|
Syrian Cantors
The Syrian Cantor is the ''hazzan'' who leads the traditional prayer rituals in the synagogues of the Syrian Jews. He conducts the services using ten maqamat or musical modes. A cantor must be fully cognizant of these maqamat and their applications to the prayers. A different maqam is used each week, depending on the week's Torah portion. Maqamat The maqam system is characteristic of, and can be used to classify, all Arabic music. The term ''maqam'' has various shades of meaning. On the most basic level, a maqam is a musical scale. A few of these consist of steps of a whole tone and half a tone in the same way as the Western diatonic scale. Others also admit steps of one and a half tones, like the Western harmonic minor and the '' steiger'' of Ashkenazic cantorial practice. The majority include one or more three-quarter tone steps, this being the distinguishing characteristic of Arabic and other Middle Eastern music. In addition to the scale used, each ''maqam'' has dif ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hazzan
A ''hazzan'' (; , lit. Hazan) or ''chazzan'' ( he, חַזָּן , plural ; Yiddish ''khazn''; Ladino ''Hasan'') is a Jewish musician or precentor trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the congregation in songful prayer. In English, this prayer leader is often referred to as a cantor, a term also used in Christianity. ''Sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' and the evolution of the hazzan The person leading the congregation in public prayers is called the '' sh'liaḥ tzibbur'' (Hebrew for "emissary of the congregation"). Jewish law restricts this role to adult Jews; among Orthodox Jews, it is restricted to males. In theory, any lay person can be a ''sh'liaḥ tzibbur''; many synagogue-attending Jews will serve in this role from time to time, especially on weekdays or when having a Yartzeit. Someone with good Hebrew pronunciation is preferred. In practice, in synagogues without an official Hazzan, those with the best voice and the most knowledge of the prayers serve most often. As publi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baqashot
The ''baqashot'' (or ''bakashot'', he, שירת הבקשות) are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Syrian, Moroccan, and Turkish Jewish communities for centuries each week on Shabbat mornings from the early hours of the morning until dawn. They are usually recited during the weeks of winter, from the Jewish festival of Sukkot through Purim, when the nights are much longer. The ''baqashot'' services can last for three to four hours. The Ades Synagogue in Jerusalem is the center of the Syrian practice today, and communities in Ashdod and Montreal are the center of the Moroccan practice. History The custom of singing ''baqashot'' originated in Spain towards the time of the expulsion, but took on increased momentum in the Kabbalistic circle in Safed in the 16th century. ''Baqashot'' probably evolved out of the tradition of saying petitionary prayers before dawn and was spread from Safed by the followers of Isaac Luria (16th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaim Shaul Abud
Chaim Shaul Abud (Hebrew: ; 1890–1977) was an Israeli poet, rabbi, educator, and philanthropist. Abud was the author of the book "''Shirayi Zimra Ha-Shalem''", which combines the poetry of ''Baqashot'' form the Jewish community of Aleppo (''halab or aram tzoba)'' and songs that he wrote himself. He also served as founder and director of several Torah schools in Jerusalem. Early life and education Abud was born in Aleppo, Syria to a family of rabbis, his father Rabbi Avraham Abud, and his grandfather Rabbi Eliyahu Abud. In his youth, he studied the Torah, Halakhha, and poetry of ''Baqashot,'' among the rabbis of Aleppo. Career In 1907, he relocated to Buenos Aires to serve as a cantor ''(Hazzan)'' and a school teacher in the Jewish community of the city. In 1929 he came and settled in Jerusalem and founded the Talmud Torah "Nezer Aharon" in the city. He also established and managed a fund loan for the residents of Jerusalem and supported financially at Yeshivat Porat Yo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hebrew Cantillation
Hebrew cantillation is the manner of chanting ritual readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic Text of the Bible, to complement the letters and vowel points. These marks are known in English as 'accents' (diacritics), 'notes' or trope symbols, and in Hebrew as () or just (). Some of these signs were also sometimes used in medieval manuscripts of the Mishnah. The musical motifs associated with the signs are known in Hebrew as or (not to be confused with Hasidic nigun) and in Yiddish as (): the word ''trope'' is sometimes used in Jewish English with the same meaning. There are multiple traditions of cantillation. Within each tradition, there are multiple tropes, typically for different books of the Bible and often for different occasions. For example, different chants may be used for Torah readings on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur than for the same tex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pizmonim
''Pizmonim'' (Hebrew פזמונים, singular ''pizmon'') are traditional Jewish songs and melodies sung with the intention of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, '' bar mitzvahs'', weddings and other ceremonies. ''Pizmonim'' are extra-liturgical, as distinct from ''piyyutim'', which are hymns printed in the prayer-book and forming an integral part of the service. Similar songs sung in the synagogue on the Sabbath morning between midnight and dawn are called ''baqashot'' (שירת הבקשות). Geographical background ''Pizmonim'' are traditionally associated with Sephardi Jews, although they are related to Ashkenazi Jews' ''zemirot''. The best known tradition is associated with Jews descended from Aleppo, though similar traditions exist among Iraqi Jews (where the songs are known as ''shbaḥoth'', praises) and in North African countrie ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kedushah (prayer)
