The Aleinu prayer is one of the best-known parts of the services of  Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  Its origin lies in the Musaf service of Rosh Hashanah. On the Jewish High Holidays, it is sung to a regal melody. The music  is a staple of cantorial singing. Indeed, it is one of the beloved pieces of Jewish music or of a Jewish song. Hazzan Marc Berman chants the prayer ihere.

Among Jewish songs  of praise and worship,  "Aleinu Leshabeach" is one of the most venerable.   This version is based on the notation of Louis Lewandowski. In this recording, Lewandowski's setting is modified, and this staple of the high holiday nusach (musical mode) has further been arranged  for orchestra. The orchestral introduction, played by French horn,  recalls the blasts of the Shofar that are sounded on the Jewish New Year. 

Aleinu  is found in both the Rosh Hashanah prayers and in the Yom Kippur prayers. Accordingly, it is recited at both Rosh Hashanah services and in the Yom Kippur services.

"Aleinu" Rosh Hashanah - Yom Kippur - Hazzanut - Cantorial - Chazzan Marc Berman חזנות

One of the most beloved prayers of the High Holiday Services, whether  the Rosh Hashanah services or the Yom Kippur services, is Ki Anu Amecha, here sung by Marc Berman.  The prayer is usually sung  as a hymn at the Yom Kippur service of Selichot. As Selichot are not recited on Rosh Hashanah, Ki Anu Amecha is not  part of the Rosh Hashanah service, though the themes that  it expresses are. 
Among Yom Kippur songs and Rosh Hashanah songs, Ki Anu Amecha remains an lasting favorite, a staple of Jewish music.
Yom Kippur music, Rosh Hashanah music and Jewish High Holiday music such as Ki Anu Amecha have been recorded by many renowned artists, particularly chazzanim (cantors).  These singers include luminaries such as Yossele Rosenblatt ,Moshe Koussevitzky, Mordechai Hershman, Zavel Kwartin, Moyshe Oysher, Leibele Waldman, Richard Tucker and  Jan Peerce. 
Ki Anu Amecha is a classic example of synagogue music. The text of Ki Anu Amecha is an anonymous piyut (liturgical poem) of early origin. It has been set to many tunes, both those of Jewish music and of non-jewish music. It has also been performed as chazzanut (cantorial music). The music from this recording is found in a four-part choral version arranged by Boston Cantor M. Halpern in his 1915 synagogue hymnal Zmiroth Ut'filoth Yisroel, where it is listed as "traditional." (The music is actually a Julius Mombach composition, utilized in British Commonwealth countries, and apparently also in some German congregations.) The choral version has been rearranged here for soloist and strings.) 
Ki Anu Amecha is actually part of a larger prayer, the theme of which is a request by the Jewish People that God forgive their sins.

"Ki Anu Amecha" - Yom Kippur - Hazzanut - Cantorial - Selichot - Marc Berman חזנות

Shabbat music from the Friday night evening service proper, post Kabbalat Shabbat. Arranged and sung by Chazzan Marc Berman. A classic example of synagogue music. The traditional  tune for Vayechulu is as familiar as the popular nigunim (melodies) for the Zemirot of Shabbat (Shabbat songs, i.e., Sabbath Songs).  This lovely piece, loosely based on the traditional Ashkenazi melody for Vayechulu,  was composed by Hirsch Weintraub (1811-1882), chazzan (cantor) of Konigsberg, Germany (now Kaliningrad, Russia). Weintraub originally wrote it as a four-part choral piece.

"Vayechulu" -  A Shabbat Prayer, -  Jewish Music - Hazzanut - Marc Berman חזנות

The classic cantorial composition of Issac Schlossberg, first performed in Carnegie Hall in 1912  by the famous chazzan (cantor) Gershon Sirota of Warsaw. 

This piece of chazzanut (cantorial music, also known as chazzanus) evinces the hope for the restoration of the Temple Service in Jerusalem. 

