September 10, 1999/29 Elul 5759, Vol. 52, No. 1
Cantors intone holiday traditionsKARENA BLACK
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 Rabbi Alan Bright reads from "Kol Rina Vetoda (The Voice of Prayer and Praise), A Handbook of Music for Congregational Singing." Photo by Karena Black |
That's what the famous tenor Maestro Benvenuto Finelli told Rabbi Alan Bright 16 years ago. It's something Bright has never forgotten.
When a cantor has truly learned and understands the meaning, significance and tradition behind the words of Jewish liturgical music, Bright explains, elaborating on his teacher's words of wisdom, the passion embodied in each work will come forth naturally when it is sung.
Rabbi Bright, an Orthodox-ordained rabbi working as interim rabbi and cantor at Conservative Beth Emeth Congregation of the Northwest Valley in Sun City West, exudes such passion not only when he sings, but even when he talks about the cantorate and its significance during the High Holidays.
Cantorial music "is a Jewish heritage. It's been passed down from generation to generation. The music reflects ... what the prayers themselves are trying to convey," he says.
Long before lay Jews begin to think about the High Holidays, cantors and their choirs embark on the arduous task of preparing the special music for this season. Cantors of Orthodox and Conservative congregations must present music for the two evenings and two mornings of Rosh Hashana, the Kol Nidre service on Yom Kippur eve and the Musaf (additional service) and Ne'ilah (concluding service) on Yom Kippur day. Most Reform congregations observe only one day of Rosh Hashana.
Bright begins examining High Holiday music and sermon topics after Passover, and starts to narrow his selections in May and June. He and other cantors say that preparation and celebration of the High Holidays is an intensive process.
Hazzan Devin Goldenberg of Conservative Har Zion Congregation in Scottsdale, and Cantor Julie Berlin of Reform Temple Solel in Paradise Valley, also begin their preparations each spring. Congregational choirs typically begin rehearsing in May or June, they say.
"There is a lot of rehearsing, including fine-tuning with a voice teacher as well as preparation with the rabbis so our services flow smoothly," says Berlin.
At all congregations, holiday hours are long. "The High Holy Days are very demanding physically and emotionally, but that's what it's about," says Goldenberg. "Over the three days, there is probably over 20 hours of singing."
Bright, who has served both Orthodox and Conservative congregations, says the Orthodox liturgy is much more extensive.
"In morning Rosh Hashana services, an Orthodox cantor may (perform) for four to five hours, compared to Conservative services, which are closer to two hours." He has been on his feet for as long as seven hours during Yom Kippur.
Cantors welcome their largest audiences of the year during the High Holidays. While attendance at Temple Solel averages 200 members at Shabbat services, it skyrockets to 1,000 to 1,200 for each High Holiday service. Har Zion experiences similar increases, according to Goldenberg, and holds separate, simultaneous services in the synagogue social hall to accommodate the additional hundreds who attend at the holidays.
High Holiday music is rich in tradition. The predominant musical mode, or scale pattern, is called Selichah (the scale of forgiveness), although Goldenberg notes that as many as 11 other different modes are used. Additionally, there are more than 30 melodies, called MiSinai (from Mount Sinai), dating back more than 1,000 years. The best known of these is the ancient chant for Kol Nidre (all vows), sung at the evening service which begins Yom Kippur.
Together, the modal scale patterns and melodies are referred to as Nusach Tefilliah (modes of prayer) and most cantors choose to adhere to these traditional components, says Bright.
The Nusach is the foundation for services in the Ashkenazic, or Eastern European, ritual. "The Nusach is very important, and one should not depart from it," agrees Goldenberg.
Many cantors nevertheless write original pieces or bring in other new music, while staying within the traditional scale. "It's important the music of the synagogue have familiarity," says Goldenberg. "We try to balance freshness and newness with what is familiar."
The MiSinai melodies guide congregants through the holiday liturgies, each one conveying its own significance.
"The music is very majestic, regal and formal," says Berlin. "Many people come to services, and these melodies hit something inside from their childhoods. Certain pieces make the services ... special to them."
While Bright agrees that many worshipers find High Holiday services emotional, he believes that fewer Jews understand and love cantorial music than in the past.
"Today's generation does not have the same appreciation as did their parents (of Jewish worship's traditional musical roots). It's like we skipped a generation ... which is one of the reasons that Jewish and Hebrew education is so important for our younger generation."