Music and recording © Alexander Massey 11 March 2015 BUY the sheet music – $4.50 (3 copies @ $1.50) The sheet music is also available as part of ‘Five Sacred Chants’. אֱלהַי נְשָׁמָה שֶׁנָּתַתָּ בִּי טְהורָה הִיא Elohai, n’shamah shenatata bi, t’horah hi. My God, the soul You have given me is pure. The Talmud …
‘Five Sacred Chants’ is an 11-page sheet music set of simple rounds and chants for 2 or 3 voices. It includes a a 4-page introduction with an essay ‘What’s the point of chanting?’, and short commentaries on each of the five pieces. BUY the sheet music for all 5 together – $19.95 (20% discount) You …
The focus of chants is not singing, but prayer – avodat lev (or avodah shebalev), ‘service/work of the heart’. When we chant, it is not the quality of our voice or musicianship that counts, but the quality of our intention (kavanah). However advanced the musical and vocal skill in the chanting may be, and however accurate the …
Music & audio © Alexander Massey 14 May 2016 BUY the sheet music – $1.95 The melody is based on the nusach for the haftarah blessing on shabbat morning. It has 50 notes, in honour of my friend Naomi’s 50th birthday!
Music & audio © Alexander Massey, 26 Oct 2018 BUY the sheet music – $1.95 Music’s role is often to express or explore what cannot be put into words. I wrote this nigun at a time when I found myself soul searching and questioning, and wanting to reach out to God. In turning towards God, I …
Nigun Chakartani vaTeida – Nigun meditation on Psalm 139 Read More »
Composition and Audio © Alexander Massey, 26 March 2017 First performance 10 May 2017 – United for Peace – United Through Poetry – a service with readings interspersed with silent reflection and music, delivered in partnership with the Edward Cadbury Centre for the Public Understanding of Religion at the University of Birmingham. BUY the sheet …
Music and recording © Alexander Massey 11 March 2015 BUY the Elohai N’shamah sheet music – $4.50 (3 copies @ $1.50) The sheet music is also available as part of ‘Five Sacred Chants’. Further commentary about this text can be found in two other of my articles: Elohai N’shamah: its music and meaning Elohai N’shamah: its …
Music and audio © Alexander Massey 13 August 2015 BUY the sheet music (1 or 2 vces lead sheet) – $4.50 (2 copies @ $2.25) Happy is the one who lives in God’s house Ashrei yoshvei veitecha; od y’hal’lucha. Selah. Ashrei ha’am shekachah lo; ashrei ha’am she’adonai elohav. Happy is the one who lives in …
“It was very special to be part of a large congregation of Liberal Jews, praying together, and the earlier session I went to prepared me for it well. This was taken by Alexander Massey and it was a meditation on Elohai N’shamah for which he has written music and devised physical movements. We discussed the …
Report on my session at Liberal Shabbaton (Nov 2015) Read More »
Music and recording © Alexander Massey 11 March 2015 BUY the sheet music (3 vces & pno/guit) – $4.50 (3 copies @ $1.50) (I have written another substantial article on Elohai N’shamah, including 2 new meditations, which can be found here.) Chant, text, translation, source readings and reflections ….