JOURNAL
OF SYNAGOGUE MUSIC
December 1978 / Kislev 5739
VOLUME VIII
Number 4
CONTENTS
The Development of the Office of Hazzan
Through the Talmudic Period Hyman I. Sky 3
Minhac Ashkenaz: A Millenium InSong Abraham Lubin 33
Outline for a Project in Synagogue Music Shalom Kalib 4
DEPARTMENTS
Music Section 42
"DieSchonsten Lieder der Ostjuden"
Review of New Music 67
"Kabbolas Shabbos," by Harold Klein
Jon™ of synagogue «vsic, V o I u m e VIII, Number 4
December 1978 / Kislev 5739
edimr: Morton Shames
managing editor: Samuel Rosen baum
editorial board: J acob Barkin, David Brandhandler, Joseph Gole,
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Spiro, Max Wohl berg.
businessmanager : Y ehudah M andel
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no is a quarterly publication. The sub-
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Copyright © 1978, Cantors Assembly
THEDEVELOPMENTOFTHE
OFFICEOFHAZZAN
THROUGHTHETALMUDICPERIOD
by
HYMAN I. SKY
A Dissertation
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
The Dropsie University
Broad and York Streets
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19132
1977
THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE OFFICE OF HAZZAN
THROUGH THE TALMUDIC PERIOD
What follows is the first chapter of a ground-breaking doctoral
thesis written by Hazzan Hyman I. Sky. He received his Doctor
of Philosophy from The Dropsie University in J une 1977.
We believe that this is an important document on many
grounds. First, because it is, to our knowledge, the only study of
this kind available to us. Second, because it illuminates a period
which has heretofore been a mystery to most of us. Third, because
this is a work about hazzanut by a distinguish&d hazzan.
Hazzan Sky is a talented member of a well-known rabbinic fam-
ily and with this work carries on a family tradition of scholarship
and service. He is currently the hazzan of Beth Shalom Congregation
in Kansas City, Missouri.
We are grateful to The Dropsie University for permission to
reprint this chapter which stands very well on its own, since it is,
in essence, a summary of the entire dissertation.
PREFACE
It is in the nature of a truism to state that Jewish
history is as much a study of principal Jewish institutions
as it is of the develooment of its legal system or a study
of the lives and influences of its dominant personalities,
The two major institutions that provided the dominant foci
for Jewish religious life were the Sanctuary in Jerusalem
and the ubiquitous synagogue. A part of the Talmudic sources'
treatment of these institutions was an examination of their
functionaries. A functionary common to both the Temple and
the synagogue was the bazzan (haknesseth). After the Destruc-
tion we still find a synagogue bazzan . He is joined, however,
by two additional functionaries, the shallab tzibbur and the
me tur g ewan . At the same time, he is confronted by two addi-
tional functions, ovelr/yoreid lifnei hateibah and porei.3
et/al Shema .
In general terms, the thrust of this study is directed
towards eliciting (a) the etymology of the term "bazzan, "
(b) the function of the Temple hazzan , (c) the function of
the synagogue bazzan during both the Tannaitic and Amoralc
periods, (d) the underpinnings of the needs that led to the
eventuation of a shallab tzibbur and the nature of his minis-
trations, (e) the nature of the function of the ovelr/yoreld
and who performed it and finally and similarly, (f) the
nature of the function of the porels and who performed it .
The specific purpose of this study is to clarify the
relationship, if any, between the fciazzan and the shaliah
tzibbur, the two major functionaries. The Talmudic sources
point out their separateness , In the post-Talmudic period,
the functions have already merged. The analysis treats (a)
the reasons for, and the period of time of, the merging and
(b) the communal status of either or both.
Although others have treated the hazzan/shaliah tzibbur ,
these investigations have been peripheral to studies of the
synagogue, the community, or the literary aspects of the
prayer rubrics. I hope that my contribution to studies in
this field lies in the scrutiny of all the relevant sources
and the conclusions to which they lead. My study shows that
the ubiquitous hazzan , probably salaried, was forced to
assume the function of " shaliah tzibbur " so as to deal with
a "canonized" liturgy. This assumption of functions took
place after the close of the Talmudim, but before the begin-
ning of the seventh century. Internal changes in the functio
and character of the "new" hazzan caused a lowering of the
status previously accorded to the shaliah tzibbur .
This study, in great measure, represents the influence
of my late revered teacher, Dr. Solomon Zeitlin {n"</).
Dr. Zeitlin' s sudden passing was as much a personal loss as
it was witness to the further diminution of that special
scholarship that the late nineteenth-century and early
twentieth-century Eastern European Jewish communities pro-
duced. His was a rare combination of quiet modesty and in-
tellectual enormity. I thank him for his constant availability
and encouragement.
I acknowledge with thanks the interest, concern, and
guidance offered by Dr. Solomon Grayzel and Dr. Theodore
H. Gaster. Their suggestions, prodding and advice provided
a constant reservoir of insights into the area of academic
research.
With Dr. Zeitlin's passing, a large part of the burden
of guiding this study to a successful completion fell upon
the shoulders of Dr. Sidney B. Hoenig. Dr. Hoenig, one of
my earliest teachers as an undergraduate at Yeshiva Univer-
sity, is one of Dr. Zeitlin's most prestigious students. He
assumed responsibility long after the largest part of the
research and writing had been completed. 1 thank him for
the time and active concern that he invested.
I extend my thanks to the Libraries of the Dropsie
University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, the University
of Pennsylvania, St. Paul's Methodist Theological Seminary,
Kansas City, Missouri, and Central Baptist Seminary, Kansas
City, Kansas for their largesse in making the necessary
materials available to me.
1 also thank Mrs. Mary Lou Curl for her painstaking
handling of what had to be a task bordering upon the edges
of unsufferable tediumi the handling of the final type-
script.
I regret that my revered father. Rabbi Yehudah Leib
Sky (n"y) , and mother, t,Iayya (n"y) , as well as my revered
father-in-law, Benzion Yehuda Gold (n"y) , and mother-in-
law, Libby (n"y) , passed away before the completion of
this work. They provided constant living examples of con-
cern for Torah as well as encouragement and concern.
Above all, I thank my wife, Zena, and my children,
Adam and Shira, for the patience and tolerance that was re-
quired of them in the face of my seemingly endless preoccu-
pation.
Although many minds and hands have had input upon the
contents of this paper, errors in fact and judgement remain
TALMUDIC TRACTATES
•Ab. Z.
= 'Adoba Zara
Maas.
=
Maasrot
Ab.
= Aboth
Maksh
=
Makshirim
•Arak.
= * Arak in
Mak.,
Makk.
=
Makkot
B. B.
= Baba Bathra
Meg.
=
Meg ilia
B. K.
= Baba Kamma
Me'il
=
Me'ila
B. M.
=» Baba Metzia
Men.
=
Menah.ot
Bekh.
= Bekhorot
Mid.,
Midd.
=
Middot
Ber.
= Berakhot
Mikw.
=
Mikwaot
Betz.
= Betza
M. K.
=
Moed Katan
Btkk.
= Bikkurim
Naz.
=
Nazir
Dem.
= Deraai
Ned.
=
Nedarim
•Eduy.
= ' Eduyot
Neg.
=
Negaim
• Er . , ' Erub .
= "Erub in
Nid.,
Nidd.
=
Nidda
Git., Gitt.
= Gittin
Ohol.
=
Ohalot
tfag.
= tfagiga
'Crl.
=
•Orla
*tal.
= Walla
Par.
=
Para
Hor.
= Horayot
Pea.
=
Peah
tful.
= yullin
Pes.
=
Pesahim
Kel.
= Kelim
R. H.
=
Rosh Hashana
Ker.
= Keritot
San. ,
Sanh.
=
Sanhedrin
Ket.
= Ketubot
Shab. ,
, Shabb.
-
Shabbat
Kid., Kidd.
= Kiddushin
Shev.
=
Shevi'it
Kil.
= Kil'aim
Shevu,
=
Shevuot
Kin.
= Kinnim
Shek.
-
Shekalim
Maas. Sh.
= Maaser Sheni
Sot.
=
Sotah
Suk.
Sukk.
■ Sukka
•Uktz.
= "Uktzin
Taan
= Taanit
Yad.
= Yadaim
Tarn.
= Tamld
Yeb.
= Yebamac
Tern.
= Temura
Yom.
= Yoraa
Ter,
= Terumot
Zab.
= Zabim
Tev.
Y.
= Tevul Yom
Zeb.
■ Zebahtm
Toh.
= Toharot
ABBREVIATIONS
Ab.
d«
R.
N.
Ag.
w.
B
AJSLL
Albeck Festschrift
Anal. Blbl.
Baron , JC
CAD
CAH
CBQ
Abot h d 'R. Nathan
The Americ a n Journal of Semitic
Languages an d Lit e ratures
Sefer Ha Yov el L'R. Hanokh Albeck
Mug ash al Y'del Ta lmidav, Y'd ldav,
U-Mokira i
Shanah,
A na le e ta_ _ B ib lio teca
Anti quit ies of the Jews
Agai nst Apion
Anglican The o 1 o gi cal Review
Baby lor
i Talmud
Babylonian Amoraim. The sub-
number represents the genera-
tion! 1 = c. 219 - 257 j 2 =
257 - 320-, 3 = 320 - 375 ! 4 =
375 - 427i 5 = 427 - 468, 6 =
468 - 500.
Brown, F.i Driver, S. R. t and
Briggs, C, A,, A H ebrew and
English Le xic on of th e Old
Testament "(r907^repr7T9T9)
ver slty of C hicago , ed . Ignace
J, Gelb, Benno Landsberger, and
A. Leo Oppenheim.
Cambridge Ancient_History
Catholic Biblical Quarterly
12
cic
CMH
C. S. C. 0.
fol.
Frey, CIJ
Ges. - K. (C)
Gottesdienst
Corpus Iuris Civ llls , Vol. I
Ins tltutiones , ed. Paul Krueger s
D igesta , ed, Theodore Mommsen,
rev. Paul Krueger; Vol. II Codex
Iu stian us, ed. and rev. Paul
Krueger; Vol. Ill Novellae, ed.
Rudolf Schoell, rev. Julius
Kroll.
Codex Ju stianus, vid. CIC II.
Cambridge Mediev al Histo ry
Rabbinowitz,
in M is chn am_ <
l onicum
[., Varl ae Lect lonls
: i n Talmud Baby -
Gesenlus ' Hebrew Grammar as Edl-
ted_and Enlarged by th e late E.
Kautzch , tr. by A. E. Cowley
Der jlidische G ottesd ienst In
seiner geschichtllc hen Ehtw i ck-
lung
Hasting 's Dictiona ry of the
HERE
HTR
HUCA
HWDJ Be rli n
Harvard Theologica l Rev iew
Hebrew Union College Annual
Ber leht_ derHpchschu le fii r die
Wissenschaft des Judenthums In
Berlin
Israel Exploration Journal
Israel Exploration Societ y
Palestinian Talmud
JAOS
JBL
JJS
JNES
Jos.
JPOS
JPS, J.
P. S.
JQR, J.
0. R.
JR
JRS, J.
R. S.
JSS
JSeS
JThS
Judaism
Journal of the American Oriental
Journal of Bi b lical Literature
The Jewish Encyclopedia
j udlsch t
lschaf t"
Journal of Jewish Studies
the Journal of Near East Studies
Flavlus Josephus
; Oriental
i Society of
The Jewis h Quarterly Review
The Journal o f Re ligion
The Journal of Roman Studies
Jewi sh Social Studies
Journal of Semitic Studies
Journal of T heo log ical St udie s
W. , Lexicon in Veteris Testamentl
Llbros (1958)
Krauss Festschrift
=
Sefer HaYovel L'Prcf. Samuel
Krauss, L'mal'-at Lo Shiv'im
Shan ah, Jerusalem i 1930
LCL, L_
-
Loeb Classical Library
Les Juifs...
=
J. Juster, Les Juifs dans 1' Empire
romain
^aljn.
-
Maimonides
«GWJ
=
Monatsschrift fur Geschlchte und
Wissenschaft des Judenthums
Monumenta Talmudlca
Mahsor Vitry
ed. M. Hlgger
Palestinian Amoralm the sub-
number Indicates the generatloi
1 = 219 - 279s 2 = 279 - 320|
3 = 320 - 359
Pauly-Wlssowa . P.-W.
PEFQ St
Peru shim
RE J
R. 0. C.
ed. Georg Wlssowa
Buchler, A., Die Priester und der
Cultus , tr . from the German to
Hebrew by Naphtall Glnton
Palestine
Exploration Fund
Ouar-
terly Statement
Perushim V
"-Wlddushlm hi-
Yerushalmi
Revue des
fi tudes
julves
Revue de 1
■Orient Chretien
SA,
S. A.
Sanhedrin
TCL
Tut
OH
Tur
ShA
Synagogale Alter-
Textes Cuneiformes du Louvre
Tur^Orab. Hayyim.
