[HANASHIR:8896] regarding "Adomai Oz" and Grace Before Meals

[Erik L. F. Contzius <contzius...>]

Hazzan Klepper had written:

>The English translation that we sing is by Rabbi Sam Cook z'l, the first
>director (maybe even the founder, not sure) of NFTY.  (His wife, Ray, was a
>composer who wrote Jewish children's songs, her most enduring being the
>Adonai Oz - the major key version - sung at the end of Birkat Hamazon*,

Actually, according to the Union Songster (copyright 1960, CCAR), on 
page 341, the "Benediction" (Adomai Oz L'amo Yitein) was written not 
by Sam but by Ray M Cook herself. The arrangement is by Fred Piket.


>*Speaking of Birkat Hamazon leads me to one more ethnomusicological
>digression.  The familiar children's tune beginning, "Hamotzi lechem min
>ha'aretz," was written by composer and Eastman professor Dr. Samuel Adler,
>son of Cantor Hugo Adler, and if my memory serves me right, the original
>words were something on the order of, "Our voices rise in joyful chorus as
>our prayer is humbly said."  Times change, don't they...

And this citation is regarding, from the same publication on page 
310, the "Grace Before Meals," whose music is Sam Adler's, but whose 
text is Raymond Israel. The text is as follows:

Hamotzi lekhem min ha-aretz,
We give thanks to God for bread;
Our voices join in grateful chorus,
As our pray'r is humbly said:
Barukh ata ... [etc.]

btw, i'm also one of those ethnomusicological people! thanks for the sharing!
-- 
Cantor Erik L. F. Contzius
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel
Elkins Park, PA
contzius (at) home(dot)com

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