Music Box
September 24, 2023
Janneke Hoogland, cello
Jubal Joslyn, tenor
Cathryn Wilkinson, piano and organ
Music on the Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur)
Prayer……Ernst Bloch
Kol Nidrei, Opus 47……Max Bruch
Shalom Chaverim……Israeli traditional, arr. Anne Krentz Organ
The Jewish Feast of Atonement (Yom Kippur), sometimes known as the “Sabbath of Sabbaths,” begins this year on September 24 at sundown. Before this feast, friends ask and accept forgiveness from one another for past offenses and acknowledge the need for forgiveness from God. In recognition, the prelude, offertory, final hymn, and postlude all connect with Jewish traditions.
Much music by Ernst Bloch, a Swiss-American, reflected his Jewish heritage. Bloch was welcomed as an immigrant to America, teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, and the University of California at Berkeley.
Max Bruch, renowned German composer, while not of Jewish ancestry, was shunned by some for having written music on a Jewish theme. His Kol Nidrei for cello and orchestra is based on the melodies of Yom Kippur, and the prayer,, “May all the people of Israel be forgiven, including all the strangers who live in their midst.” Shalom chaverim is translated, “peace, farewell to friends.”
“Sabbath Prayer,” from the beloved Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof, re-enacts the Jewish observance of the Sabbath with family every Friday at sundown.
