Jewish and Israeli
  Music |
| Religious music: |
|---|
| Historical • Contemporary Piyyut • Zemirot • Nigun Pizmonim • Baqashot |
| Secular music: |
| Israeli • Israeli Folk Klezmer • Sephardic • Mizrahi |
| Not Jewish in Form: Classical • Mainstream and Jazz |
| Dance: |
| Israeli Folk Dancing • Ballet Horah • Hava Nagila • Yemenite dance |
| Israel |
| Hatikvah • Jerusalem of Gold |
| Piyyutim |
| Adon Olam • Geshem • Lekhah Dodi Ma'oz Tzur • Yedid Nefesh • Yigdal |
| Music for Holidays |
| Hanukkah • Passover • Shabbat |
| Music of the Haggadah |
| Ma Nishtana • Dayenu • Adir Hu Chad Gadya • Echad Mi Yodea |
| Music of Hanukkah |
| Blessings • Oh Chanukah • Dreidel Song |
| Al Hanisim • Mi Y'malel • Ner Li |
"Ma'oz Tzur" (Hebrew: מעוז צור), is a Jewish liturgical poem or piyyut. Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times This article is about contemporary Jewish religious music For the main article on religious Jewish music see Religious Jewish music. See also Religious Jewish music A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט pijút and) is a Jewish liturgical poem usually designated Zemirot (זמירות (singular zemer) are Jewish hymns usually sung in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages but sometimes also in Yiddish This article is about a type of Jewish religious music Nigun For the main article on religious Jewish music see Religious Jewish music. See also Religious Jewish music Pizmonim ( Hebrew פזמונים singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies This article is about a type of Jewish religious music Baqashot See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture The music of Israel is a unique combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical The music of Israel is a unique combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical See also Secular Jewish music Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר kley - instrument and zemer - song etymologically from This article is about the music of the Sephardic Jews For the main article on secular Jewish music see Secular Jewish music. This article is about the music of the Mizrahi Jews For the main article on secular Jewish music see Secular Jewish music. See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture This article is about Israeli folk dancing For the main article on Jewish dance see Jewish dance. See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture Hora is a type of Circle dance originating in the Balkans but now found in a number of countries most of which use slightly different spellings "Hava Nagila" ( הבה נגילה in Hebrew) is a Hebrew Folk song, the title meaning "Let us rejoice" In Yemen, where Jews were banned from dancing publicly forms of dance evolved that are based on stationary hopping and posturing such as can be done in a confined space The music of Israel is a unique combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical For the political party see Hatikva (political party. For the Tel Aviv neighbourhood see Hatikva Quarter. " Jerusalem of Gold " (ירושלים של זהב Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) is a popular Israeli Song written by Naomi Shemer in 1967 See also Religious Jewish music A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט pijút and) is a Jewish liturgical poem usually designated Adon Olam ( אֲדוֹן עוֹלָם; "Lord of the World" is one of the few strictly metrical hymns in the Jewish liturgy, the nobility of the diction of Geshem (גשם is one of the Hebrew words for " Rain," applied mostly to the heavy rains which occur in Israel in the fall and winter Lekhah Dodi ( Hebrew: לכה דודי also transliterated as Lecha Dodi, L'chah Dodi, Lekah Dodi, Yedid Nefesh ( Hebrew: יְדִיד נֶפֶשׂ y’did nefesh) is the title of a Piyyut. Yigdal ( יִגְדָּל; yighdāl, or יִגְדַּל; yighdal; means " Magnify Living God" is a Jewish Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. Passover songs are songs traditionally associated with the end of the seder, the festive meal associated with the Jewish festival of Passover. Zemirot (זמירות (singular zemer) are Jewish hymns usually sung in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages but sometimes also in Yiddish Passover songs are songs traditionally associated with the end of the seder, the festive meal associated with the Jewish festival of