Vocal Composition of the Day, Installment 6:
"A Psalm Beyond the Silences"
for
High Voice and Piano or Orchestra (1994),
or
Low Voice and Piano (2010)
I composed "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" during an extended period of time in which I was coming to grips with being an adult who is a child of two Jewish Holocaust survivors. I suppose, though, that no one in my situation can ever say that this emotional process is not a never-ending one, but in many ways I have "made my peace with it", perhaps as much as one can at age 65.
The text is by my old friend, Joseph H. Albeck, of Newton, Massachusetts. Best known as a psychiatrist, Joseph, who is also a child of Holocaust survivors which is how we met, additionally writes poetry about it as one of his ways of coping with this common situation of ours.
Joseph and I collaborated on writing three Jewish Holocaust remembrance pieces together in the 1990s: "A Psalm Beyond the Silences", "There Is a Name", and "We, the Living". All three titles are available in versions for choir, but only "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" is available in versions for accompanied voice.
The musical language of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" is unabashedly tonal. Its mood is one of prayerful revery.
The first version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences", the one for high voice and piano, was first performed by Hal Katzman, tenor, Eric Mazonson, piano, at a Holocaust memorial service which was held at Boston University on 7 May 1995. Follow the next link to listen to this performance which I transcribed digitally from a cassette tape recording.
In 1999, ECS Publishing Group published four choral versions and one vocal version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" with piano accompaniment (SATB, SAB, SA, TTBB, high voice), and an orchestral accompaniment for the SATB version. Although the publisher does not advertise the orchestral accompaniment as such, it can certainly be used to accompany the version for high voice in A Minor. The full score and parts are available on rental from the publisher; an additional full score is available for sale as Catalog No. 5723. Contact the publisher for ordering information. www.ecspublishing.com
Follow the next URL to view a high quality synthesized scrolling score music video of the version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" for SATB chorus (or high voice) and orchestra on my YouTube channel which I created to encourage live performances.
In 2010, a vocalist requested a version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" for low voice and piano. So, I created one that is a whole step lower in G Minor, and it was published by ECS Publishing Group that year.
Follow the next link to visit the publisher's product page for the version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" for high voice and piano, Catalog No. 5326.
Follow the next link to visit the publisher's product page for the version of "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" for low voice and piano, Catalog No. 7680.
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Editorial: A plea to musicians of all kinds: PERFORM JEWISH-CENTRIC MUSIC!
So much of Jewish-centric music has been and continues to be ignored, or worse, boycotted, today because of the crazy, divisive, upside-down times in which we live. A rich treasure-trove of Jewish-centric music exists.
Explore creative programming options from the time of the Renaissance through the music of today. Many reliable databases of sacred and secular Jewish-centric music exist.
Contact me for more programming ideas about my Jewish-centric music, and the music of countless other composers and arrangers, who include both Jews and Gentiles. I will be happy to help point you in whatever direction I am able.
If you are truly devoted to diversity, then you simply cannot arbitrarily exclude the music of a culture that is over 3500 years old because of geopolitics; to do so is the height of hypocrisy. Embrace and perform Jewish music as you would the music of any other culture.
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I hope you find listening to "A Psalm Beyond the Silences" a meaningful experience. Thank you for your time and attention.
Stanley M. Hoffman, PhD
Link to my website: https://www.stanleymhoffman.com
Biography Published in Grove Music Online (The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, Oxford University Press)
The "Stanley M. Hoffman Special Collection" was established at The Berklee College of Music Library Archive in January 2025. It will take whatever time is necessary for the archive to catalog my collection and make it available to the public.
Website: https://archives.berklee.edu
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