Winning piece for the Ithaca College Thirty-Sixth Annual Choral Composition Contest, and The Robert Campbell ’40, M.S. ’50, Endowed Choral Composition Prize

Sheet music available at: http://www.caseyrule.com/music/works/berakhot/

Berakhot (ברכות ) is the Hebrew word for “blessing,” and the text for this piece is that of a blessing that appears in the Berakhot Tractate of the Babylonian Talmud.  According to the Tractate, this blessing was spoken by the third century Rabbi Ammi in Tiberias.

Note: This piece can be performed with either piano or harp accompaniment.  The piece was originally written for choir and harp.

Romanized Hebrew pronunciation tips:

“ei” is pronounced like “ay” in “say”, ([εi] in IPA)
“ay” or “ai” is pronouced like “y” in “fly” ([ai] in IPA)
an apostrophe with no vowel indicates an unaccented schwa like the “a” in about ([ə] in IPA)
“ch” is that iconic Hebrew guttural sound, like the “ch” in “chutzpah” ([x] in IPA)
Text

from Talmud Bavli, Tractate Berakhot 17a

Olamcha tireh v’chayecha
V’acharitcha l’chayay haOlam haBa
V’tikvat’cha l’dor dorim
Lib’cha yehge t’vunah
Picha y’daber chachmot
U’lshoncha yarchish r’nanot
Af’apecha yaishiru negdecha
Einecha ya’iru b’me’or Torah
U’fanecha yazhiru k’zohar harakiya
Siftotecha yabiu da’at
V’chliyotecha ta’alozna meisharim
U’fe’amecha yarutzu lishmoa
Divrei Atik Yomin

Translation

May you live to see your world in your lifetime*
May your end be for the life of the world to come
And your hope from generation to generation
May your heart conceive understanding
May you mouth speak wisdom
And may your tongue bring forth song
May your eyelids look straight before you
May your eyes shine in the light of the Torah
And may your face shine like the brightness of the heavens
May your lips express knowledge
And may you rejoice in righteousness**
And may your feet run to hear
The words of the Ancient of Days***

* Or, “may you live to see your world fulfilled”
** Literally: “may your kidneys rejoice in righteousness”
The kidneys were believed to be the emotional center of the body, with a similar metaphorical significance as we give the heart.
*** “Atik Yomin” is an Aramaic title for God meaning “Ancient of Days”

Get the sheet music

Berakhot - performed by the Ithaca High School Concert Choir

Ron Leshnower’s "Ma Tovu" is an impassioned choral-orchestral work that features the original Hebrew text of Numbers 24:5 and Psalm 5:8 and incorporates the traditional, familiar melody as chanted in Jewish synagogues.

"Ma Tovu" recalls the biblical story of Balaam, who stood in awe and praised the Israelites’ tents of worship despite having been dispatched by King Balak of Moab to denounce them.

Composer Ron Leshnower performed and programmed his interpretation of "Ma Tovu" using virtual instruments and voices from Symphonic Orchestra and Symphonic Choirs with WordBuilder by EastWest/Quantum Leap.

Ma Tovu

Watch the amazing music video for this track from Alf Pilz : https://youtu.be/lBpV1VL-Mdk

Made for Nils Frahm's first PIANO DAY on 29th March 2015. Enjoy my relaxing and soothing piano track with string additions. 

You like what you hear and want to buy some of my music? Visit my profile on Bandcamp: 
www.macrima.bandcamp.com

Music: MACRIMA

Picture: Maria Träg-Engerer


PIANO DAY 2015: MACRIMA - Blick über den Gedankensee

Hatikvah ("The Hope") is the official national anthem of Israel. The song's haunting melody derives from a 16th-century Italian madrigal by Giuseppino Del Biado, and its passionate lyrics were adapted from a poem written by Naphtali Herz Imber in 1877.

On the heels of Ma Tovu, composer Ron Leshnower returns with a new choral-orchestral interpretation of Hatikvah, performed and programmed with virtual instruments and voices from EastWest/Quantum Leap.

Hatikvah - Sample 2

If the Moon could Frown...

A piece for String quartet and Electronics. 

                                                            Violin 1; Marie Schreer
                                                            Violin 2; Helena Buckie
                                                            Viola;     Dora Maria
                                                            Cello;     Lily Thornton

If the Moon Could Frown - Soundscape version

Finally spring has arrived for us who live in the northern latitudes as well. With this composition I celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of our favorite season. Please share and enjoy!

Welcome Spring - Orchestral Composition

"Rolling Tough" is written in a bravura, cinematic movie soundtrack style, containing simple and successful music for the very young student (only the first six notes introduced in most method books). The use of ample percussion will be exhilarating for your ensemble. Your band will sound impressively hard-hitting with this great work for very beginning bands. 

Rolling Tough

Ron Leshnower is a classical and jazz composer who has been exploring ways of achieving sentimental realism with electronic music since the 1980s.

Hatikvah - Sample 2

ronleshnower

Related tracks