Friday, July 19, 2019

Rabbi Miriam Margles makes marvelous music

Here's the livestream of Tuesday, July 16, 2019's album release concert for Rabbi Miriam Margles' "Zeh HaYom - This is the Day."  I hope it doesn't "stall" too much.  (Note: Rabbi David Ingber seems to have ended up in the audience, his role as singer taken by another man.  But otherwise, the line-up was pretty much as stated in the "concert" link).

This was a new experience for me.

For one thing, I've never attended a concert at which the singer who was celebrating the release of their album had so many "back-up" singers supporting them and blending both singing in rounds and singing multi-part harmony into the show.  As a former synagogue choir alto who's been improvising vocal harmony since I was 11 years old, I loved it!

For another thing, I've never been at a concert at which the audience responded to a number of songs with a moment of contemplative silence, simply drinking in the beauty of the music.

Then there was the fun of seeing Rabbi Elie Kaunfer, co-founder, co-president, and CEO of Hadar, whose classes and lectures we've been attending for 10 years, up on his feet at a concert, dancing a hora.  According to Rabbi Margles, Rabbi Kaunfer encouraged/nagged her to record her music, co-writing a grant request with her to undertake this project with Hadar's music branch, the Rising Song Institute.


I can hardly believe that this entire concert was put together with only one rehearsal.  It's no wonder that Aviva Chernick, who was "conducting," more or less, from behind a microphone, was giving visible hand signals all evening.


The older I get, the more I realize that I like songs best if I can sing them.  Fancy chuzzanut does nothing for me--given a choice between chazzanut and nusach, I'll choose nusach every time.  I like Rabbi Margles' music not only because it's delightful and meaningful, but also because her songs are for anyone who likes to sing and can carry a tune (or enjoys listening)--she doesn't sound like an opera singer.  (The same is true of the very fine singers in the Chaverai Nevarech recording, as well as those in the Hadar Ensemble.)  And, of course, any singer with whose music I can sing harmony earns extra points in my book.  I am quite literally incapable of hearing Rabbi Margles' delightful Adon Olam in my head without any harmony.



Many thanks to Rabbi Margles and all those involved in this concert for getting me and my husband dancing and singing.    We had a wonderful time.


You can buy Rabbi Margles' album, "Zeh HaYom - This is the Day," here.

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