B i o g r a p h y
B i o g r a p h y
B i o g r a p h y
Joshua R. Jacobson holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory, a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Hebrew College. Before retiring in 2018, Dr. Jacobson served 45 years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University, including nine years as Music Department Chairman and six years as the Bernard Stotsky Professor of Jewish Cultural Studies. He is also Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College. He is also the founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a world-renowned ensemble, specializing in Hebrew music. He has conducted workshops on choral music for various groups, including the American Choral Directors Association, and has guest conducted a number of ensembles, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Bulgarian National Symphony and Chorus, the New England Conservatory Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company. He has also written articles on various aspects of choral music, and over one hundred published compositions and arrangements. In 1989 he spent four weeks in Yugoslavia as a Distinguished Professor under the auspices of the Fulbright program. In 1994 Hebrew College awarded him the Benjamin Shevach Award for Distinguished Achievement in Jewish Educational Leadership, in 2004 the Cantors Assembly presented him with its prestigious “Kavod Award,” in 2016 Choral Arts New England presented him the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2018 Chorus America selected him for its Distinguished Service Award. Prof. Jacobson is past President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He is the conductor and host of the PBS film, Zamir: Jewish Voices Return to Poland. His book, Chanting the Hebrew Bible: The Art of Cantillation, published by the Jewish Publication Society in 2002, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He is co-author of Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire—Volume IV: Hebrew Texts, published by earthsongs in 2009.
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Prof. Jacobson’s articles have appeared in The Choral Journal, the American Choral Review, The Journal of Synagogue Music, Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Encyclopedia Judaica, Studies in Jewish Civilization, Yale University Institute of Sacred Music Colloquium, The Musical Quarterly, and others. His compositions, arrangements and editions have been performed by ACDA honors choirs, by the Boston Pops and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and by the St. Olaf College Choirs, among others. His music is published by Transcontinental, ECS, Broude Brothers and Earthsongs. He has guest lectured at Harvard, Brandeis, Yale, and many other schools. In addition to his specialization in Jewish music, he has conducted many of the standard choral-orchestral masterworks, including Bach’s Johannespassion, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Poulenc’s Gloria, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, Thompson’s A Peaceable Kingdom. He has also prepared Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for Daniel Barenboim and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler's Second Symphony for Zubin Mehta and the I. P. O., Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms for Gary Bertini and the Jerusalem Symphony, Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw for Piero Bellugi and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. In 2011 Jacobson launched "Middle Eastern Harmonies," a program bringing together on stage Jewish and Arab music and musicians. He has performed the program for diverse audiences throughout New England.
Here are excerpts from some press reviews. Richard Dyer wrote in the Boston Globe (June11, 2002) “Jacobson has a gift for programming that is instructive and entertaining, and more often than not, the Zamir Chorale performs works that music lovers would be unlikely to hear anyplace else.” Philip Greenfield in the American Record Guide (March/April, 2002), “The Zamir Chorale of Boston has become America’s foremost Jewish choral ensemble.” Kevin Gabriel in The Worcester Telegram and Gazette (March 25, 1996), “Jacobson led polished performances that emphasized clarity and balance. And the chorale’s professionalism was everywhere evident, particlularly in its unflagging attention to detail.”
Joshua R. Jacobson holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory, a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Hebrew College. Before retiring in 2018, Dr. Jacobson served 45 years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University, including nine years as Music Department Chairman and six years as the Bernard Stotsky Professor of Jewish Cultural Studies. He is also Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College. He is also the founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a world-renowned ensemble, specializing in Hebrew music. He has conducted workshops on choral music for various groups, including the American Choral Directors Association, and has guest conducted a number of ensembles, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Bulgarian National Symphony and Chorus, the New England Conservatory Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company. He has also written articles on various aspects of choral music, and over one hundred published compositions and arrangements. In 1989 he spent four weeks in Yugoslavia as a Distinguished Professor under the auspices of the Fulbright program. In 1994 Hebrew College awarded him the Benjamin Shevach Award for Distinguished Achievement in Jewish Educational Leadership, in 2004 the Cantors Assembly presented him with its prestigious “Kavod Award,” in 2016 Choral Arts New England presented him the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2018 Chorus America selected him for its Distinguished Service Award. Prof. Jacobson is past President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He is the conductor and host of the PBS film, Zamir: Jewish Voices Return to Poland. His book, Chanting the Hebrew Bible: The Art of Cantillation, published by the Jewish Publication Society in 2002, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He is co-author of Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire—Volume IV: Hebrew Texts, published by earthsongs in 2009.
