[HANASHIR:11853] Adon Olam revisited

[I. Oppenheim <i.oppenheim...>]

Here's some nice input from Raymond Goldstein regarding
the popular "Adon Olam" tune that was discussed
some while ago on this list.

Groeten,

  Irwin Oppenheim
  i(dot)oppenheim (at) xs4all(dot)nl
  www.chazzanut.tk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 21:33:56 +0200
From: raymond goldstein <raygold (at) 012(dot)net(dot)il>
Reply-To: jewishshulmusic (at) yahoogroups(dot)com
To: jewishshulmusic (at) yahoogroups(dot)com
Subject: Re: [jewishshulmusic] Scarborough Fair

Oh my poor dear deluded friends,

If only you would look and seek, the answer is is very clear to the
cognensci!!

The famous "adon olam"  listed as item no. 17  appears in the Gerovich
volume Shirei   Zimra  [vol 4 of the  Sacred Press out of print classics] ,
specifically lists  it as an A.W. [ Alte Weise]- Old Tune. [ Har Sinai
melody- Ancient trad.  etc]

The great Gershon Ephros- the compiler of the  famous  Cantorial Anthology
in his Rosh hashanna vol 1 reproduces the same  work albeit with a much
improved counterpoint and harmonisation. What is amazing is that the
original is far more interesting than the run down oral version sung by the
non- music reader singers of our illustrious congregations. However its far
too difficult for the average amateur to master hence the "bastardisation"
presented almost weekly in those syngagogues that sing it. I know a stibel
here in Yerushalayim that only sing this Adon olam on chaggim and then as a
concluding hymn  for the maariv service!!!

Adon Olam for the masses:

in D minor:



I] A/ A Bb A G/ F E D, A/A D C Bb /A G Bb A  .......AS TO THE PRINTED

II]A/A Bb AG/F E D  /A E D C BNAT /CD BNAT A

now isn't that a lot more artistic, however the truth be told the interval
of an ascending 5th for amateurs between  A E D.... must have  proven to
difficult to our none music reading forbears.

I really find that the Scarborough Fair  story is just that little far
fetched - sure there are some similar intervals; however  for a hebrew
version of this the "tune" itself  note that was sung and recorded by Cantor
Asher Hainovitz ;and that  it was a staple part of our UJF Canada tour in
the late 1980's. Asher loved to introduce it as " an old Gaelic song" to
...................the words of Dror Yikra; and if you think about it its
rather cute and far more  applicable  than to Adon Olam.



Long gone are the days of through composed compositions alla Sulzer and
Lewandowski,
the "modern Jew" doesn't have the patience to sit through laborious
compositions at the end of the service; still if it were a ceremonial
service...................


listen to the famous recording of Israel Alter  singing such a work....there
ain't nothing like it



Raymond Goldstein
Music arranger to the Jerusalem Great Synagogue choir

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