Passover. Ma Nishtana (מה נשתנה are the four questions sung during the Passover seder See also Passover songs Dayenu ( Hebrew: is a song that is part of the Jewish holiday of Passover. See also Passover songs Adir Hu (English Mighty is He Hebrew אדיר הוּא is a hymn sung by Jews worldwide at the Passover Seder. See also Passover songs Chad Gadya ( Aramaic: חַד גַדְיָה chad gadya, "one little goat or "one kid" Hebrew: See also Passover songs Echad Mi Yodea ( Yiddish: Man'dabar uma n'sapar) ( Hebrew: אחד מי יודע echad mi yodea) (Who Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. See also Hanukkah music Oh Chanukah (also Chanukah Oh Chanukah) is an English version of the Yiddish Oy Chanukah (חנוכּה אױ חנוכּה See also Hanukkah music I Have a Little Dreidel (also known as the Dreidel song) and Samuel Goldfarb (also S Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. Hanukkah music (or Chanukah music) (שירי חנוכה contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ See also Religious Jewish music A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט pijút and) is a Jewish liturgical poem usually designated It is written in Hebrew, and is usually sung on the holiday of Hanukkah, after lighting the festival lights. Hanukkah (חנוכה alt Chanukah) also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the The name is a reference to the Hasmonean stronghold of Beth-zur. The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE Beth-Zur (beth'-zur also spelled Bethsura Beth-tsur Belt Cur or Baith-sour is a historically and archaeologically significant site in Judea, referenced several times This Hebrew song is thought to have been written sometime in the 13th century. It was originally sung only in the home, but has been used in the synagogue since the nineteenth century or earlier. A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of Of its six stanzas, often only the first stanza is sung (or the first and fifth).
In English, there is a popular non-literal translation that is sung, called "Rock of Ages", which is based on the German version by Leopold Stein (1810-1882), and was written by Talmudic linguist Marcus Jastrow and Gustav Gottheil. For the original Hebrew version see Ma'oz Tzur Rock of Ages is a stylised English version of the thirteenth century Hebrew Hanukkah hymn The Talmud ( Hebrew: he תַּלְמוּד is a record of Rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history Marcus Mordechai Jastrow ( June 5, 1829 &ndash October 13, 1903) was a renowned Talmudic scholar most famously known for his Gustav Gottheil ( May 28, 1827, Pinne / Pniewy, Posen district, Prussian Poland - April 15, 1903 [1]
Contents |
Content
The hymn is named for its first two words in Hebrew, which mean "Stronghold of Rock" as a name or epithet for God. In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title An epithet (from Greek ἐπίθετον - epitheton, neut of ἐπίθετος - epithetos, "attributed added" is a
"Ma'oz Tzur" is thought to be have written in the 13th century, during the Crusades, as Zunz ("Literaturgesch. The Crusades were a series of military campaigns of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe against external and internal opponents Leopold Zunz (1794&ndash1886 ( Hebrew / Yiddish: יום טוב ליפמן צונץ &mdash"Yom Tov Lipmann Tzuntz" was the founder of what " p. 580) is inclined to believe. The first letters of the first five stanzas form an acrostic of the composer's name, Mordechai (the five Hebrew letters מרדכי). An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, "top" and stíchos, "verse" is a Poem or other Writing He may have been the Mordecai ben Isaac ha-Levi who wrote the Sabbath table-hymn "Mah Yafit" (Majufes), or even the scholar referred to in Tos. to Niddah 36a. Niddah (or nidah, nidda, nida; Hebrew:נִדָּה is a Hebrew term which literally means separation, generally considered to refer Or, to judge from the appeal in the closing verse, he may have been the Mordecai whose father-in-law was martyred at Mayence (now Mainz, Germany) in 1096. Mainz (ˈmaɪ̯nʦ (Mayence is a City in Germany and the capital of the German federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.
Another acrostic is found in the first letters of the opening words of the final stanza. As in many examples of piyyut, they congratulate the poet with the word hazak (meaning "[may you be] strong").
