Jewish and Israeli Music (main article)
Religious music:
Historical • Contemporary Piyyut • Nigun • Pizmonim Zemirot • Baqashot
Secular music:
Israeli • Israeli Folk Klezmer • Sephardic • Mizrahi
Not Jewish in Form: Classical • Mainstream and Jazz
Dance:
Israeli Folk Dancing • Ballet Horah • Hava Nagila • Yemenite dance
Music for Holidays
Chanukah • Passover • Shabbat
Israel
Hatikvah • Jerusalem of Gold
Piyyutim
Adon Olam • Geshem • Lekhah Dodi Ma'oz Tzur • Yedid Nefesh • Yigdal
Music of the Haggadah
Ma Nishtanah • Dayenu • Adir Hu Chad Gadya • Echad Mi Yodea

This article is about a type of Jewish religious music, Baqashot. For the main article on religious Jewish music, see Religious Jewish music.

The Baqashot (or "bakashot", שירת הבקשות) are a collection of supplications, songs, and prayers that have been sung by the Sephardic Aleppian Jewish community and other congregations for centuries each week on Shabbat (Sabbath) morning from midnight until dawn. Usually they are recited during the weeks of winter, when the nights are much longer. The duration of the services is usually about four hours. Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... Image File history File links Star_of_David. ... Jewish music, the music of Jews, is quite diverse and dates back thousands of years. ... Image File history File links Star_of_David. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Israel. ... This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times. ... This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times. ... This article is about contemporary Jewish religious music. ... A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט, IPA [pijút] and [pijutím]) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. ... Nigun (pl. ... Pizmonim (Hebrew פזמונים, singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies that praise God. ... Negara Israel akan tetap ada, namun bangsa Jahudi harus bertobat dahulu, agar Mesias dapat memerintah di bumi, di Yerusalem. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... Modern Israeli music is heavily influenced by its constituents, which include Jewish immigrants (see Jewish music) from more than 120 countries around the world, which have brought their own musical traditions, making Israel a global melting pot. ... Klezmer (from Yiddish כּלי־זמיר, etymologically from Hebrew kli zemer כלי זמר, musical instrument) is a musical tradition which parallels Hasidic and Ashkenazic Judaism. ... The Sephardic Jews are one of the three main ethnicities among Diaspora Jews, the others being the Ashkenazi and Mizrahi. ... Mizrahi music usually refers to the new wave of music in Israel which combines Israeli music with the flavor of Arabic and Mediterranean (especially Greek) music. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... See Secular Jewish culture for the main article on secular Jewish culture. ... Hora is the name of a circle dance in a number of countries. ... Hava Nagila (הבא נגילה in hebrew) is a Hebrew folk song, the title meaning Let us rejoice. ... In Yemen, where Jews were banned from dancing publicly, forms of dance evolved that are based on stationary hopping and posturing, such as can be done in a confined space. ... Chanukah music contains several songs associated with the festival of Chanukah. ... It has been suggested that Dayenu and Had Gadia be merged into this article or section. ... Hatikvah or Hatikva (Hebrew: הַתִּקְוָה, “The Hope”), sometimes styled HaTikva(h), is the national anthem of the State of Israel. ... Jerusalem of Gold (Hebrew: ירושלים של זהב, Yerushalayim Shel Zahav) is a popular Israeli song written by Naomi Shemer in 1967. ... A piyyut (plural piyyutim, Hebrew פיוט, IPA [pijút] and [pijutím]) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. ... Adon Olam, with transliterated lyrics and melody, from the Jewish Encyclopedia. ... Geshem (גשם) is one of the Hebrew words for rain, applied mostly to the heavy rains which occur in Israel in the fall and winter. ... Lekhah Dodi (לכה דודי transliterated as Lecha Dodi, Lchah Dodi, Lekah Dodi or Lechah Dodi) is a Hebrew liturgical song recited Friday at dusk, usually at sundown, in synagogue to welcome Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) prior to the Maariv evening services. ... Maoz Tzur (Hebrew: מעוז צור), widely known in English as Rock of Ages, is a Jewish liturgical poem or piyyut. ... Yedid Nefesh is a name of a piyyut. ... The hymn which in the various rituals shares with Adon Olam the place of honor at the opening of the morning and the close of the evening service. ... It has been suggested that Dayenu and Had Gadia be merged into this article or section. ... Main article: Passover songs Ma Nishtanah (Hebrew: מה נשתנה) are the four questions sung during the Passover seder. ... Main article: Passover songs Dayenu (Hebrew:) is a song that is part of the Jewish holiday of Passover. ... Main article: Passover songs Adir Hu (English: Mighty is He, Hebrew אדיר הוּא) is a hymn sung by Jews worldwide at the Passover Seder. ... Main article: Passover songs Chad Gadya (Aramaic: חַד גַדְיָה) is a playful cumulative song, written in Aramaic with Hebrew words interspersed. ... Main article: Passover songs Echad Mi Yodea (Yiddish: Mandabar uma nsapar) (Hebrew: אחד מי יודע echad mi yodea) (Who Knows One?) is a traditional cumulative song sung on Passover and found in the haggadah. ... This article is about the sacred and religious music of Judaism from Biblical to Modern times. ... In the strictest sense, a Sephardi (ספרדי, Standard Hebrew Səfardi, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardî; plural Sephardim: ספרדים, Standard Hebrew Səfardim, Tiberian Hebrew Səp̄ardîm) is a Jew original to the... The word Jew ( Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

