RE: Variations on Adon Olam

[Michael R. Leavitt <mrl...>]

[big snip]
>
>It makes no difference whether the cantor is Orthodox, Conservative,
>Reform, Reconstructionist or freelance - a sensitivity to the needs of the
>congregation is essential to the job. I'm not passing judgment on the choir
>that sings Verdi, Rossi, and Beethoven - that's appropriate for them.
>Wagner at a wedding, that's another thing entirely. The Orthodox don't have
>a lock -- they have as much ability to be inappropriate in such matters as
>the rest of us.
>
>Wendy Morrison

While what you say is undoubtedly correct--that sensitivity to the needs of
the congregation is essential--it's worth noting that there is a difference
"whether the cantor is Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist or
freelance" as far as the authority of the Cantor to make the decision for
the synagogue is concerned.  In the Reconstructionist world, at least, the
Rabbi and Cantor have a substantial say in such things, but the community
tends to make the final decision--at least according to the movement's
ideology (I know that in practice there are exceptions).  If a Cantor
wanted a particular melody and the community found it unacceptable (or vice
versa), and it came to a showdown, the community would have the "right" to
have its own preference put into practice, and the Cantor would either
comply or move on.

Mike Leavitt <mrl (at) alum(dot)mit(dot)edu>
Reston, VA