1\ir Shu lban Arufch
Vetu8 Testamentum
The Jewish Mars
ZAW
ZDPV
Die Welt des Orients, wlssen-
schaftliche Beltrase zur Kunde
des Morgenlandes
ed. Zuckermandel
Zeltschrlft
fiir Asyrlologle
und
verwandte Gebiete
Zeltschrlft
fur die altestan
llche Wlssei
ischaft
Zeltschrlft
des deutschen
Palastlna-V<
jreins
D£F INITIOiiS
helm Bacher, art. "Dunash Ibn Labrac", J_E V,
pp. llb-13a (citing a sizable bibliography [p. 13b]) in-
dicates no exact date for Dunash. B. Pick, "The Study
of the Hebrew Language among Jews and Christians," B iblio-
theca Sacra 41 (July 1884), p. 466, arbitrarily gives
Dunash' birthdate as "about 920 A.D." and the date of his
death as "A.D. 980."
ed. Dr. Robert Schroter (BresTauT 1866) , p7~~56,~f>i7o/~s7vi
saw parallels in the development of the Biblical term
"hammanim" (o'lon) and the development of the term
"haz zan " ■ According to him, "hazzan " was a derivative of
"hazzah " (nrn) , the Aramaic "to see", through the same
process that yielded " haiTvnan " from the Hebrew " hammah "
cized Hebrew word." 4
The question of the validity of Dunash' exegesis 5
is secondary to the technique that he used. It was the
application of rabbinic dialectics to the elucidation of
questions of etymology. This technique was identical to
3 Always found in the plural dmdh. See Lev, 26.30
--D3'jsn ns 'nu.iii Isa. 17. 8-- a'jnni o'lrnni , Jer.
27.9— omoih o'I^k mp^'K 1 ?; Ez. 6.4~-i3»Ji o^ninnTo loin
oj'ian ; Ez. 6.6-- ::']on lyun Di'^iii in:;n ; 2 Ch.
14.4-- a':an.i nn ma:n n« ... lO'i ; 2 Ch. 34.4-- a'jon.ii
yu o,v>ya n'jyc'? in ; 2 Ch. 34.7-- n i o':onn >:i .
^Dunash, loc . cit.i Tan Vpro <?y ]in >.i?n nan jnai"
"•3i«: 2ii?5 'i:y nni .nan [ u jam nn T •> j.nr < d ■? . On
the "derivation" of Jon from nan see DDB p. 328f., s.v.jan
andnsn as well as K-B Lex . . p. 311, s.v. i=n . Both BDB and
m indigenous Phoenician, Nebatean
i-pillar or altar."
ion has been shown to be an incense altar. On
the term see K. Elliger, "Chammanim-Masseben7 " ZAW . 57
(1^39), po. 236-65; idem. "Der Sinn des Wortes Chamman , "
ZOPV, 66 (1943), po. 129-39; H. Ingholt, "I.e sens du mot
Hamnan", Helnn sos syriens offerts a M. R. Dussaud. 11 (1939/
40), on. 795-R02; 1.. Zie^ler, "Tonkasten aus Uruk , Babylon
und Assur", ZA , 13 (1948), pp. 224-40; R. De Lanphe,
"L'autel d'or," Anal. Bib I. , 10 (1959), pp. 342-60; M. Haran,
"The Use of Incense, " VT. 10 (1960), pp. 113-29.
6 Moses H. Segal, "Misnaic Hebrew and its Relation
18
of the mid-second century in his obviously antiquarian
placement of ham manlm on contemporary second-century
roofs. 7 Nathan b. Yehiel (1035-1106), author of Sefer
Arukh (lily 130 ) , 8 the earliest lexicon of the Talmud
and Midrash extant, used this same method. R. Nathan
stated, "...the Targum [Aramaic] of the Hebrew "roeh"
(nun) is 'Vizeh" (nrin) , because he [the hazzan] has
to see..." Q [not to sunervisej. R. Nathan, in turn, pro-
vided the basis for the lexigraohic treatment of "h azzan "
by David b. Josenh Abudarham (c. 1340), 10 Elijah Levita
(1430-1589), n Menahem b. Judah de Lozano (died after
1608), 12 Philione d'Aquin (c. 1 57R- 1 650) , l 3 and Moses
' J£iL o.s. , 20,4 (July,
\S.ifra on inn on Lev. 26,1, Ferek 9 (ed. Weis s.
S.ifra on ' n f n 3 on Lev. 26,30, Perek 6 (ed . We i s s . fol. 112a)
indicates that these a' 3 on were the devices for Idolatry
N.Y., 1946, fol. 128b,
1963), p.~126, s.v. jT
aS halem , ed . Werthe:
ShulzinRer, Tel .V
Chaldaicum et Ta lr
A bsolutiss i mum Hebr :
Israel Landau ( 1 788- 1 85 2) . ' U
The Arukh even set the specific lexigraphic ton
for the non- Jewish investigators. Johannes Buxtorf I
0564-1629), 15 John I.ightfoot ( 1 602- 1 675 ) , ] 6 and Compeg
Vi tring a (1669-1722) 17 specifically ouoted and used its
terminology. Although the "scientific" lexicographers
assumed "liberated" approaches, Jacob levy (1819-1892)"
and Marcus Jastrow ( 1 829- 1 903 ) ] 9 tended to support the
contention that the terminology "bazzan" «as dependent
s des Talmud s, die Targu.min und liidras
, 111 (Prague. 1819), PP. i9ff., s.v. ,
Ta lmud icum et Rabbi nicu m, ed .
Johannes Buxtorf iFTBa sel r~To"3"3J , p r^730f "; ,""s . "v
"Referendum es proorie ad nin [sic]."
16 The V.'hole Works oLVv._J hn Lightfoot, D.D., ed .
Rev. John - - . - r i'm->n (London 7' 1 S22)~V.~ "HarmonVbf the
Four Evangelists," p. 119, s.v. "n = i n ' > r : "and the
tr. Robert Gandell (Oxford: 1859)^11, p. °0f . , "and~The '
Targum [sic} renders the word nun by the word •"> ' 1 " ";
idem., ed. Rev. John Pitman, XI, p. 83i " l»n , th at is,
£ if ' <r* ottoJ or •overseer"".
17 De Syna p.oga Vetere (Franekcr. 16 96), p. 900.
Vitringa basesliis statement on Buxtorff, op. cit., supra,
n. 15.
die TJt.iU^i1 tdr-Lii'i.ll (Lei. ' 76) > 29b~
s.v. pii i "von in od. Tin . Grndw. in ",
'^Dictionary of the Targumim ± _thc Ta Lmud Babli
v, i r shalt , in _th Mid rash c Litei it re (l ndon >n<
New York. 1886-1003; reor. ed . H.Y.i 1943) I, p. 444b, s.v.
The exceptions to this lexigraphic contention were
linguistic in nature. Jacobus fttienfordius ( 1 654- 1 7 1 2 ) , 20
followed by Joseph Perles ( 1 335- 1 894 ) , 21 suggested that
the term " hazzan " , because of the nature of the function,
was more probably a derivation of the Arabic "khazin"
( [J j l>)--"treasurer". Alexander Kohut ( 1 34 2- 1 894 ) 22
added the further suggestion that the origins of the ter-
minology " hazzan " might be found in the Arabic "khazanat"
( Aj \jcr)-. "attendant , whose support devolves upon us
[sic]. "23
The consensus of all the aforementioned writers
focussed upon the dependence of the terminology for the
b. Yehiel did, that "hazzan", as used in the Talmud ic
sources, indicates the congruency of the office of " hazzan "
2 W Ptiosis (V,
xxi, coT.~5 n~ ~TTn , , m , " .
. . .per mit explicit. "
21 r -t-/molo gisc he S tudien zur Kunde der rabbinischen
Spr.i ch und Alter thun skundo~(3reslaui~1 371) nnT!7r,"v.
lin nnd p. 106, s.v. >:!:«: "ar. |un.» Terles also
offers alternative Persian [sic] sources.
22 Aruch ComLetU'Ti sive Lexicon vocabula ct_rc;, nunc
in_libris Targunicls, Talmudicis et "Hidr aschici s "con "t in'en" tur ,
e xniica ns lu ctore Ita thane filio Jcchiolis ~(Vi^n*7~Vi7°'-Q~>T
III, p. 359a, s.v. iin , on the first-- n > n lau 'dOj^V'c
and that of "sh'liab tzi bbur " ^-- " le ^at us ecc lesjafi" 25 --
"representative of the con £ re K ation in nrayer". 26 Judah b.
Isaac (1166-1224) 27 and Asher b. Yebiel (c. 1 250-1 323) , 28
among the early scholars, had already taken excention to
Kohut grappled with this particular aspect of the
investigation and came to similar conclusions. However,
Kohut was a product of nineteenth century scholarship that
suggested that (a) from a linguistic standpoint, Arabic was
the proto-Semitic language and that the subsequent linguis-
^Both n<
Vt and n
-* will be disc
:ussed i
nfra
25 The earl
occlesiae" that I
mranhrastically
S89.
iest citat
have boon
for Ti:i
ion of the tern
able to find,
n'^r by Vitrir
lino logy
"le-
'-' nr >i::~ ri 3 1 3 isa , ed . Isaac Goldman (Warsaw
repr. ed. tl.Y. : 1( 5i7). n. 20b on M. Ber. V4 (b.34a),
1J1 " :D,) " n " ,nK 12K n:s " l ""' nn ,JD > r":i'n "s r
T "ri j-dh'3 '3in psynon Km ,m '3 Kin niyoi in':,i
«i"^ '•' T"n « = >«-..'n3in »t -najin »'im> ^sn:,i
28 =Rosh on Ber. V #17 and Keg. Ill ,7'2l : n'fl
"■M)":n-: '^n poynan mn 7 t r. i k i n sic ni;oi r"? 1'
29 Gf. J. Steinhardt, 1 °'' m?T n
#13, d. 17a, s.v. zpd ny . Steinhardt
to task for his characterization of the Aru kh's statement
the " hizzanic " status of the r"~ by citing the further
supervisory duties assigned to him in the literature.
tic developments were the results of the waves of emigration
that originated in the Arabian Peninsula 30 but (b) the
"Jewish" languages were the autochthones, the "original,
primitive" languages of the "Palestinian" area. 1
proposed "base-words " could have yielded the permutations
that eventuated in "h azza n" from supposed "Aramaic" and/
or "Arabic" sources. 32 But, substantive studies of Akka-
dian texts 33 indicate that as early as the period of
Ur III 34 (2400-2200 B.C.e.), there were officials of small
za-an-num M ara d. da k1 ". 35 Old Babylonian, an Akkadian
dialect, 36 (2000-1500 B.C. 2.) shows this same title. Al-
30 This "classical" view is most clearlv expounded
Brockelman (C. nrockelman, Jlrundriss der_ver c lcichendei
;T^atik_dcr_scmi_ti5Chen_Sorach_en I (Berlin! 1^08); mH
13 inti 2 1 ; cf. William Wright, lectu res in t he C ompara-
•e Grammar of the Semitic Langtn ? -s~7C-.mb"riclp,e: 189077"
7ff, and the other authorities mentioned there.
31 Vid. ibid. , p. 4ff .
3 2,-,
T" '
md
"z," nnd
h am
3 r br
in"
i deb ted to
►CA0
VI
, p. 163b,
'ibid
p . 1 64 n ,
ire in fact c
*" and "<V\
"kh(h)".
it. , p. 6, -42. 2-2.3.
though, to a large degree, "hazannu" of this period might
have been replaced by rnbi/Mu, thus explaining its rarity,
this "officer" when found, appeared as witness to legal
documents. J7 The old Babylonian Alalah 38 as well as the
somewhat younger Mari, 30 Middle Babylonian, 40 El Amarna, 41
-Has Samra, 47 ' tluzi, 43 and Middle Assyrian 44 texts, all dated
in the last half of the second millenium K.C.C., as well as
vD, op. cit., o. 164a
■ Giacumakis, Jr., The Akka
dianof Alalah (The Hague/Paris: 1970), p. 77f.
"hazannu". Cf the fourteen citations of 1
g)^n^iiI^eV^' "—---' ^
jy ttosCf-ti, op. cit., p. 9, f/3.8; CAD, op. cit.,
>. 164a.
40 Moscati, op. cit., p. 6, - j ;2.3; CAD, ibid.; Gia-
:umakis, op. cit., p. 17, -;/1.3, indicates that these were
if the two basic levels of the excavations that yielded
nscriptionr,. All of those of levels IV, III, II, and I
■an be identified "as coming from the Middle Babylonian
>eriod."
. , p. 9, J ,'3.i'0; CAD, ibid.
., p. 9, ,«.9 and #3.10; CAD, ibid.
