Hebrew Songs for Choir and Piano

Songs of Wind, Rain and Garden (שירי רוח, גשם וגינה) for children's (or women's) choir and piano:

I. Wind (רוח, רוח) | Text and music by Matithyahu Shelem

II. Rain (שיר הגשם) | Text by Leah Goldberg, music by Joel Walbe

III. The First Rain (היורה) | Text by Yehiel Halperin, music by Joel Walbe

IV. My Garden (גינה לי) | Text by Levin Kipnis, music by David Maaravi

V. In the Garden (בערוגת הגינה) | Text by Haim Nachman Bialik, music by Menashe Ravina

"Li-Ron" Children Choir | Conductor: Ronit Shapira | Menachem Wiesenberg - piano

Four Children Songs (ארבעה שירי ילדים) for children's (or women's) choir and piano (1995):

I. Open the Gate (פתחו את השער) | Text by Kadia Molodowsky, music by Nachum Nardi

II. Summer is Over (הקיץ עבר) | Text by Shmuel Bass, music by Emanuel Amiran-Pougatchov

III. Michael is Five (חמש שנים על מיכאל) | Text by Yitzhak Katznelson to a folk song melody

IV. Danny is a Hero (דני גיבור) | Text by Miriam Yalan-Stekelis, music by Max Lampel

Moran Children Choir | Conductor: Naomi Faran | Menachem Wiesenberg - piano

Both cycles were commissioned by the conductor Naomi Faran for her children’s choir “Moran”. The songs I chose to include reflect the world of early childhood and are parts of the collective subconscious of Hebrew-speakers Israelis. I tried to preserve the naivete, directness and fresh vivacious perspective of the songs, yet also to give them a more artistic dimension, which can be found in the relationship between the choir and the piano part, and in the complex employment of harmony, counterpoint and texture. The piano part is extremely important and transcends the function of merely accompanying. It serves as a sort of “Greek chorus”, commenting, interpreting and illuminating the text.

Kinneret (כנרת) for mixed choir and piano

Text by Avigdor Hameiri, music by Marc Lavry

Two Desert Songs (שני שירי מדבר) for mixed choir and piano:

I. Caravan (אורחה במדבר) | Text by Yakov Fichman, music by David Zehavi

II. At Adama (את אדמה) | Text by Arieh Yechieli to a Bedouin melody