Pizmonim - Citizendia

This article is about a type of Jewish religious music, Pizmonim. For the main article on religious Jewish music, see Religious Jewish music. This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times

Religious music:
Jewish and Israeli 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

Pizmonim (Hebrew פזמונים, singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies with the intentions of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. 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. 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, "Ma'oz Tzur" (מעוז צור is a Jewish liturgical poem or Piyyut. 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************ They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, bar mitzvahs, weddings and other ceremonies. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently subjected to vandalism and the insertion of personal opinions In Judaism, Bar Mitzvah ( Hebrew: בר מצוה "one (m to whom the commandments apply" Bat Mitzvah (בת מצוה "one (f Betrothal ( shiddukhin) In Jewish law (halakha Betrothal (shiddukhin or Engagement is defined as the mutual promise between Pizmonim are generally sung in Hebrew.

Pizmonim are extra-liturgical, as distinct from piyyutim, which are hymns printed in the prayer-book and forming an integral part of the service. See also Religious Jewish music A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט pijút and) is a Jewish liturgical poem usually designated A siddur ( Hebrew: סידור plural siddurim) is a Jewish Prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. Jewish services ( Hebrew: תפלה, tefillah; plural תפלות, tefillos or tefillot; Yinglish: davening Similar songs sung in the synagogue on the Sabbath morning between midnight and dawn are called baqashot (שירת הבקשות) instead of pizmonim. A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of Shabbat or Shabbos ( Hebrew: שַׁבָּת, shabbāt, shabbes, "rest/inactivity" is the Weekly Sabbath This article is about a type of Jewish religious music Baqashot

1 Geographical background
2 History of texts
3 Maqamat (maqams)
4 Origins of tradition
5 Liturgical use
6 Sephardic Pizmonim Project
7 Further reading
8 See also

Geographical background

Pizmonim are traditionally associated with Middle Eastern Sephardi Jews, although they are related to Ashkenazi Jews' zemirot. Sephardi Jews ( Hebrew: ספרדי, Standard Səfardi Tiberian Səp̄arədî; plural Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim ( Hebrew: אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים, ˌaʃkəˈnazim sing Zemirot (זמירות (singular zemer) are Jewish hymns usually sung in the Hebrew or Aramaic languages but sometimes also in Yiddish The best known tradition is associated with Jews descended from Aleppo, though similar traditions exist among Iraqi Jews (where the songs are known as shbaִhoth, praises) and in North African countries. For other meanings see Aleppo (disambiguation. Halab redirects here for other meanings see Halab (disambiguation. Iraqi Jews are Jews born in Iraq or of Iraqi heritage The history of the Jews in Iraq is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Jews of Greek, Turkish and Balkan origin have songs of the same kind in Ladino, associated with the festivals: these are known as coplas. There have been organized Jewish communities in Greece for more than two thousand years Jews {ref|name|§}} have lived in the geographic area of Asia Minor (modern Turkey) for more than 2400 years

History of texts

The texts of many pizmonim date back to the Middle Ages or earlier. Many are taken from the Tanakh, while others were composed by poets such as Yehuda Halevi and Israel Najara of Gaza. See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is Yehuda Halevi, in full Yehuda ben Shemuel Ha-Levi, also Judah Halevi, or Judah ben Samuel Halevi ( Hebrew: יהודה הלוי) (c Israel ben Moses Najara (c 1555 Damascus - c 1625 Gaza) ( Heb Gaza (غزة, עַזָּה ʕazzā is the largest city in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian territories. Some melodies are quite old, while others may be based on popular Middle Eastern music, with the words composed specially to fit the tune. The music of the Middle East and North Africa spans across a vast region from Morocco to Afghanistan and its influences can be felt even further afield ^[1] A prolific composer of pizmonim of this last kind was Hakham Refael Antebi Tabbush (Aleppo 1830-Cairo 1919), who is regarded as the founder of the tradition in its present form. The tradition has since been exported to Syrian Jewish communities in the Americas by his pupils, principally Moses Ashear. Syrian Jews ( Arabic, يهود سوريون) derive their origin from two groups those who inhabited the region of today's Syria from the ancient times Pizmonim are composed for special occasions such as weddings and bar mitzvahs by Cantors in the past, as well as the present, by Ezekiel Albeg, Gabriel A. Shrem (a student of Ashear), Eliyahu Menaged (a student of Tabbush), Rabbi Raphael Yair Elnadav, and others.

Maqamat (maqams)

All pizmonim can be classified under different maqams (musical modes), of which there are about ten in common use. Maqam is a modal structure that characterizes the art of music of countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia. Maqam Ajam, which sounds a little like a Western major scale, is the thematic maqam that contains many holiday melodies. In Music theory, the major scale or Ionian scale is one of the diatonic scales It is made up of seven distinct Notes plus an eighth Maqam Hijaz, which sounds a little like a Western minor scale, is the thematic maqam that contains many sad melodies. Minor Scale was a test conducted by the United States Defense Nuclear Agency (now part of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency) involving the detonation Maqam Sikah (or Siga), containing many three-quarter-tone intervals, is used for the cantillation of the Torah. Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Bible in Synagogue services. Maqam Saba is the maqam used for circumcisions.