. , p. 164a, b; Moscati, op.
nillen:
Lum B.C.E., ^ used "hazannu
" to indicat
e "mayo
Local r
-uler of a city under the c<
^ntrol of an
t>,ypci.<
rnbis,
.•-official," 47 "ma B istrat<
s or sheriff
\ 43 "ac
trator of i region," 49 "appointee of the king," 50 unspeci-
fied member of the bureaucratic hierarchy, 51 a religious
f<inctionary, 52 a s "headmen" 53 and even as a personal name. 5
In Middle Assyrian, Nuzi, New Assyrian, and New
Babylonian "hazannutu, hazanutu, haziannutu "^ 5 indicated
t5 CAD, on. cit., p. 164b (above); Koscati, on. cit.,
p. 6, ^2.3. Dr. Gaster has directed me to G. A. Cooke, A
Text Book of Nort h Semitic In scriptions (Oxford. 1903), pp.
70-7 1 , ex. ','21, 11. 4-5, from Cyprus in the fourth century
B.C.E., Djyin , which Cooke translates "prefects". Cf. on
this Charles-F. Jean and Jacob Hoftijzer, Dictlonnai re des
inscriptions semltlques de l'ouest (Leiden ■ 1965), p. 85,
s.v. >,n 1. 23.
46 In "ari, Old Babylonian Alalah, Has Samra , Nuzi,
riddle Assyrian, Hew Assyrian, Hew Babylonian (CAD, op. cit
M t)eu Babylonian (CAD, on. cit., op. 164b, 165a
49 New Babylonian (CAD, idem.).
50 cl Amarna, New Babylonian (Ibid.).
5, Hiddle and Mew Babylonian (CAD, op. cit., p.
b.).
52 tiew Babylonian, Middle Babylonian (CAD, od. c
p. 165b).
53 Kiddle Babylonian (idem.).
Ill and as late as New Assyria]
New Babylonian
t
55 CAD,
(Middle .\ SS vri
id<
fore be based
ficial back fo
, indicates that hjszianu is younp.er
:h-in hazan(n)u (l.'r lTD~nd must the!
popular etymology (HZ' 7 ) "as an art
the office of "mayor". 56 We muse therefore concLude that
the Jewish-Aramaic term for the functionary " hazzan " was a
Loanword from the Akkadian, 7 thus too early to have been
a derivative of the later Aramaic " haz "/" hazzah " . 8 The
function " hazzan " (jin) with af formative " ]" would have
had to be a H~T-i va M--> not of " hazz ah" (ntn) , but rather
of " haz " (in) . " Ijazzah " would have had to provide a sub-
stantive analogous to the pattern " kinyan " (l'Jp) from
" kanah " (nap) where the original radical "'" is reduced
to a "n" . H2H is precarious as a root for "supervisor".
The attempt to derive hazzan, in the sense of "supervisor"
from the roots JjZH or gZY immediately does battle with the
fact that the verb in question, UZH , always means "to see"
and never "to oversee" 60 which latter could be P^D ( i ? d )
61
Akkadi
56 CAD, OD. cit., D. 165 (b
• 57 GAD, on. cit., n. 165b.
Lsche Fremdvortcr als Bewei;
elow) s.
Cf. He
; fur bal
v. "haz.-nnutu 1
inrich Zimmern
Kulturelnf lu:
Bruno Meissnc
Soden (Wiesb,
"hazannum I",
ss^_(Leipzigi 1917) i
;r, Akkadisches !!and>.
idens 1074), I.ieferur
, "h.iznnnu(m)H", "h*
.-.ISO A. H. Oodbern,
lities of the S-i^anid
3. 6, n. 3 "...das
:adischrn." Cf.'rassi
•■brterbuch ed . Wolfram
i!> 1 , pn. 338b, 339a,
,za(n)nutu(m)".
"Political, Religious
Teriod," AJSLL, 21 (
in a list of n-mes an-
!5-bvlonien und Aosvr
Ifv?
Social
n. 77,
S^Soe
' h.iznm
< lb err;:'
', der '
scho Ui
and
1905)
d
titles
l'n20-?5) I, 'n!"";. '
(•J»ide
Be*mte
anuV" Sl
:*dte h.-bf-n ei,
quoting Vorde
also H. Winck
las Alte Testa,
r;ene
/•siati
.bliotek VII 56, VI 8
4 . Cf ,
on und c
and H.
Zinvner
m 190j
sches i
59 Cf.
(Berli
Assyri
1) on. 194, 196 end 1
Inndworterbuch (Leioz
93. Cf. .ilso f. Deli
iff: 1896) o. 272a.
708 and Cos. - K. (C)
tzsch,
II. K'HSS S ETH/K'UISH TA ( «n~3 a/n o ] 3 )
A significant proportion of the earliest datable
Jewish references 63 to "b azzan " are found as "b^azzan
h a'knes seth" (nosjn ]in) . The Diblical vocabulary in-
cludes "kanas" {on) , bh albeit in "later" books 65 whos.
vocabularies had to have been influenced by the ling ua
franca of their times, Imperial Aramaic. 66 The term has
been found in non-Jewish sources, as early as the Punic
as "kanash" (ffJ3) . However, the terms " k'nesseth "
;EJ3, no. R2
Ci-n
Hy n.
96 7 d
.v. a
IfD
and
773
a f f . ,
'?3 .
_B2_3, d. 1054b, s.v. tpt ;
6 3A ltW ,h v, have s
termed "hTZzanu", >zz.inul
Semitic, but not Jewish. '.
am those of Tannaitic time
"The Tannaitic Hazzan."
64 M
indelkern, Concordance. ■ ■ , p. 588f,
OD See I-oscati, op. cit., o. 11, s.v. : /3.18.
67 Wrirht, op. cit., op. 73-74, and Toscati. oo. cit.,
dp, 43-45 indicate that the Hebrew form i", T and 3 are
interchangeable with the Aramaic T" and '3 . Vid . Jean and
Hoftijzer, op. cit., n. 123. s.v. in . Tor the histori-
cal development of this pnenomenon, especially in Old South
Arabian, see A.F.L. Beeston, "Arabian Sibilants", JSeS, VII
(1962), op. 222-33. "
n and Hoftijzer, ibid., lists no unt'i:. Hie
T.irRUiiim on Che i'onCiteuch, which were probably the earlie
however, use «nmf D r Biblical Hebrew texts for "a either
inp,", it least for 1 ' a*'" 1 («c. 23:16; 34:22), n" 1 ** (Lev. 2
36: Uu. 29:35; Dt . 16.8), my (Ex. 12:19; 16:22; 34:31;
38.25; Lev. 4:15; 8.3,4,5; 9:5; 10:6, 17; 24:14, 16; .\'u. 1
IS; 3.7; 4:34; 10:2, 3; 13:26; 14:1, 2, 10, 27, 35, 36;
15:24, 33, 35, 36; 16:2, 3, 5, 6, 9, l], 16, 19, 21, 22
(only in Onkelos, not in I"ar 5 um Yerusha lmi) , 24, 26; 17:5,
7, 10, 11; 20.1, 3, 11, 22, 27, 29: 25.7 (only in Onkelos,
not in Targu-n Yerushalmi); 26:9, 10; 27:2, 3, 14, 16, 19,
21, 22; 31:13, 26, 27, 43; 35:12, 24, 25.
69 Cf. Ex. 23:16-- ...tsck:.. . vck.t im;
Targ. Jon.: . . o:]:a:. . .Krm *;ni. Targ . Onk . : «;m
...n)32:...K3]Di, Ex. 34.22 vok.t ini; Tare. Jon.:
..KrJ^T mni; Targ. Onk. : . . . ktj ai Kim. Lev. 23:36-- nuy
...ten; Tar^. Jon.-.- ■ • P ' 'in pr'aa. Targ. OnkJ . . . 1 l nn jt'i
Nu. 29.35 ."".in m" Tar*. Jon .:. . . j l ' nn i'c':d ; Tar^ .
Onk urn m, As indicated suora, n. 68, all refer-
ences to niy nre translated HniUin the Targumim with
only two exceptions, «s noted.
70 CAD VIII, on. 114ff., s.v. "kamasu A", lb., p.
1155. as well as o. 116f . , 4b.
eludes
73
In :
,h" ln»») , tl
:hat "sh atiah "
:he fifth centi
oerfect, Peil.'
"Tzibbur
; Biblical i
of the £
licate "p.\" i
J See ttandelkern, Thesaurus. ■ ■ , pp. 1173ff.,
300, 1. 50 and n. 301, 11. 58-9, citin<? A. Cowley,
ri of the F ifth Century B.C . (Oxford ■ Clarendoi
s, 1923), p. 62, :)Z\, 1. 3 ;
d. 89, #26, 1. 6.
/K J~an-Hoft
"lir" , 11.
:ijzer, Die Cionn -lire . . . , c
«o. cit. , d. 290,
22-3, citins O'Callaghan
., Orient-ilia
XVIII
, d. 135. As
Jean-Hof tijzer nut it ".
. .ici Sins. abs.
d'un
e sens • totalite, groupe '
". Cf. also Alt,
ye (i
949), r>. 280
and Gordon, JjlES VIII, pc
.. 109 and 1 13.
to the Jewish community. Since this com-nunity was, by def-
inition, religiously oriented, we c.-in suggest, by extension,
that " tzibbur " in the Talmudic provenance indicated the
religious Jewish community, a religious Jewish assembly,
or a group fathered for Jewish religious purposes. 79
Both b azzan (haknesseth) and sh'liah t zibbu r were
ubiquitous communal functionaries in the context of Tal-
be found in the Biblical literature. Hor did they appear
in the Talmudic contexts at the same time. It will be
shown 80 that the bazzan ( hakne sseth) can be found in pre-
Destruction days, while sh ' li a h tzibbur can be dated only
as early as the period of R. Gamaliel II, at the turn of
the first century of the common era. 81
Dr. Gaster has directed me to Cyrus Gordon, Ugaritic Text-
book (Rome. 1965), n. 472. There, in #2142 we find ^SBK 71
(Tax) --"team of workers", "band of worker s "..." SB:if ARY"
(HZY) =L ™J="kinsmen." ^
fra, Chan. II, "The Tannaitic Uazzan "
81 See infra, Chap. IV, "The Talmudic She' liab
Tzibbur "
These circumstances orovide us with a number of
r investigation beyond the parameters of "defini-
nd "linguistics". We have already noted that the
zzan" is totally absent from the text of Scripture
ther Jewish literature dated prior to the Talmudic
i.e. 225 B.C.e. to 500 C.£., or from any non-
emitic epigraphic source subsequent to the fourth
B.C.e. 82 How can we explain this absence of the
zzan " from the vocabulary of the Biblical canon,
ture that represented a period lasting a millenium
83 Part of the solution lies in the fact that the
presents only part of the literary production ot
ers of the Biblical period. 84 There were parts
rant books, as well as complete works, of which
82 Cooke, A Text Book... , op. cit., p. 70, #21, 11.
4-5 1 Diym n , dated fourth century B.C.E. found in the
necropolis of Kition outside Old Lanarka , Cyprus. Cooke, p.
71, ad. loc, indicates "only met with here."
four different or ob lens ' connected 'with the vocabulary of
the f'ishna when viewed from the standpoint of Biblical
Hcbrewi fa) words unknown in Biblical Hebrew but common
in Aramaic; (b ) words common to both Biblical Hebrew and
Aramaic but used in Hishnaic Hebrew in the Aramaic sense:
(c) genuine Biblical Hebrew words used in 1'ishnaic Hebrew
in an entirelv new connotation; and (d) a large number of
technical words and phrases entirely unknown to Biblical
often that the vocabulary of the Old Test,
a ins but a part, and possibly only a small
ck of words possessed by the Hebrew languai
nurnosive exclusions from the csnon in Che second cen-
tury 86 further limited the word resources of the culture
of Bible times.
We have shown, however, that "hazzan" was a technical
term for a functionary in the Semitic cultural milieu within
which the Eiblical literature develooed. In fact, we have
shown that it existed contemooraneously with the literary
activity of the Biblical authors. The absence of the term
may reflect another example of the lacunae peculiar to the
language of ScriDture. 87
85
'No longer existent Biblical li>
1 ISO (t.'u. 21-14); n
15.31; 16:5, 14, 27; 22.39;
15, 28; 15:11, 15, 21 . 26,
22:46; 2 K. 8.23: '2.20; 14.18; 15:6, 36; 16:19; 20.20
21 i '7, 25; 23.28; 24.5); JJUT.. 1 ' J>= . 1 5JL ( 1 Ch . 9:1;
20:34); n -n ,t i >ki i' ' d ?_:> _"i D^ ( 2 Ch . 27:7; 35.27; 36
"^ ' ■ 25.26); nil' 'd
An' Introduction" t.
