These are my favourites! Comins, Mike (2010) Making Prayer Real: leading Jewish voices on what prayer is difficult and what to do about it Grishaver, Joel Lurie (2012) Stories We Pray: insights into the inner work of Jewish worship Rosenberg, Arnold S. (1997/2004) Jewish Liturgy as a Spiritual System: a prayer-by-prayer explanation of the nature …
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 …
Composition & audio © Alexander Massey 29 Nov 2020
A nigun is, at its simplest, any melody. However, in my own music, I use this word only when it is wordless, and, most importantly is carefully structured to take the singer(s) and listener(s) on an emotional and spiritual journey, shaped with a specific intention. I have written much more about this in my articles, …
Music and recording © Alexander Massey 18 July 2020 – All Rights Reserved A musical meditation on the morning blessing for moving mindfully through the world. A familiar translation is: “Blessed are you, O Lord, our God, king of the universe, who makes firm the steps of man.” My new translation is based on exploring the etymology of …
Hameichin Mitzadei Gaver (‘… who makes our steps firm’) Read More »
Music and recording © Alexander Massey, 19 May 2020 BUY the sheet music – $3.95 (voice & guitar, optional vocal harmonies) In May 2020, during the lockdown, I was attending a morning meditation session run by Rabbi Anne Brener in the USA (4.30pm for me in the UK!). She asked us how we were feeling, …
‘God is in the detail’: a composer’s perspective on crafting modern Jewish sacred music – part 7/7 Pt-1 Pt-2 Pt-3 Pt-4 Pt-5 Pt-6 Pt-7 (Bibliography) Bibliography Printed articles
‘God is in the detail’: a composer’s perspective on crafting modern Jewish sacred music – part 6/7 Pt-1 Pt-2 Pt-3 Pt-4 Pt-5 Pt-6 Pt-7 (Bibliography) PARDES (‘paradise’) In order to be able to answer those questions, lyricists and composers must …
‘God is in the detail’: a composer’s perspective on crafting modern Jewish sacred music – part 5/7 Pt-1 Pt-2 Pt-3 Pt-4 Pt-5 Pt-6 Pt-7 (Bibliography) ‘God is in the detail’ So, as a composer and occasional lyricist for sacred music, …
‘God is in the detail’: a composer’s perspective on crafting modern Jewish sacred music – part 4/7 Pt-1 Pt-2 Pt-3 Pt-4 Pt-5 Pt-6 Pt-7 (Bibliography) Making music ‘holy’ – kodesh When Moses encountered the burning bush, he first had to …