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Prof. Jacobson’s articles have appeared in The Choral Journal, the American Choral Review, The Journal of Synagogue Music, Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Encyclopedia Judaica, Studies in Jewish Civilization, Yale University Institute of Sacred Music Colloquium, The Musical Quarterly, and others. His compositions, arrangements and editions have been performed by ACDA honors choirs, by the Boston Pops and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and by the St. Olaf College Choirs, among others. His music is published by Transcontinental, ECS, Broude Brothers and Earthsongs. He has guest lectured at Harvard, Brandeis, Yale, and many other schools. In addition to his specialization in Jewish music, he has conducted many of the standard choral-orchestral masterworks, including Bach’s Johannespassion, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Poulenc’s Gloria, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, Thompson’s A Peaceable Kingdom. He has also prepared Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for Daniel Barenboim and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler's Second Symphony for Zubin Mehta and the I. P. O., Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms for Gary Bertini and the Jerusalem Symphony, Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw for Piero Bellugi and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. In 2011 Jacobson launched "Middle Eastern Harmonies," a program bringing together on stage Jewish and Arab music and musicians. He has performed the program for diverse audiences throughout New England.
Here are excerpts from some press reviews. Richard Dyer wrote in the Boston Globe (June11, 2002) “Jacobson has a gift for programming that is instructive and entertaining, and more often than not, the Zamir Chorale performs works that music lovers would be unlikely to hear anyplace else.” Philip Greenfield in the American Record Guide (March/April, 2002), “The Zamir Chorale of Boston has become America’s foremost Jewish choral ensemble.” Kevin Gabriel in The Worcester Telegram and Gazette (March 25, 1996), “Jacobson led polished performances that emphasized clarity and balance. And the chorale’s professionalism was everywhere evident, particlularly in its unflagging attention to detail.”
Joshua R. Jacobson holds a Bachelors degree in Music from Harvard College, a Masters in Choral Conducting from the New England Conservatory, a Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Cincinnati, and a Doctor of Humane Letters honoris causa from Hebrew College. Before retiring in 2018, Dr. Jacobson served 45 years as Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Northeastern University, including nine years as Music Department Chairman and six years as the Bernard Stotsky Professor of Jewish Cultural Studies. He is also Visiting Professor and Senior Consultant in the School of Jewish Music at Hebrew College. He is also the founder and director of the Zamir Chorale of Boston, a world-renowned ensemble, specializing in Hebrew music. He has conducted workshops on choral music for various groups, including the American Choral Directors Association, and has guest conducted a number of ensembles, including the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Bulgarian National Symphony and Chorus, the New England Conservatory Orchestra and the Boston Lyric Opera Company. He has also written articles on various aspects of choral music, and over one hundred published compositions and arrangements. In 1989 he spent four weeks in Yugoslavia as a Distinguished Professor under the auspices of the Fulbright program. In 1994 Hebrew College awarded him the Benjamin Shevach Award for Distinguished Achievement in Jewish Educational Leadership, in 2004 the Cantors Assembly presented him with its prestigious “Kavod Award,” in 2016 Choral Arts New England presented him the Alfred Nash Patterson Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2018 Chorus America selected him for its Distinguished Service Award. Prof. Jacobson is past President of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. He is the conductor and host of the PBS film, Zamir: Jewish Voices Return to Poland. His book, Chanting the Hebrew Bible: The Art of Cantillation, published by the Jewish Publication Society in 2002, was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He is co-author of Translations and Annotations of Choral Repertoire—Volume IV: Hebrew Texts, published by earthsongs in 2009.
​
Prof. Jacobson’s articles have appeared in The Choral Journal, the American Choral Review, The Journal of Synagogue Music, Encyclopedia of Genocide and Crimes Against Humanity, Encyclopedia Judaica, Studies in Jewish Civilization, Yale University Institute of Sacred Music Colloquium, The Musical Quarterly, and others. His compositions, arrangements and editions have been performed by ACDA honors choirs, by the Boston Pops and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and by the St. Olaf College Choirs, among others. His music is published by Transcontinental, ECS, Broude Brothers and Earthsongs. He has guest lectured at Harvard, Brandeis, Yale, and many other schools. In addition to his specialization in Jewish music, he has conducted many of the standard choral-orchestral masterworks, including Bach’s Johannespassion, Beethoven’s Mass in C, Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s Die Schöpfung, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Poulenc’s Gloria, Schubert’s Mass in E-flat, Thompson’s A Peaceable Kingdom. He has also prepared Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony for Daniel Barenboim and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Mahler's Second Symphony for Zubin Mehta and the I. P. O., Stravinsky’s Symphony of Psalms for Gary Bertini and the Jerusalem Symphony, Schoenberg’s A Survivor from Warsaw for Piero Bellugi and the New England Conservatory Orchestra. In 2011 Jacobson launched "Middle Eastern Harmonies," a program bringing together on stage Jewish and Arab music and musicians. He has performed the program for diverse audiences throughout New England.