1 2Hf . and 186-8R
K.inps of Israel ai
lotion of the Hebrew Scriptures, (th i lade Ionia i 1932) ;
from PAAJR J (1931-32), pp. 121-156.
H7 r
M. Jones, The Cities of __thf?_ £a stern J'.rmnn.
J_rovinces_ (Oxford: Clarendon Tress '"37; repr. ed . '971),
po. 2?.7ff. As S»wl, on. cit., p. 653, puts it "The s>erm
of the 'new' Quotation marks mine] form must have existed
in the lanr.ui^e lonn before the 'new' Quotation marks mine)
A further consideration may find its analogy in
the process through which archaic forms crept into books
of the Bible from the vernaculars that were more suscep-
tible to outside influences. 88 Similarly, a peculiarity
of Mishnaic Hebrew was its affinity for the appropriation
and assinilation of terminologies indigenous to the sur-
rounding cultural milieus. Rq
Although our inquiries into the terminologies
and functions of ha zzan (hakness eth ) and sh'liah tzibbur
will indicate that their functions during all of the Tal-
mudic period were separate and distinct, we shall also
see that by the end of this period, namely the seventh
and eighth centuries, the two functions had merged to such
an extent to have become synonymous, one for the other.
The earlier hazzan (haknesseth) had resoonsibi 1 i ties essen-
tially supervisionaL and communi ty-uide in character. The
sh'liah t zibbur represented an office confined to the
synagogue qua "house of prayer". This dichotomy was re-
tained through the entire seven-hundred year Talmudic
period. Merging, as we shall see, was a product of the
immediately following age and represented developments
internal and external to the Jewish communities themselves.
fo;
8 On Greek and L-.tin assimilations see S. Krauss,
Griechischeund lateinische Lehnworte r i m Ta lmud , H idrasch
un d Tarr.u -n. 2 V. (Berlim 18°S, 1-T99J, nassim; S, Lieber-
man, Greeks in_Jewish_ra lest ine_ (N.Y.r 194?), nassim; idem.
Hellenism in Jewish Palestine (K'.Y.i 1962), nassim.
MINHAG ASHKENAZ: A MILLENIUM IN SONG;
AN APPRECIATION OF ERIC WERNER'S NEW BOOK
Abraham Lubin
("A Voice Still Heard . . . The Sacred Songs of the Ashkenzic
Jews," by Eric Werner, (350 pp.), The Pennsylvania State Univer-
sity Press, University Park, Pa., 1976)
To describe any individual who has made even colossal contri-
butions to a given field of scholarly or artistic endeavor, in exaltations
of an absolute and extreme nature, is taking the risk of being open
to a great deal of criticism, justifiable or not. Yet, I am tempted
to take just, such a risk, in my review of Eric Werner's magnum
opus — "A Voice Still Heard."
The name of Abraham Zvi Idelsohn is undoubtedly the first,
often the only name, that comes to mind whenever we consider the
subject of Jewish music in terms of a serious examination of its
contents. I submit that after reading and carefully studying the
various literary contributions of Eric Werner, including his latest
scholarly output, one must look first to Werner rather than to Idel-
sohn, for scientifically valid answers to fundamental questions on
the subject of the origin and development of our Jewish musical
heritage.
Werner's in-depth exploration of "the genesis and essence of
the sacred songs of Ashkenazic Jewry," is a tour-de-force of Jewish
musical research and general scholarship of the highest order. There
is hardly a statement made, a source quoted, or a fact mentioned,
without a prior thorough examination as to the validity and au-
thenticity of such statement, source or fact. One is immediately
bedazzled by the sheer quality and quantity of Werner's erudition,
as he traces the "musical corpus of Minhag Ashkenaz" through its
diverse and colorful journey, historically and geographically.
Werner set himself the awesome task of tracing that body of
Jewish music he calls Minhag Ashkenaz, over a period of 1000 years,
from about 900 to 1914. What he manages to do in the course of
his exploration, is to treat the reader to a fascinating and revealing
journey, encompassing a most important phenomenon in the life
experiences of the Ashkenazic Jew, during the last millenium.
Abraham Lubin is the Hazzan of Congregation Rodfei Zedek of Chicago,
Illinois and a frequent contributor to the "Journal of Synagogue Music." He
also holds a degree of Master of Music from DePaul University.
34
Throughout the 350 pages of the book, we are exposed to a
brilliant and lucid mind which treats the most complex questions
in a succinct and clear fashion. For example, when the author speaks
of Minhag Ashkenaz, he does not conceive of it as a hodge-podge
of formless and shapeless musical materials, but rather as a distinct
series of categories of various chants, with clearly denned musical
forms, which he proceeds to analyze.
Some of the main categories are: Plain psalmody, Ornate
psalmody, Plain response, Refrain, Antiphony, Free melismatic
recitative, Missinai tunes and chants, Pure melismatic chant, Cantil-
lation of scriptural texts and the Cantorial fantasia, a term coined
by Dr. Hanoch Avenary. Werner is at once the scholar as well as
the teacher as he turns from one chapter to the next revealing to
the reader a world of enchanting chants.
Under the heading The Hazzan, Werner is frank in his criticism
and at the same time overwhelmingly zealous in his deep conviction
of the tremendously important, and often crucial role, that the haz-
zan played in the preservation and development of Minhag Ashkenaz.
He does not hesitate to state the case of the hazzan as he sees it,
in the context of history. Suffice it to quote one of his footnotes:
"A critical study on the rabbinic (not biblical or scholarly)
attitude to music in the synagogue is greatly needed. Neither
Idelsohn nor his older contemporaries Minkowsky and Birn-
baum had the temerity to reveal the perennial intolerance of
the rabbinic mind toward every artistic aspiration. Almost
all serious hazzanim with scholarly interests suffered from
rabbinic contempt, yet none dared to oppose it openly. Per-
haps one can gauge the extent of rabbinical opposition to
hazzanic efforts by the dictum found in the ethical will of
R. Moshe Sofer Tzeva'at Moshe (Vienna, 1863): "The face
of the man who changes anything in the synagogue ought to
be defaced!"
There is a barrage of statements by Werner, regarding the posi-
tion assumed by rabbis in matters relating to the hazzan and the
music in the synagogue. Under the heading: Hazzanut and Its
Critics, Werner writes:
"The antagonism between rabbi and the appointed hazzan
or cantor — not the lay precentor — goes back to the time
when the hazzan introduced and intoned the new Piyutim,
which most rabbis considered at best superfluous and at
35
worst abominable. This occured through the centuries from
the eighth to the twelfth. Yet it was only during the six-
teenth and seventeenth centuries that rabbinic criticism be-
came truly vicious, though — it must be admitted — not
without some good reason."
In his chapter The Dawn of Emancipation, Werner is again
extremely critical of the harsh attitudes of the rabbis towards Jewish
music, although he does temper his comments somewhat, in this
instance :
"The rabbis were incapable of distinguishing between frivolous
pastimes and truly artistic endeavors such as music. To them
music was either a merrymaking noise at weddings, or a
science of the Gentiles. The concept of art in the modern
sense was totally foreign to them. They understood music
as a set of more or less trivial skills practiced by klezmorim,
the folk musicians, or by badhanim, the jesters and enter-
tainers. For the rabbis, these skills were a world apart from
the sphere of ritual and synagogue music."
I shall leave these statements of Werner speak for themselves,
and only add that these expressions, viewed with a calm and rational
attitude, may have a rather positive influence on those of us who
shape and preserve our present and future musical liturgical forms,
within the walls of the American synagogue.
There is an excellent chapter on Scriptural Cantillation in which
Werner, again the meticulous scholar, delineates the definitions and
functions of the various terms found in different sources over a period
of many centuries. Werner raises some exciting questions regarding
the cantillation of Scripture. For example: "Is the singing of a
Mediterranean Jew who runs rapidly over a biblical text, considered
a chant of tones with definite pitches — a real melody consisting
of recognizable tones? It is quite possible to believe" Werner spec-
ulates, "that cantillation was born of sprechgesang (parlando-
recitation) and then stylized and elevated to a genuine musical
phenomenon." In the matter of the operative terms used to describe
scriptural cantillation, Werner is extremely careful to make the
necessary differentiations between one term and the next. Clearly
these are not understood by many, in the same way that Werner
sees them. Werner states: "The Masoretic accents, called Ta'amei
ha-mikra, are not a kind of primitive musical notation." He further
claims: "The cantillation of Scripture antedates the establishment
of the Ta'amei ha-mikra by at least nine centuries." Werner is
obviously making a clear distinction between the accents and the
cantillation itself. In the same chapter, Werner discusses in a most
enlightened manner the cantillation of the Torah on the High Holy
Days which is rendered in a special mode. He is most critical of
"some purely fantastic speculations put forth as explanations for
the origin of and reason for this Ashkenazic deviation.
Werner's self confidence and complete mastery of his subject
is made clear through his ready disagreements with conclusions
reached by recognized scholars such as Idelsohn, Sendrey and others
who pioneered and labored hard to understand the core of Jewish
Let me cite several examples of the author's independent mind
and critical pen. In his discussion of the term "trop," Werner writes:
"The word is derived from the poetic-musical term 'tropus,' a Latin
word of the Middle Ages, not from the Greek "tropos," as has been
suggested by Alfred Sendrey." In his chapter on Scriptural Cantil-
lations, Werner is not at all in agreement with Idelsohn's theory
that there is a common Utradition for all cantillations. "If one could
assume a common Utradition for all cantillations, as Idelsohn did,"
writes Werner, "it would be fairly easy to explain the change in
tonality; yet there is no evidence whatsoever of such an Utradition."
Werner does, however, soften his stance later and admits in the case
of a specific example, that "this is only one instance where there
seems to be a common tradition for Minhag Ashkenaz and the ori-
ental Sephardic rite." He then again tends to change his tune re-
garding Idelsohn's theory of a common Utradition when he agrees
that: "The numerous regional chants of Lamentations have, in spite
of their variety, so many elements in common that here the assump-
tion of a common Utradition seems to be justified."
To cite yet one more example of Werner's fearless criticism
of statements made by renowned scholars, we quote from his chapter
on The Synagogue of The Baroque. Here both Idelsohn and the
eminent Jewish historian Cecil Roth, are victims of the author's
sharp bites.
"It added little to our understanding of the admittedly con-
troversial style of Baroque synagogue music when Idelsohn
termed it an 'ars nova.' That description is at once confusing
and inapplicable. Nor did Cecil Roth's writings on the subject
advance our perception to any great degree. To speak as he
37
did of the intrinsic 'drawbacks' of synagogue music and to
make judgments from a frame of reference based on second-
and third-hand sources can hardly add to the clarification
of the subject."
The term Missinai tunes very often connotes a very primitive
and venerable body of chants within the liturgy. Werner, always
rational and scientific, declares exactly what Missinai tunes are,
and what they are not. A brief historic description of the massacres
in Worms, Mayence, Speyer, Cologne and Trier forms the background
for Werner, for the understanding of the authentic origin of the
so-called Missinai melodies. These tunes "constitute not only the
most original element in Minhag Ashkenaz, but also the one that
is most valuable from the musical point of view." Werner proceeds
to illustrate the stylistic features of these tunes as well as explain
the liturgical place and function of the Missinai tunes. A good num-
ber of musical examples are here included.
As an aside I do find Werner rather pedantic and quite unfair
in his criticism of hazzanim who use the term "nusah" to denote
musical tradition. He proceeds to substantiate his argument, as he
often does, by stating that: "In the big Talmudic dictionaries the
word ("nusah") is either missing altogether, or is interpreted as
'formula, copy, recipe.' He is also bothered by the fact that the
term is found in the new Encyclopedia Judaica.
Surely this type of criticism is rather petty and I am disap-
pointed that the author chose to indulge in it. Is it not true that
the etymology of any given word in any language, cannot be con-
sidered the only determinant as to its contemporary usage and
meaning. The strict literal meaning of the word "nusah" does very
well indicate "form," "version," "formula," "copy," or even "recipe,"
but to argue that its use by hazzanim to denote musical tradition
is not valid, is quite unfounded. Words in any language to evolve
and often take on new meaning within the context of different situa-
tions and specific subject matter. Werner himself does not seem to
have any qualms in using the term "Missinai" tunes, to refer to
melodies that were never given on Mount Sinai. What is wrong in
using the term "Missinai" to melodies venerated by hazzanim be-
cause of their special quality musically, liturgically and historically.
Dr. Werner will, therefore, have to admit that both terms Missinai
and nusah are equally valid in the context and meaning in which
they are used.
A very valuable chapter on The Tunes of the Haggadah is
included in the book replete with dozens of examples as well as
comparative charts. Werner makes a direct distinction between "the
general (common), the regional, and the family traditions." In his
analysis of these Haggadah tunes, Werner states that: "Similarity
of structure, tonality, or motifs, to other Jewish melodies, whether
or not they are part of the Seder ritual, can often give us a clue
as to the provenance of a piece. Even more significantly, this is true
of non-Jewish music from which many of the Jewish tunes are
borrowed."
