WELCOME! This page is a resource for learning some of the music associated with important holiday blessings and prayers.
Many browsers do not support Hebrew characters. In the interest of making this page as widely useable as possible without a lot of reconfiguration, I have used transliterations for Hebrew rather than Hebrew font.
If you have questions or comments on this page, or difficulty with any downloads, please send your comments to me at aschmidt@hacdalbany.com.
Click on any of the links below to scroll to the appropriate section.
Festival Evening
Kiddush for Sukkot
Kiddush for the evening of a festival (Sukkot, Shmini Atzeret, Pesach, Shavuot) can be found on page 742 of Siddur
Sim Shalom. After "borei p'ri ha-gafen",
the melody and text are different from those used on Shabbat, and the name and
title of the appropriate holiday are inserted into the blessing (see the small
print). This recording uses the words for Sukkot.
Festival
Evening Kiddush for Pesach
This is very similar to the above, using the insertion for Pesach instead of
the words for Sukkot.
Shabbat and Festival Evening Kiddush
On a Friday evening, the first paragraph is added--this is the same as for the standard Shabbat Kiddush. When a festival coincides with Shabbat, the text in parentheses is included as well. This recording has the words and music for a festival (in this case, Sukkot) when it begins on a Friday evening, along with Shabbat.
Avinu Malkeinu (Last two lines on handout #18 ONLY)
Areshet
Sefateinu
Text for this prayer and Hayom Harat
Olam can be found on the reverse of handout #19.These
prayers are sung during the Malchuyot, Zichronot, and Shofarot sections
of the Musaf Amidah on Rosh
Hashanah. Since Areshet
Sefateinu mentions the sound of the shofar, it is not sung on Shabbat since the shofar is not sounded on Shabbat.
Each time Areshet Sefateinu
is sung, the name of the appropriate section—Malchuyot,Zichronot, or Shofarot—is
inserted as the last word.
The text for all blessings and songs in this section can be found on page243 in Siddur Sim Shalom. Note that only the first verse of Maoz Tsur is recorded. (Other verses are in the Chanukah handout.)
Hanerot Hallalu
This reading follows candlelighting. It is read aloud
on this recording,as I do
not know an easily-singable melody for the entire
text. (If you know one, please let me know!) A short melody for the first
sentence follows the reading.
Maoz Tsur #1 (Traditional melody, based on a German folksong; also used as a Lutheran chorale!)
Maoz Tsur #2 (18th century Italian melody by Benedetto Marcello; more challenging to sing, but lovely)
Introductory
Blessing
(top two lines, p. 380, Siddur Sim
Shalom)
B'tseyt
Yisrael (Psalm 114)
Halfway through this psalm, at the line “ma l’cha ha-yam”,
the musical pattern switches into “call and response”. The person leading the service sings a word
or two, then the congregation repeats. On the recording, the “repeat” is sung a
little less loudly.
(bottom paragraph, p. 380, Siddur
Sim Shalom)
Yevarech (Psalm 115:12-18)
(bottom paragraph, p. 382, Siddur Sim
Shalom)
Hallelu (Psalm 117)
(top three lines, p. 386, Siddur Sim
Shalom)
The following selections (indicated with “bullet marks”) are all from Psalm 118:
·
Hodu (Pesach melody/Adir Hu) or Hodu (standard melody)
(p. 386 at the second “box”, Siddur Sim Shalom)
· Min haMetzar (p. 386, 8 lines down from top of page, Siddur Sim Shalom)
· Kol Rina (p. 386, 5 lines up from bottom of page, Siddur Sim Shalom)
· Lo Amut/Pitchu Li (Siddur Sim Shalom p. 386, last two lines and p. 388, first two lines)
· Odecha Ki Anitani (p. 388, 3 lines down from top, Siddur Sim Shalom)
Conclusion: Ki Lecha Tov
Lehodot
(two lines at the bottom of p. 388 at the “box”, Siddur
Sim Shalom)
Hineni Muchan uMzuman
This song, stating “I am ready to fulfill the mitzvah
of the first (second, third, etc.) cup”, traditionally precedes each cup at the
Seder. The first time through it is sung
“kos rishona” (first cup),
then “kos sheni”, “kos shlishi”, “kos rvi’i”, etc.
Baruch haMakom
This major-key song is an upbeat stand-in for a
blessing on the reading of the Haggadah.
Vnomar
Lefanav
This song can be sung as a round (sing the “Vnomar”
and “Halleluyah” sections at the same time.
Ki Lo Naeh
A traditional end-of-Seder song—simple melody, alphabetical structure, less
bloody than Chad Gadya, and shorter than Echad Mi Yodea.
Karev
Yom
A mysterious song referring to a Messianic era in
which it is “a day which is neither daytime nor night”.
Kol Dodi
It wouldn’t be spring without a lovesong—this is from
Shir haShirim,
traditionally read at Pesach.
Chasal
Sidur Pesach
A musical setting of the text that traditionally ends the Seder.