Here are excerpts from some press reviews. Richard Dyer wrote in the Boston Globe (June11, 2002) “Jacobson has a gift for programming that is instructive and entertaining, and more often than not, the Zamir Chorale performs works that music lovers would be unlikely to hear anyplace else.” Philip Greenfield in the American Record Guide (March/April, 2002), “The Zamir Chorale of Boston has become America’s foremost Jewish choral ensemble.” Kevin Gabriel in The Worcester Telegram and Gazette (March 25, 1996), “Jacobson led polished performances that emphasized clarity and balance. And the chorale’s professionalism was everywhere evident, particlularly in its unflagging attention to detail.”
JOSHUA JACOBSON
Titles D-H Recommended Jewish Choral Music
title: Dance the Horah (medley: Hey Harmonika and Mayim, Mayim)
composer: Alkoni and Emanuel Amiram (arranged by Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: earthsongs
catalogue number:
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano, tof (middle-eastern drum), clarinet and flute (optional bass)
language: Hebrew
text: Alkoni and Isaiah 12:3
year of composition: c. 1950 (arranged in 1998)
timing: 2:40
recordings: The Songs of Israel
level of difficulty: moderate
description: a medley of two vibrant dance songs from the land of Israel.
title: De Profundis (Out of the Depths)
composer: Arnold Schoenberg
publisher: MCA
catalogue number: 11193-062
voicing: SSATBB
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew
text: Psalm 130
year of composition: 1950
timing: 6:00
recordings: Sony 44571
level of difficulty: difficult
description: A challenging work. The chorus sometimes sings lines based on a twelve-tone row, and sometimes speaks the text in Sprechstimme.
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title: Dirshu Adonai (Seek the Lord)
composer: Kenneth Lampl and Kirsten Lampl
publisher: Walton Music
catalogue number: WW1638
voicing: SSAATTBB, SATB soli
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew
text: Psalm 105
year of composition: 2016
timing: 5:30
recordings: https://youtu.be/IGjw4q1M6zc
level of difficulty: medium
description (from the publisher's website): A sensitively composed meditation that reminds us to "Seek the Lord and his strength." A beautifully rich harmonic structure. The echoing solo quartet illustrates the fact that these words reach back throughout time and space.
title: Dodi Li (My Lover is Mine)
composer: Nira Chen (arranger Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: World Music Press
catalogue number: WMP 017
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: clarinet, flute, percussion
timing: 3:30
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: after Song of Songs 3:6, 4:9, 4:16, 6:3.
year of composition: c. 1950 (arranged in 1992)
recordings: The Songs We Sang (HZ-906)
level of difficulty: moderate
description: When European Jews began to return to the land of Israel at the beginning of the twentieth century, they were determined to create an ideal new life, based on the ancient Hebrew civilization. Among the manifestations of this new life-style was a body of popular secular songs whose texts were taken from the Old Testament and whose melodies were in tune with the rhythms and scales of the Middle East. Nira Chen's Dodi Li provides an excellent example. The text is taken from the greatest Biblical love song, the Canticle of King Solomon. The exoticism of the melody is reinforced by the repeated horah rhythm and the modality, vacillating between Dorian and Aeolian. In this arrangement, the amorous quality of the text is the springboard for a sensuous interpretation. The tempo is slow and languid, the dynamics expressive.
title: Dona, Dona
composer: Sholom Secunda (arranged by Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 992057
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano
language: Yiddish
text: Aaron Zeitlin
year of composition: 1940, arranged in 1996
timing: 2:25
recordings: An Hour in the Garden of Eden
level of difficulty: moderate
description: Originally composed for the 1940 Yiddish musical, Esterke, this song was made famous to American audiences in Joan Baez’s popular 1965 recording.
