Re: Dutch Cantorial Music/Prewar Media

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

Dear Sam,

> I was struck by the fact that both the Katz and
> Lissauer collections use the "ng" consonant to
> represent the Hebrew vowel "ayin."  I have always
> known this to be a characteristic of
> Spanish-Portuguese Sephardic pronunciation

The authentic Dutch Ashkenazic pronunciation of Hebrew
is exactly the same as in the German tradition, with
two big exceptions: the 'Ayin is *pronounced* as
Ngayin! (with ng as in English bang) and the Tseireh is
pronounced as the Dutch "ei" which has no counterpart
in any other language I know of.

Although I'm not certain, the former is probably an
influence of the Dutch Portuguese community on its
Ashkenazic sister community.

> I am also intrigued by the MIDI transcriptions of
> Hazzanut.  Some of the soundfiles are of selections
> that have a regular meter, but others sound like
> metrically even renderings of basically non-metrical
> compositions.

I produced the midi files by entering the scores
*exactly*, note by note, as they were written down by
the original composers or transcribers.

> Since about one of these, Katz's R'tzey
> Vimnuchateynu, Mr.  Oppenheimer writes that it is
> still sung today, then if the transcription:
> http://www.xs4all.nl/~danio/irwin/music/katz/katz-15.mid
> indeed reflects current practice, this would indicate
> an interesting musicological development.

Again, this is just a computer rendition of the score
to be found at:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~danio/irwin/music/katz/katz-15.html

Although not two chazzanim would interpret the piece
exactly in the same manner, I believe that this
composition is currently being sung more or less
according to the way it's written down by Katz.

> (Even if actual current renditions are more
> free-flowing, the very fact there are six of Katz's
> cantorial recitatives "still in regular use in
> Amsterdam today", according to Mr. Oppenheimer's
> introduction, is noteworthy.  Or perhaps this refers
> to the more melodic excerpts from these
> compositions.)

These six pieces are still sung regularly in their
entirety. Why do you think this is noteworthy?

> Related evidence of the blurring of the distinctions
> between free-flowing hazzanut and metrical melody is
> found in Berlijin's The Dutch Priestly Melodies.
> Here the interesting evidence is in written form as
> well.  His "Birkat Nesi'at Kapayim" gives the
> instruction "Andante, quasi recitativo,"  yet it is
> composed for two voices.
> http://www.xs4all.nl/~danio/irwin/music/nusach/berlijn-05.html

I must note that Berlijn's Priestly Melodies were not
meant as accurate transcriptions but rather as artistic
arrangements of the traditional tunes, to enhance the
service of the festivals. Yet the arrangements needed
to be simple enough to be easily sung by all the
kohanim!

> That the written transcription is an attempt to fit a
> non-metrical work into a metrical strait-jacket is
> indicated by all the fermatas that it contains.  Yet
> the scoring for two voices indicates that the
> composer heard this music with more "Western" ears
> than his East-European counterpart would have.

> Perhaps this also speaks to a cross-influence between
> the Sephardic and Ashkenazic Dutch communities.

How would this method of arranging be a Sephardic
influence on Berlijn?


Raymond Goldstein once remarked that the tune for
Kaddish-Titkabal for the High Holidays in the Lissauer
collection:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~danio/irwin/music/nusach/lissauer-02.html
reveals a Portuguese influence. I think he's correct
about that.

Accidentally, it's interesting to note that in
Amsterdam, traditionally the final Kaddish-Titkabal of
Ne'ilah is sung to the tune of the Kaddish of Sukkot,
http://www.xs4all.nl/~danio/irwin/music/nusach/lissauer-03.html
the reason being that one of the first mitsvot after
Yom Kippur is... to build a Sukkah.


Thank you very much for your interesting remarks!
Would you allow me to post your remarks on my website?

  Irwin Oppenheim
  i(dot)oppenheim (at) xs4all(dot)nl

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