[HANASHIR:15196] Re: High Holy Day choices

[Judy Ginsburgh <judy...>]

The only reason I find somewhat of a pull away from, as I like to call them,
Cantorial Gems, is that people in the congregation want to sing along.  Time
and being in a hurry does not seem to be a factor where I sing.  They want
to be touched, they want to pray and they want to be a part of the process.
However, I hope the day will never come when I will have to give up singing
Janowski's Avinu Malkeynu or have an entire congregation singing along with
me during Kol Nidre.

I agree with Janet, there are certain pieces in our musical repertoire that
are gorgeous, showy pieces that are rich and challenging to sing.  I think
as long as your service has enough other options for the congregation to
join in, then they will "tolerate" listening to beautifully (or artfully)
sung pieces of repertoire.  There are some newer pieces of music which I
feel have the potential to fall into the "Cantorial Gems" category -- Danny
Maseng's Mah Tovu; Stephen Richard's R'tze, etc.  The Mah Tovu especially
lends itself to having congregants sing along on the "Mah Tovu" part and a
more skilled singer enjoying the verses.  This song provides the perfect
balance for this new move toward congregational singing without compromising
the challenges of the cantor.

Judy :)
Judy Caplan Ginsburgh, Professional Singer
1999 Louisiana Professional Artist of the Year!
judy (at) jewishentertainment(dot)net     -    judy (at) judymusic(dot)com
www.judymusic.com
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on
both hands. You need to be able to throw something back."

Director: Jewish Entertainment Resources - We Help You Find Jewish Talent!
www.jewishentertainment.net
Conference Chair, CAJE 23: www.caje.org
Member - Children's Music Network; www.cmnonline.org
Member - Women Cantor's Network; www.womencantors.net

If you have some time, check out these great websites:
www.songsforteaching.com
www.hotshabbat.com and www.totshabbat.com
www.playhouseradio.com

----- Original Message -----
From: "PAPE Janet, IEA/OME" <Janet(dot)PAPE (at) iea(dot)org>
To: <hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org>
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 4:38 AM
Subject: [HANASHIR:15194] High Holy Day choices


> I want to discuss something with all of you that is beginning to bother
me.
> That is, that as the years pass (I've been a cantorial soloist for 26
> years), I have been noticing that (Reform) congregations I've sung for
seem
> to be less and less able to tolerate/appreciate/enjoy long recitative-type
> chants.  I am really torn, because 1) they are part of our heritage, 2)
they
> are beautiful expressions of the prayers, and 3) they are personally
> challenging and satisfying.  I feel a pressure to switch to "easier
> listening" renditions, but every time I drop a traditional piece from the
> repetoire, I know it will have vanished from the aural memories of the
> congregation forever.
>
> Any comments?
>
> Janet Pape
> Cantorial Soloist
>
>
>
>

------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------+
Hosted by Shamash: The Jewish Network  http://shamash.org  
A service of Hebrew College, which offers online courses and an
online MA in Jewish Studies, http://hebrewcollege.edu/online/ 

* * FREE JEWISH LEARNING * *
Shamash invites you to join MyJewishLearning.com, a comprehensive,
objective, authoritative and interactive learning resource in all areas
of Judaism.  Free membership via http://www.myjewishlearning.com/shamash
------------------------ hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org -----------------------=