Wonderings 28 Your Favorite Jewish Song(s)?
It has been wonderful to have "guest cantorial soloists" these few weeks (watch them on the B'nai Zion YouTube channel) while Adam is performing in the Shreveport Little Theatre play. It makes me think about music and especially Jewish music, which leads me to this Wondering I would like to ask you.
First, some background: Music has always been an important part of our family (my dad was a professional Jazz musician, but the first songs I sang were the ones my mom taught me). I have been singing all my life. I took piano lessons in first grade (I could play a song with two hands, if my left hand only needed one finger). I took violin lessons fourth through sixth grade (I did not love practicing). I started playing guitar in sixth grade, and bass in seventh grade.
When I was a teenager, dad told me he had these three questions he wanted me to pose to anyone who wanted to be friends with me (I think he meant anyone who I might consider dating*).
- What instrument did Charlie Parker play?
- Who is Yehudi Menuhin? (He died while I was in college.)
- What is your favorite Jewish song(s)?
He explained that the answer to the question about a favorite Jewish song was a kind of "sliding scale." I would know a lot about a person based on their answer.
This week I am wondering: What is your favorite Jewish song (or songs)?
I look forward to discussing with you what your favorite Jewish song tells me about you.
*(There was an alternate version of the questions dad gave me when I started dating a songleader from Young Judaea, who played accordion. All of the questions had to do with accordion trivia - I didn't know the answers to any of the questions, but my friend did.)
CLICK HERE to go to the Wonderings main page to see all Wonderings questions and replies.
Once again, I want to thank everyone who has responded to my "Wonderings." You are always welcome to respond to any of the questions I have asked by calling or emailing, no matter how long ago the question was originally posed. You can also choose to keep your replies totally private, and not be posted on the Responses page. I always try to remove personal / identifying details when I do post the replies.
You may want to check back to see if more replies have been added since you last looked.
Responses:
1) Yerushalaim Shel Zahav (always makes me cry)
2) Erev Shel ShoShanim (reminds me of my youth and also the first song I learned on the recorder [P]
{From Rabbi Jana: There are many versions to hear, but you may want to start with these:
-Yerushalaim Shel Zahav with explanation of why it was written, sung last year at Central Synagogue CLICK HERE
-Yerushalaim Shel Zahav rock and roll version from this year - 400 musicians in Jerusalem CLICK HERE
-Erev Shel Shoshanim from the second NFTY album CLICK HERE; P's favorite is THIS ONE}
Songs from the Barry Sisters are some of my favorites. Their Yiddish songs and melodies remind me of my mom. [M]
{From Rabbi Jana: Find a great collection on YouTube, start HERE.}
{From Rabbi Jana: The responses below will have links added after the weekend}
Your wondering this week was easy to answer. To make sense of my lists (one led to another), here's a little background: I grew up with a small portable record player in a case. My dad had several record albums of Jewish content (i.e. Jan Pierce, Richard Tucker for holiday and Shabbos selections, Connie Francis - Sings Jewish Favorites, and other albums with mixed artists singing Jewish theme songs of the times.) Dad wasn't into TV watching unless it was baseball. In our formal living room, seating was encased in clear plastic covers that only came off when company came. To unwind, he'd throw a lap quilt over the pink chair and play this music while reading the newspaper. When I got my 1st smartphone and discovered utube, I started a playlist of songs I enjoyed from that time. Hence easy access to your wondering question.
English:
My Yiddishe Momme
Oh My Papa
Exodus
Hebrew Songs:
Hatikvah (Always makes me feel proud I am Jewish.)
Adir Hu
Maoztzur/Rock of Ages
(Learned to sing them in an Orthodox Hebrew school, but didn't know the translations to these songs.)
Childhood Day Camp Songs:
David Melech (with hand gestures)
Mayim (it had a dance)
Zuma Gali Gali (repeatedly got louder & softer)
Rise & Shine (and give up your glory...)
Day is Done (gone the sun)
From later years:
Hallelujah (sing a song)
Yerushalayim Shel Zahav:
Light One Candle
Lechi Lach
I just took a trip down memory lane. [M]
I love the question of favorite music. These are some of my favorites (click the name to go to the song on YouTube):
Lecha - Mordecai Shapiro
Kulanu Nelech - Benny Friedman
One Heart - Yaakov Shwekey
Shir La'ma'alot - Yosef Karduner [K]