Origins of tradition

The origin of the tradition must be seen in the context of certain rulings of the Geonim discouraging the use of piyyutim in core parts of the prayer service. Geonim ( Hebrew: גאונים also transliterated Gaonim) were the presidents of the two great rabbinical colleges of Sura See also Religious Jewish music A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט pijút and) is a Jewish liturgical poem usually designated These rulings were taken seriously by the Kabbalistic school of Isaac Luria, and from the sixteenth century on many hymns were eliminated from the service. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 – July 25 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. As the community did not wish to lose these much-loved hymns, the custom grew up of singing them extra-liturgically. Thus, the original core of the pizmonim collection consists of hymns from the old Aleppo ritual (published in Venice in 1560) and hymns from the Sephardic service by Yehuda Halevi, Solomon ibn Gabirol and others. Musta'arabi Jews ( Arabic, "Arabized" are a group of Arabic-speaking Jews who lived in the Middle Eastern lands prior to the expulsion of the Jews from Sephardic Judaism is the practice of Judaism as observed by the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, so far as it is peculiar to themselves and not shared with other Jewish Yehuda Halevi, in full Yehuda ben Shemuel Ha-Levi, also Judah Halevi, or Judah ben Samuel Halevi ( Hebrew: יהודה הלוי) (c Solomon ibn Gabirol, also Solomon ben Judah ( שלמה בן יהודה אבן גבירול, Shelomo ben Yehuda ibn Gevirol; أبو أيوب سليمان A few hymns were also taken from the liturgy of the Romaniotes. The Romaniotes ( Greek: Ρωμανιώτες, Rōmaniōtes are a Jewish population who have lived in the territory of today's Greece and

Further pizmonim were composed and added to the collection through the centuries. This practice may have arisen out of a Jewish prohibition of singing songs of the non-Jews (due to the secular character and lyrics of the songs). This was true in the case of Arabic songs, whereby Jews were allowed to listen to the songs, but not allowed to sing them with the text. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language In order to bypass the problem, many composers, throughout the centuries, wrote new lyrics to the songs with the existing melodies, in order not to violate the tradition of not singing non-Jewish songs.

Liturgical use

During typical Shabbat and holiday services in the Syrian tradition, the melodies of pizmonim are used as settings for some of the prayers, in a system of rotation to ensure that the maqam suits the mood of the holiday or the Torah reading. Each week there is a different maqam assigned to the cantor according to the theme of the given Torah portion of the week. In Sephardic Middle Eastern Jewish prayer services each Shabbat the congregation conducts services using a different maqam A pizmon may also be sung in honour of a person called up to the Torah, immediately before or after the reading: usually this is chosen so as to contain some allusion to the person's name or family.

Pizmonim, or any melodies, are generally not applied throughout the week during prayer services.

Sephardic Pizmonim Project.

Sephardic Pizmonim Project

The Sephardic Pizmonim Project is a foundation dedicated to the scholarship, restoration and preservation of the ancient music of the Sephardic-Syrian Jewish community. The project is dedicated to the memory of Cantor Gabriel A. Shrem, the former director of Yeshiva University's Cantorial Institute (Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music) and cantor of B'nai Yosef Synagogue. Yeshiva University is a private Jewish University in New York City whose first component was founded in 1886. The B'nai Yosef Synagogue, (or Congregation Bnai Yosef) formerly Magen David Congregation of Ocean Parkway is an Orthodox Sephardi Synagogue The idea of the project began in the late 1970s when Shrem started teaching a course at Yeshiva University. As a demonstration tool, Shrem recorded the bulk of the pizmonim for classroom distribution. The collection resulting from these recordings encompassed roughly 70% of the Sephardic pizmonim liturgy. The collection of recordings in this project serves Syrian Jews today as the official canon of pizmonim.

The Sephardic Pizmonim Project organisation re-released all of Shrem's recordings on a large CD collection in September of 2004 selling 6,050 CDs throughout the world. The organisation opened a website in 2006 with the goal of "continuing the work that Gabriel Shrem started and preserving any obscure [Middle Eastern Jewish] tradition possible". In the process, cantors throughout the world have contacted the organization and provided recordings to further enhance the project. The project's website contains recordings of the Biblical taamim and the baqashot, together with pizmonim not included in the CD collection. Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Bible in Synagogue services. This article is about a type of Jewish religious music Baqashot

More recently, the project has announced that it has reached the benchmark of only missing 150 of the pizmonim from the 'Shir Ushbaha Hallel VeZimrah' pizmonim book. When the project first began, they were missing over 300 pizmonim. The last 150 pizmonim that are still missing will be more difficult to obtain due to the aging population and the general difficulty of those specific pizmonim.

Contents

Geographical background

History of texts

Maqamat (maqams)

Origins of tradition

Liturgical use

Sephardic Pizmonim Project

Further reading

Pizmonim books

Secondary literature

Online resources

Endnotes

See also