Re: Don't squash the off Key Rabbi

[richard_wolpoe <richard_wolpoe...>]

     Well taken.
     
     just a humoros anecdote...
     When I was a toddler my Mom would sing me lullabies.  I used to tell 
     her Mommy, please don't sing to me (at 2.5 I was already a music 
     ciritc)
     
     Look, my Mom was being nice, however,to SOME ears an off key 
     performance can be annoying or distracting.  And my guess is:
     Since the rabbi sings off key
     Therefore he has no clue that being off-key can acutally disturb 
     people's concentration.
     However, on-key people, regardless of affiliation might find this to 
     be a disctraction.
     
     As far as Orthodoxy goes, the Shulchan Aruch says that one should 
     neither raise theri voice above nor lower their voice below the 
     cantor.
     
     MOST rabbis inerpret this as a funtion of volume
     
     I interpret this as a function of pitch or key and therefore in plain 
     English the Shulchan Aruch is sy sing in the smae key as the cantor or 
     leader.
     
     Adn the reason most rabbis interpret this as a function of volume as 
     opposed to pitch is that they're generally tone deaf <smile>!  (yes I 
     AM kidding).
     
     A guten Shabbos
     Rich Wolpoe


______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: Don't squash the off Key Rabbi 
Author:  <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org> at Tcpgate
Date:    10/23/98 10:44 AM


     
     
I understand why the off key rabbi would make the average cantor upset, 
however, let's get back to why people go to shul. Is it to see a musical 
performance or is it to pray. Is it the obligation of the cantor and rabbi 
to join in spiritual workship? You said the rabbi tends to get louder as he 
is moved....and you don't want him to do this because it is messing up your 
performance,  and the congregation's enjoyment of your performance. But to 
stifle the rabbi's expression of worship, especially at his moments of 
rapture, denies him his own personal expression of his spirit.
     
I immediately thought of the very orthodox services I've attended where 
there was nobody doing any performances. Rather it was everyone finding 
their own speed, their own embellishments, with occasional loud 'off key' 
vocalizations as a part of their spiritual expression.
     
I'm not a big prayer...but I always thought that most prayer comes from a 
place where an individual's ego relents to a higher power. It seems to me 
that for a Rabbi and Cantor, it can be difficult to get to that point 
because the nature of performance and leadership requires an active 
involvement of one's ego, not to mention that it often boost the ego rather 
than quell it.
     
Benny