Again we have a gem of a chapter on a subject that has, un-
fortunately, hitherto not been explored in quite the same manner.
Werner's profound understanding of the meaning of the shape and
structure of a given melody, leads him to conclusions that are logical
and always plausible.
Dr. Werner incorporates in his book a chapter on several out-
standing nineteenth-century composers of synagogue music. Their
contributions have had a remarkable impact on the development of
Minhag Ashkenaz. Particularly important and significant among
them was Salomon Sulzer, whose prophetic insight "inspired him to
rejuvenate most of Minhag Ashkenaz, keeping the Jews of Central
Europe united, and immune to the siren song of Reform or neo-
Orthodox ideologies."
The contemporary hazzan will find much to ponder about in the
following description of Sulzer's thinking found in this chapter.
"Sulzer was the first personality since deRossi who combined
in himself a thorough knowledge of Jewish tradition, a high
musical erudition, and a full appreciation of classical music.
And he estimated correctly the character of the Vienna Jewish
community. Its members came from old and usually rich
families, and their musical taste, was conditioned by concerts
and soirees, where the musical elite of composers, vocalists,
and instrumentalists could be heard. They were familiar with
some philosophy and with a good deal of classical literature.
Many of them had read the works of Lessing, Schiller, and
Goethe, or had seen performances of their plays at the famous
Imperial Burgtheater. To cope with such a community,
Sulzer needed not only a thorough knowledge of the classics
but also a close acquaintance with the musical fashions of the
day: Bellini, Rossini, some distorted Mozart and Carl Maria
von Weber, who dominated the opera, and, even some 'two-
week celebrities.' His musical guides were, without exception,
master craftsmen, mostly music directors of churches or
theaters or — as in the case of Drechsler — functionaries in
both fields."
The community that Sulzer had to cope with is in so many ways
similar to the American Jewish community today. The contemporary
hazzan had better be fully aware of this social phenomenon if he is to
succeed at all in his sacred calling.
"A Voice Still Heard" is undoubtedly one of the most important
expressions on the subject, to date. Dr. Eric Werner, Professor
Emeritus of Sacred music at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Insti-
tute of Religion is also consulting professor of Tel Aviv University,
Israel. Among his more than 120 publications are "The Sacred
Bridge," "Mendelssohn: A New Image of the Composer," "From
Generation to Generation" and "Anthology of Hebrew Music." No
other musicologist living today is more qualified than Werner, to
have explored the multi-faceted arena of the Ashkenazic musical
heritage.
In the Epilogue to his book Werner beholds this "strange
spectacle: in the history of a people condemned to wanderings
across half the globe, the liturgical tradition was never breached in
a thousand years."
The book should be on the shelf of every important music library
in the world as well as in the hands of every hazzan, rabbi, musician
and layman who cherishes the musical, cultural and religious treas-
ures, of a people intoxicated with the concept of survival.
(A 25-minute cassette tape of musical examples selected by the
author and chanted by Cantor Erwin Hirsch of Congregation
Habonim, New York City, is also available together with the book.)
OUTLINE FOR A PROJECT IN SYNAGOGUE MUSIC
Dr. Sholom Kalib
In recent years, through personal experience and through dis-
cussions among colleagues, hazzanim have been aware of the rapidly
decreasing numbers of congregants capable of davening, resulting in
ever more congregations being made up of non-daveners. As a natural
consequence, the nushaot of those areas of our liturgy which have
been within the province of the layman in most congregations for
centuries appears in serious danger of becoming lost to the ages.
It is becoming a frighteningly rare occurrence to hear a truly
balebatisch rendition of a week-day service, a Shabbat Minha,
Shaharit, Minha on the high holidays, Psukei d'zimra on Shabbat
and holidays, Maariv and kinot L'Tisha B'av, etc., etc. Though some
selections do exist in notation in a few sources (eg. from Shabbat
Minha in Weisser's "Baal T'fila," Vol. I, in the Katchko Thesaurus,
and from Volume V in the Efros Anthology, and others), there is to
date no complete thesaurus of these parts of our liturgy comparable
in scope to the Baer "Baal T'fila" of the East European tradition.
It is to the task of compiling just such a siddur Vhol ha-shana that
I am currently devoting my full efforts.
In order to realize such a project, it will be necessary to collect
tapes from baalei t'fila and hazzanim who recall the nushaot (or who
have learned them from reliable source persons) of pre- World War II
Jewish communities of Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Hungary, Ru-
mania, etc. From these, I plan to notate, compare, collate, and
present one representative rendition of each basic approach to a
given t'fila. The thesaurus will be organized in the manner of a
siddur I'khol ha-shana beginning with week-days (Shaharit, Minha,
and Maariv, including all exceptional situations, eg. Ttosh Hodesh,
fast days, Hanukkah, Purim, Hoi Hamoed, etc.); Birkat Hamazon,
Brit Mila; Shabbat in a Baal-t'fila style (Kabbalat Shabbat-Maariv;
Psukei d'zimra; Shaharit, Musaf, Mincha); special Shabatot, eg.
Rosh Hodesh, Sh'kalim, Parshat Ha-Hodesh, etc.; the Festivals, in-
cluding yotzrot, the Hagada, Megilot tropes, etc.; the high holidays,
including P'sukei d'zimra, Shaharit and Minha; Tisha B'av, Maariv
Sholom Kalib holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree from DePaul Uni-
versity and a Ph.D. in Music from Northwestern University which he earned
in 1973. He is now Professor of Music at Eastern Michigan University and
serves as Hazzan of Beth Israel Congregation in Flint, Michigan.
41
and Kinot; etc., etc. Each section is to be complete, with no indi-
cations of "continue in the same mode", but in the form of a siddur
or mahazor, like my editions of the Lind and Greenberg High Holi-
day services.
The undertaking is enormous; but never has the necessity been
greater than it is now. Ordinarily one does not announce plans for
such a project before it is near completion. The successful comple-
tion of the present task, however, requires the acquisition of the
above described tapes. By making the proposed project known at
this time, I am hopeful I shall be able to call upon colleagues who
may be able to make tapes themselves and/or inform me of competent
baalei t'fila of their area (or elsewhere) who would be willing to
make tapes for this project.
The indispensable assistance and cooperation of all colleagues
will be most welcome and deeply appreciated, as will any advice or
suggestions as to the best practical procedures for acquiring the
tapes. Surely there seems to be no single project in synagogue
music that is of greater need at this time. The hour is very late.
Hence the work must be done while there are still those in our midst
who can yet remember those treasured nushaot.
MUSIC SECTION
"Die Schonsten Lieder der Ostjuden" is a small, and by now
rare, collection of Jewish folk songs, published in 1920 by the
Jiidischer Verlag of Berlin under the redirection of Fritz Mordecai
Kaufmann. The editor correctly calls his work a "representative col-
lection of East European Jewish Folk Songs which would be of
great value to the Jewish School."
From other remarks in the Foreward of the book, one would
guess that in those days, as today, concerned hazzanim and musicians
were in need of a compact, yet inclusive compendium of songs which
should be in every Jewish student's repetoire. Almost six decades
later we still search for that perfect tool.
We reprint here the first section, "Religiose und Chassidische
Lieder," containing ten songs in Yiddish with German translations.
You will note the careful German footnotes to each song.
In addition to this first section, the volume contains sections
on lullabies, children and heder songs, love songs, girl and mar-
riage songs, family and workers' songs, soldier songs, and songs from
the daily life of the East European Jew.
RELIGIOSE
U N D
CHASSIDISCHE
L I E D E R
Bei den Juden fallt es schwerer als bei europaischen Kulturvolkern,
aus der Fiille der Volkslyrik so etwas wie eine besondere Gruppe „reli-
gioser" Lieder auszusondern. Denn wahrend das Religiose im Volkslied
Jener nur einen begrenzten Bezirk hat, ist es bei den Juden die weit-
umfassende Landschaft, in der fast alle diese Dinge wurzeln: die meisten
(selbst Kinder-, Handwerker- und Soldatenlieder) in ihrem Inhalt ganz
offenkundig, sogar die Liebeslieder haufig in ihrem Musikalischen. Auch
die Abgrenzung des religiosen VolksY\tdes gegen die liturgischen (syna-
gogalen) Gesange ist nicht immer leicht. Zu viele davon sind bei dem
zwanglosen Neben- und Ineinander von „schll" und weltlichem Getriebe
in das Alltagsbewulitsein der Massen fest einbezogen worden. Hier riihren
wir an die entscheidenden Zusammenhange. Wie begabt sich selbst heute
noch der Ostjude als Kollektivum fur das Erfinden von Liedern und Melo-
dien erweist — niemals hatte unser Volk in wenigen Jahrhunderten die
bedeutenden und mannigfachen Typen des weltlichen jiddischen Lieds
durch tausende beachtenswerter Einzelschbpfungen hervorgebracht, wenn
nicht vorher die langen Jahrhunderte hindurch seine Organe fiir Sage und
Legende, fiir Sitte und Bildhaftigkeit, fiir Tonart, Rhythmus und Melodie
aus dem Zentrum einer riesenhaften Religiositat gerichtet, genahrt und
endgiiltig geformt worden waren. Urn daher ein natiirliches Verhaltnis
zum jiddischen Volkslied allgemein und zu seinem gesteigerten Ausdruck
in den religiosen Liedern zu gewinnen, muli man das Antlitz der jiidischen
Masse in den entscheidenden Auspragungen wahrzunehmen suchen, bis
man erkennt, wie hier jede AuBerung weltlicher Freude und Trauer —
von der Hochzeit bis zum Tode — gebettet ist in religiose Formen und
Inhalte. Desgleichen soil man sich bemiihen, die musikalische Urform
und den Quell dieser Volkslieder dort aufzusuchen, wo sie, noch immer
altertumlich und von der Tradition vor Vermischung geschiitzt, sich noch
heute darbieten: in den Lehr- und Gebethausem des jiidischen Ostens.
Der Westjude wird dort Schatze entdecken, die er, abgestolien von dem
gleichgiiltigen Klang deutschjiidischer Kantorenmelodien. niemals vermutet
hatte.
1. INS E R REB E NJU
Sehr ruhig. lobpreisend.
in -s'r re -b e -niu in-!
re- b e -niu, in -s'r re - b e - nju.
ns c r reb'nju, reb e nju, reb £ nju!
eu, waei, reb e nju, reb e nju, rebenju!
ins'r reb'nju, reb e nju, reb'nju,
eu, waei, reb c nju.
i'ns'r, ins e r reb'nju!
eu, waei, ins e r reb'nju!
ins'r, ins e r reb'nju,
eu, waei reb e nju.
m^jp .n-ajp ,vyajn ij?wi«
!Vi^jri' ,W2»"\' ,vy3j?-> /.Ml ,VK
,^2jn .vyajn ^yajn "iytii«
ivvajn ij?niN ,-iyniK
[Diesen Chorgesang horte ich einmal von Chaliidim in unvergeGlicher
Weise singen. Einer begann ganz selig und leise. Allmahlich fielen andere
ein; der Rhythmus wurde immer schneller und zog sich unendlich hin;
dann schwollen die Stimmen an bis zur aullersten Verziickung. Auch
dieses Lied steht wie das letzte dieser Sammlung, Nr. 47, dicht an der
Grenze der wortlosen Melodie; wer seine grolle Gewalt erfahren will, muG
es sich unter Ostjuden anhoren. Der Ausruf: eu, waei! verlangt eine un-
merkliche Betonung und Steigerung.
