam synagogue, this style of singing is practically
identical with the traditional one in Morocco. The degree of similarity is so high that
he is able to teach Moroccan children living- around Rishon-le-Zion as he would do with
Dutch ones. The solution of this riddle is not so far away as it would seem There have
been several ways of contact: if we would follow up history again, it was that the Jews
of Andalus were driven, during the Reconquista, over the Straits to Morocco when the
Spanish style of liturgy became perpetuated in the small villages and townlets of Jewish
immigrants . They became, so to speak, the store supplying the outlying congregations
like that in faraway Amsterdam with cantors of the ancient Sephardic liturgy. This was
very urgent as most Amsterdam Jews had been Maranos for more than three generations and
were no more knowledgeable in Hebrew and Jewish matters. Thus the Moroccan cantors
stemming from Spain became the master-teachers of the Dutch Marrano congregation, the
tradition of which safely survived the centuries until the present day. For this reason,
we should try to do everything in our power to comment and document as fully as possible
the liturgy of the quickly dying Portuguese Amsterdam community .

We are proud to present here a collection of the rare Kadish and Kidusha tunes, as
a first step to a more comprising documentation of their sacred music.

PREFACE

Edith Gerscn-Kiwi

The publication of this bock of liturgical melodies from the treasure of the Portuguese
Amsterdam community comes in good time. Though we are aware of the fact that this small but
exclusive Jewish congregation is among the most distinguished ones of world Jewry, its History
is not yet written, especially not concerning its music history. There is a long row of famous
personalities having worked for the realisation of a very special and unique style in musical
liturgy, starting from the 16th century, but many of the connecting links in this long chain
of generations are still missing. The history of the Sephardic comunity in Amsterdam star-
ted about a hundred years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, in 1492, when part of
them tried to survive in Portugal but were again driven to a safer haven after the Union of
Utrecht, in 1572. It was a Jewish ambassador from Morocco to the Netherlands, Samual Palache,
whose settlement in Amsterdamwas followed by an increasing number of immigrants, among them
the first great Spanish-Moroccan Hakham Isaac Uziel (died 1622) who is generally considered
to be the founder of the Portuguese Dutch musical liturgy. He was followed by a number of
great rabbis like Josef Pardo, Avraham Parrar, Aboab de Fonseca and Raphael Aguilar. Several
synagogues were built, with contrasting and often revelling spiritual trends and only with
the dedication in 1675 of magnificent great synagogue, a reunited theological Center was
established. The high time of the Amsterdam community was undoubtedly reached during the
17th and 18th century with personalities like the famous Dr. A.Z Lusitanos, the cabbalist
A. Cohen-Herrera, the playwright A.H. Gomez and the rebel philosophers Uriel da Costa and
Baruch Spinoza. They had also their own Jevish composers of religious and ceremonial Art
music the best known being Abraham Caceres, flourishing during the 18th century (cantata
"Le El Elim", 1738) .

Besides, Amsterdam developed as the greatest center for printing Hebrew religious books,
especially in the printing presses of Manasse Ben Israel (since 1627), Josef Athias, David
de Castro Tartas or Proops. Their prayer books found their way to the most remote Sephardic
communities in Asia and Nort Africa, thus founding the undisputed supremacy of the Sephardic
rite over the whole Mediterranean territories.

During the two last centuries there were many ups and downs of this cnce brilliant
community and there is no doubt that today we are writing its final chapter, Regretingly
we have to admit that in the whole of Israel there is not one synagogue of the Portuguese
Amsterdam rite and it is not even possible to find one minyan among the very last few
families spread over the country. For this reason it is the more rewarding to have met in
Mr. David Ricardo one of the finest, but probably also the last, cantors of his society.
In his personality all the high qualities of a traditional hazan, a professional musician
of Art music and an historian and thinker are united in a most harmonious fashion,
Furthermore, David Ricardo has always felt the moral duty to become the last chronicler
of his own community and for nearly forty years has written down in musical notation,
more than 170 liturgical □ elcdies belonging to the true oral tradition of the Amsterdam
Portuguese synagogue.

In honor of bis 70th anniversary, he decided to publish a series of the most precious
prayer forms taken from the Kadish or Kedusha. The authenticity of these liturgical forms
is doubtlessly guaranteed through his early education and musical liturgy linking up the
cantorial style to the historical cantors of Amsterdam.

