New Ashre         Adult Choir

Learn the New Ashre.  Enjoy this beautiful new tune for Ashre.  Download the music and play it on your computer (5.5 MB file).   Ashre, by David Burger.  Performed by Cantor Jacob Ben-Zion Mendelson and David Burger Recorded with permission at the 16th annual North American Jewish Choral Festival (July 2005). Sponsored by the Zamir Choral Foundation, Matthew Lazar, Founder and Director. 

Note from Hazzan Eugene Rosner:

Here is a lovely new piece that would be a perfect addition to our congregation's musical repertoire! The music was commissioned by Hazzan Sol Mendelson, Jack's brother. Before teaching this piece to the Festival participants Hazzan Mendelson said something rather interesting. "Isn't it time for a new Ashre?" This piece follows nusach nicely and remains mostly in the Shabbat Torah Service major. It has a reflective nature, the melody is quite lyrical and very pleasing overall. The guitar chords complete the harmonization and it is my wish that once we learn our lines you keep them in mind while in services as it will be done without accompaniment. In this way, the spirit of the work will be present! It is written for Hazzan (H), Hazzan and a few voices (I would like to call this m'shor'rim-cantor's choir) (H+) and congregation (C). In other words, three sets of performers. Please layout the text of the Ashrei before you. Each phrase contains TWO of the traditional lines. As example, the Gadol line includes Gadol AND Dor. The congregation is assigned 4 double lines, or, 8 traditional ones. The congregational melody is unchanging, same general music each time. On this music file, the Hazzan exhorted the festival participants to represent the congregation.  The following double-verses in proper order are assigned accordingly: 1.Ashre-H 2.Aromimcha-H+ 3.Gadol-C 4.Hadar-H 5.Zeicher-H 6.Tov-C 7.K'vod-H 8.Malchutcha-H+ 9.Einei-C 10.Tzaddik-H 11.R'tzon-H+ 12.T'hilat-C

I will join you near the end of the last line as the music slows down greatly here. Don't rush it. The music is meant to be relaxed! I will be teaching my children's chorus the 3 H+ lines and they and/or a few adult members of the congregation will join me in these parts. Rabbi Cooper will lead the congregational parts! In your pews I will have a list of the congregational lines along with the music of the first congregational verse as reminder. We will be singing this at services every now and then. Enjoy learning and singing a great new piece! 

 

Adult Choir

The choir is singing a new piece. We will sing an arrangement of Shlomo Carlebach’s Titkabel as sung by Ben Zion Solomon and his family, who were rather close to Carlebach. The Solomon ensemble is in fact responsible for reintroducing Shlomo’s Shabbat music to various Jewish communities around the world. His music is making a significant revival! Hazzan Rosner has rearranged this particular piece for 4-part choir. It can be heard after the final shofar blasts and right before Rabbi’s sermons!