Nusach: The rich music language of Jewish prayer
Language: English
Session: Judaism has a musical language of prayer, developed over hundreds of years, that enriches and transforms Hebrew prayer. When you know this language, called nusach, you can tell with your musical ear what time of day or what time of the week it is (Shabbat or weekday), and whether it is a holiday. Ancient musical modes, related to modes from the Balkans, Middle East and Greece, form the backbone of our improvisational melodic language of prayer. We will look at and listen to modes for weekdays and Shabbat, as well as familiar nusach from the Days of Awe and Festivals.
Bio: Cantor Dorothy Goldberg has been singing all her life and started training in voice as a high school student at the Manhattan School of Music Preparatory Division. In midlife she began cantorial studies at the Academy for Jewish Religion in Yonkers, New York, earning ordination in 2005. Dorothy moved to Copenhagen from the US in 2020, and there was delighted to become the first ordained cantor at Shir Hatzafon, Copenhagen’s Progressive synagogue, in March of 2021. Before moving to Europe, Dorothy Goldberg served both Reform and Conservative congregations in Connecticut, New Jersey, Washington, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.