R'tsei is one of the most famous piece of cantorial singing ever composed. It's refrain of "Vesekhezehnah Aynaynu"  ("May Our Eyes Behold") is used in synagogue services throughout the world even today.

Indeed, R'tsei is one of the most widely  known examples of synagogue music, and of Jewish music in any form. This includes Yiddish music, klezmer music,  and Hebrew Music. Of all Jewish songs, Hebrew songs and Yiddish songs, R'tsei stands among the finest. 

Gershon Sirota, who first sang R'tsei, also recorded it several times. He was one of the great cantors of the "golden age" of chazzanes of the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s. Other luminaries of that period included cantors Yossele Rosenblatt, Mordechai Hershman, and  Zavel Kwartin, as well as the young Moshe Koussevitsky and Leibele Waldman.

On this video, R'tsei (sometimes spelled "R'tzei, " or "R'Tzay")  is sung by Chazzan Marc Berman, who also provides the musical arrangement.

On a profound level, the text of R'tsei,  which is still recited thrice daily by pious Jews, reflects the deeply held national and religious aspirations of the Jewish people. Schlossberg's music captures those aspirations. 

Yitzchok (Issac) Schlossberg  was born in 1877 to a family of Chazonim (cantors) in Russian-ruled Poland. His grandfather, Nathan Schlossberg, was a famous touring cantor in Russia His father Arie-Leyb, (to whom R'tsei is sometimes attributed) was renowned for his  bass voice. The father was known as the  ""Shaagas Arie" (the roaring lion). Surprisingly, he did not want Yitzchok to be a Chazan, or even a musician.

Nonetheless, Yitzchok was a progeny who ran away from home to be a musician. It is said that he first conducted an orchestra at age 13!

Yitschok Schlossberg is also said to have written  music for some 80 operettas (light operas). Sadly, apparently none of these scores were printed during Schlossberg's lifetime. He died in 1930.

Happily, "R'tsei" has survived it's composer, and remains his most enduring legacy.  

(Biographical information culled from "lssakhar Fater: Jewish Music in Poland 
between the World Wars, Tel Aviv 1992 (Hebrew), pp. 197-203." see http://www.zchor.org/fater/schlossberg.htm)

"R'tsei" - Cantorial Gem - Hazzanut by I. Schossberg - Chazzan Marc Berman חזנות

The Kiddush for Pesach evening, sung in the traditional nusach (chant).  The same tune is also used for Kiddush on Succot and Shavuot. Happy Passover!

This  this traditional Ashkenazi Kiddush chant is one of the most familiar in Chazzanut (Cantorial Music) and Jewish Holiday music.  In fact,  the melody, used originally for the Akdamut prayer on Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah,  is one of the best known across all genres of Jewish music, including Yiddish songs, Yiddish music, klezmer,  and cantorial singing. Indeed, the tune has been employed by composers  in various compositions, and is a staple of traditional Jewish music, Jewish holiday music,  and Jewish holiday songs. 

The nusach used here is employed both for Kiddush in the synagogue, and when the kiddush is chanted at home, at the Passover Seder. 

The chazzan (cantor) singing in the recording is Marc Berman.

Kiddush  for the Passover Seder - Traditional -  Hazzanut - Marc Berman -קידוש לליל פסח  - חזנות

The celebrated recitative composed by Jacob Rappaport (1890-1943). Originally made famous by Cantor Mordechai Hershman. A prime example of cantorial singing. 

Sung here by Chazzan Marc Berman.

Eilu Devorim -  Cantorial Music  - Chazzanut - Marc Berman - אלו דברים -  קטע חזנות

Rosh Hashanah songs are diverse, as are Yiddish songs, including Yiddish folk songs.  The lovely Yiddish song performed here, titled "Dorey Maylo Im Dorey Mato," arguably falls into all these genres, as well as chazzanut (synagogue music for vocal soloist). It is sung here by Marc Berman.