Life is like a torch race:

One is handed the torch by the

last generation,
Runs with it for a few laps,
And then hands it over to the

generation that follows"

INTRODUCTION -AND SOME HISTORY

Ever since my earliest youth, I have had two hobbies music and calligraphy I have
always sung dnchoirs; later, I became a choir conductor in the Zionist youth movement in
the Netherlands and wrote - literally - a volume of Zionist songs for it. In the synago-
gue, I served as choir master till I went to Israel in 1933. Indeed, "on en revient
tou jours a ses premiers amour. :" In my old age, I find myself again publishing □ elodres
from my collection of compositions.

There is another - no less important - reason far this publication, This year is the
third centenary of the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam, where the meoldies recorded in
this volume were end still are sung. That synagogue, one of the largest, if not the
largest, in Europe, with its imposing space, its mighty columns its enormous brass
candei labrums with hundreds of wax tapers, has had a seminal influence on many generations
and therefore on their taste and their liturgiesl music.

In 1940, when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands, my first concern was for the cultu-
ral heritage of the community in which I had been born and grown up. That was when I
started recording all the melodies, including those of the cantilation marks for the Bible
readings, which I still remembered, Thus, the "Ricardo Collection", as I called the
result of this labour of love, was born.

There are several reasons why it seemed important to publish the melodies contained
in this volume:

a) They are sung only in Amsterdam, where they came into existence, and nowhere else

b) The notation given here records the form in which they are sung now. To the beet of
my knowledge, there is no other record In the course of the years, they have undergone
certain changes; Dr Israel Adler, in his work "The Music of the Portuguese Comity

in Amsterdam in the 18th Century, " writes (p. 11) : "The manuscript (of Pimnetal) contains
notations for single voice which resemble (my italics) those for single voice from the
18th century manuscript which I have described above-" I include versions copied from
this book and from Pimenatal for comparison with the contemporary form

c) I may be one of the few people who still remember these melodies in their entirety.

Where did these melodies come from and how did they come into existence?

With the wave of Marranos who came to Holland, there also came a wave of Italian
Jewish merchants who settled in Amsterdam; The relations between the two groups were
not as good as they could have been, as witness the constitution of the first school of
the three congregations (Naveh Yaacov, Naveh Shalom and Beth Yisrael) , "Etz Haim" (1631),
which lays down that "Everyone is entitled to study without payment, except Italians,
Germans and Poles" (...que de oye an diante nao posa ninhum italiano o todesco ni polsco
ser permetido a meldar nos dittos midrassim" ; though the prohibition was lifted for the
Italians after two years.

In spite of this undoubted discrimination, the Italian group had a remarkable,
in many cases even decisive, influence. For instance, the robes of the rabbis and
cantors are those of the Italian clergy; the nasal pronunciation of the ayin (ng)
comes from Italy; end so forth, The order of prayer generally differs but little from
that of the other Sephardis. The founders of the Amsterdam community were Marranos -
forced converts to Christianity - whose knowledge of Judaism end Jewish customs was
minimal. Apart from a number of rabbis who were invited from Greece and Turkey, their
spiritual leader was Rabbi Isaac Uziel from Pie in Morocco He came to Amsterdam in
1610, bringing the entire Moroccan ritual with him; he handed his tradition and

-2-

learning down to an entire generation of rabbis and Jewish scholars. One result is that
the cantilation of the torah and ha f tor ah is Moroccan, and so are many other melodies
and customs. On the High Holidays, Morocco dominates; but on the three pilgrimage feasts,
one immediately discerns a different, lighter mood, mainly due to the melodies recorded
here, Thia is the Italian influence. The fact that the composers were members of the
congregation was known to us, but not their names. Dr. Adler brings them now:
De Caseres and Mani (vide Dr. Adler (p. 81) : At all events, the Italian influence seems
manifest . ") .

The material presented here also includes four melodies for Kadish to be sung
communally. This custom is extremely rare; I believe that it is confined to Amsterdam
and its daughter congregations. Interestingly enough, it is contrary to the halacha
as laid down in the JShulhan Arukh.. Nevertheless, the kadish sung by the community is
me of the most dramatic moments of the service.

On the eve of the High Holidays, the melody used is the theme that is specific for
those days (no. 110); the same melody also serves for "Yigda 7 ", "Ein ke'eloheinu" and
"Adon 01am". On the Pilgrimage Feasts, the melody sung nowadays, since there is no
longer any choir, is the original one (159); formerly, a choral adaptation (114) was in
was. The "Great Kadish" — originally designed for "Ein ke'eloheinu" — is reserved
for the eve ofJSimhat Tora. and Shabbat Bereshit; it is of Moroccan origin. Finally,
there is the Kadish of the last Hour" (115), which is sung on the last day oA feast
at the afternoon prayer before "Aleinu " , 3S the feast is "dying".

