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$3.00 (2-part choral version)

Gerald Cohen, Natasha Hirschhorn, Benjie-Ellen Schiller, Isaac Sonett-Assor, with Alexandra Joan, piano

About

This gentle and luminous piece was inspired by the birth of my child and sets texts that are traditionally said by parents in blessing their children on the Sabbath. The piece is appropriate for any setting of blessing, including interfaith services. It can be sung by an SA or TB choir, or by two soloists in all voice types.

The text of Y’varech’cha really consists of two parts: the first three lines, from the book of Numbers, is known as the Priestly Blessing, and is perhaps the earliest extant blessing we have in Jewish texts. It is a part of all Jewish and Christian liturgies. The last two lines are additional blessings traditionally said by parents to their children at the beginning of the Sabbath.

The core melody of Y’varech’cha, with the mood of a lullaby, was originally written in 1995 on the joyous occasion of the birth of our child, Cass. I first composed it in a version for two-part chorus (or solo duet) and piano, and have since made many different arrangements, with accompaniments available for an obbligato instrument with piano, for string quartet and orchestra, as well as various purely instrumental arrangements. I recently wrote a new version, also available, for SATB chorus and piano.

Score

2- Part Score Sample 

Text and Translation

Y’varech’cha Adonai v’yishm’recha,
Ya-er Adonai panav eilecha vichuneka,
Yisa Adonai panav eilecha v’yasem l’cha shalom.

Y’sim’cha Elohim k’Efrayim v’chiM’nashe,
Y’simeich Elohim k’Sara, Rivka, Rachel, v’Leia.

May the Lord bless you and guard you,
May the Lord cause the light of His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you,
May the Lord lift up His face to you, and grant you peace.

May God give you the blessings of Ephraim and Menasheh,
May God give you the blessings of Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah.

Arrangements

Solo voice with piano, or with obbligato instrument and piano (1998)
SATB with piano (2020), or with orchestra
2 clarinets and piano as part of Sea of Reeds (2009)
Piano solo as part of Sea of Reeds (2020)

Listen/Watch

 Y’varech’cha, for vocal duet and piano; Ilana Davidson soprano; Gerald Cohen, baritone; Linda Hall, piano
Y’varech’cha, from “Sea of Reeds”, for two clarinets and piano (Grneta Ensemble)
“Y’varech’cha” from Sea of Reeds, for solo piano; Alexandra Joan, piano

Performances

Like “Adonai Ro’i,” this has been sung as a solo by cantors for many years at services and life cycle events.

About – Score – Arrangements – Text – Performances

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About

Sim Shalom was commissioned by the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts, located on Long Island, NY. This summer program has been an inspiring place for young musicians and other artists since 1968. Sim Shalom was given its premiere in August 2001 by the Usdan Festival Chorus, Elliot Bean, conductor.

The text Sim Shalom (Grant Peace) is recited every morning as the final section of the Amidah, the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy. Sim Shalom is felt as the culmination of the entire Amidah, which thus concludes with a prayer for peace and a sense of gratitude for our many blessings in life.

—Gerald Cohen

Score

Perusal Score

Listen/Watch

Text

Jewish liturgy: Morning Amidah prayer

Sim shalom tova uvracha, 
chein vachesed v’rachamim, 
aleinu v’al kol Yisrael amecha, 
al kol Yisrael amecha. 
[v’al kol yoshvei olamecha]
Barcheinu avinu kulanu k’echad 
b’or panecha,
Ki v’or panecha natata lanu Adonai Eloheinu,
torat chayim v’ahavat chesed,
uts’daka uv’racha, v’rachamim v’chayim v’shalom.
V’tov b’einecha l’vareich et am’cha Yisrael,
b’chol eit uv’chol shaa bishlomecha.
Sim shalom tova uvracha,
chein vachesed v’rachamim, 
sim shalom.

Grant peace, goodness and blessing,
grace and mercy and compassion, 
for us and for all Israel, your people.
[and for all the inhabitants of Your world.]
Bless us, our Creator, one and all, 
with the light of Your presence.
For by that light You have given us, Adonai our God,
life-giving Torah, and merciful love,
righteousness, blessing, compassion, and life and peace.
And let it be good in your eyes to bless Your people Israel,
in every season and at every hour with Your peace.
Grant peace, goodness and blessing,
grace and mercy and compassion,
grant peace.

Performances

Premiere: Usdan Festival Chorus, Elliot Bean, conductor, Long Island, NY, August 2001

About – Score – Performances

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About

Adon Olam is a setting of one of the best known Jewish liturgical poems— attributed to Solomon Ibn Gabriol—expressing God as present both in the infinity of space and time, and the nearness of our own being. When used in synagogue, the text is often sung at the very end of services, often to  lively tunes that do not particularly reflect the meaning of the text. In this piece, I hoped to write a choral setting that was indeed a close reflection of the beauty and the content of the poem.

I was pleased to write this piece commissioned, for SATB chorus and organ,  as part of the Faith Partners fellowship of the American Composers Forum, for the Church of St. Ignatius-Loyola, New York, NY, Kent Tritle, Music Director, who premiered it in September 2003. I wrote a new arrangement for chorus and piano, which was given its premiere in September 2024 by the New York Virtuoso Singers, Harold Rosenbaum, conductor.     

Score

Chorus and Piano Perusal

Performances

September 14, 2003, Church of St. Ignatius-Loyola, New York, NY

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About

Lakol z’man/For everything a season was commissioned by the Cantabile Chamber Chorale, Rebecca Scott, conductor.  The piece is written in memory of Ronald Axelrad—a beloved member of the chorus, and a great lover of life and of music of many sorts.