The origin of this Jewish folk song is as follows: The early Hasidic leader Rabbi Levi Yitzchok (Issac) of Berdichev (Bardichev) (1740–1809 ) was known for his intercession with the Almighty on behalf of his people. It is said that he wrote and recited this Yiddish song (there are multiple versions of the text and music) before he officiated as the chazzan (cantor, or prayer leader) on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Thus, the song ends with the first word of the Kaddish, the first required prayer that the prayer leader recites.  The Kaddish's traditional melody is a highlight of Rosh Hashanah services and Rosh Hashanah prayers (as well as Yom Kippur services and Yom Kippur prayers). 

Typically, the best Yiddish music, and, more specifically, Yiddish songs of this type (Rosh Hashanah music and Yom Kippur music), have been recorded multiple times. Artists who have recorded similar songs include Misha Alexandrovich and Sidor Belarsky,   as well as cantors such as Yossele Rosenblatt, Moshe Koussevitzky, Moyshe Oysher, Leibele Waldman  and Mordechai Hershman,  as well as opera singers like Jan Peerce and Richard Tucker. Strangely, however, there does not appear to be a widely-available recording of this beautiful piece (at least under the title found in the musical score.)

(Fundraising Note: This channel primarily releases new recordings of rarely heard Jewish music from the past, especially  Yiddish music. It is so important that such seldom-heard Jewish songs be preserved for future generations.  Recording and producing music is an expensive endeavor. This New Year, won't you please  help by becoming a member or donating at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cantorclassics . Thanks so much!) 

The music for this song is found in a book of Yiddish folk songs, mainly Hasidic,  compiled by baritone Chaim Kotylansky. He published the book in 1944, after he had been forced to retire from singing, due to illness.  

Interestingly, Kotylansky states in the preface that a main reason that he compiled a Yiddish folk song anthology was because he believed that Hasidim and other Orthodox Jews might soon disappear entirely, and with them their unique Jewish music.  The reason for the impending disappearance being mainly due to what Kotylansky referred to as  "barbaric fascism." He was, of course, referring to the then ongoing atrocities being committed by the Nazis and their collaborators, now called the  Holocaust. 

Curiously, just a few years after Kotylansky wrote his book, Abraham Cahan, editor of the Socialist-Yiddish newspaper "Der Forvets," embarked on a similar  mission of preservation. He sent a photographer to Brooklyn to photograph the "last religious Jews."

However,  as has happened so many times before,  such predictions of doom  regarding the Jewish religion were "premature." 

Returning to the song, in it,  Rabbi Levi Yitzchok  questions the suffering that the Jewish people has been forced to endure over the ages. He demands from the Almighty that He treat His people as any father would treat his children.  To that end, he quotes Deuteronomy 14:1: "You are the children of the Lord your God."

Indeed, the text of the entire song is largely written in the form of quotations from the Bible, Talmud,  and liturgy. This is similar to many of the piyutim (liturgical poems) recited on the Jewish High Holidays. Thus, a literal translation would be misleading, indeed, almost incomprehensible. Accordingly, the captions to the video present an interpretive  translation.

"Dorey Maylo."  Rosh Hashanah Song. Yom Kippur Song. Chazzanut. Cantorial.  Marc Berman