History

The custom of singing Baqashot originated in Spain towards the time of the expulsion, but took on increased momentum in the Kabbalistic circle in Safed in the 16th century. Baqashot probably evolved out of the tradition of saying petitionary prayers before dawn and was spread from Safed by the followers of Isaac Luria (16th century). With the spread of Safed Kabbalistic doctrine, the singing of Baqashot reached countries all round the Mediterranean and became customary in the communities of Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Rhodes, Greece, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Turkey and Syria. It also influenced the Kabbalistically oriented confraternities in 18th-century Italy, and even became customary for a time in Sephardic communities in western Europe, such as Amsterdam and London, though in these communities it has since been dropped. By the turn of the 20th century Baqashot had become a widespread religious practice in several communities in Jerusalem as a communal form of prayer. This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... Safed (Hebrew: צְפַת, Tiberian: , Israeli: Tsfat, Ashkenazi: Tzfas; Arabic: صفد ; KJV English: Zephath) is a city in the North District in Israel. ... Safed (Hebrew: צְפַת, Tiberian: , Israeli: Tsfat, Ashkenazi: Tzfas; Arabic: صفد ; KJV English: Zephath) is a city in the North District in Israel. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ...

In communities such as those of Aleppo, Turkey and Morocco, the singing of Baqashot expanded to vast proportions. In those countries special books were compiled (such as "Shir Yedidot" in Morocco), showing the tunes and maqamat together with the text of the hymns, in order to facilitate the singing of Baqashot by the congregation. In these communities it was customary to rise from bed in the night on Shabbat in the winter months, when the nights are longer, and assemble in synagogue to sing Baqashot for four hours until the time for the morning service. Aleppo (or Halab Arabic: , ) is a city in northern Syria, capital of the Aleppo Governorate. ... In Arabic music a maqaam (Arabic: ‎, Hebrew: ) is, a technique of improvisation that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music and which is unique to Arabian art music. ...

In Aleppo, Syria this custom seems to go back about 500 years. Most of the community would arise at 3:00AM to sing Baqashot and to listen to the voices of the Hazanim, Paytanim, and Meshorerim. When they arrived at Mizmor Shir LeYom HaShabbat they would break to listen to a sermon by one of the Rabbis who discussed the Perashah of the week. When he concluded they would begin Mizmor Shir LeYom HaShabbat and sing all the rest of the Baqashot.

