Following is a review of the recording which I used in my presentation on Hassidic Tefillah at this year's Rozhinke Retreat. ======================================== The Jewish Music Research Center in Jerusalem recently published a 2-CD set & booklet called "The Hasidic Niggun As Sung By The Hasidim." The captivating and energetic performances are accompanied by 80 pages of informative liner notes that by themselves are a valuable resource on the sociology and musical practices of contemporary Israeli Hasidim and, by extension, Hasidim worldwide. Besides elucidating the recordings, the text can be enjoyed independently, especially as a complement to the 1971 article by the same authors in the Encyclopedia Judaica (vol. 7, cols. 1421-32).
The entire project is built on the foundations of the 1976 LP & booklet "Hassidic Tunes Of Dancing And Rejoicing," also published by The Jewish Music Research Center in Jerusalem. Indeed, nine of the forty-seven selections (along with much of their commentary) also appear in the former anthology. Much of the introductory text to the current volume also derives from the first collection, but even the older material has not been cut-and-pasted; rather, every paragraph shows signs of careful editing, freshening and cross-referencing, so that there is little repetition and much information packed inside the 80 little pages (translated from the Hebrew original, which is also included). As one who has long enjoyed the original Hassidic anthology (and relied on it in teaching the subject), it was good to reacquaint myself with the poignant voices of Mendel Britchko and Shmuel Zalmanoff and hear additional Nigunim which didn't make the cut on the first album. Britchko? Zalmanoff? Not exactly household names, but therein lies the principal charm of this album: a wide variety of Nigunim pure and simple (and not-so-simple), sung principally in the late 1960's and 1970's by individual singers and gatherings of Hassidim whose ears had not yet been polluted by the Ortho-Pop soundtracks. Just Hassidim singing their souls in a variety of settings; it almost feels like eavesdropping. The value of these field recordings extends beyond the strict boundaries of Hassidic music. As living exponents of a continuous East-European Jewish song tradition, these singers have a lot to teach Jewish musicians in the areas of melodic phrasing and rhythmic subtleties. Exploring these prayers, Nigunim and Yiddish songs will help contextualize many components of the Klezmer repertoire, and will enrich the style of the Hazzan or Ba'al Tefillah. The album is available from Hatikvah Music: http://www.hatikvahmusic.com/cgi-bin/details.pl?key=1373 Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ Messages and opinions expressed on Hasafran are those of the individual author and are not necessarily endorsed by the AJL =========================================================== Submissions for Ha-Safran, send to: Hasafran @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu SUBscribing, SIGNOFF commands send to: Listproc @ lists.acs.ohio-state.edu Questions, problems, complaints, compliments;-) send to: galron.1 @ osu.edu Ha-Safran Archives: http://www.mail-archive.com/hasafran%40lists.acs.ohio-state.edu/maillist.html AJL HomePage http://www.JewishLibraries.org