title: Durme, Durme (Sleep, Sleep)
composer: Yehezkel Braun (arranger Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 982012
voicing: SSATBB
accompaniment: piano
timing: 2:00
language: Ladino
text: traditional
year of composition: 1981
recording: Sepharad 92 (HZ-903)
level of difficulty: moderate
description: In 1981 Israeli composer Yehezkel Braun composed “Seven Sephardic Romances,” a song cycle for soprano and piano. This work was based on love songs from the ancient traditions of Jews who lived in Spain prior to the sixteenth century. The Ladino language is a jargon combining elements of Castilian Spanish and Hebrew, with the former predominating. In 1990 Joshua Jacobson arranged the entire cycle for mixed chorus. In “Durme, Durme” a troubadour sings to his beloved. The arrangement is not difficult, but does call for the choir to divide into six parts. The entire suite(Don Amadi, Esta Rakhel, Nani Nani, Durme, Por que Llorax, Di me Rozina, Morenica) is available from Transcontinental.
title: Enosh Kechotzir Yomov (Human Life is Brief)
composer: Louis Lewandowski
publisher: Broude Brothers
catalogue number: CR 65
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: organ
language: Hebrew (English alternate)
text: Psalm 103:15 - 17
year of composition: c. 1882
timing: 4:30
recordings: The Majesty of Holiness, The Songs Live On
level of difficulty: moderate
description: One of Lewandowski’s most moving compositions, this work, written for a memorial service, describes the ephemeral nature of human life in poignant tones. Similar in style to Mendelssohn. An orchestration is available from Transcontinental Publications.
title: Erev Shel Shoshanim (Evening of Roses)
composer: Joseph Hadar (arranger Jack Klebanow)
publisher: World Music Press
catalogue number: WMP 03
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano
timing 3:15
language: Hebrew
text: Moshe Dor
year of arrangement: 1986
recordings: The Songs We Sang (HZ-906)*
level of difficulty: easy
description: “Erev Shel Shoshanim” is an Israeli song, conceived in a “folk” style, and tremendously popular both in Israel and the Diaspora in the 1960s. The text of this secular love song is a paraphrase of verses from the Biblical Song of Songs, in which the poet entreats his lover to join him in the fragrant garden for an “Evening of Roses.” This one is quite easy to learn, and has achieved great popularity among U.S. high-school choirs; the tempo is slow, the meter remains quadruple, the mode is Dorian, and voice parts are simple. The trick here is to perform the work with a warm tone and expressive legato phrasing.
title: Esther
composer: Cristiano Giuseepe Lidarti
publisher: IMI
catalogue number: 7259
voicing: SAB chorus, SSTT soli
accompaniment: chamber orchestra
language: Hebrew
text: Jacob Saraval
year of composition: 1774
timing: 88 minutes
recordings: (excerpts on Italia!) available from IMI
level of difficulty: moderate
description: In 1774, Giuseppe Lidarti composed an oratorio in Hebrew based on the biblical story of Queen Esther, as recast in a libretto by the Venetian rabbi Jacob Raphael Saraval. It was probably commissioned by the Jews of Amsterdam, but was certainly performed in Italy as part of the tradition of presenting musical theater for the festival of Purim. This work had been lost until its rediscovery several years ago by Prof. Israel Adler.
title: Ets Chayim Hi (It Is a Tree of Life)
composer: Robbie Solomon
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 993171
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: (optional piano)
language: Hebrew
text: liturgy
year of composition:
timing:
recordings:
level of difficulty: easy to moderate
description: A sweet setting of the liturgy that ends the Torah service. “The Torah is a tree of life to all those who cling to her.”
title: Even When God Is Silent
composer: Michael Horvit
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 991348
voicing: SATB (also for SSAA or TTBB)
accompaniment: a cappella
language: English
text: anonymous
year of composition:
timing: 2:25
recordings: The Songs Live On
level of difficulty: moderate
description: The anonymous poem was written by a victim of the Nazi Holocaust. The luminous setting reflects the optimism of the lyrics.
title: Five Hebrew Love Songs
composer: Eric Whitacre
publisher: Walton
catalogue number: WJMS1038
voicing: SATB (S solo and narrator)
accompaniment: piano and violin or string quartet
language: Hebrew
text: Hila Plittman
year of composition:
timing: 9:40
recordings: Albany Records
level of difficulty: challenging
description: These choral gems were inspired by five Hebrew poems written by Whitacre’s girl friend (now wife), Hila Plittman. The romance can be felt in every measure. Includes a breath-taking aleatoric section in the fourth movement.