The Syrian tradition was introduced to Jerusalem by Raphael Altaras, who came to that city from Aleppo in 1845 and founded a Baqashot circle at the Kehal Tsiyon synagogue. In this way the custom of Baqashot became part of the mainstream Jerusalem Sephardic tradition. Another important influence was Jacob Ades (1857-1925), who immigrated to Jerusalem in 1895 and introduced the tradition to the Persian and Bukharan communities. The main centre of the tradition today is the Ades synagogue in Naִhlaot, where the leading spirit was Shaul Aboud, a pupil of Moshe Ashkar.

The Aleppian Baqashot did not only reach Jerusalem. The Jews of Aleppo took this beautiful custom with them wherever they went: to Turkey, Cairo, Mexico, Argentina and Brooklyn New York. Each of these communities preserved this custom in the original Halabi style without all the changes and embellishments that have been added to the Baqashot by Jerusalem Hazanim over the years.

Themes

There is a total of 66 songs in the Syrian Baqashot book, and the collection is now regarded as closed, unlike the general body of pizmonim, where new pizmonim are still composed for special occasions. Each song is shown with its maqam, but they follow a fixed order of recitation which does not depend on the maqamat of the different songs. There are many sections within the Baqashot. The sections are separated by different Biblical verses to be chanted in a different maqam. Pizmonim (Hebrew פזמונים, singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies that praise God. ...

The songs principally consist of the praise of God, songs for Shabbat, songs of longing for the Holy Land and so on, and include some piyyutim taken from the main body of the prayer book. These songs are considered more ancient and sacred than other pizmonim (Hebrew songs). Many of the songs contain acrostics identifying the author of that specific composition. :This article is about a type of Jewish religious music, Piyyut. ... Pizmonim (Hebrew פזמונים, singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies that praise God. ...

Baqashot are full of mystical allusions and traditions. Some of the songs contain references to some of the most sacred Jewish traditions. The following are examples of thematic songs:

• Song 1 and 34: listing of the 10 "Sefirot" (attributes) in the Kabbalah.
• Song 2: refers to the return to Zion in the time of redemption.
• Song 6 and 7: a song with each stanza ending with "boqer" (morning).
• Song 9: a song with each stanza ending with "yom" (day).
• Song 14: "Yasad besodo", discusses many different Kabbalistic concepts and how God created the world with his divine instruction.
• Song 15: "Eress Varom", discusses the seven days of creation, using one stanza for each day.
• Song 23: "Ki Eshmerah Shabbat", a well known song among all Jewish communities that was written by Rabbi Abraham Ibn Ezra.
• Song 28: "Yom Zeh le-Yisrael", a famous song written by Isaac Luria.
• Song 33: contains allusions to each of the four "Amidah" services recited on the Sabbath.

The baqashot are interrupted after Song 34 to sing Psalm 92, the Psalm of the Sabbath, one verse at a time, using a different maqam for each verse. There are many other verses of the Psalms scattered throughout the different songs, called "petihot", to serve as markers. Unlike the baqashot themselves, these are rendered by the hazzan or by the elder people as a non-rhythmical solo cadenza. Sephirah, also Sefirah (Hebrew language סְפִירָה Enumeration); plural Sephiroth or Sefiroth סְפִירוֹת. In the Kabbalah, the Sephiroth (or Enumerations) are the ten emanations of God (or infinite light: Ain Soph Aur) into the universe. ... This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... Rabbi Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra (also known as Ibn Ezra, or Abenezra) (1092 or 1093-1167), was one of the most distinguished Jewish men of letters and writers of the Middle Ages. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ... Psalms (from the Greek: Psalmoi (songs sung to a harp, originally from psallein play on a stringed instrument), Ψαλμοί; Hebrew: Tehilim, תהילים) is a book of the Hebrew Bible, Tanakh or Old Testament. ... In Arabic music a maqaam (Arabic: ‎, Hebrew: ) is, a technique of improvisation that defines the pitches, patterns, and development of a piece of music and which is unique to Arabian art music. ... A hazzan or chazzan (Hebrew for cantor) is a Jewish musician trained in the vocal arts who helps lead the synagogue in songful prayer. ... A cadenza is usually now taken to mean a portion of a concerto in which the orchestra stops playing, leaving the soloist to play alone in free time (without a strict, regular pulse) and can be written or improvised, depending on what the composer specifies. ...

