Davvening Music

[Philip <mike...>]

I find that most modern Jews and many Rabbis have a hard time with
addressing spirituality.

You find spirituality in many different places.

Certainly, I am able to find it with "Kedem".  Kedem is the familiarity
that most of us have with things that are nostalgic.  On Shabat we repeat
the words of The prophet Zachariah said as he looked on the destroyed
Temple:  May things be as they were in times past (kedem).  Bring back the
good old days.

I had this conversation with one of my Catholic friends today that I
believe that the Catholic Church may have made an error by prosciribing
Latin in the Mass.  I am sure that it had been comforting to go to any
Catholic Mass in the world and hear the familiar words.  It shows unity.
People in the Catholic Church would repeat Santos, Santos, Santos Omnium
Dei... (Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts) just like we Jews say
Kodosh, Kodosh, Kodosh Adonoy Tzivaot....  The Catholic Church is now
revisiting the changes made in Vatican II.  The Reform Movement has about
as much Hebrew in the Prayer book as the Conservatives.  Looks like the
Catholics will follow the Jews again!

I have found "Kedem" when I davvened in Austin, Boston, New York, Chicago,
London, Leningrad, Vilna, Budapest,  Jerusalem, Paris and Mexico City.  I
am going to a wedding next month in Sao Paolo.  I am sure that I will be at
home there too.

Although, I get peace and comfort from the familiarity of the Service and
sometimes, I can reach a spiritual state with it,  it takes a certain
amount of luck and the right circumstances to feel the presence of the
Shechinah in a service.

I find that Debbie's music and many of the new Jewish music writers have
opened a portal to help me to find the essence of the prayers.

The chants and music that many of us hear are not very old.  Almost every
tune that we sing in the Traditional Synogogue are not more that 100 or 150
maybe 200 years old ... Tops!  The music that we sing the Shma to in almost
every Synogogue world wide, did not come down from Mount Sinai as many
people might suppose...it was written by Seltzer in the mid 19th century.
Bayom Hahu...has a very interesting tune similar to the Farmer in the
Dell(Very Traditional).  One very popular traditional version of Adon Olom
is sung to a tune like a 19th century German Drinking Song. Our musical
tradition is a living vibrant thread that we continue to weave and enhance
our tradition.  We are talking about a tradition of 1000's of years!  It
did not end in Europe.

Jewish Music has traditionally evolved to take on the flavor of the culture
in which we lived.  Therefore we have Yiddish Music, Yemenite chants,
Sephardic music, Hasidic prayers, and the list goes on.  It is only natural
that the music of today's American Baby Boomers is taking on the culture in
which we live.  Never Before have there been so many educated Jews.   If
the music does not evolve to enhance the spiritual needs of the people
today, then we will lose them.  That does not mean to completely throw out
the old. It means to enhance, add to, and broaden.

When Debbie Friedman takes a final point out of the Haftarah ... NOT BY
MIGHT AND NOT BY POWER BUT BY SPIRIT ALONE SHALL WE ALL LIVE IN PEACE  ...
and turns it into a hit song that speaks to MY heart and that my children
love to sing is telling me that she has made the TEXT come alive.  We are
singing in 20th Century Music not 19th Century Music.  I wonder if Henrique
thinks that Maoz Tzur is more compelling.  It has Kedem but it is a slow,
boring march that turns most people off and the majority of Young People
and even old congregants sit passively by as a Cantor or soloist or choir
leads a few people in weakly singing.

Debbie took the bedtime prayer, and really made it come to life.  May the
wings of Shechina.  In this prayer, we have the Chutzpa to ask that G-d
changes place with us.  That we have his four Angels surrounding us while
we rest.  Michael (He who is Like unto G-d) at OUR Right hand, Gabriel
(Strength of G-d) at OUR Left Hand, Raphael (Healer of G-d) at OUR Back and
Uriel (Vision or Light of G-d)in Front of us. With these Angels around us,
anyone would have no problems comfortably going to sleep.

A portion of Debbie's "The Angels Blessing" (1991):

"May our right hand lead us closer to our G-dliness, May our left hand give
us strength to face each day.  And before us may our visions light our
paths ahead and behind us may well-being heal our way."

Her songs are a source of inspiration for me and I think that they bring me
closer to the reasons that I come to shul for.

In today's world, it is the hard to remember that we are always in the
Presence of G-d.   I can listen to these tapes in my car, at home or
wherever I want.  In a way, I am creating my own Kedem.

I find it hard to beat a Great Cantor do Kol Nidre.  The Musical Service at
The Great Sephardic Synogogue in New York City is Awesome and Inspiring.
In most situations though, songs like the ones Debbie does that the Whole
Congregation can learn and sing Clearly FITS AND BELONGS in a synogogue
service.  I believe People are now returning to Jewish Houses of Worship in
search of Spirituality more than Performances.

PS:  Several people have asked me where to get Debbie's Music, recordings,
sheet music, videos, choral arrangements and songbooks:  SOUNDS WRITE
PRODUCTIONS. INC.  POB 608078, San Diego, CA 92160-8078
They will send you a catalog.

I am not on her payroll...just a friend and fan.

PHILIP LEONARD
>-----------------------------------------------------

>I am a cantorial student at J.T.S., and I am also working as a chazan in
>Westbury, Long Island.  In both this places I have been inundated with
>folk-like music and the idea that this type of music might or not belong
>in a synagogue service.  My personal feeling is that it does not, because
>the images that it conjures in me are not the images that I have in a
>service.  Basically, I sit in synagogue with a very attentive ear, and
>listen to what the music is telling me, besides the words.

>I love Debbie Friedman's music and I have several of her tapes myself.
>But when I am davvening, I rarely resort to her compositions.  I would
>like to hear people's oppinions about this.  I know that Philip did not
>have this discussion in mind when he wrote his message, but maybe it is
>time that we talk a little about what do we expect from Jewish music.

>My address is below for personal responses.  I do believe that the whole
>list might benefit from a larger forum discussion.

>Love, peace and respect to you all.

>Hicki

>******************************************************************************
>Henrique Ozur Bass                      Jewish Theological Seminary of America
>Cantorial Student                       21 Pilgrim Lane
>hebass (at) JTSA(dot)EDU                         Westbury, NY 11
>******************************************************************************

Philip J. Leonard
mike (at) order(dot)ph(dot)utexas(dot)edu