In each issue of E-Notes, Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson offers his unique insights and experiences as a world-renowned scholar, composer, conductor, and influential teacher of Jewish music.
Sacred or Secular?
They were largely secular Jews—the founders of the Jewish choral movement 120 years ago. They were not assimilationists; they chose to express their Jewish identity not in the synagogue but through cultural activities.
For example, let’s look at the anthem of the first HaZomir choirs in Poland, featuring music by Leo Low (1878-1960) and lyrics by David Frischmann (1859-1922). “Zam’ru akhim zam’ru, uvazimra ne’orer am—Sing, brothers, sing, and with song we will rouse the people.”These stirring words actually secularize a verse from Psalm 47: “Zam’ru elokim zameru, zam’ru lemalkeynu zameru—Sing to God, sing! Sing to our King, sing!” The Hebrew root-word zmr (sing) in various forms appears 42 times in the Bible, and in every occurrence, it is a joyous song of praise to God. But the singing in the HaZomir anthem is no longer directed to God, the Heavenly King. For the original HaZomir choirs, it was a call to social action, a secular song that would awaken the Jewish people from its “dark ages” and lead them into the enlightenment.
While the Jewish choral movement began as a secularization of Judaism, singing Jewish music today offers many of us a sense of community and a deepening of spirituality. Great works of art reach deep into our souls, providing peak experiences that inspire us, that take us out of this world, and at the same time make us feel at one with the universe. Several years ago, when we were rehearsing our “Majesty of Holiness” programs, which highlighted the great 19th-century liturgical masterworks, I remember experiencing a tremendous leap of spirit; this music was an ecstatic elevation of the words of the prayers.
And the music continually evokes new associations. When I conduct the “Kedushah” from Ernest Bloch’s great Sacred Service, the music imbues new depth to the words, and that depth stays with me every time I see those same words in my personal prayers. “Adon Olam” is usually sung to a catchy tune, but now when I read those lofty words, I think of Kenneth Lampl’s exalted music, which spurs an infusion of meditation for me. I never understood the depth and beauty of Psalm 90 until I conducted Charles Ives’s magnificent setting. And now, every time I hear Debbie Friedman’s ubiquitous “Mi Shebeyrach,” I hear Jeremiah Klarman’s transformative arrangement in my head and I am taken to another level altogether.
Yes, the Jewish choral movement may be a secular enterprise, but you can’t divorce singing from spirituality. Great choral music can serve as a “musical midrash”—an interpretation and deepening of the great words we are singing. Zamir today is both an expression of ethnic solidarity as well as an immersion in spirituality.
Click here for a video about Zamir’s anthem, “HaZamir.”
Hot Off the Press
City of Newton Awards Zamir Grant
We are delighted to announce that Zamir was among several arts and culture nonprofit groups to be awarded a grant through the Revitalize Creative Newton initiative of Newton’s Office of Cultural Development. The grant supports organizations that are working to provide arts and cultural programming in Newton during the pandemic. Thank you, Paula Gannon, Director of Cultural Development, Mayor Fuller, and the City of Newton!
Hebrew College to Share Campus with Temple Reyim
Over the past few decades, Zamir has been choir-in-residence at both Hebrew College and Temple Reyim. Beginning in January 2023, Hebrew College and Temple Reyim, along with seven other Jewish institutions, including Zamir, will be headquartered at a new campus in Newton, in what is being called “a collaboration to create a hub of Jewish life and learning.” A groundbreaking ceremony was held on December 5 (see photo). Read all about it here.
Miss any of our weekly Musical Messages or Zoominars that we produced during the pandemic? Visit our website to watch!
Help Zamir continue to bring the joy of Jewish music to homes around the world!
Keep in touch! We love hearing from our friends all over the world. May 2022 be filled with peace, harmony, and good health for everyone!