• Song 35: "Shalom Vassedek" is a song written by Rabbi Shelomo Laniado. Each stanza ends with "Shelomo".
• Song 38: "Esah Libi" contains allusions to each of the nineteen blessings in the daily "Amidah" prayer.
• Song 39 and 40: two songs that are entirely in the (one written by israel najara Aramaic language .
• Song 41: "Ani Asaper" discusses the laws of Sabbath (the 39 categories of "work").
• Song 43: "Mahalalah" alludes to the seven heavens mentioned in the Kabbalah.
• Song 46: contains references to all the composers of the Baqashot.
• Song 51: Halakhot of Shabbat.
• Song 53: a song dedicated to R. Shim'on bar Yohai, reputed author of the Zohar.
• Song 61 and 62: "Yedid Nefesh"(written by Eleazar Azikri ) and "Agadelcha"(written by avraham ebn ezra), and the song "yedid nefesh" is a song that Ashkenazim also sing.

The Baqashot service concludes with Adon Olam (Song 66) followed by the ancient Kaddish prayer sung in the melody of the maqam for that specific Sabbath. The Amidah (Standing), also called the Shemoneh Esrei (The Eighteen), is the central prayer in the Jewish liturgy that observant Jews recite each morning, afternoon, and evening. ... Aramaic is a group of Semitic languages with a 3,000-year history. ... In ancient astronomy, before the telescope was invented, people referred to the Sun, Moon, and the five planets visible with the naked eye as the seven heavenly objects. ... This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai, (Simon son of Yohai), was a Palestinian rabbi during the Roman period, after the destruction of the Second Temple. ... The Zohar (Hebrew: זהר Splendor, radiance) is widely considered the most important work of Kabbalah, Jewish mysticism. ... Yedid Nefesh is a name of a piyyut. ... Adon Olam, with transliterated lyrics and melody, from the Jewish Encyclopedia. ... Kaddish (קדיש Aramaic: holy) refers to an important and central blessing in the Jewish prayer service. ...

Composers

Included in most baqashot collections is a poem by Eleazar Azikri (1533-1600), a kabbalist who lived in Safed. The poem “Yedid Nefesh”, or "faithful friend", was one of several which were published in 1601 in Venice in his “Sefer Haredim”. The collection also includes other famous poems of similar date, such as "Yom Zeh Leyisrael" by Isaac Luria and "Yah Ribbon Alam" by Israel Najara. Other composers, from the twelfth to the nineteenth century, include Hakhamim: Abraham Maimon (student of rabbi moshe cordevero a kabbelist), Yosef Sutton, Solomon Ibn Gabirol, Yaacob Abadi, Mordechai Labaton, Eliyahu Hamaoui, Ezra Attiah(head of yeshivat "porat yosef" for 45 years!), Abraham Ibn Ezra (who wrote "agadelca"), David Pardo, David Dayan, Shelomo Laniado (wrote "shalom vatzedek"), Yitzhak Benatar, Eliyahu Sasson, David Kassin, Shimeon Labi, Mordekhai Abadi and Shelomo Menaged. More recent composers from the Aleppo community are Refael Antebi Tabbush (1830-1919), (wrote 400 piyutim that their melodies are arabic and a couple turkish melodies too). he is also the most well common allepo composer in the bakashot books! This article is about traditional Jewish Kabbalah. ... Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–July 25, 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. ... Israel ben Moses Najara (1530? - 1599?) was a Jewish liturgical poet. ... Solomon Ibn Gabirol, also Solomon ben Judah, is a Spanish Jewish poet and philosopher. ... Rabbi Abraham Ben Meir Ibn Ezra (also known as Ibn Ezra, or Abenezra) (1092 or 1093-1167), was one of the most distinguished Jewish men of letters and writers of the Middle Ages. ...

