The Musical Liturgy of Shalosh Regalim – The Three Pilgrimage Festivals - Part I: Pesach (Passover): Liturgy and Music - Einzelansicht

The semester course is designed as the first part of the yearly course on the musical liturgy of Shalosh Regalim – The Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot. We shall devote the entire first semester to the study of Pesach, because of its major importance in the Jewish tradition and since its study is an excellent introduction to the liturgies of the other Pilgrimage Festivals. The course will acquaint the students with the Nusach chants, cantorial art music and congregational songs of the Pesach liturgy according to the Ashkenazi tradition of the Eastern-European and Central European traditions as needed. Reform and Conservative customs and prayer texts will be discussed during the relevant classes.

Some lessons will take up one class-session or more while others will be shorter.

Lesson 1: The Passover Liturgy: The Traditional Prayers and Reformed Liturgies

· The Liturgy of Pesach: A Survey of all the services during the seven (eight) days of Passover

· Reform and Conservative Modifications of the Traditional Liturgy and Their Rational

· Practical Suggestions for Modern Services

Lesson 2: The Evening Service of Shalosh Regalim (with Special Emphasis on Passover)

· The liturgical structure of the service (A Review)

· Piyyutim of the evening service (Ma'aravot)

· The traditional chants of the service: German and Eastern Nusach

· Hazzanut and Modern Compositions

Lesson 3: Counting the Omer

· The Seven Weeks Between Pesach and Shavuot: Traditional and Other Views

· Private and Synagogue Ceremonies of Counting the Omer

· Traditional and Kabbalistic Texts

· Nusach and Musical Compositions for the Ceremony of Counting of the Omer

Lesson 4: The First Part of the Pesach Morning Services (Shacharit)

· The Liturgical Structure of the Morning Services

· Birchot Hashachar, Pesukei Dezimra: Shabbat and Festival Chants

· Special Piyyutim for Passover Morning Services: B’rach Dodi and Yom L’yabasha

Lesson 5: The Amidah for the Three Festivals: Shacharit and Musaf

· The Liturgical and Musical Structures of the Amidah (A Reviiew)

· Special Compositions for the Kedushah of Musaf for the Three Festivals

· The Application of Nusach to the Conservative and Liberal Texts of the Musaf Service

· Birkat Kohanim: The Priestly Blessing and its Passover Chants

Lesson 6: Tal and Geshem: The Prayers for Dew and Rain

· The Special Nusach for the Kaddish Before Musaf Before Tal and Geshem (A Review)

· The Beginning of the Amidah (Avot and Gevurot)

· Compositions for the Piyyutim of Tal. (The Piyyutim for Geshem will be studied during the Summer Semester.)

Lesson 7: Hallel: The Psalms of Praise (Ps. 113-118) on Passover (Nusach & Cantorial Compositions)

· The Benediction Before Hallel and the Nusach for the End of Psalms

· The German (Originally Portuguese) Chant for Ps. 113

· Chants and Compositions for Ps. 114 (B'tzet Yisrael)

· Chants and Compositions for Pss. 115-116

· "Seasonal Chant" for Hodu and Ana on Pesach

Lesson 8: Torah Services on Pesach

· Chanting Song of Songs (A Review)

· Cantorial Compositions for the Torah Ceremony

· Torah Readings and Haftarot on Various Days of Passover (A Review of the Traditional and Reform Customs)

Lesson 9: Matnat Yad and Yizkor Services on the Last Days of Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot

· The Old German Ceremony of Matnat Yad and its Modern Application

· The Yizkor Memorial Service: Core and Additional Prayers, Traditional and Modern Compositions

· El Male Rachamim Prayers and Cantorial Compositions

· Melodies and Compositions for the 23rd Psalm

Lesson 10: Review Examination of the Music for the Pesach Liturgy

Literature and sources will be made known during the course of classes.

Oral exam (15 min.)