Singing the Psalms with Deborah Sacks Mintz
Originally broadcast live from the Rising Song Institute's Facebook page on June 30, 2020. For master classes in Jewish song, visit RSI's Music, Prayer, Artistry site.
In this class, Deborah teaches a melody for Psalm 150 by R' Shoshana Friedman and connects the Psalm to a midrash from the Talmud. The texts of the this midrash and psalm are included below, as well as a different melody for Psalm 150:6 by Joey Weisenberg.
Listen to the original nigun by Shoshan Friedman on Bandcamp: https://shoshanameira.bandcamp.com/track/greet-the-bride
While you're there, check out Deborah Sacks Mintz' album of original nigunim, The Narrow and the Expanse: https://risingsongrecords.bandcamp.com/
ת"ר אבוב היה במקדש חלק היה דק היה של קנה היה ומימות משה היה צוה המלך וציפוהו זהב ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את צפויו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה.
צלצול היה במקדש של נחושת היה והיה קולו ערב ונפגם ושלחו חכמים והביאו אומנין מאלכסנדריא של מצרים ותקנוהו ולא היה קולו ערב נטלו את תיקונו והיה קולו ערב כמות שהיה.
Our Rabbis taught: There was a flute in the Temple, which was smooth, subtle, made of reed, and from the days of Moses. The King commanded that it be covered in gold leaf, but it made its sound no longer sweet. After they removed the overlay, it returned the sweetness of its sound, like it was before.
There was a cymbal in the Temple, made of bronze, whose sound was sweet. It was cracked, and Sages sent for skilled workers from Alexandria, Egypt, who repaired it, but its sound was no longer sweet. They removed the repair, and its sweet sound returned, as it was before.
The translation of this midrash is by Joshua Schwartz. It's included in Joey Weisenberg's anthology The Torah of Music, available here: https://bit.ly/order-torah-of-music
Joey Weisenberg arrangement for Psalms 150:6, performed with the Hadar Ensemble