RE: melodies for "Modeh Ani" (a change of pace)

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

Indeed, we have--as Adrian reiterated in a post last week--been adopting 
for prayer the melodies of the cultures where we've lived--probably for 
millenia rather than centuries!  And that practice continues today, not 
always uninspiredly.  One inspired example, I think, was the setting of 
the very same "Modeh Ani" to the exquisitely beautiful Irish melody "The 
Star of the County Down."  I learned this shidduch from a musician named 
Alan Kaufman--Does anyone on the list know what's become of him, or of 
his (former, I think) wife Elisheva (who may be in Israel), for that 
matter?  PLEASE E-MAIL ME OFF LIST IF SO!--anyway, I learned this from 
Alan, whose shidduch I assume it was; he used to play it, w/ the "Modeh 
Ani" words, w/ his sadly short-lived band Derech Olam.  I taught this 
setting to a friend a couple of decades ago and had long since forgotten 
having done so--til he advised me a year or so ago that he'd davened it 
that way ever since! This is the Hassidishe ethos re borrowing (which 
goes deeper than any particular Hassidishe melody):  Use whatever melody 
moves and reaches you spiritually for a Jewish purpose.


>From owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org Thu Feb 04 19:30:05 1999
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>From: "Adrian Durlester" <durleste (at) home(dot)com>
>To: World music from a Jewish slant. <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Subject: RE: Adon Olam et al
>Date: Thu, 4 Feb 1999 21:30:43 -0600
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>Adon Olam one can fit to most any tune. What I find more intriguing are
>other connections. Try, for example, waking up your religious school 
kids
>with Modeh Ani sung to "Oh, What a Beautiful Morning!" As Tom Lehrer 
once
>sang "it don't matter if you have to fit a couple of extra syllables 
into a
>line." (Tom Lehrer-Folk Song Army.)
>
>And though I don't want to open up this whole debate again, while it 
might
>be nice (and desirable) to use nice chassidishe tunes, I'll remind us 
that
>we've been adopting the music of the cultures in which we have lived 
for
>centuries.
>
>Adrian
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>[mailto:owner-jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org]On Behalf Of winston weilheimer
>Sent: Sunday, January 31, 1999 8:25 AM
>To: World music from a Jewish slant.
>Subject: RE: Jewish cowboy music
>Importance: High
>
>
>Absolutely serious.  It looks like others have used some good tunes 
too.
>When I moved to DeLand (outside Orlando), the members of my previous 
shul
>sang Adon Olam to "It's a small world after all."  I also use Oh once 
there
>was a wicked wicked man... on the Shabbat before Purim, Maoz tsur on 
Shabbat
>Channukah, and dayanu for Shabbat Pesach.  Love the idea of Saints go
>marchin in...perhaps around Mardi Gras!
>
>Now that I have opened this can of worms...how about some other 
suggestions
>out there!
>
>
>
>Winston Weilheimer
>Rabbi
>Temple Israel of Deland
>(Florida)-------------------------------------------------------------------
>-----
>Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
>http://members.home.net/durleste/
>Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
>http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
>Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN
>http://www.micahnash.org/
>Home phone (615) 646-9788
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>
>
>
>
>


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