Why this tune?
On this fifth day of Hanukkah I’m sharing a contemporary take on the oldest of Hanukkah classics, “Maoz Tsur.” The text is a Jewish liturgical poem that was likely written in Germany in the 13th century, and possibly earlier, perhaps in response to the Crusades. The poem recall stories from Jewish history of divine deliverance from enemies, including the story of Hanukkah which is told in the fifth verse.
The familiar melody I learned as a child was composed in 15th century Germany, an adaptation of German folk songs. There are, of course, many other musical interpretations of the poem from different Jewish communities around the world. In a short searchon YouTube I found beautiful melodies from the Italian and Moroccan traditions.
I reharmonized the traditional German melody for my collection of “Eight songs for eight days,” and performed it again for this week’s post.
Wishing you Hanukkah Sameach (Happy Hanukkah) and a happy and healthy holiday season.