[HANASHIR:15213] Re: High Holy Day choices

[Adrian Durlester <adrian...>]

This is an important lesson for all of us. Many of the melodies we now
consider "inaccessible" to our congregants are actually quite accessible.
Not only for Janowkski, but Lewandowski, Sulzer, Steinberg, Bloch, Ephros,
Kingsley, et al. So is it that the melodies are really inaccessible, or is
it that many people who come to HHD services really just want to observe a
show and not participate? Let the hazzan and choir act as schlichei tzibbur
and just sit and watch. I know this thought seems to fly in the face of the
complaint being discussed here--the elimination of more traditional nusach
for the sake of more congregational participation--but I really think we may
have both these things happening at the same time.

Might it be that, sadly, we have so many "strangers" in our congregations at
HHD services, that the regulars who are tempted to usually sing along even
with the most seemingly complicated of songs might feel intimidated to sing
out?

And, ever the gadfly, I wanted to respond to this comment from Rahel:

"My vote is to keep the traditions - keep the prayers as they were written 
and intended to be recited/chanted/sung. Don't give in to the easy 
listening hit parade - pop style version of prayer. Sing, pray and enchant 
congregants with your sincerity, passion and kavannah (intention)."

The question is--which traditions? Whose traditions? Traditions that date
back years, or decades or maybe a century at most? Let's face it--nothing we
use is truly "mi-Sinai." And, on the other hand, everything we sing is
"mi-Sinai." Some people's idea of "tradition" is Lewandowski and Sulzer and
a magnificent pipe organ and chorus. Other people's idea of tradition is
nusach that is perhaps a few centuries old, if that.

I happen to favor a balance that favors both traditional nusach and the
"classical" contemporary liturgical settings (Lewandowski, Sulzer, Janowski,
Adler, Bloch, etc.) with, as appropriate, introducing contemporary
folk/rock/pop/easy-listening settings that really work to enhance a HHD
service. I don't believe we should shunt aside some of the magnificent
musical settings, and the incredibly powerful hazzanut and nusach in pursuit
of some elusive "audience-pleasing" model.

By the same token, I would remind us all that "nostalgia fever" tends to
bring things back after time. So it's quite likely that some of the music
that gets "lost" will have a resurgence years, even decades down the road,
as it is "rediscovered." Witness, for example, the sudden popularity of
Rossi a while back. Witness the success of Nick at Night. Notice how many of
the kids these days know the music of the Beatles, Dylan, et al. And witness
the resurgence of favoring more traditional practice in the Reform and
Conservative movements. Need I say more.

B'vracha,

Adrian

Adrian A. Durlester, MTS
E-mail: adrian (at) durlester(dot)com  www.durlester.com
Director of Education & Congregational Life, Bethesda Jewish Congregation,
Bethesda, MD
www.bethesdajewish.com
Co-Director, Hazamir/JTAI Choir of Greater DC
Past Conf Chair, CAJE 27, August 4-8, 2002, Trinity University, San Antonio,
TX
List Owner, hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Jewish Songleaders/Performers List
www.ehavanashira.org
Co-Owner, l-torah (at) shamash(dot)org; Liberal Torah Discussion List


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org [mailto:owner-hanashir (at) 
shamash(dot)org] On
Behalf Of Laura Ferguson
Sent: Monday, September 01, 2003 4:52 PM
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject: [HANASHIR:15206] Re: High Holy Day choices


At 09:17 AM 9/1/2003 -0500, you wrote:
>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.

Actually, in Max's congregation in Chicago (KAM Isaiah Israel), where I 
grew up, we all sang along with the choir when they sang his Avinu 
Malkeinu. The soloists were amazing, and the sound carried well from the 
choir loft, and so we were mostly quiet during the solo parts, but when the 
choir was singing we would always join in as a congregation.  (The same was 
true for his L'cha Dodi, which was done as a soloist + choir + congregation 
+ Max's amazing improvisation on the organ.)

If I had to explain it, I would say that Max's congregation was a singing 
congregation probably because he taught us new melodies and songs every 
week.  The weeks before the high holidays he would teach us the music that 
we were going to hear on the holidays.  On Friday's we almost never sang 
Adon Olam, instead, sometime around the sermon he would teach us a  song 
and then we would sing it at the end of the services in place of A.O. or 
Ein Keloheinu.  I have always preferred this style because I think it 
promotes a musical intelligence in the congregation.  And because of his 
efforts, we were a singing congregation, despite the fact that we RARELY 
sang any of the folk style melodies -- which he objected to. (Other 
influence meant that I grew up loving both his classical and the folk 
styles of Jewish music.)

It would be hard to reproduce this exactly, but I think the idea of 
teaching a new song every week is the most important concept.  I think 
people need to be taught to expect change -- but just a little at a 
time.  This leads me to the strong conviction, that in a service 
congregational singing should always be encouraged -- no matter what type 
of music you are doing.

Lastly, while services may need to change occasionally, it seems to me that 
succumbing to pressure to shorten services or dumb them down is a 
mistake.  Wouldn't it be better to bring the congregation to a new 
level?  If we respect ourselves and the service than others will respect it 
too.

For example, I lead a long Passover seder, but people don't complain -- in 
fact they love it -- why?  Because I took the Haggadah, restructured it 
(with in the order) and added meaning back into our homebrew 
Haggadah.    It's longer, but they love it more....  One thing I figured 
out in doing this, things don't seem long if they "accelerate".  That is, 
if the content is front loaded and the end of the service is faster, there 
is a sensation of speed or maybe even "flow".  So for Passover, I put lots 
of content before the first glass of wine & before the second.  But the 2nd 
and third glasses occur close together.  The third and the fourth are one 
page apart.  And yet we still tell the Passover story 4 times!

Laura Ferguson




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