Re: Maoz Tzur & Shavuot

[I. Oppenheim <i.oppenheim...>]

On Thu, 3 Jan 2002 SamWeiss (at) bellatlantic(dot)net wrote:

Quoting Werner:
> At this point I submit a conjecture that I cannot prove decisively: the
> original tune of Ma'oz Tzur in Minhag Ashkenaz was the one transmitted by
> Marcello, which fits the rhymes and stresses of the text exactly. At the
> same time the older Piyut, Sh'ney Zeytim for the Sabbath of Hanukkah was
> sung to the Germanic tune. When, however, that Piyut fell into oblivion,
> the cantors and congregations, unwilling to give up the popular tune,
> transferred this much more catchy air to the text of Ma'oz Tzur. In the
> United States, where even this text is not too familiar, the melody is
> maintained in an English paraphrase, "Rock of Ages." >>

This is an interesting conjecture, but unfortunately, Werner can't be
correct. In Amsterdam the piyut 'Shenei Zeitim' is still sung every year,
to its own peculiar tune. This particular melody is quite popular in
Holland, which the custom of using it to sing 'Shir Hama'alot' to it
during Chanukah, gives evidence of. Furthermore it is used to tone the
'Yechadeshehu' for the month preceding Chanukah, while the
Yechadeshehu for the month following Chanukah is sung to the tune of
Ma'oz Tsur. (Yechadeshehu is part of a special blessing in honour of the
next month, said on the last shabbat before Rosh Chodesh.)

I made a transcription of the dutch 'Shnei Zeitim' tune
according to the ABC standard:

X:1
T:Shenei Zeitim
C:Traditionally Amsterdam
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/4=120
K:C
G|G2G2A4|(FEF) D (A2G) G|c2c2(B2c2)|(f2e2)e2d G|
w:She-nei zei-tim nich-__ra-tim_ be-gan na-'oel_ yats-_hi-ru. Le-
G2G G A4|(FE) F D (A2G) d|d2g g (fedc)|(B2A2)A2G3/2 G/2|
w:rosh ke-ha-tim ve-_'ef-ra-tim_ she-tei 'a-ta-rot___ yach-_ti-ru. Ve-
g2 d d (^d2c2)|(^dc) B c (=dBG) G|g2d2(^d3c)|(dcBc) d2d2|
w:'al me-no-rah_ ha-_te-ho-rah__ ke-mo nei-rot_ yaz-___hi-ru.
c4(BAG) G|(cde) c (dBG) G|A3/2 A/2 G (3G/2 G/2 G/2 (Aagf)|e2d2c4|z6||
w:Hen, hen__ ba-ma-__cha-neh__ 'el mul pe-nei ha-me-no-rah___ ya-'i-ru.

See http://www.gre.ac.uk/~c.walshaw/abc/index.html for more
information on ABC.
Those interested could get from me a karaoke midi file or a more
readable pdf-file. Unfortunately, this list does not allow
attachments.

Are there still other communities that sing this piyut to date or know
this tune?

Irwin Oppenheim

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