The Chatzi Kaddish prayer is among the best-known parts of the services of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It is chanted before the Musaf (additional) service. On the Jewish High Holidays, it is sung to a rousing melody by the hazzan (a/k/a cantor, or prayer-leader). The music is a staple of cantorial singing. Indeed, it is one of the beloved pieces of Jewish Music or of a Jewish song. Chazzan Marc Berman chants the prayer in this video. 
Among Jewish songs  of praise and worship,  this Kaddish is one of the most venerable, comparable to , say, "Kol Nidre," "Aleinu" or "U'netaneh Tokef."   The Chatzi Kaddish is found in both the Rosh Hashanah prayers and in the Yom Kippur prayers. That is, it is recited at both Rosh Hashanah services and in the Yom Kippur services.
(Fundraising Note: This channel primarily releases new recordings of rarely heard Jewish music from the past, especially  Yiddish music. It is so important that such seldom-heard Jewish songs be preserved for future generations.  Recording and producing music is an expensive endeavor. This new year, please  help us  by becoming a member or donating at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cantorclassics . Thank you so much.) 
"Chatzi Kaddish" (or "Khatzi" Kaddish*) literally means "half-Kaddish."  It is a shortened version of the full Kaddish recited near the end of every service. This half-kaddish, in contrast, generally marks the formal beginning of the Musaf service, which follows the morning service and the biblical readings of the day. The prayer praises the Deity and expresses the hope that He  will soon be universally recognized. 
This Chatzi Kaddish on the Yamim Noraim (Jewish high holidays)  is also sometimes referred to as the "great" Kaddish. (Not to be confused with the long "great kaddish" ("Kaddish Hagadol")  recited in the burial service at a cemetery.)
The musical version  sung here is the traditional Ashkenazi (Eastern European) nusach.   "Nusach" refers to the traditional musical prayer mode. Each holiday has its own nusach.  Indeed, there is often a different nusach for each section of each service on any given holiday.
"Nusach" can also refer to the text of a service, which varies slightly between different rites that emanate from different geographical locations.

*Pronunciation  Note:  The "ch"  (or, sometimes, "kh" or just "h") in "Chatzi,  "nusach" and "chazzan" is pronounced as a voiceless uvular fricative trill [(x) in the  International Phonetic Alphabet ]. This sound is common in Hebrew, but does not occur in some languages, including  English. One can hear it several times in the recording.

"Chatzi Kaddish". Rosh Hashanah Music. Yom Kippur Music. Chazzanut. Cantorial Music - Marc Berman

Hanukkah songs are many, but the most popular is  "Maoz Tzur," a rousing Hanukkah hymn. 

Please support us by becoming a Patreon member at www.patreon.com/CantorClassics , or by donating a small amount (or joining) at www.buymeacoffee.com/cantorclassics .  We mainly record rare Jewish songs, especially Yiddish music. It is so important that seldom-heard Yiddish songs from the past be preserved for future generations. Recording these songs is so expensive. Please help keep the music alive. Thanks so much!

The beloved Jewish song heard here is performed by Marc Berman, to his own arrangement of the traditional Ashkenazic melody, for Klezmer ensemble (vocals, violin, flute, clarinet, trumpet, cello, bass and snare drums). The new arrangement is based on prior arrangements by the polymath and Holocaust martyr Arno Nadel (1878-1943)  and the anonymous arrangement of the 1897 Union Hymnal.

While the song is generally known as "Maoz Tzur," some hold that the  third word should also be included in the title, i.e.,  "Maoz Tzur Yeshuati." The distinction is based on whether the first three words are translated as "mighty rock of my salvation" or as "Mighty One, rock of my salvation." 

It is uncertain who authored the words of the song, and exactly when. However, the composer did sign his name, "Mordecai," in an acrostic in the first five stanzas. The sixth stanza contains the further acrostic "KHaZaK." Thus, the full acrostic signature means "Mordecai, may he be strong."  

That said, scholars disagree on whether the sixth stanza is a later addition. 

As for the music, the ethnomusicologist Abraham Idelsohn, in his  "Jewish Music In Its Historical Development,"   argues for a German origin. He notes the melody's partial similarity to a German folk song ("So weiss  ich eins was mich erfreut") that was  adopted by Martin Luther (1483-1546) into a chorale ("Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein").  He further notes another partial similarity to a 1504 battle song  ("Benzenauer" ) .

In sum, Idelsohn held  that the present melody is not the original.  He notes that an earlier melody that was prevalent in 1450.