2. JAKOBS-UED AUS LITAUEN
al_ ti - ru aw - di jan-k6iw! hob nit kaein forcht man knecht
Y G D
kaein. nor far dir v a - lain, nor far dir a - Isein.
umar ad6ischem l°jank6iw. —
je RWl, je!
al tiru awdi jankdiwl
hob nit kaein forcht man knecht jan-
— • naein, fufr e l, naein! [koiw!
chob nit kaein mdir* far kaein.
nor far dir alaein, nor far dir alaein. —
!jr> >inyot*B ,p
\ipy_ eayjp pjo bdimb r:.p_B\) a«n
Jr. 1 /^npBjja ,i»i -
,^P 1KB K11B ]«P B' 1 3«" '3
- ,j$g -n 18B "HO, ,]?>« in "H*B *l«3
buchar adSischem b'jankdiw. —
je ffiWl, je!
al tiru awdi j£nk6iw!
hob nit kaein forcht man knecht jan-
— naein, iuVfl, naein! [koiw!
chob nit kaein mdir* far kaein.
nor far dir alaein. nor far dir alaein. —
- .apys i) -ina
IV ^jnyasB ,T
\5pyi ■nyn ktpi ^s
!5pp_ oajrip i«o B3"ikb pp B" 11 2«n
Jp.s ,^V"iyBKB ,|ya —
,1V.P Iks tr«t3 pp ci 3«n '3
- .r>« TT 1KB IKi ,1V>« *" "1MB I* 1
47
gidal adfiischem efl jankdiw. — — .Sjsjr nn « ^TJ
je, futVl, je! !p ,ty-l}>BKC ,JP
al tiru awdi jankdiw. _ !3j?JT! najj K^fl bl&
hob nit kaein forcht man knecht jan- .'a^fc BSJttp )^D B31KB )^p B'i 3HH
— naein, futVl, naein! [koiw! !^3 ^jnyo^lfi ,pj —
chob nit kaein mdir 6 far kaein. ,^P "** **" l1 ° HP fi,i 2t *n '3
nor far dir alaein, nor far dir alaein. — — ,0$ Tl 1»B THJ ,r.ty! T"! "l«B 1«3
[a i) umar addischem l <! jank6iw -= es sprach der Herr zu Jakob, a 3) al
tiru usw. = furchte nicht, mein Knecht Jakob. a4) mSii* — Furcht
bi) buchar usw. — es erwahlte der Herr den Jakob. ci) gidal — er er-
htthte. — Die Auslegung hebraischer Texte in der herzigen Weise der
Volkssprache findet sich in vielen Liedern religiosen Inhalts, so auch in den
Liedern Nr. 4, 5 und io. Vgl. auch die Bemerkungen zu dem Lied Nr. 3,
das eine Variante zu Nr. 2 darstellt, aber eine ganz selbstandiger Art]
3. JAKOBS-LIED AUS RUMANIEN
Ruhig, aber nicht schleppend.
host doch mir zi - g e -sugt: al ti - ru aw - di jan-koiw! eu,
wuB - V plugt m c n iiiB, ta-t'-nju 5 wen wet san a Dot, eu
dinar adoischem I e jank6iw .
eu, tafnju.
host doch mir zig'sugt:
al tiru awdi jank6iw.
eu, W£ei, tat'nju.
.... 3J5J?^ )] nON
.vjyBMD ,"i«
IBJKtJWS TO 1«T BDKH
.Spy: nax kth ^«
far wufi-z 5 schlugt m^n infi, tat e nju? ? 1")J>BKB ,DJ1K JJfla BJ$to JWDKII "1KB
far wuli-z e plugt m e n in&, tat'nju? ?riyB«B ,DJ1K ]J>D BJK'jB yt?ro«Tl "1KB
wen wet san a fiof, eu wen s ?)Jttl "IN ,f|1D « pjt BJ?11 JJN1
buchar adoischem b e jankoiw . . .
eu, tatenju.
host doch mir zig e sugt:
al tiru s awdi jank6iw.
eu, wsei, tat e nju.
far wuii-i' schlugt m'n inO, tafnju?
far wuC-z e plugt m'n InC, tat e nju?
wen wet san a fiof, eu wen?
. . . apjra ]] ira
.raj/BKB ,^»
:BJtJtJW3 I'D "J«-| BDMfl
,2pv: H3j; urn h*
.vipbkb ;mi ;)*
?rayB«B ,djik jyo BjKte swrDNii 1MB
? VSJ?B«B ,WlK 1J?B BJtf'jB ytPrDKtt IKE
?jyn ■'is ,«)1D n p ayn tyn
gidal adoischem eB jankSiw ... ... ajjy; riK *\ ^"IJ
eu, tafnju. .V3JJBKB /IK
host doch mir zig=sugt: iBJKtJttlS TD *JKT BDKM
al tiru awdi jankoiw. .2J3JT H3K Ml" 1 ]? Vk
eu, waei, tat e nju. .nj?BKB //.ll /IK
far wuB-z e schlugt m : n inB, tat=nju? ?nj7BKB ,DJ1K jJflD BJK^ JWrDKinKB
far wuB-z e plugt m'n InB, tafnju? ?V1J?BKB ,D51K ]JH3 BJgVfi^yWD^n 1KB
wen wet san a Bof, eu wen? ?]JW MK ,^D K ^ toyil pm
Nicht anders, ja vielleicht noch erheblicher als bei Deutschen und
Franzosen ist in das Volkslied der Ostjuden die klangliche und mythische
Besonderheit der Landschaft, oder sagen wir genauer: des ortlichen Volks-
tums eingedrungen. Das Lied, das von den zuriickhaltenden, unsentimen-
talen litauischen Volksgenossen zu den aufgeraumten, gefiihlsseligeren
Menschen Bessarabiens und Rumaniens herabwandert, schafft sich meist
schon auf den Zwischenstationen, in Odessa, Kiew, Warschau und Lublin
selbstandige Typen, bis es dann in Jassy pldtzlich als ein ganz neu
Geschaffenes aus der armseligen Werkstatt notbeladener Schuster und
Schneider hervortritt. Wie souveran diese Umgestaltung von den singenden
Volksmassen geiibt wird, wie kiihn und fundamental sie ein Uberkommenes
umpragen uud erneuern, erkenne man aus dieser Variante. Geblieben ist
hier von dem vorhergehenden Gesang nur das auBere Geriist der Strophen-
folge. Das stammelnde, wortkarge Zwiegesprach der Dichtung ist auf-
gelost in einen beredten Monolog. Die Gefiihlslage ist vollig ins Klagende
verschoben — Melodie und Rhythmus von Grund auf umgebaut. Man
beachte die herrliche rhythmische Verbreiterung in dem aufbegehrenden
V 2 -Takt am SchluB, der gleichwohl zart und duftig, wie ein Rezitativ zu
singen ist. — a 8) Bof = Ende; wen = wann."
4. M£I*RK E man sin
Langsam, aber nicbt schkppend.
fe4
jj ]» j j j i g J' j' j' j i g ji j j j. ^ i
maei- e r-k e man sin, maei- e r- k e man sin, maei- *r- k*mansta! z
,' J J' J j» j, j J^ I J'J'J 1 J> f j j. J J |
waeiB-ti far we-m^dlschtaeistPziwasifi-tl farwe-m e ndischtaeist?lif-naei
maei - l'ch mal - chaei ham - lu
chim, ta - t' - »iu.
maei e rk e man sin!
zi waeiliti far w'm'n dl schtaeist?
Kfnaei mseil e ch malchsei hamluchim,
tat'nju!
?bd^b0 vr jyajni nee ibd^ii «t
.VJJttJgB ,m^mj ^o "]^B lilh
maei e rk e , min sin!
wufi westi oufibefn ba im?
bunaei, chajaei, m'sSinaei, tafnju!
?B'« 1^3 pttsyaDMK IBDJttl 0K11
maefa-k*, man sin!
ouf wuB darfsti bunaei?
bunim 6i6kim bat6iru, tafnju.
.vijrts^B ,rnifla D'poip caa
maei'rk e , man sinl
oiif wufi darfsti chajaei ?
kol hachajim jSidlchu, tafnju.
!J_1t £D ^"MB
maefrk*, m£n sin!
ouf wfift darfsti n/sdinaei? [t*nju.
w'uchaltu w e fiuwotu Iwaeirachtfi, ta-
maer'rk', man sin!
zi waeiflfl wer dl bist?
hin'ni h^ni mima'afi, tafnju.
Hit )^ts ,ypT«8
imtf 1B0B"1«1_D«11 *pM
.injm«B ,03*3^ Bpatei jj^ki
'oca n -tyn ,lBD?yi1 is
[a 3) lifnaei maeil'ch usw. = Vor dem Herrscher der koniglichen Herrscher.
b3) bunaei usw. = Sohne, Lebensdauer, Speise. 03) bunim usw. = Sonne,
die der Lehre beflissen sind. e3) w'flchaltu usw. = und du wirst essen,
dich sattigen und (Gott) lobpreisen. f 3) hin e ni usw. -= siehe, ich bin ein
Armseliger an Werk. Das Lied ist anscheinend, ahnlich wie Nr. 2 3, und
8, chaliidischen Ursprungs; die Antworten enthalten auch hier Stellen aus
Gebetstiicken, diesmal aus verschiedenen. Die einzelnen Zitate sind indes
streng logisch in Zusammenhang gebracht.]
5. JISSMACH MOISCH E
jiB - mach m&i - sch = b~ - mat - naB, jii3 - mach moi - sctr b'--
D g
mat - naB, jiB - mach moi - sen' b = - mat - naB, b~-
5 schneller
ku-ru-Bu loi, ki e - wed ne-mon ku-ru-Bu 16i.
ji&mach mdisch* b e matnali . .
ji&mach moisch e b e matna& . .
jiBmach moisch c b e matna& . .
b'matnaG chelkoi.
eu, wi hot m = n im g e rifen?
wi hot m e n im g'rffen?
ki ew e d nemon kuruBfi 16i . .
ki ew e d nemon kuru&u loi.
. . nine? ntfo nDt^.
. . nsnoj neto ne&<.
•ip'jn nine?
?)yonvi d'k jvd Bun <n /ik
?)j>Bnj>} cm ]yo own 'n
.I 1 ? jn«"3i5 ]»«? 13» '3
ji&mach moisch' b e matna& . . (j Mai)
b'matnafi chelkoi.
eu, wu& hot m e n im ung e tin'
wu& hot m c n im ung e tin?
klil tifer e & broisch6i nu&atu.
C?«d 3) . . . nin»5 ntfo not^.
.np'rpt Pino?
?]ioyj3K ow jyn o»n dkh /in
53
jilimach m6isch e b = matnaB ... (3 Mai)
b'matnafi chelkoi.
eu, wen is duli g-wes'n?
wen is duli g c wes 5 n?
b'omdoi l e funechu al har llina.
jilimach moisch- b e matnali ... (3 Mai)
b e matnali chelk6i.
eu, wM hot er mli mitg e bracht?
wuli hot er ln£i mitg e bracht?
Ischnaei lichoifi awunim hoirid b e judoi.
jilimach mdisch* b-matna& ... (3 Mai)
b e matnali chelkoi.
eu, wuli is dort g^schtan'n ung'schrib'n?
wuB is dort g e schtan e n ung e schrib e n?
wchuCif buhem schmiraQ schab'B.
(too 3) . . . n}Fu?o nttfo nofe^.
."I'D in *?k *p<!>& 1 " n3 ^?
(too 3) . . . mr\D5 ntfo rater
?M«i3j;iB , o diik iy_ B«n dbii
.n;a inin n^aaw mrft \ieft
(too 3) . . . ninni ntsto nob"
.'ipty? nine?
? |V2n»yj3« jyiXBffju b-i«t r« dkvi /hk
?;V2n^j;32K lyaMBtryj a-itn pk dnu
.rotf rrvov orn 5iroi
[Dieses Lied sowie die Gesange Nr. 3 und 6 sind mir von Herm
Jankew Kargher iibermittelt worden. Er bemerkt dazu, daB fast iiberall,
wo rumanische ChaBidim, meist armselige Schuster und Schneider, bei-
sammen sind, bei der Arbeit und bei Festlichkeiten, diese schonen Volks-
weisen gesungen werden; also nicht etwa nur am Sabbath. Der hebraische
Text ist zwar einem Sabbathgebet entnommen. Hier folgt die wortliche
Ubersetzung:
Es freute siph Moses iiber die Gabe seines Teils.
Einen aufrechten Knecht riefst du ihn,
Breitetest Fiille der Pracht iiber sein Haupt,
Als er auf dem Berg Sinai vor dir stand,
Und in seiner Hand trug er zwei steinerne Tafeln herab,
Darein die Obhut des Sabbaths geschrieben war.]
6. SCHIR HAMALOISS
Gemachlicb.
» f J. f. fl U f P r J IS J. 6 J. I
schir ha - ma - loiB 1* - du - wid. du - wid, bri - d'r,
recht lebendig
JjJtij I ^r
^3=?z y j-~t-jt j, j.ffljjj
i-wid bri-d'r. du-wid bri-d e r, du - wid bri-d e r, du-wid bri - d e r,
du - wid bri - d°r, du - wid bri - d e r, du - wid bri - d*T.
Anfang der vierten Strophe.
a - d6i - schem efl ha - bru - chvi, cha - jim bri - d e r
schir hamaloifl l e duwid . .
duwid brid e r, duwid brid e r . . .
duwid brid'r, duwid brid e r, duwid brid e r !
duwid brid'r, duwid brid'r, duwid bridt!
hinaei ma t6iw Ima nuim
schew*G achim, achim brid e r . . .
achim brid e r, achim brid e r, achim brid'r!
achim brid*r, achim brid e r — gam
[juchad.
kaschem e n hatfiiw al hur6isch j6iraeid
al hasukon s'kan ar6in, ar6in brid'r . . .
arSin brid'r, ar6in brid'r, ar6in brid e r!
ar6in brid e r,'ar6in brid'r — sch*j6iraeid
[al pi middillof.
