The Musical Liturgy of Rosh HaShanah - Einzelansicht

The semester-long course is designed as the first part of the yearly course on the musical liturgy of the High Holy-Days (the second part, on Yom Kippur, will be given during the following Summer Semester). The purpose of the course is to provide a liturgical and musical survey of the services of S’lichot, the Eve of Rosh HaShanah and its two days. The prayer-chants and melodies will be discussed with reference to the structure of the liturgy. The course will teach the customs, the liturgy, the chants and the congregational melodies of the services and ceremonies. Reform and Conservative customs and texts will be discussed at the relevant classes. The musical Nusach will follow both Eastern European and German traditions as needed. The course is divided into fourteen lessons about half of which will be given by Cantor Schleifer and half by Cantor Abramowicz.

Lesson 1: Historical Aspects of the Rosh HaShanah Services

• How the biblical Yom-Teruah developed into the post-biblical Rosh HaShanah.

• Calendrical aspects of Rosh HaShanah

• Rosh HaShanah as the Day of Awe and beginning of the Ten Days of Repentance

• A quick glance at all the services and ceremonies of Rosh HaShanah

Lesson 2: S'lichot Services in Preparation of Rosh HaShanah

• The "First S'lichot" in the Ashkenazi tradition

• S'lichot services during the week preceding Rosh HaShanah

Lesson 3: Maariv on the Eve of Rosh HaShanah

• The structure of the service and its basic chants

• Important recitatives and compositions for the Maariv service.

Lesson 4: The High Holy Day Shacharit Service (Up to the Amidah) (E. Schleifer)

• High Holy Day Chants for Birkot HaShachar and P'sukei D'zimra

• Chants for the prayers from HaMelech to Tzur Yisrael

• The Piyyutim of the Sh'ma and its Blessing section

Lesson 5: The High Holy Day Amidah for Shacharit and Musaf (1)

• The Nusach of the outline B’rachot of the Shacharit and Musaf Amidah

• The Beginning Benedictions: Avot, G’vurot, K’dushat Hashem

• The Piyyutim of the Beginning Benedictions of the Amidah of Shacharit,

Lesson 6: The High Holy Day Amidah for Shacharit and Musaf (2)

• The Last Benedictions: Avodah, Hodaah, Shalom

• Birkat Kohanim (Duchan) The Priestly Blessing and its melodies

Lesson 7: The High Holy Day Torah Service

• Taking the Torah Scroll out of the Ark: Texts and chants

• The Torah portions and the Haftarot for the High Holy Days

• Ceremonies and chants related to the Torah reading (but not the High Holy Day Cantillation System)

Lesson 8: The Shofar Service (T'kiot Di-M'yushav)

• Texts and chants before and after blowing the Shofar

• Blowing the Shofar: Customs and practices

• Returning the Torah to the Ark after the Shofar service

Lesson 9: The Rosh HaShanah Musaf Service (1)

• Hinneni and Chatzi Kaddish

• Piyyutim before the K'dushah

• Un'taneh Tokef: The text and the story behind it

• Chants and compositions for Un'taneh Tokef

Lesson 10: The Rosh HaShanah Musaf Service (2)

• Piyyutim After the K’dushah

• The Grand Aleinu and Malchuyot

Lesson 11: The Rosh HaShanah Musaf Service (3)

• Zichronot and Shofarot: Nusach and compositions

• The concluding prayers of the Musaf Service

Lesson 12: Final examination for the Course

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

Oral exam (15 min.)