"Maoz Tzur" -  Hanukkah Song. Stirring Hanukkah Music. Jewish Music. - All 6 Stanzas. Marc Berman

Yiddish songs and Jewish music include, of course, Passover songs.  This joyous Passover music is presented here in a new recording, sung by Marc Berman . It may not exactly be a traditional Passover seder song, but it has the same rousing spirit as much seder music. The music and words are by Solomon Golub.

Golub’s songs were recorded (during his lifetime and after) by such leading singers  as Emma Shaver, Mascha Benya, Sidor Belarsky, and even the renowned cantor Yossele Rosenblatt. One could also add the renowned American operatic tenor Jan Peerce to the list. 

Curiously, "Burikes" apparently has not been widely recorded. More curiously, the few available recordings have been recorded by male singers, even though it is clear that the first line of the song is sung by a woman to her husband. Perhaps the interpretation is that the husband is recounting how his wife told him to obtain beets for Passover.

This channel dedicated to preserving rare Jewish music, especially Yiddish music, by recording it.  It is so important that seldom-heard Jewish songs from the past be preserved for future generations. Recording these songs is very expensive. Without your help, much of this great music may be lost forever. Please consider donating  a small amount (or, even better, becoming a monthly supporter) at www.buymeacoffee.com/cantorclassics or www.patreon.com/CantorClassics . Thanks so much!

Among the immigrant composers of Yiddish art songs that had wide popularity during the first half of the 20th century, Solomon Golub was one of the most beloved. Golub performed his own songs in formal classical concert format, with piano.  Not infrequently, the audience would sing along.

As was common then, Golub sometimes wrote an additional, optional violin part for his piano-vocal scores. As no such part could be located for "Beets for Passover," the singer in this recording arranged one, based on elements of the piano part. 

Golub was born near Riga, Latvia in 1887. His father was a local ba’al t’filla (lay prayer leader).  His mother was also a singer. Golub’s mother was well acquainted with German lieder by Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf, and other classical composers.  She evidently passed this musical knowledge on to her son. As a boy, Golub sang in the choir of the Great Synagogue in Riga. That experience was also a large part of his musical training. 

Golub immigrated to the United States in 1906.  He continued his musical studies. 


At first, Golub wrote his own poems for his songs, as is the case for "Burikes," published in 1921. And he continued to do so even after he was able to set the verse of prominent poets. 


Golub set his songs simply, without complicated harmony or counterpoint in the accompaniment. His music is distinctively Jewish -- even apart from the Yiddish texts.  Many of his songs are infused with melodic and modal elements (and even quotations) of eastern European cantorial chant. 


 *The above biography of Golub was adapted from an article by Neil Levin found at  https://www.milkenarchive.org/artists/view/solomon-golub .

Passover Song: "Burikes Oyf Peysakh". ("Beets for Passover"). Yiddish Song. Hidden Gem. Marc Berman

Please support our recording  of vintage Yiddish songs and classic Jewish music like hazzanut: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/cantorclassics  .  T I'm trying to help preserve classic Jewish Eastern European vocal music. Specifically, Yiddish music and chazzanus (cantorial chant). 

Please help support my  efforts by following me and posting my songs on  your social media. To reach me, send me a message through Soundcloud.

You can watch videos of some of my songs at https://www.youtube.com/c/CantorClassics .

Here are some of my concert reviews:

"Marc Berman came to us in full flower [with] ...the richness of his ...voice." - Saul & Evelyn Friedman, The Capital

""One of the finest voices ... which moved easily through its coloratura passages and also provided a well accomplished ... top...." - Iris Bass, Sightlines Magazine

"Marc Berman provided solid [singing]." - James Oestreich, New York Times

"Superb" -Susan L. Pena, Reading Eagle-Times

 I'm also available for  concerts, and to officiate as chazzan at synagogue services, as well as at weddings, bar mitzvahs and funerals. 

Thanks for listening!

Regards,

Marc Berman

"Aleinu" Rosh Hashanah - Yom Kippur - Hazzanut - Cantorial - Chazzan Marc Berman חזנות

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