''Kedushah'' (Holiness) is the name of several prayers recited during Jewish prayer services. They have in common the recitation of two Biblical verses - and . These verses come from prophetic visions in which angels sing the verses, "Holy, Holy, Holy" as praises to God. There exist several variations of the ''Kedushah'', which appear in different contexts and have different laws. The best-known Kedushah is recited in the Amidah. Another is recited in the ''Yotzer ohr'' blessing, and a third (known as ''Kedushah d'sidra'') is recited on various occasions including the conclusion of weekday ''Shacharit''. In some versions of the ''kedushah'', additional Biblical verses are added in the same format as the verses from Isaiah and Ezekiel. ''Kedushah'' in the Amidah The ''Kedushah'' is traditionally the third section of all Amidah recitations. In the silent Amidah it is a short prayer, but in the repetition, which requires a ''minyan'', it is considerably lengthier. The recitatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaddish
Kaddish or Qaddish or Qadish ( arc, קדיש "holy") is a hymn praising God that is recited during Jewish prayer services. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy, different versions of the Kaddish are functionally chanted or sung as separators of the different sections of the service. The term ''Kaddish'' is often used to refer specifically to "The Mourner's Kaddish," which is chanted as part of the mourning rituals in Judaism in all prayer services, as well as at funerals (other than at the gravesite; see Kaddish acher kevurah ''"Qaddish after Burial"'') and memorials; for 11 Hebrew months after the death of a parent; and in some communities for 30 days after the death of a spouse, sibling, or child. When mention is made of "saying Kaddish", this often refers to the rituals of mourning. Mourners recite Kaddish to show that despite the loss they still praise God. Along with the Shema Yisrael and the Amidah, the Ka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pizmonim Books
''Pizmonim'' (Hebrew פזמונים, singular ''pizmon'') are traditional Jewish songs and melodies sung with the intention of praising God as well as learning certain aspects of traditional religious teachings. They are sung throughout religious rituals and festivities such as prayers, circumcisions, '' bar mitzvahs'', weddings and other ceremonies. ''Pizmonim'' are extra-liturgical, as distinct from ''piyyutim'', which are hymns printed in the prayer-book and forming an integral part of the service. Similar songs sung in the synagogue on the Sabbath morning between midnight and dawn are called ''baqashot'' (שירת הבקשות). Geographical background ''Pizmonim'' are traditionally associated with Sephardi Jews, although they are related to Ashkenazi Jews' ''zemirot''. The best known tradition is associated with Jews descended from Aleppo, though similar traditions exist among Iraqi Jews (where the songs are known as ''shbaḥoth'', praises) and in North African countries ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mawwal
In Arabic Music, the ''mawwāl'' ( ar, موال; plural: ''mawāwīl'', ) is a traditional and popular Arabic genre of vocal music that is very slow in beat and sentimental in nature, and is characterised by prolonging vowel syllables, emotional vocals, and is usually presented before the actual song begins. The singer performing a mawwal would usually lament and long for something, such as a past lover, a departed family member or a place, in a wailing manner. Etymology Mawwal is an Arabic word that means "affiliated with", "associated with," or "connected to". The verb is ''waala'' (). It is measure 3 of the root verb "Walia" (), which means to follow, ''be affiliated with'', ''support'', or ''sponsor''. Originally the verbal noun has a ''Yaa'' in the definite form but it loses it when the word is indefinite. History There are many preferences regarding the origin of the mawwal, one of these is the one al-Suyuti attributes it in the book Sharh al-Muwashah to the era of H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synagogue
A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worship. Synagogues have a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels), where Jews attend religious Services or special ceremonies (including Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs or Bat Mitzvahs, Confirmations, choir performances, or even children's plays), have rooms for study, social hall(s), administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious school and Hebrew school, sometimes Jewish preschools, and often have many places to sit and congregate; display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork throughout; and sometimes have items of some Jewish historical significance or history about the Synagogue itself, on display. Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for the purpose of Jewish prayer, study, assembly, and r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jewish Prayer Modes
In Judaism, musical nusach refers the musical style or tradition of a community, particularly the chant used for recitative prayers such as the Amidah. This is distinct from textual nusach, the exact text of the prayer service, which varies somewhat between Jewish communities. Description The whole musical style or tradition of a community is sometimes referred to as its ''nusach'', but this term is most often used in connection with the chants used for recitative passages, in particular the Amidah. Many of the passages in the prayer book, such as the Amidah and the Psalms, are chanted in a recitative rather than either read in normal speech or sung to a rhythmical tune. The recitatives follow a system of musical modes, somewhat like the maqamat of Arabic music. For example, Ashkenazi cantorial practice distinguishes a number of '' steiger'' (scales) named after the prayers in which they are most frequently used, such as the ''Adonoi moloch steiger'' and the ''Ahavoh r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Synagogue")