One psalm, three composers

The inspiration for this post came from the Piamenta concert that we enjoyed this past Saturday night (see photos here) , not to mention the CD that we bought there.


Click here to read the words of Psalm 121, Shir Lamaalot, Esa Einai el Heharim.

Click on “I Lift My Eyes” here for a version in a style that I can’t quite describe (which is pretty typical of Aron Razel’s music :) ). I'd call it a somewhat unconventional folk version.

Click on “Shir Lamaalos Esa” here for a straight-up folk version by Yosef Karduner.

Click on number 10 here for a bluesy 50s-style slow-dance version by Yosi Piamenta (vocals by lead singer Naftali Kaffa, Shmuel Levi, and Avi Piamenta, who also plays flute on this song).

It’s amazing—and delightful—that three different musicians can write totally different music to the same words.

You might want to consider buying these albums so that you can enjoy these songs in their entirety, along with the other songs on each album. “Hashivenu” is one of my favorites on Yosef Karduner’s “Road Marks” CD (probably because I hear it in my head when I davven/pray the Amidah prayer); the wonderful country-western “Adon Olam” is one of my favorites on the Piamenta band’s “Yih’yu L’ratzon” CD, and I love everything on Aron Razel’s “Live in Jersusalem” CD.