Re[6]: Itsy Bitsy Spider and other Liturgucal Themes

[richard_wolpoe <richard_wolpoe...>]

I-L: I agree very much with what Lori Lippitz said, but that is because we 
are coming at it from the perspective of Russian, Polish or Romanian Jews 
who are reacting to encroaching Westernization or Americanization. 

<To those who find this nusakh "depressing", all I can say is, I'm sorry you 
<can't appreciate it. 

RW: 
Dear Itsik Leib,
        Chas V'sholom that those pieces go unappreciated. If there's 
anything wring, it's me in that I get moved TOO much. I become TOO 
melancholy, TOO sad, TOO depressed....

A fellow chazaan whose father hailed from Bialystok told me that we 
Americans cannot appreeciate the pain that Polish Jews suffered during the 
last several centuries.  I think that those laments can tear one's heart 
apart, so I try to limit them for hazkoros, etc.  However, on a regular 
basis,  they tend to hearken one back to a very opressive period of our 
history. .  yetst, in unzere matsaz in der goldne medina,  we yidden should 
be singing Hallel and Mizmor leSoda because we are free to daven, and 
express ourselves any way we want!  from chassidishe, to Yekkishe to 
Litvishe, to Sephardishe from O to C to R, etc.  We have been iberated from 
the opression of Eastern Europe, so let's enjoy our davening more! 

Therefore, IMHO we should expand our repertoire to include  more uplifting, 
upbeat themes, including some very traiditional ones from both chassidishe 
and yekkishe sources.  I would never advocte discarding those great 
cahazzanoshe peices;  their pathos are unsurpassed!

Most of the choral concerts I enjoy have a very good blance between Western 
and Eastern, major and minor, joyous and mournful, etc.  

Respectfully yours
Rich Wolpoe








However, we have also suffered the worst clamity in history just 55 years 
ago or so.  And during the 3 weeks, sefior, yom hashoah, etc. I thik it is 
HIGHLY appropriate to use thos haunting melodies.  EG Moshe Kousevitsky's Av 
horachimim.  Even lewandowski has a piece we use at Yiskor - Enosh Kechotsi 
Yomov.  the beauty of jewish liturgy is that it spans the entire range of 
emotions!  I would never wish to discard the great pathos of the Eastern 
Europena meloidies!  They are expressions of the yearnings of the soul.

        My goal is to provide a bit of balance or expansion to our music.  
I love Klezmer and I had the great zchus to have a leading klezmer musician 
in my previous congregation.  That said, I think we should also take in the 
full range of Jewish Music.  If people know how rich and wide our music is, 
maybe they would evolve into using better nusach than itsy bitsy, and the 
Farmer in the Dell!