Tomorrow is
Shabbat Ha-Chodesh, which means that Pesach is in a few weeks, and I've been meaning to post this for years.
Psalm 136 occurs in the middle of the
Hallel (Psalms of Praise) section of the
seder. Since there aren't a lot of tunes for it, many people find it boring and I even know many who skip it. In 1996, I wrote a setting of it for my
Pesukei d'Zimrah, and it works great as a responsive sing-along at the
seder table, too.
Three years ago,
I posted the basic sheet music, but what I've really wanted to do was post a recording of it. Tonight I made such a recording, in two formats:
solo vocal a cappella, as we sing it at our seder (except that everyone sings along on the "
Ki Leolam Chasdo" parts), and for context,
the setting for orchestra and chorus. The latter is useful if you can use your imagination to overcome the facts that (1) it's a simulated orchestra and that I am not (2) a soprano, (3) an alto, (4) a tenor, (5) sufficiently rehearsed, nor (6) warmed up.
I hope many of you will find this melody inspirational, fun, and a worthwhile addition to your
sedarim.