The skinny on Maoz Tsur

[Judah Cohen <jcohen...>]

I just read an article which helps to clarify some of Erik's questions on
Ma'oz Tsur.  Reference:  Hanoch Avenary, "The Ma'oz Zur Tune:  New Facts
for its History."  in *Encounters of East and West in Music* (Tel Aviv:
Faculty of Visual and Performing Arts, Dept. of Musicology, Tel Aviv
University, 1979): 175-185.  The article is over thirty years old, so it's
entirely possible more has surfaced since then.  BUT it clarifies some of
Erik's points.

>1) point of info: someone had mentioned (a while back) the authorship of
>the trad. "maoz tzur" melody and its attribution to a 'drinking song'. It
>is my understanding that the melody, in fact, was written by Martin Luther,
>an ardent anti-semite. why/how the tune got attatched to the melody?

According to Avenary, there are two Lutheran hymns, one written by Martin
Luther, which share the same first seven notes with Ma'oz Tsur.  Avenary:
"these modest results have turned into widely known and profusely quoted
'fact.'  Something like a general opinion has been formed asserting
ironically that the Hanukah lights were kindled to the sound of a Lutheran
chorale.  This superficial suggestion can now be revised with the aid of
historical documents that have recently come to light."

Avenary then notes several older sources (both ecclesiastical as well as
written-down folk melodies) which have melodies (or sections of melody)
similar to those of Ma'oz Tsur; he notes, however, that these phrases were
only in circulation at the time, and a direct relationship has not been
proven in any way.  In his postscript, he notes (wisely):

"future students must be warned not to content themselves with the identity
of one single phrase or motive for concluding relationship or dependency. .
.. In this and similar cases, the student should consider carefully where to
draw the border-line between accidental similarity and the possibility of
real relationship."

I don't know if that makes anyone more comfortable with the melody, but I
hope it helps clear things up a little.  If I come across anything else,
I'll mention it.

Judah.

Judah Cohen
Music Department
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA  02138
jcohen (at) fas(dot)harvard(dot)edu
(617) 628-4783

"...I do not feel that my research suffered unduly from the fact that I
enjoyed it." -- Daniel Miller, "Modernity--an Ethnographic Approach" (p. 6)