Re: information desired

[Cantor Neil Schwartz <schwartz...>]

In article <4jra9n$dd9 (at) linus(dot)mitre(dot)org>, "Robert L. Berkowitz"
<rberkowi (at) mitre(dot)org> wrote:

> I am interested in obtaining information on the Sabbath song
> "Shalom Aleichem."  In particular I wish to learn:
>
>    * date of composition
>
First appears in "Friday Evening Melodies" and "The Jewish Songster" (Part 1)
                   copyright early 1920's          copyright 1925
(my copy of Friday Evening Melodies is at work, and I am writing this at home)

The text itself is quite old - I'll have to use the Encyclopedia Judaica to 
discover just how old and who the possible author might be.  It is
technically one of the 36 traditional Table Z'mirot.  There are also good
notes in Siddurim 
like Birnbaum and ArtScroll, and in the "Z'mirot Anthology" ed. by Neil Levin
for Tara Publications, but all these resources are at work (and I'm at home). 
>
>    * place of composition
>
New York City
>
>    * composer
>
Israel & Samuel Goldfarb (Israel usually gets the credit)
>
>    * number of melodies or variations that exist
>
They (or He) wrote it "A-B-B-A", but it is often folklorized to "A-B-A-B".
As noted below, there are dozens of other melodies besides the Goldfarbs'.
>
>    * when and where it first appeared as part of the synagogue service   
>    rather than in the home
>
It's still not formally part of the synagogue service!  It is technically one 
of the 36 traditional Table Z'mirot.  Many Siddurim offer a variety of
"home Z'mirot" to be used at the beginning (or end) of the Kabbalat
Shabbat service. 
Kabbalat Shabbat itself formally begins with "L'chu N'ran'na", Psalm 95.  
>
>    * which Siddur first placed it as part of the Friday night service
>
It has been in almost every Siddur published in America since before WW II.
I'll have to compare Siddur copyright dates to find the earliest, but they
are at work (and I am writing this at home).  I know that the "pilot
edition" of 
the Silverman "Sabbath and Festival Siddur" (copyright 1946) was done in 1938.
>
>    * Any other information you may have concerning this song.
> 
While it has become so famous as to be called "Traditional", the Goldfarb
melody is by no means the only nice melody for this text.  There are
Sefardic melodies,
neo-Chassidic, modern pop-style, and other Ashkenazic versions also.
>
> Since I am not a regular on this newsgroup please email your responses 
> to:   rberkowi (at) mitre(dot)org(dot)
> 
> Thanks.

-- 
Cantor Neil Schwartz

schwartz (at) enter(dot)net