The one man rho has perhaps had great formative influence on the music of the
Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam was the "Ne'im Zemiroth Yisrael" (1) Elyakim ben
Moshe Alvarez Vega (see portrait) , who was born in Amsterdam in 1846. His grandmother
was a convert from the province of Friesland, and it is to her that he may have owed
the rigid orthodoxy for which the Frisians are known. As was no more "orthodox"
scholar, though, but deeply and sincerely religious. When he died in 1927, his last
words were: "How great are Thy works"; he murmured them several times.

The most impressive display of his cantoral genius were the High Holiday prayers.
He detested coloratura and theatricala, His Great Confession thundered like cannon and
terrified the congregation into an awareness that they had indeed transgressed. Sirota,
who heard him at prayer, testifies that "this i a n has an iron chest and lunge like
bellows". With his mighty voice, he "ironed out" any coloratura which he thought
unnecessary. I cite one example of a melody as recorded by Pimentel, compared with
the version in use today (No, 160) .

Of Vega's election as hazan in 1885, the following tale is told:

The large square on front of the synagogue was full of people waiting for the outcome of
the election, When i was announced that the choice had fallen on Elyakin ben Moshe
Alvarez Vega, the crowd rushed to his house in order to take him to the synagogue in
a carriage, On the way, they released the horses ' traces and pulled the carriage
along themselves, while singing:

"Yega shall be Hazan

Brandon (2) has no chance

Navarro (2) is a poor reader

That 's what the Portuguese say".

Interestingly enough, Dr. Adler (F. 23) relates the story of the election of
another Hazan about a century earlier (in 1772), vhich shows a remarkable similarity
to mine. It shove how central the role of the hazan was in the congregation, if the
"man in the street" liked him.

Hazan Vega has also influenced this collection indirectly. He was my grandfather,
and I grew up at his knees in an atmosphere of hazanuth. Often enough, his trembling
hand would reward me with a sweet for singing some synagogue tune to him, What he
taught me, is reflected in this volume.

Some notes on pronunciation

It is generally said that the Hebrew pronunciation of the Amsterdam Sephardis is
that customary among Sephardis in general, but in fact there are several differences; and
since I use them occasionally, an explanation seems indicated.

a) First of all, the ay in is pronounced ng; I indicate this by the sign

b) Beth is always pronounced as b, whether is has a dagesh or not. I take it
that this is due to the influence of Arabic. Thus, the Amsterdam pronounciation
is U-BIZ-MAN KA-RIB I do not follow this practice and write KA-RIV.

C) Gimel with dagesh is pronounced in the usual way, as a hard g; but without a

dagesh , it is pronounced like khaf, The word r eg a* , for instance, is pronounces
RE-KHMG. To our ear, this is so grating as to sound absurd, so that I do not
use this pronunciation .

d) Heh at the end of a word, with mapik . is pronounced E-HE. I use this only where
it matters from the viewpoint of the tune, as in MAL-KHU-TE-HE (144); othemse,
I write MAL-KHU-T ' HE .

e) The vowel tsere sounds like the English i in "pit". I render this as I( BIT— Y
IS-RA-IL), though I have not been consisten on this point.

f) Shva before yod is pronounced i (VI-YATS-MAKH, EL-Y&rDO) . This is general
Sephardi practice, and I mention it only for the Ashkenazi reader, who may not
familiar with it.

And now I will express my deep thankfulness to all who encouraged end help me,
specially my family, who enabled this publication.

And last not least to you, Prof. Ester Gersom-Kiwi for the kind interest you showed
every time in my work.

Rishon Letsion, Teveth 5735 (January 1975) .

David Ricardo

' ' Vega s competitors for the office of hazan.

The official title of the hazan.

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FROM OUR READERS

To The Editor

I would appreciate your providing space in your forthcoming
issue for a few lines anent some typographical errors that crept in-
to two of my recent articles.

The Psalmist, Sh'giyot mi yavin, recognizes the difficulty in-
volved in avoiding errors. One with so atrocious a handwriting as
mine should expect an abundance of them.

My article on music in Sholom Aleichem does indeed contain
errors in abundance. Since, however, most of these concern spelling
and punctuation and the few that affect phrasing and style will-1
trust -be noted by the careful reader, I am content to ignore them.

However, in my recent article 'The Subject is J ewish Music"
there is a factual error which I am constrained to correct. On page
46, I refer to "the far more popular setting of Dunajewski". As the
word far became four I wish to spare a conscientous reader from
searching for three nonexistent settings of Psalm 118.

The article (in the same issue) of Eleanor G. Mlotek is superb.

Warm regards,

Max Wohlberg

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