The text for this piece is the famous section from the book of Ecclesiastes (known in Hebrew as Kohelet).  I have chosen to set the refrain in both Hebrew and English; the melody of the refrain is based upon the traditional cantillation of the text as it is chanted with the Hebrew text, as recited in services on the holiday of Sukkot. The opposing pairs of “a time to…” that make up the rest of the text are set in English, each verse leading to a fuller and more impassioned return of the refrain. The coda of the piece gives the melody of the refrain quietly to the piano, with the chorus singing words of the verses in a gentle recitation.

Gerald Cohen
August 2004

Commissioned by Cantabile Chamber Chorus

Score

Listen/Watch

Text

Lakol z’man, v’et l’kol chefets tachat hashamayim,
For everything a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to break down and a time to build up —
Lakol z’man, v’et l’kol chefets tachat hashamayim,
For everything a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
Lakol z’man, v’et l’kol chefets tachat hashamayim,
For everything a season, and a time for every purpose under the heavens.

Performances

Premiere: Cantabile Chamber Chorus, Rebecca Scott, cond., December 2004, New Brunswick, NJ

AboutPerformancesScoreAudio

  1. **Bless Adonai who spins day into dusk
  2. The heavens express your fire

**1st piece published by Transcontinental Music Publications

Evening Meditations was commissioned by the Horace Mann Chamber Choir, Timothy Ho, conductor. In talking about writing a new composition for the choir, Mr. Ho and I discussed writing a piece which was connected to the Jewish tradition, but at the same time expressed universal themes. This fit in closely with a key idea for me: of a sense of wonder and gratitude for the world around us as being central to finding a sense of the spiritual in our lives.

I chose two poems that are English interpretations of traditional Hebrew liturgy. The first, “Bless Adonai who spins day into dusk,” is Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s version of the blessing said at each evening service in the Jewish tradition. The second, “The heavens express your fire,” is an interpretation of the beginning of Psalm 19, and is written by Norman Fischer, a Zen Buddhist monk of Jewish origin, who translated a large number of the Psalms in the book Opening to You.

It was a pleasure to write this piece for this excellent high school choir of 17 singers (including my son Daniel, one of the basses). My thanks to Timothy Ho, an inspiring and beloved teacher at the school.   Evening Meditations received its premiere performance in New York City in March 2011.

Texts: 

1. Bless Adonai
who spins day into dusk
with wisdom watch
the dawn gates open
with understanding let
time and seasons
come and go;
with awe perceive
the stars in lawful orbit
Morning dawns
evening darkens
darkness and light yielding
one to the other
yet each distinguished
and unique.

Marvel at Life!
Strive to know its ways!
Seek Wisdom and Truth,
the gateways
to Life’s mysteries!
Wondrous indeed
is the evening twilight.
-Rami Shapiro,
based on the evening liturgy

2. The heavens express your fire
The night sky is the work of your hands
Day after day is your spoken language
Night after night your perfect knowing
There is no speech, there are no words
Their voice falls silent
Yet the music plays everywhere
To the ends of the earth its clear notes float out
To the end of the worlds the words pronounced
Become a tabernacle for the sun
-Norman Fischer,
based on Psalm 19

 

Premiere: March 2011, Horace Mann Chamber Choir, Timothy Ho, cond.
June 2018: Interreligiöser Chor Frankfurt (Frankfurt Interfaith Choir), Bettina Strübel and Daniel Kempin, cond.

thumbnail of The Heavens express your fire score sample

Click here for sample of “The heavens declare your fire” score (pdf)

To purchase score and parts, contact Gerald Cohen: gerald@nullgeraldcohenmusic.com
PDF version of score and parts: $2.50 a copy (minimum 6 copies)

For printed version of score and parts: contact Gerald Cohen for information.
For perusal version of score, contact Gerald Cohen.

For purchase of “Bless Adonai who spins day into night” go to Transcontinental Music Publications.

About – Score – Text – Listen/Watch – Performances

Contact Gerald to Purchase.

$3.50

About

We are loved by an unending love was commissioned by Helen and Daniel Sonnenshine for Ohef Sholom Temple of Norfolk, Virginia, in memory of Kathleen Franz, a beloved mezzo soloist with the temple for many years. For this commission, I selected the moving text by Rabbi Rami Shapiro, a poet whose interpretations of the liturgy are used in many synagogues and prayer books, and whose poetry I have used in several choral compositions. The poem uses Jewish liturgy as a starting point to create a moving expression of caring and connection between all human beings, and between people and the sense of the divine in the world. The piece is appropriate for concert or for liturgical use in all religions.

As a tribute to Kathleen Franz, the piece includes a prominent solo for mezzo-soprano, which can also be sung by baritone. The premiere of We are loved by an unending love was October 2011, by the Ohef Sholom Temple choir, Chuck Woodward, conductor; Robynne Redmon, mezzo-soprano. In addition I have made an arrangement of the piece for solo voice and piano (without chorus).

Score

SATB Score Sample 

Text

We are loved by an unending love.
We are embraced by arms that find us even when we are hidden from ourselves.
We are touched by fingers that soothe us even when we are too proud for soothing.
We are counseled by voices that guide us even when we are too embittered to hear.
We are loved by an unending love.
We are supported by hands that uplift us even in the midst of a fall.
We are urged on by eyes that meet us even when we are too weak for meeting.
We are loved by an unending love.
Embraced, touched, soothed, and counseled,
Ours are the arms, the fingers, the voices;
Ours are the hands, the eyes, the smiles;
We are loved by an unending love.        

-Rami Shapiro

Listen/Watch

Performances

Premiere: Ohef Sholom Temple choir (Norfolk, VA), Chuck Woodward, conductor; Robynne Redmon, mezzo-soprano, October 2011