 (Moshe Ashkar father and mom died very young so Refael antebi addopted him as a son!. (rabbi moshe ashkar learned from his adopting father and soon he composed songs too!). He also had a famous pupil who became a composer too haim shaul aboud. Song 46, "Yah Melech Ram", hints out the names of the Baqashot composers. 

Living classical composer, Yitzhak Yedid is known of his combining of baqashot with contemporary classical writing. Yitzhak Yedid (Hebrew: ) (born September 29, 1971, Jerusalem) is an Israeli composer and pianist. ...

According to Sephardic tradition, the Baqashot are unique in that the composers wrote the text of the songs and then composed the melody for them, and not the other way around (as is the case with many other pizmonim). Also the melodies of the Baqashot are not borrowed from foreign sources (as is the case with many other pizmonim).

Current practices

The tradition of waking up before dawn (3 AM) and singing the Baqashot still survives today in the Ades Synagogue in Jerusalem and also in the mosaiof synagouge which is also in jerusalem, Israel. In communities throughout the world not so committed to the idea of waking up before dawn, the Baqashot melodies, or sometimes the actual songs, are still sung either throughout the prayers or casually on certain occasions. For other uses, see Jerusalem (disambiguation). ...

In some settings, the honor of singing the Kaddish goes to the highest bidder.

In Turkey the equivalent tradition is known as "Shirat Hamaftirim", and the songs are performed by choirs of "maftirim". The music and style of singing are based on Sufi and Ottoman classical music. This tradition originated in Adrianople (present-day Edirne) in European Turkey. The tradition persists and is practised to this day in Istanbul. Sufism is a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart. ... Ottoman classical music (Türk Sanat Müziği) is a kind of music that developed parallel with the Ottoman Empire. ... Selimiye Mosque, built by Sinan in 1575 Edirne (Greek: Αδριανούπολη, Bulgarian: Одрин) is a city in Thrace, the westernmost part of Turkey, close to the borders with Greece and Bulgaria. ...

Recordings

David Betesh, coordinator of The Sephardic Pizmonim Project, released the Baqashot on the website below to the general Internet public. The recordings were made in order to facilitate preservation. They were recorded by Cantors Isaac Cabasso, Mickey Kairey, and Hyman Kairey. The project was organized by the Sephardic Archives, in association with the Sephardic Community Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dr. Morris Shamah, Joseph Mosseri, and Morris Arking are responsible for putting the recordings together. An editor has expressed a concern that the subject of the article does not satisfy the notability guideline or one of the following guidelines for inclusion on Wikipedia: Biographies, Books, Companies, Fiction, Music, Neologisms, Numbers, Web content, or several proposals for new guidelines. ...

References and links

Bibliography

• Altaras, Raphael Isaac, Yitzִhaq Yerannen: Jerusalem 1854
• Abadi, Mordechai, Miqra'e Qodesh: Aleppo 1873
• Burla, Jacob ִHai, Yismaִh Yisrael: Jerusalem 1874
• Burla, Jacob ִHai, Yagel Ya'aqob, Jerusalem 1885
• Idelsohn, A.Z., Hebräisch-orientalischer Melodienschatz, vol. IV: Gesänge der orientalischer Sefardim: Jerusalem, Berlin and Vienna 1923
• Shrem, Gabriel, Shir Ushbaִhah Hallel Vezimrah, Sephardic Heritage Foundation, New York: 1983.
• Aboud, Hayim Shaul, Sefer Shire Zimrah Hashalem im Sefer le-Baqashot le-Shabbat: Jerusalem 1953, repr. 1988

Abraham Zevi Idelsohn (1882-1938) was a foremost Jewish ethnologist and musicologist, who conducted several comprehensive studies of Jewish music around the world. ...

External links

• The Sephardic Pizmonim Project, includes recordings of all the Baqashot.
• Piyyutim (in Hebrew)

See also

• Pizmonim
• Syrian Jews

http://www.piyut.org.il/english/ Pizmonim (Hebrew פזמונים, singular pizmon) are traditional Jewish songs and melodies that praise God. ... Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: those who inhabited the region of todays Syria from the ancient times and those Sephardim who fled to Syria after the expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492 CE). ...