I'm so happy and excited to share this latest project. It's been on my backburner for a while and I'm so grateful we were able to come out with this during this beautiful Festival of Lights! Maoz Tzur is one of the most famous and popular Chanukah songs worldwide. The words of the song go through different Galuyos (exiles) that the Jewish people have gone through. In this piece, I took the beloved and well known tune of Maoz Tzur, and took through musical genres of major cultures where Jews have and do live. Just as we as a people have held on to our light and our identity while living in diaspora, so too this melody attempts to fit in to the musical genres, sometimes more successfully than others.
The first variation following the theme is written in a style inspired by Middle Easter music, using a Maqam instead of a Major scale, quarter tones, and many ornamentations. The second variation is inspired by Greek dance music, with its energetic buildups, turns, and prominent thirds. The third variation imitates the sound of the Russian Balaika. The fourth is based on the rhythms of a number of Spanish dances. The fifth variation is actually the origin of the melody- Germany. This tune of Maoz Tzur was originally a German folk song that Jews began to use as a melody for Maoz Tzur in the 15th Century. Later, Martin Luther used that tune as one of his Chorales due to its popularity, and in the 18th Century Bach harmonized that same melody. I use here the Bach harmonization as the basis for this variation which is written in the polyphonic style of Bach. The last variation finishes with an exciting trip into American style fiddling.