title: Four Motets
composer: Paul Schoenfield
publisher: E.C. Schirmer (ECS Publishing)
catalogue number: 6970
voicing: SATB (divisi)
accompaniment: a cappella (keyboard for rehearsal only)
language: Hebrew
text: Psalm 86
year of composition: 1995
timing: 12:00
recordings:
level of difficulty: challenging
description: The composer describes these as “neo-renaissance motets.”
title: Ha’Ir Mesacheket Machavo'im (The City Plays Hide and Seek)
composer: Avni, Tsvi
publisher: IMI (distributed in the USA by Theodore Presser)
catalogue number: IMI 6587 (Presser 512-00492)
voicing: ssa
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew
text: Amichai, Yehudah
year of composition: 1986
timing: 5:00
recordings: Jerusalem 3000
level of difficulty: challenging
description: This mystical piece celebrates Jerusalem as the home of many peoples and many faiths. There is a tonal center, but several chromatic modes are used.
title: Ha-Kotel (The Wall)
composer: Dov Seltzer (arranged by Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 991452
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano (optional electric bass)
language: Hebrew
text: Y. Gamzu
year of composition: arranged in 1993
timing: 3:25
recordings: The Songs of Israel
level of difficulty: moderate
description: A touching song describing the remaining “wall” of the ancient Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. “Some men have a heart of stone, but some stones have a human heart.”
title: Half Kaddish (Santification, shorter form)
composer: Jack Gottlieb
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 983012
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano (or brass ensemble)
language: Aramaic (or English)
text: liturgy
year of composition:
timing: 2:15
recordings: Jewish Composers in America
level of difficulty: challenging
description: An energetic setting of the Jewish doxology by Leonard Bernstein’s musical assistant. The driving Bernsteinian rhythms give this composition an exciting edge. The modes are somewhat challenging, as is the rapid articulation of the text.
title: Hal’luhu (Praise Him)
composer: Benjie-Ellen Schiller
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 991280
voicing: SATB (solo soprano)
accompaniment: piano or guitar and tof (hand drum)
language: Hebrew
text: Psalm 150
year of composition: c. 1987
timing: 2:40
recordings: Jewish Composers in America
level of difficulty: moderate
description: This vibrant setting of Psalm 150 has syncopated horah-like rhythms, mixed meter, and an exotic Mixolydian modality.
title: Halleluyah
composer: Salamone Rossi
publisher: Broude Brothers
catalogue number: CR-25
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella
timing: 2:30
language: Hebrew (alternate English)
text: Psalm 146
year of composition: 1982
recordings: ROSSI (HZ-910)
level of difficulty: moderate
description: Salamone Rossi (c. 1570 - c.1630) was a Mantuan violinist and composer in the employ of Duke Vincenzo Gonzaga. He was also the first composer to publish a collection of polyphonic motets for the synagogue. The thirty-three motets, set for three to eight voices, include psalms, hymns and prayers for synagogue services or for sacred concerts. “Halleluyah” is included in the liturgy for Sabbath and festival morning services. Rossi’s setting is largely homophonic, similar in style to church music composed by his Christian colleagues.
title: Halleluyoh
composer: Drechsler, Joseph
publisher: Broude Brothers
catalogue number: CR 64
voicing: satb
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew (optional English text)
text: Psalm 150
year of composition: c. 1865
timing: 1:40
recordings: The Majesty of Holiness
level of difficulty: moderate
description: Salomon Sulzer, the famed cantor of the Seitentettengasse Synagogue in Vienna for most of the nineteenth century, commissioned this work from Joseph Drechsler, the renowned kappelmeister of St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The music is succinct but charming, homophonic and rather easy to master.
title: Halleluyoh
composer: Louis Lewandowski
publisher: Broude Brothers
catalogue number: CR-74
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: organ (or piano)
language: Hebrew or English
text: Psalm 150
year of composition: ca. 1882
timing: 2:40
recordings: The Majesty of Holiness
level of difficulty: moderate
description: A majestic anthem by the famed choirmaster of the Oranienburgerstrasse synagogue in Berlin, this rousing work has long been a favorite.
title: Halleluyoh
composer: Salomon Sulzer
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 982020
voicing: SATB, baritone solo
accompaniment: harp and organ (or string orchestra)
language: Hebrew
text: Psalm 111
year of composition: published in 1838
timing: 6:30
recordings: Majesty of Holiness
level of difficulty: moderate
description: This work was composed for a (non-liturgical) concert performance, commemorating the birthday of the Emperor Joseph I. A jubilant choral “Hallelujah” frames a slower middle section, set antiphonally between the cantor and choir. There is even a brief cadenza for the harp.