The poem recalls the many times when Jewish communities were saved from the people around them. The second stanza tells of the exodus from Egypt. The Exodus ( is the term used for the escape departure and emancipation of the enslaved Israelites freed from Ancient Egypt as described in the Hebrew The third stanza tells of the end of the Babylonian captivity. The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to The fourth retells the miracle of the holiday of Purim. Purim ( Hebrew: פורים Pûrîm " lots " related to Akkadian pūru) is a Jewish holiday that commemorates The fifth tells of the Hasmonean victory that is commemorated by Hanukkah. The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE
The first and last stanzas are written in the present tense. The first expresses hope for the rebuilding of the Temple and for the defeat of enemies, who are mentioned in canine terms (menabe'ach, barking). Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name The final stanza once again calls for an uprising against the enemies of the Jewish people. The term "Admon", meaning "the red one", is understood by some to refer to the emperor, Friedrich Barbarossa, whose name means Frederick "Redbeard". Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned This stanza was dropped from many printings of the poem, perhaps from fear of a Christian reaction against it, as well as in countries under communist rule, for reasons more than obvious.
In her book Ve-Higadeta Le-Vanekha (title meaning "you shall tell your children"), Mikhal Gur-Arie explains (in Hebrew) why "Ma'oz Tzur" is sung especially on Hanukkah rather than Purim or Passover, whose events are also mentioned in the poem:
- On Passover we read in the Haggadah: "In every generation there are those who rise up to finish us off, but the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hands. Passover ( Hebrew, Yiddish: פֶּסַח Pesach, Tiberian: pɛsaħ Israeli: Pesah, Pesakh, Yiddish The Haggadah (הגדה is a Jewish religious text that sets out the order of the Passover Seder. " On Purim, after the reading of the Megillah in the synagogue, we say the blessing "Blessed are You. The Book of Esther is a book of the Tanakh ( Hebrew Bible) and of the Old Testament. . . Who plead our plea, . . . and rose against those who would rise against us. . . . " There is no need to say "Ma'oz tzur" except on Hanukkah.
Thus the singing of "Ma'oz tzur" on Hanukkah may be a substitute for the ritual storytelling that takes place on Purim and Passover.
Tune
The bright and stirring tune now so generally associated with "Ma'oz tzur" serves as the "representative theme" in musical references to the feast (comp. Addir Hu; Aḳdamut; Hallel). Indeed, it has come to be regarded as the only Hannukah melody, four other Hebrew hymns for the occasion being also sung to it (comp. Zunz, l. c. pp. 422, 429; D. Kaufmann, in "Ha-Asif," ii. 298), as well as G. Gottheil's paraphrase, "Rock of Ages," in the "Union Hymnal" (No. 107). It was originally sung for "Shene Zetim" ("Olives Twain"), the "Me'orah," or piyyut, next preceding the Shema 'in the Morning Service of the (first) Sabbath in the eight days of the Feast of Dedication. Curiously enough, "Shene Zetim" alone is now sometimes sung to a melody which two centuries ago was associated rather with "Ma'oz tzur. " The latter is a Jewish-sounding air in the minor mode, and is found in Benedetto Marcello's "Estro Poetico Armonico," or "Parafrasi Sopra li Salmi" (Venice, 1724), quoted as a melody of the German Jews, and utilized by Marcello as the theme for his "Psalm XV. " This air has been transcribed by Cantor Birnbaum of Königsberg in the "Israelitische Wochenschrift" (1878, No. 51)
The present melody for the Hanukkah hymn has been identified by Birnbaum as an adaptation from the old German folk-song "So weiss ich eins, dass mich erfreut, das pluemlein auff preiter heyde," given in Böhme's "Altdeutsches Liederbuch" (No. 635); it was widely spread among German Jews as early as 1450. By an interesting coincidence, this folk-melody was also the first utilized by Luther for his German chorals. He set it to his "Nun freut euch lieben Christen gmein" (comp. Julian, "Dictionary of Hymnology," s. v. "Sing praise to God who reigns above"). It is familiar among English-speaking people as the tune for a translation by F. E. Cox of the hymn "Sei lob und ehr dem höchsten gut," by J. J. Schütz (1640-1730). As such it is called "Erk" (after the German hymnologist), and, with harmonies by Bach, appears as No. 283 of "Hymns, Ancient and Modern" (London, 1875). The earliest transcription of the Jewish form of the tune is due to Isaac Nathan, who set it, very clumsily indeed, to the poem "On Jordan's Banks" in Byron's "Hebrew Melodies" (London, 1815). Later transcriptions have been numerous, and the air finds a place in every collection of Jewish melodies. It was modified to the form now favored by English Jews by the delicate liturgical taste of Mombach, to whom is due the modulation to the dominant in the repetition of the first strain, shown in the transcription above.
