Salamone Rossi: Al naharot bavel (1623)

Описание: Despite the long history of Italian Jewish communities tracing back as far as Greco-Roman times, it was only in 1623 that the first collection of polyphonic music with Hebrew text for liturgical use was printed in Venice by the Jewish-Mantuan composer Salamone Rossi. Due in part to its slightly less intolerant anti-Semitic policies, Mantua was one of the last city-states in Italy to build a walled ghetto for its Jewish population. Rossi, however, being a composer of significant importance, often commissioned by the Gonzaga Duke of Mantua, traversed freely across the ghetto walls to mingle with the outside world, the likes of Claudio Monteverdi and others. Rossi created a large body of works both secular and sacred, instrumental as well as choral. This four part setting is a lamentation based on the Hebrew Psalm 137, which refers to the Babylonian Captivity in the 6th Century BCE. It was likely intended for use in the Norsa Synagogue of Mantua during the 9 days of mourning leading up to Tisha B’av. It is difficult to imagine that Rossi would have ignored the plight of European Jews in his own time when composing this sorrowful work.

The original MIDI for this soundtrack minus the singing was created by John Hetland and uploaded to cpdl.org. I inserted the Hebrew text using Vocaloid 4 equipped with the MAIKA voice bank. I softened some of the "h" or "ch" sounds and trilled the "r" to fit a more Italian accent.

Text:

Psalms 137

עַ֥ל נַהֲר֨וֹת ׀ בָּבֶ֗ל (Al naharot bavel)
שָׁ֣ם יָ֭שַׁבְנוּ גַּם־בָּכִ֑ינוּ (sham yashavnu gam bachinu)
בְּ֝זׇכְרֵ֗נוּ (bezochrenu)
אֶת־צִיּֽוֹן׃ (et tsiyyon)

By the rivers of Babylon,
there we sat and also wept,
as we remembered
Zion.

עַֽל־עֲרָבִ֥ים בְּתוֹכָ֑הּ (al aravim betochah)
תָּ֝לִ֗ינוּ כִּנֹּרוֹתֵֽינוּ׃ (talinu kinnoroteinu)
כִּ֤י שָׁ֨ם שְֽׁאֵל֢וּנוּ שׁוֹבֵ֡ינוּ דִּבְרֵי־שִׁ֭יר (ki sham sh'elunu shoveinu divrei shir)
וְתוֹלָלֵ֣ינוּ שִׂמְחָ֑ה (vetolaleinu simha)
שִׁ֥ירוּ לָ֗֝נוּ (shiru lanu)
מִשִּׁ֥יר צִיּֽוֹן׃ (mishir tsiyyon)
אֵ֗יךְ נָשִׁ֥יר אֶת־שִׁיר־יְהֹוָ֑ה (ech nashir et shir adonai)
עַ֗֝ל אַדְמַ֥ת נֵכָֽר׃ (al admat nechar)

Upon the willows there
we hung up our lyres.
For there our captors asked us for lyrics,
our tormentors joy,
“Sing for us,
from a song of Zion!”
How can we sing a song of the Lord
on outsiders’ soil?

אִֽם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵ֥ךְ יְֽרוּשָׁלָ֗‍ִם (im eshkachech yerushalaim)
תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח יְמִינִֽי׃ (tishkach yemini)
תִּדְבַּֽק־לְשׁוֹנִ֨י ׀ לְחִכִּי֮ (tidbaq leshoni, lechiki)
אִם־לֹ֢א אֶ֫זְכְּרֵ֥כִי (im lo ezkerechi)
אִם־לֹ֣א אַ֭עֲלֶה אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלַ֑‍ִם (im lo a ale et yerushalaim)
עַ֗֝ל רֹ֣אשׁ שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃ (al rosh simhati)

If I forget you, Jerusalem,
let my right hand forget.
Let my tongue stick to my palate
if I do not remember you,
if I do not place Jerusalem
over the height of my joy.

זְכֹ֤ר אֲדֹנָי לִבְנֵ֬י אֱד֗וֹם (Zechor adonai livnei edom)
אֵת֮ י֤וֹם יְֽרוּשָׁ֫לָ֥‍ִם (et yom yerushalaim)
הָ֭אֹ֣מְרִים עָ֤רוּ ׀ עָ֑רוּ (ha omerim aru, aru)
עַ֗֝ד הַיְס֥וֹד בָּֽהּ׃ (ad hayesod bah)
בַּת־בָּבֶ֗ל הַשְּׁד֫וּדָ֥ה (bat bavel hasheduda)
אַשְׁרֵ֥י שֶׁיְשַׁלֶּם־לָ֑ךְ (ashrei sheyshallem lach)
אֶת־גְּ֝מוּלֵ֗ךְ (et gemulech)
שֶׁגָּמַ֥לְתְּ לָֽנוּ׃ (shegamalt lanu)
אַשְׁרֵ֤י ׀ שֶׁיֹּאחֵ֓ז (ashrei sheyochez)
וְנִפֵּ֬ץ אֶֽת־עֹ֝לָלַ֗יִךְ (venipets et olalayich)
אֶל־הַסָּֽלַע׃ (el hassala)

Remember, o Lord, the Edomites,
that day — Jerusalem! —
they said, “Strip her, strip her,
to her foundations!”
O you of Babylon, you despoiler,
happy is the one who pays you back,
who does to you
what you did to us!
Happy be the one who grabs
and smashes your babies
against the rocks!

Description of the photos:

1. “Al naharot bavel” cantus part, S. Rossi, Hashirim asher Lishlomo, Venice, 1623
2. Destruction of Jerusalem, from the Nuremberg Chrinicles, 1493
3. Cover page of the collection Hashirim asher Lishlomo, Song of Solomon, 1623
4. The Norsa synagogue interior first built in 1513 in the Jewish Ghetto of Mantua and rebuilt according to the original plans using original materials in the early 20th century
5. The Great Psalm Scrolls 11Q5 (Dead Sea Scrolls) which includes one of the oldest surviving copy of Psalm 137 “Al naharot bavel.”
6. View of the Jewish Ghetto of Mantua near where Rossi composed his Psalm settings
7. Close up of #5 with the “Al naharot” appearing at the right lower margin which has been mostly destroyed.