. . Tp.f> nvtyon Ttf
. . . lyr'-Q *in /lpT-o if\
njrro *tvj ,-ijrma in ,Tjn"n3 -n-j
njnna rr\ pjn'-o th ,"iyTna -in
rrjn nm 5its no run
. , Tjrp-a d^hk ,d7ik natf
♦TUJ D3 — Tjrma dtuj /urma dtik
, . . it »tfin ^ aran ptf?
. . . ijnna finM ,'tvih jj?i pjn ■?»
njrr-o pn«/i}rma pnspjma pn«
ty. T5H? ,">PT-q jnns ,"W"na 'ins
.rnno 'B]
55
Ictal chermdin sch-jdiraeid al hart-aei Jl* TO >» TJV HO" 1 ? *?**
[zijdin,
Id schom ziwu ad6ischem eli habruchu . . . nyjSO fiM J* TV\"i Dtf ■"}
chajim brid e r, chajim brider, chajim !Typ"D D 1 ")! ,"iy*P"D d*B /VFD D ,, I1
[brid e r!
chajim brid°r, chajim brid'hr — ad .DtyiJ 1» - WO n*0 ,"IP"P-Q D«0
[hu6ilom.
[Hier ist der 133. Psalm zum Volkslied erweitert. Das .bridV darin
ist zunachst frohlicher und ermunternder Zuruf an die Umstehenden und
die Mitsingenden, hat aber dazu einen weiteren Sinn. Der Zuruf verbindet
sich namlich mit ,achim', das Briider heifot, mit den erlauchten Namen
Davids und Ahrons, die ganz zwanglos in den Kreis der Singenden ein-
bezogen werden, und mit .chajim', das ,Leben' bedeutet, zugleich aber
ostjiidischer Mannername ist. Ober den Kulturkreis, dem das Lied ent-
stammt, vgl. die Bemerkungen zu dem Lied ji&mach m6isch% Nr. 8. Ich
habe im Notenbild auch den Anfang der letzten Strophe wiedergegeben,
weil hier die rechte Verteilung der Worte nicht einfach ist. Die wortliche
Ubersetzung des hebraischen Textes lautet:
Schau, wie heiter und wie lieblich: Briider eintrachtig beisammenlagernd.
Wie das treffliche Ol iiber das Haupt auf den Bart niederrinnt,
— Bart Arons, der iiber sein Gewand herabfallt —
so fallt die Feuchte des Chermon auf Zions Berge.
Wahrlich, dort richtete der Herr die Segnung auf — Leben auf immerdar.]
7. GWALDZ E BRID E R
In ruhiger Bewegung.
seins-zwaei-dra-fir. Bis schoin zat zi gsehr in mik-w'! sins-zwaei-dra-fir.
E Y
nitkaeinti-Fm.nitkaeinmik-w', nitkEeinmik-w', nor g e -schlu-fn!
"YB — ^"n — ^113 — Dl^K
gwald-z e brid'r, wuG schluft ir?
aeins — zwsei — dra — fir — .
Bis sch6in zat zi gaein in mikw
aeins — zwaei ■ — dra — fir — .
nit ksein mikw'! nor g e schluf e n!
to wuD-z e t6igt ir ouf d e r welt
!!T!pB )'« pi 13 B^3 yVff TK'D
,— td - ^m - ".1121 - wy.K
! jyeij^yj n«j intpp jyj? B"i
? atyn *ijn *p« tk bjmb j?btdkh nb
mit wuU c t ir klm e n ouf jen'r welt? ?Btyj1 TViJ?" 1 *pK ]J?B1p TK B' DIJ11 B^B
gwald-z e brid'r, wufi schluft ir? ?TK BB^ D^JEII ,1J?T*ia JWn^lia
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — . .- TB - "VI - \\m — M«K
His sch6in zat zi sug'n til'm!
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
nit kaein til e m, nit kaein mikw e !
nit kaein mikw e ! nor g*schlu(*n!
to wuB-z e t6igt ir ouf d'r welt?
mit wuli e t ir kim e n ouf jen e r welt?
!ffVn« JJ>38t IS B^S fit* PM'D
<- TB — 1*1*1 — V.11S - D3'?M
inipp p.p b'3 ,o^np p/.p B"3
ipjBKtejtt *iM3 impp *?.p a* 1 }
?Btyl1 *ljn *pK TM B31B VBTD«11 MB
?B^jni IJttJT *p8 )J?Bip TK B' DM11 BV2
gwald-z e brid'r, wuli schluft ir?
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
fiis sch6in zat zl gaei'n dawn e n!
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
nit kaein dawn'n, nit kaein til e m!
nit kaein til'm, nit kaein mikw"!
nit kaein mikw«! nor g e schluf e n!
to wuB-z c toigt ir ouf d e r welt?
mit wuli c t ir kim'n ouf jen e r welt?
?tm BBK>t? D8ii ,i}nnn ym-rt«Bn3
.— tb - i*n — «r» — div.k
•ipmn jp?} is bis yw pmb
,_ tb — i*n - v;y« - Dy;.«
!D^nn pp B 11 : ,jj>3ii8*i rp B,|i
iropp pp b^s ,D^nn )*«p b^
!]Pb«^j *iM3 impp p/jp bm
'Btyll Ijn «|'1N T8 BMB JjerDKVI MB
?bVj»i -lyay-' *pM jyoip tm b' dm'ii b"b
gwald-z e brid e r, wuli schluft ir?
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
iiis schoin zat zi lern'n mischn e !
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
nit kaein mischn e , nit kaein dawn'n!
nit kaein dawn e n, nit kaein til'm!
nit kaein til'm, nit kaein mikw e !
nit kaein mikw e ! nor g e schluf*n!
to wuB-z e toigt ir ouf d e r welt?
mit wuli c t ir klm'n ouf jen e r welt?
?T8 BB8^» DM11 ,iy*n3 VBjn^ti
.- TB — ITT - «1« - D1«M
irDtrp lyiij? 1 ? « Bin* y<w pm'd
,_ TB - 1T1 - V.1W - Dir.M
ipniitp )«p b*3 ,nat?p pp b'3
•D^nj? p.p b*3 ,)yin«n r.p b->i
irnpp ]«p B^i ,B^rw ^p B"i
!|PB8^»j>a iMi inipp ***p b"3
?B^11 *ljn *pK T« B31B JWDM'1 MB
?Btyl1 "lJttJT TIM )J?Blp TM B' D811 B"D
gwald-z e brid e r, wuB schluft ir?
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
Bis schoin zat zi lern e n gmur*!
aeins — zwaei — dra — fir — .
nit kaein gmur e , nit kaein mischn e !
nit kaein mischn', nit kaein dawn e n!
nit kaein dawn'n, nit kaein til e m!
nit kaein til e m, nit kaein mikw'!
nit kaein mikw e ! nor g'schlufri!
to wull-z e toigt ir ouf d e r welt?
mit wuli e t ir klm'n ouf jen e r welt?
?TM BBM^'DMIl ,1J>T12 JJ^f^MIU
.— "VB — ^"n — llltt — Di^M
.'Mica pi-ypb is b^s y\v pm b
.- TB — ^-n - ^ns — D3V.M
!na»D \y b^ ,kib3 j^p b^
!)V3n8T iv.p B" 1 : ,n3typ yy &*
!B^nj|l ]«p B"3 ,)J>31181 ]TP B^3
inipp ]^p wi .wbrto p;.p B"3
lIVBK^yj im: jnipp iv.p ^a
?b"?VH Tjn 1 ,, 18 TM Bi-'IB VBTDKll 8B
IthyW l^r ?i^K |J?Dlp TM B' D811 B'B
[a i) gwald — • schwer iibersetzbarer Ausruf des Erschreckens und der
Beschworung. a 3) mikw" — Bad, meistens das der Frauen, bei den
Chassidim aber auch das Bad der sich zum Gottesdienst riistenden Manner.
b3) Hhca — Psalmen. 03) dawn°n — beten. d3) mischn e = die iiber-
lieferte Auslegung der Gebote (vgl. im siebten Lied ,mu adabru' die Be-
merkung zu .mischnaj'B'). — Das Lied fiihrt in den Kreis der religiosen
Obungen, die der Glaubige bereits in der Nacht, lange vor dem Morgen-
grauen beginnen soil. Daher die warnende Geste gegen das Schlafen, die
beim Singen fast zum Aufschrei werden muB und in der Melodieaufzeich-
nung durch Akzente (18. Takt) hervorgehoben ist. Der Westjude darf an
der zahlenden 2. und 4. Zeile nicht stutzig werden. Das Lied singt nam-
lich der Wecker, der die Frommen ins Bethaus ruft. Ob das Zahlen die
Stunde angibt oder das Klopfen des Weckenden an die Haustiir begleitet,
bleibe dahingestellt — Je mehr die Aufzahlungen sich haufen, desto ge-
schwinder wird ihr Tempo, das aber im fiinftletzten Takt plotzlich abzu-
brechen hat. Um die Ausfuhrung zu erleichtern, ist der beschleunigte Teil
der Strophe c bis zum fiinftletzten Takt besonders notiert.]
8. EIN GESANG
DES BERDITSCHEWER REB E N
Feierlich, aber Qicht zu langsam.
lo - mir un-haei-b c n d c r-zaei-rn di ma-l e B fin in-s e -r e ji-dM e ch. di
g g a fis
ersch-t'mi-r hu-b°n saei:6im a-ni ch&i-mu. di zwaei-t c ma-l e hu-b e nssei:
g g
dom - Bu T-Cu-mor! dom - Bu T-Bu-mor! dom - flu l'-Bu-mor!
lomir unhaeib'n d'rzaeil'n
di mal*Ii fin InsV jid e l e ch!
di erscht e mil 6 hub^n saei
oim ani ch&imu.
di zwaeif mal e hub*n saei:
buru kachamu.
chotsch, chotsch, chotsch:
g6ilu v^Glru.
fort, fort, fort:
domliu l'ilumor.
■■jjfanv jnyuiK jib ri^ya n
rn )j?3«n ntyi? yotnx *i
.nam *jk dtk
tTf ivasn ntya jns«ira n
.rfljw rna
:t?BKD ,»BK3 ,B>BKD
.n-]?Di rfya
:b-ikd ,b-ikb ,B-ikb
.TD$ ™?BT
60
ober a mar 5 hub'n sari:
haharigu ulechu.
wdt e r a mal e hub*n sari:
w'n e chschew e li k*z5in tiwchu.
chotsch, chotsch, chotsch:
s'riju basin machiBehu,
fort, fort, fort:
chawiku idw&u boch.
.«rhj runnn
.nrtae pft? nn^nj;
;»BK3 ,»BK3 ,t?BK3
.,TD^3tt pn rrn;
:BTMB ,e-lKB ,B*IMB
wicfr a mal e , wafr a mal':
t6ien e G iloch.
in noch a mal e hub'n sari:
jchidu l e jachdoch.
chotsch, chotsch, chotsch:
k«wischu bag6ilu,
fort, fort, fort:
loimed'Ii jirulloch.
1WMO ,WMo' ,PBK3
.rfyja rraft3>
5B1HD ,B1KB ,B1KB
neb e ch, neb e ch, neb e ch:
nrMta& lechi.
neb c ch, neb e ch, neb'ch:
n«fttau l e makim.
fort, fort, fort:
fi&wel'l} (iiwloch,
fort, fort, fort:
aniju Goiaru, p'dijafi toiwiji,
zfiin kuduschim.
:T3j>3 ,70373 ,-p3ya
,>rf? nana
t^aya ,-pyi ,T3j?i
,d>?b^ rwna
:bikb ,bikb ,bikb
,1^3? rbpu
tBTKB ,B"IKB ,BTKB
,rraiE riTTB ,rnsb n«ay
fin wem'n schtam e n sari?
fin lChM jank6iw.
wi as6i chaUm'n sari?
fschlmim b e schimchfi.
oaf wem'n har*n saei?
tmichim, filechu,
wuB schra*n sari?
schSiagim hoischanu.
?V!1 lJflSKBB> )J?D3^ll ]1B
.*p#? D">e«sn
.spbjj D^BJjl
[Das Gebet, das in diesem tiefsinnigen Lied writer ausgestaltet wurde,
gehort zum Heilerflehen an den Zwischentagen des Laubhuttenfestes.
Die wortliche tJbersetzung der hebraischen Satze sei hier angedeutet: „Das
Volk ist wie eine Mauer, lauter wie die Sonne, (zwar) verbannt und be-
drangt, (aber doch) der Palme gleich. Um dich erschlagen und wie eine
Herde dem Schlachten bestimmt, ist es hingestreut unter seine Kranker,
(aber) dir angeschmiegt und verbunden. Dein Joch ladet es sich auf, ein
einziges (Volk), deine Einheit werden zu lassen; ein niedergedriicktes in
der Verbannung, ergriindet es deine Furchtbarkeit Bei der Wange gezerrt,
hingegeben den Schlagen, tragt es deine Last, (wenn auch) ein Hilfsloses
im Sturm ; ein Ausgelostes durch Tobia. Herde der Heiligen, Sammlungen
Jakobs sind sie, gezeichnet mit deinem Namen. Auf dieh gestutzt, schreien
sie: hilf doch."