Dear Friends,
Happy 2022! We hope this finds you and your loved ones safe and healthy! After the thrill of performing our first in-person concert in two years, at Temple Emanuel, we look forward to the possibility of more live offerings this winter and spring, highlighted in this issue. Also enjoy the latest news, Josh Jacobson’s “Musings” on the intersection of the sacred and the secular, and our Fall Roundup. Stay warm and well!
A Choral Rainbow, Part II, Online Event:Thurs., February 16, 7:30 pm. The second episode of this three-part online series will spotlight three groups:
• The Dallas Street Choir, which offers a musical outlet for people experiencing homelessness and severe disadvantage; Jonathan Palant, conductor
• The Yiddish Philharmonic Chorus, which is committed to promoting Yiddish language and culture through beautiful four-part harmony; Binyumen Schaechter, conductor
• The Philadelphia Heritage Chorale, which has a special commitment to music born of the African Diaspora or created by composers of African descent; Donald Dumpson, conductor
A Choral Rainbow was created in response to the recent alarming rise in racism, antisemitism, and other forms of prejudice. We are committed to using our resources to expose our audiences (and ourselves) to music representing different cultures, ethnicities, and ways of thinking. With video performances and conversations between Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson and conductors of choruses from diverse and under-represented communities, A Choral Rainbow helps to build bridges and open doors of communication.
Voices of Freedom: Sun., April 3, 3:00 pm, Vilna Shul, Boston's Center for Jewish Culture, 18 Phillips St, Boston. For this multicultural event, we will be joined by André DeQuadros’s Voices 21C and Dennis Slaughter’s Boston Community Gospel Choir. Tickets for this live performance will be available through the Vilna Shul.
Shirah B’Yachad:Singing Together! A Concert Celebrating Cantor Louise Treitman: Tues., April 5, 7:30 pm, Temple Reyim, 1860 Washington St, Newton. Hebrew College (HC) is presenting this special concert honoring Zamir member Cantor Treitman and marking the occasion of the College’s 100th anniversary. The event will feature Zamir and Kol Arev, HC's chamber choir, founded and directed by Amy Lieberman. Kol Arev's members include cantorial and rabbinical students and other members of HC’s community. For tickets and details, visit Hebrew College.
A Better World,
תקון עולםThurs., May 26, 7:30 pm, at Temple Emanuel, 385 Ward St, Newton. A special concert to honor Larry and Jill Sandberg, featuring Randall Thompson’s The Peaceable Kingdom and the American premiere of Yehezkel Braun’s Vehaya Be’akharit Ha-yamim (In Days to Come). Tickets available beginning at the end of March on our website.
Church on the Hill Concert:On Thurs., June 16, our chamber chorus will perform at the Church on the Hill in Boston, where our own assistant conductor, Andrew Mattfeld, is the music director. Details to come.
Fall Roundup
Hanukkah Happens: On December 23, Zamir performed LIVE for the first time in two years at the spacious sanctuary at Temple Emanuel in Newton for “Hanukkah Happens XXXI.” The chorus, accompanied by the Zamir chamber orchestra, joined Cantor Elias Rosemberg, pictured, for a lively set of favorites, including works by Bloch and Starer, and an uplifting tribute to Debbie Friedman arranged by Jeremiah Klarman. Even though the chorus wore masks, the audience in person and online could sense the performers’ smiles and reveled in the sound of live music, clapping along with the rousing encore, “Yom Zeh LeYisrael.”
A Choral Rainbow, Part I: On November 22, hundreds of viewers from around the world joined premiere broadcast of the first episode of this new series, produced by the Zamir Chorale of Boston, which featured David Hodgkins, conductor of Coro Allegro—Boston's LGBTQ+ and allied classical chorus; Micah Hendler, conductor of The Jerusalem Youth Chorus—a choral and dialogue program for Palestinian and Israeli youth in Jerusalem; and Diana Sáez, a leading specialist in the field of Latin American choral music. If you missed this educational and inspiring event, you can still view it here.