title: Hamisha Asar (Fifteen)
composer: Flory Jagoda (arranged by Nick Page)
publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
catalogue number: OCTB7078
voicing: SATB (a version for SSA is also available)
accompaniment: piano
language: Ladino
text: Flory Jagoda
year of composition: song © 1993. arrangement © 1999.
timing: 2:30
recordings: YouTube
level of difficulty: easy to moderate
description: Flory Jagoda has made her life's mission the perpetuation of the Sephardic culture of her native Bosnia. The Ladino langauge melds an old Spanish dialect with Hebrew words. The melody uses a Middle Eastern mode similar to Phrygian but with an augmented second between the second and third degrees of the scale, and the music moves in a lively tempo and a rollicking 7/8 meter. The arrangement progresses from unison to two-part and finally four-part homophonic texture. The subject of this song is the celebration of the festival of the trees on the fifteenth day (full moon) of the Jewish month of Sh'vat (usually occuring some time in January).
title: Hanukah Tarantella
composer: David Polansky
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 982035 (SA version is 982083)
voicing: SATB (or SA)
accompaniment: piano
language: English
text: David Polansky
year of composition: 1992
timing: 3:50
recordings: Zamir 25
level of difficulty: moderate, somewhat challenging
description: Polansky is best known for his songs for children. But this tarantella is sure to appeal to children of all ages. With Tom-Lehrer-like cleverness, Polanksi exhausts every possible (and impossible) rhyme for the word “Chanukah.” It’s a hoot!
title: Hashkivenu (Let Us Lie Down in Peace)
composer: Bernstein, Leonard
publisher: Boosey & Hawkes
catalogue number: M051467259
voicing: SATB div, T solo
accompaniment: organ
language: Hebrew
text: Friday evening synagogue liturgy
year of composition: 1945
timing: 6:30
recordings: Naxos (Leonard Bernstein: A Jewish Legacy)
level of difficulty: challenging
description: This early work by Bernstein is a setting of the evening prayer for peace, commissioned by New York’s Park Avenue Synagogue. In ternary form, the outside sections in the Phrygian mode in flowing triple time, stand in sharp contrast with the highly syncopated Lydian middle section.
title: Hava Nagila (Let Us Rejoice)
composer: folk (arranged by Daniel Faktori)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 993137
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew
text: Moshe Nathanson or Abraham Idelsohn
year of composition: 1911 (?)
timing: 2:00
recordings: The Songs of Israel
level of difficulty: moderate
description: With a melody derived from a Hassidic niggun, and quintessential Zionist lyrics, “Hava Nagila” song has come to be the most well-known Israeli song. Faktori’s arrangement brings the rhythms to life in a delicate madrigalesque way.
title: Hayoshevet Baganim (The Girl in the Garden)
composer: Nissim Cohen Havron (arranged by Aryeh Levanon)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 993123
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: tof
language: Hebrew
text: Song of Songs 8:13-14
year of composition: 1960 (arrangement)
timing: 2:30
recordings: The Songs We Sang
level of difficulty: moderate
description: A simple but very effective setting of a popular Israeli dance song. The arrangement is in ABA form, fast-slow-fast.
title: Hitragut (Serenity)
composer: folk (arranged by Paul Ben-Haim)
publisher: Transcontinental
catalogue number: 991760
voicing: SATB (optional soprano solo)
accompaniment: a cappella
language: Hebrew
text: Yehuda Karni
year of composition:
timing: 3:40
recordings: Zamir 25
level of difficulty: easy to moderate
description: This gorgeous little serenade is based on an older Sephardic folk song. Its three strophic verses are set homophonically. For variety, the third verse may be sung by a soprano soloist while the choir hums their parts
title: Hodu Ha-Arets (Give Thanks, O Earth)
composer: Cristiano Lidarti (edited by Joshua Jacobson)
publisher: self-published
catalogue number: N/A
voicing: SATB
accompaniment: piano
language: Hebrew
text: Rabbi Jacob Raphael Saraval
year of composition: 1774
timing: 2:10
recordings: Italia
level of difficulty: easy to moderate
description: This is the final joyous chorus from Ester, an oratorio by Lidarti in the classical style. The Hebrew libretto is actually a translation of the libretto that Handel used for his oratorio, Esther.