Der hebraische Gesang IaGt jede Zeile mit den aufeinanderfolgenden
Buchstaben des Alphabets beginnen. Das jiddische Lied sucht eine tiefere
innere Ordnung der blockhaft hingestellten hebraischen Satze hervor-
zukehren durch die eingestreuten Ausrufe: chotsch, fort und neb e ch =
leider, ach. a 2) mal* = Stufe der Vollendung. e3) chaCm'n = unter-
schreiben. — Das Lied wird dem Rabbi Jizchok von Berditschew (gest
1809) zugfcschrieben, der, nach gar nicht seltenem chafiidischem Brauch,
dem einfachen, ungelehrten Mann den Sinn der hebraischen Dichtung
erleichtern woUte; ahnlich ist ja auch das Lied Nr. 10 teilweise einem
Sabbathlied entnommenl
9. MU ADABRU, MU ASSAPRU
Mit Leidenschaft.
mu a-da-bru, mu a- Ba- pru 6id-chu, 6idchfi , ta - da - da ri-rom ?
II:
seks se-n c n di misch-na - f B, to fi - n e f se-n e n di chi-mu- sch e m,
d d cis d d cis Y d :R
firse-n'ndi i-mu-h e B In dra se-n'ndi u-w e B, zwaeise-n'ndill-ch'B.in
pFrit.
aei-n e r is doch got! in got is aei-n'r! in wa-fr ksei-n'r
Zur ersten Strophe.
wuB di aeinB ba-tat, wufl di seinB ba-tat ? aei-n e r is got, in
m ||: bis :|]3ind in der ersten Strophe durch die vorstehenden drei
mu adabru, mu alia pru
Sidchu, didchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red e n, wer ken sug*n,
wuli di seins batat, wuB di aeins batat?
aein'r is got, in got is aein e r
In wat e r ksein'r.
rnspx no ,rnai« no
/W.K PK BSU |1K ,BKJ P« TJN«N
mu adabru, mu aliapru
6idchu, Sidchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red e n, wer ken sug'n,
wuli di zwaei batat, wuQ di zwaei batat?
zwaei sen e n di Hch e ii,Inaein e r isdochgot.
in got is aein'r, In wdfr kaein e r.
mu adabru, mu aliapru
6idchu, 6idchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red n, wer ken sug«n,
wufi di dra batat, wuli di drd batat?
dra sen«n di uv/'tt
zwaei sen e n di lich e C,In aain'r is doch got.
In got is aein e r, in wat'r kaein'r.
mu adabru, mu aliapru
oidchu, 6idchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red e n, wer ken sug'n,
wuC di fir batlt, wuC di fir batat?
fir sen e n di imuh e G, In dra sen'n diuw e G,
zwaei sen e n di llch e li,ln aein e r isdoch got
in got is aein'r, In wat'r kaein e r.
mu adabru, mu aliapru
Sidchu, oidchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red e n, wer ken sug e n,
wuli di fin'f batat, wuli di fin c f batat?
fin'f sen e n di chlmusch'm,
fir sen e n di imuh'li in dra sen'n di uw e C,
zwaei sen'n di HcMijInasin'risdoch got.
In got is aein'r, In wafr kaein'r.
mu adabru, mu aliapru
oidchu, oidchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red'n, wer ken sug'n,
wuC di seks batat, wuli di seks batat?
seks sen e n di mischnaj e li, In fin e f sen c n
[di chlmusch e m,
fir sen e n di imuh^ In dra sen e n di uw e G,
zwaei sen e n di Uch e Ii, In aein e r is doch got
In got is aain'r, In wat'r kaein'r.
rrjeos no ,rnaiK no
,)ym t»p ijni .unjp WP "W
?B^BK3 «HS *l 01*11 ,D^BR3 "ltt *1 DK11
.bm i«n r« ijh^k ]i« mm!? n ]yaj>» «iis
W?p "ijns^n v« ,"iyy:.K vh bw p«
n-iBDg na ,7rai* np
?DMVVi*rKB-SB ,itij? ,i-iiv
,)$tt«t rep -ij>u ,unjp t3?P T»i
?B^B«S ^Tl H DIJIl ,B^BN3 ^Vt H DKTI
,mn^ n )j>iyt v.ra p« ,m5K ^ )wt «tt
.bm "j«i r« nyayK p«
♦nj>iV.P To^ii ]i« ,*iJ»«s »'« bw ji«
nnspK no ^TpiB no
?dn-i- v tktkb-mb ,spij? ,?piy
,^i_«r ]»p -iy« ,pnjp )»P nj?n
?B^B«3 TB ^ DK11 ,B^BiO TB n DK11
,«5« -n )Pvt ^n ])» mnpK n TCayt -pb
,-ijn«p ijHs^ii p« ,np:pN pk B«i pw
.tibp« no ,rnriN no
?Dto"n-KTKB-i$B ,*piy ,*pip
*JJ>y.B "1 DK11 ,B^BK2 *)yi''B ^ mail
?B«B«ta] ' ,Q^D?n n TCijn ivi^s
,nui5 n ivayt im |i« mn»« n ^lyi tb
.nViVp "iJ^B^n |ik ,"ij?i"« »'» bk: )i«
rQBD« no ^niK ne
?D«m-KT8B"8B ,i"nv ,fnj>
,TC^t TCP "W rlPin KP "V"
? B^BIO Dp»t H D«11 ,B^BK2 DpJN "H D^ll
,nnK ■n )j>ipt «yj ]i« ninpK ^ u>3j>r tb
.ij>i^p "lya^n ]i« ,*ip^« r« bhj ]ik
mu adabru, mu aBapru
didchu, 6idchu, ta-ta-da-ri-rom?
wer ken red*n, wer ken sag e n,
wu& di sib e n batat, wfili di sib e n batat?
sib e n is doch schab e H,
In seks sen e n di mischnaj'ii, In fin e f
[sen'n di chlmuschim,
fir sen e n di imuh e 6 in dra sen e n di uw'fi,
zwae j sen*n di Uch e C in aein e r is doch got.
In got is aein*r, in wat'r kaein'r.
ITJBDg HO ,.T33*!(< no
,vw wp •m .iron vs> -vn
? b^b^p pan n 0911 ^bks \s>y\ n o$n
.rati "|tn pk pnM
PW «jyyB ]i« nvjtrp h ]jttyr opj>t iw
^nwjin n]
,m5ij n p>ayt ^m jin jutb$ h jyajn te
.atu "]tn r«K nyiyx pn mm!? n priyt «i«
.-ipav.p wjtt pa ,"iw.« pk b«i )1«
[a 1 u. 2) mu adabru usw. — oidchu — was soil ich reden, was soil
ich ferner dir erzahlen. b 5) Hch e li = Tafeln (des Gesetzes). c 5) uw'ii =
die Vater (hier die Urvater). d5) imuh'G «= die Mutter (hier die Ur-
miitter). e5) chimusch'm == die fiinf (Biicher der Lehre). f5) mischna-
j e C =-= Wiederholungen, Erlauterungen der Lehre; das sind die sechs Ord-
nungen der Mischna, die das Fundament des Talmuds ist. Das Lied
hat in der hebraischen religiosen Poesie manche Gegenstiicke. — Je mehr
die Aufzahlungen sich haufen, desto beschleunigter wird, mit dem 7. Takt
beginnend, deren Tempo, urn jedoch in den drei SchluBtakten beinahe
unvermittelt in die groBte Ruhe uberzugehen. Zur Erleichterung ist die
Melodie der siebenten Strophe angegeben; von der ersten Strophe sind
drei Takte beigefug^, die an die Stelle der Takte 4 — 12 einzufugen sind,
wenn man die erste Strophe singen will.]
10. HAMAWDIL
gi - t e woch. git woch, git woch, a gl - t = woch
hamawdil basin k6id e sch l e ch6il,
chat6ifiaeinl hi jimch6il.
saraeinl w*chalipaeinl jarbe kachoil
w'chakoichuwim baleulu:
git woch, git woch, a glte woch, a
glte woch.
hamawdil baein koid'sch l e ch6il,
wuli tit m e n, e fi gaeit gur nit wSil!
saraeinl faran e n, w'chafipaeinl — a ni,
d"r schtik*l broit klmt un mit mi:
git woch, git woch, a glf woch, a
[git 6 woch.
j6im punu, d e r schab c G awek,
asSi wi a schufn fin b6im.
fin al° schpas'n nit g e blib c n kan soiim
in bald waei, och kimt di glikl e ch e woch.
git woch, git woch, a git 5 woch, a
[git e woch.
.VirtB? wn uyifcan
^ing nil! USD? 1 ! ujnt
:n^a d^'mo?)
POU K ,1«11 J7B13 K ,1811 BU ,7«tt B13
\bw\ B^ -\»i B^J DJ> ,|J>B BIB DIJN
/a « - «9D?i ,ipa«-i8b urn
.rfo bts )$ BBip B"i-Q typ^str njn
pais « ,1*1! Van « ,i«n bu ,71m BU
•7«n]
,pjms_ratf TJH /IJD DV
,a^it |v.p jpytojH bu jypjEsw j^b jib
,7«n jD^p^a h BBip 7« ,v.n ^«a p*
.7KH]
[Das Lied benutzt die Anfangszeilen eines bekannten Sabbathgesanges,
der an der Schwelle des wieder beginnenden Werktags gesungen wird.
Die Verwebung des Hebraischen mit den gefeilten jiddischen Auslegungen
ist hier besonders zwanglos vor sich gegangen. Das Hebraijche sei hier
wortlich ubertragen:
— Der das Heilige vom Ungeweihten sondert,
Unsere Schuld wird er abschwachen,
Unseren Samen und unsere Schatze wie Sand mehren
Und wie Sterne in der Nacht. —
b3) faran'n = vorhanden; a ni — von einer Geste begleiteter, skeptischer
Ausruf. c i) j6im punu = der Tag wandte sich; soiim = Rest.]
67
REVIEW OF NEW MUSIC
"KABBOLAS SHABBOS," Composed, Compiled and Arranged by
Hazzan Harold Klein:
The music of Hazzan Harold Klein's Kabbolas Shabbos has
been made available together with an accompanying cassette tape.
It is in the truly traditional orthodox style that one can rarely hear
today. One is reminded of the "golden age" when the "golden-
throated" hazzanim used to chant the Kabbolas Shabbos service in
an ornate yet nonchalant manner, treating even basic-nusach-type
endings in a hazzanic-embellished style, in addition to a few more
fully extended recitatives. Such is the style of Hazzan Klein's work.
It consists primarily of extended hazzanic-style nusach plus four
supplementary recitatives placed at the end of the booklet: Shomo
Vatismach Tzion; Kol Ha-Shem Yochil Midbor; Ha-Shem Moloch;
and Ahavas Olom. (Recitatives for Hashkiveinu and Mogein Ovos
are conspicuously lacking.) The nusah endings themselves are very
artistic, and amount to smaller-scale recitatives; they are lovely,
highly melodic, and contain a number of florid coloratura passages.
The four supplementary recitatives are naturally more fully devel-
oped compositions. The music is basically Hazzan Klein's original
treatment of the traditional nusah, with some exceptions (e.g., the
inclusion of Schnipelisky's Hisnaari and a few phrases from Gan-
choff's Kiddush), the fact of which is reflected in Hazzan Klein's
title to the work.
A valuable aspect of the work is the fact that it comes with a
tape, which is next best to the situation when hazzanim used to
learn from hearing unrestrained hazzanic art from other hazzanim
(which is practically non-existent today). In this respect, the work
is useful to experienced hazzanim, who may acquire some new ideas,
but it is even more useful to the less-experienced and young haz-
zanim, for whom it can serve as a form of apprentice situation.
While Hazzan Klein's Kabbolas Shabbos has its obvious merits,
it can be used in its original form only by hazzanim who possess a
high tenor with a strong upper register. All of the supplementary
recitatives require a sturdy, reliable upper register, even some of the
basic-nusah endings (e.g., the Kadish Sholeim, written in A-flat
major, has parlando-style repeated notes on high A-flat, followed in
places by B-flats and a C!)
Though all hazzanim can derive benefit from Hazzan Klein's
work, it is ideally suited for a hazzan who has a natural high tenor
with a conspicuously brilliant upper register, who is already familiar
with basic nusah (which Hazzan Klein's Kabbolas Shabbos presumes,
because his nusah is elaborated throughout), and who needs and
wants to perform a highly embellished Friday Evening Service.
Sholom Kalib
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