Modern creative mention
The piyyut inspired Israeli songwriter Naomi Shemer to write the song "Shivchei Ma'oz" (meaning "praises of the fortress"), as performed by the band Pikud Darom in 1969. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Israel topics. Naomi Shemer (נעמי שמר born 13 July 1930, died 26 June 2004) was one of Israel 's most important and prolific Song In this song Shemer drew a connection between the Jewish hymn and the military positions that were attacked in the War of Attrition of the time. The War of Attrition (מלחמת ההתשה حرب الاستنزاف was a Limited war fought between the Israeli military and forces of the Egyptian Republic
Text
| Hebrew | Transliteration | Literal Translation |
|---|---|---|
|
מעוז צור ישועתי, לך נאה לשבח |
Ma'oz Tzur Yeshu'ati, lekha na'eh leshabe'ah. Tikon beit tefilati, vesham toda nezabe'ah.
Le'et takhin matbe'ah mitzar hamnabe'ah. Az egmor beshir mizmor hanukat hamizbe'ah. |
O mighty stronghold of my salvation, to praise You is a delight. Restore my House of Prayer and there we will bring a thanksgiving offering. |
|
רעות שבעה נפשי, ביגון כוחי כילה |
Ra'ot sav'ah nafshi, byagon kohi kila. Hayai mareru bkoshi, beshi'abud malkhut egla.
Uvyado hagdola hotzi et hasgula. Heil par'o vekhol zar'o yardu ke'even bimtzula. |
My soul had been sated with troubles, my strength has been consumed with grief. They had embittered my life with hardship, with the calf-like kingdom's bondage. |
|
דביר קדשו הביאני וגם שם לא שקטתי |
Dvir kodsho hevi'ani vegam sham lo shakateti. Uva nogesh vehiglani, ki zarim avadti.
Vyein ra'al masakhti, kim'at she'avarti. Ketz Bavel Zerubavel, leketz shiv'im nosha'ati. |
To the holy abode of His Word He brought me. But there, too, I had no rest And an oppressor came and exiled me. For I had served aliens, |
|
כרות קומת ברוש בקש, אגגי בן המדתא |
Krot komat brosh bikesh, Agagi ben Hamdatah. venihiyeta lo (lefah) (u)lemokesh vega'avato nishbata.
Rosh yemini niseta, ve'oyev shmo mahita. Rov banav vekinyanav al ha'etz talita. |
To sever the towering cypress sought the Agagite, son of Hammedatha, But it became [a snare and] a stumbling block to him and his arrogance was stilled. The term Agagite is used in the Book of Esther as a description of Haman. |
|
יוונים נקבצו עלי, אזי בימי חשמנים |
Y'evanim nikbetzu alai, azai bimei Hashmanim. Ufartzu homot migdalai, vetim'u kol hashmanim.
