Here is the programme that Matthew Faulk and I performed on 26 June 2023 to the Oxford group of the Council of Christians and Jews. Good evening, and welcome. Many of tonight’s song lyrics are from texts shared by Jews and Christians: there are seven psalms, two passages from Exodus, and one from Jeremiah. From …
Music and audio © 1 May 2023 Alexander Massey “Seek the peace—the shalom—of the city, and pray to God for it: for in its peace, you shall all have peace.” (Jer. 29:7) This is a song that I wrote on the occasion of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. I gave its …
V’dirshu et shalom ha’ir – Seek the peace of the city Read More »
The Cantors Assembly in the USA has a wonderful monthly online gathering called SongSwap, showcasing liturgical songs and songwriters, and the methods and songs of cantors working with congregations around the country. The theme for January 2023 was ‘Songs for Social Justice in Honour of Martin Luther King (MLK) Day’. Looking through my own catalogue, …
Music & Audio © 4 Nov 2022 Alexander Massey – All Rights Reserved The original text on which this song is based appeared during the Second World War, on the wall of a cellar in Cologne, and is believed to have been written by one or more Jews hiding from the Nazis: Ich glaube an …
Contemplative version, with guitar Version with piano, tango style Music, English translation and audio © 18 July 2022 Alexander Massey Dedicated to my dear uncle, Paul Massey (z’l), who died on 12 July 2022. BUY the sheet music – $4.95 (voice & piano/guitar) The poem that has become known as Dudeleh (also as A dudele) …
Arrangement & Audio © 2022 Alexander Massey The events unfolding in Ukraine since February 2022 have been horrifying. I am so sad to see the disregard for the lives and human rights of Ukrainian people, and the destruction of the country and its natural environment. It can be hard, sitting in another country, to find …
Music and audio © 2021 Alexander Massey (You can download the sheet music for free.) Galut – ‘exile’ – has been a recurring theme through Jewish history. We have been expelled from many countries over the centuries. I don’t ascribe to the idea that Jerusalem belongs exclusively to Jews any more than it does to …
YouTube version. Better recording coming soon. In the meantime, here is the sheet music (free). Music and audio © Alexander Massey 24 August 2021
Music and audio © Alexander Massey 13 June 2022
Jewish texts offer rich opportunities for interfaith thinking, dialogue and encounters. Many Jewish prayer texts and Biblical verses, including the psalms, speak to universal human experience and spiritual yearning. Some are part of our regular liturgy; it is interesting to note how many could fit an interfaith context. Some Jewish texts specifically affirm inclusivity and …