The Hasidic Nigun at the Sabbath Table

Naomi Cohn Zentner, Bar-Ilan University
January 23, 2024

The melodies sung during Sabbath mealtimes are highly diverse, and many overlap with klezmer music, liturgical songs, vernacular songs, and Hasidic nigunim. In this lecture we will explore the tunes used around the table and trace their pathways as they moved from Hasidic courts to family homes. Adapting a nigun to the text of traditional Shabbat poem or song often entailed changes in form, style, tempo, length, ornamentation, mood, and performance style, morphing older soundscapes into new settings.

About the Series "Songs without Words: Nigunim over Time":

Judaism has a musical tradition of tunes sung repetitively without words. These melodies, called nigunim, are as open to new interpretation as they are evocative of past worlds. This series of online lectures follows the winding paths of nigunim and their singers, from the earliest Hasidic Jews to contemporary professional musicians. They will bring to life musical worlds ranging from the synagogue to Spotify, showing how men and women have adapted the tradition for ritual, emotional expression, and art.

Видео The Hasidic Nigun at the Sabbath Table канала Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies