“A New Song”

Last month I wrote about the power of music to move our hearts and inspire our thoughts in worship. Familiar melodies give us a sense of grounding, while new melodies help us to hear old prayers in fresh ways. This month I want to share some of my thinking as I wrestle with music choices for our services.

We are blessed to have a musical tradition that spans more than a millennium infusing our modern worship. The chanting of the V'ahavta reflects the musical recitation of biblical texts that - after being handed down as part of oral tradition since Temple times - was codified in the ninth century. Some of the best-known and most beloved melodies in our holiday liturgy - perhaps the most famous of which is Kol Nidrei - originated in 12th century Europe. These are usually referred to as "Mi Sinai" tunes because they are considered so fundamental to Jewish worship that our tradition likes to claim that they were handed to Moses on Mt. Sinai at the same time he received Torah. And we have adopted the many musical styles since then, from 17th century Baroque polyphony to Eastern European folk and klezmer music to 19th Viennese waltzes (including Solomon Sulzer's "Sh'ma" that we sing at almost every Shabbat service) to 20th century pop music. While some of this music is part of a fad that eventually gives way to some new wave of composition, much of the best of this music remains a part of our worship repertoire until this day.

While most people are appreciative of this rich tradition, I am often questioned as to why we use a particular style or why I've decided to use a new melody when it comes to the music of our services. The question of why use a variety of styles is perhaps easier to answer. It is the same reason why the Charlotte Symphony continues to program Vivaldi's "Four Seasons," Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Mendelssohn's "Fingal's Cave Overture" or Stravinsky's "Firebird" while at the same time commissioning new music for a world premier performance: each style of music speaks to us in its own unique way, while collectively they reflect the breadth and depth of tradition which helps shape and identify us culturally. Or perhaps you might think about why you treasure one of your grandmother's old recipes. While it is exciting to taste a revolutionary creation from a modern-day master chef, what can trigger such warm memories as the smell recalling bubbe's old kitchen? The range of either classical music or culinary experience reminds us of where we have been, helps define who we are today, and informs us as we move forward into the future.

The reasons for using different melodies are many. Liturgical music connects us with the breadth and depth of our Jewish heritage, helping us understand our place in the chain of tradition. Also, as I wrote last month, familiar melodies reinforce the foundation of our faith while new melodies help us to open new paths of belief. And special melodies connected to particular holidays can help enhance our experience of the season, much the way special foods are an integral part of our celebrations.

But the most practical reason has to do with the way music enriches our worship experience. None of us arrives at a worship service each week in the same state. One week we are relaxed and jovial, while another week we feel burdened and somber. And of course each person comes into the Sanctuary with a unique set of thoughts, emotions and experiences. The advantage to occasionally using different tunes for Mi Chamocha or V'sham'ru or Shalom Rav from week to week is that the music helps us encounter God where we are in our lives at the moment. Actually, the point is not to change melodies, but to add to the ones we already know. By broadening the repertoire of tunes that are familiar, the service can better reflect our mood and serve as a foundation for the transformative experience that worship can be.

How to introduce new music is always a challenge. Although some people encourage me to teach the new music during services, I resist the danger that worship might become pedantic. I often teach a new melody first to our choir so that there are a number of people familiar with the new melody during the first weeks it's introduced. Occasionally, I'll use a melody as an instrumental interlude or niggun - a song without words - before adding the prayer text. But mostly I try to use any new melody consistently for some time until a majority of our weekly congregation is comfortable with it - usually for several months. Eventually it becomes a familiar part of our liturgical repertoire and allows us to expand our range of spiritual expression. One idea that has been suggested is to produce a CD containing the Shabbat melodies we will be using over an extended period, perhaps six or eight months. By distributing this to our entire congregation, everyone has the opportunity to become comfortable with all of our service music, whether or not they attend worship every week. This, by the way, is the way the UAHC familiarized the Biennial delegates with the music used at Shabbat worship - a technique that seemed to be quite successful. If you are excited by this idea and are interested in sponsoring such a project, please contact me or the Music Committee.

It is my hope that all of the music of our worship services, be they old standards or new settings, will inspire your worship experience, and lift your heart and soul toward the Divine.

B’shalom,
Andrew Bernard
Cantor