Uminotar kankanim na'asa nes lashoshanim. Bnei vina yemei shmona kav'u shir urenanim. |
Greeks gathered against me then in Hasmonean days. The Hasmoneans (/hæzməˡniən/ חשמונאים Hashmonaiym, Audio were the ruling dynasty of the Hasmonean Kingdom ( 140 &ndash 37 BCE
They breached the walls of my towers and they defiled all the oils; |
|
חשוף זרוע קדשך, וקרב קץ הישועה |
Hasof zroa kodshekha, vekarev ketz hayeshu'a. Nkom nikmat dam avadeikha me'uma haresha'a.
Ki arkha (lanu) hasha'a, ve'ein ketz limei hara'a. Dkheh admon betzel tzalmon, hakem (lanu) ro'im shiv'a. |
Bare Your holy arm and hasten the End for salvation - Avenge the vengeance of Your servants' blood from the wicked nation. |
References
- ^ "Maoz Tzur (Rock of Ages)" at Jewish Heritage Online Magazine. Retrieved January 13, 2006.
- Much of the content of this article comes from מעוז צור (Ma'oz tzur) in the Hebrew-language Wikipedia, retrieved January 13, 2006. That article cites the following references:
- Sarah Friedlander Ben-Arie, Ma'oz tzur, a study in piyyut (in Hebrew), at site "Invitation to Piyyut"
- Various performances of Ma'oz tzur (in Hebrew), at site "Invitation to Piyyut"
- Rabbi David Chai Ha-Kohen, Ma'oz tzur (in Hebrew)
- Yosef Rot Rottem, Thoughts for Hannukah on "Ma oz" tzur (in Hebrew; pun in title means "what is the power of the rock"), at site of Beit Beryl school
Bibliography of Jewish Encyclopedia
- Cantor Eduard Birnbaum, Chanuca-Melodie für Pianoforte, mit Vorbemerkung, Königsberg, 1890;
- E. Breslaur, Sind Originale Melodien bei den Juden Geschichtlich Nachweisbar? p. 70, Leipsic, 1898;
- Cohen and Davis, Voice of Prayer and Praise, No. 294 (and especially Mombach, in Nos. Mombach, with about 13000 inhabitants is a borough in the northwest corner of Mainz, Germany. 64 and 66), London, 1899;
- Journal of the Folk-Song Society, i. 36, London, 1900;
- Jewish Chronicle (London), Nov. The Jewish Chronicle (" The JC " is a London-based Jewish Newspaper. 23, 1888; Dec. 20, 1889; Dec. 5, 1890; Dec. 25, 1891;
- Louis Lewandowski, Chanukka-Hymne (two voices and piano), Berlin;
- J. Louis Lewandowski ( April 23, 1821 - February 4, 1894) was a German composer of synagogal music. Rosenfeld, Chanukka Hymne für Kinderstimmen, Berlin;
- D. Rubin, Maoz Tsur für Chor und Orgel;
- A. Rubin (Polish German Russian Romanian Serbian Swedish Danish and Yiddish word for Ruby) can refer to the following people;Surnames Alan Rubin Schoenfeld, Nationalgesang zur Erinnerung an die Siege der Makkabär, Posen
- This article incorporates text from the 1901–1906 Jewish Encyclopedia, a publication now in the public domain. Schönfeld may refer to places in Germany Schönfeld Brandenburg, in the district Uckermark Brandenburg Schönfeld Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Poznań Lublin Voivodeship This article is about the city in Poland The Jewish Encyclopedia was an Encyclopedia originally published between 1901 and 1906 by Funk and Wagnalls. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone [1]
- by Cyrus Adler, Francis L. Cyrus Adler ( September 13, 1863, Van Buren Arkansas &ndash April 7, 1940, Philadelphia) was a U Cohen
External links
- Irwin Oppenheim, "Chanukah Songs" at Chazzanut Online. Web page includes MIDI audio of the German and Italian tunes for Maoz Tzur and of the Dutch tune for Shene Zetim.
- Sephardic Pizmonim Project: Contains the song and can be heard according to Sephardic tradition.
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