Composer: Gerald CohenDetailsFormat: Mixed Choir - 4 voicesVoicing: SATBIncidental Divisi: BSolo Requirements: Baritone or MezzoAccompaniment: keyboardInstrumentation: pianoNotation: standardPerformance Length: 4:30 Study Scores & Audio FilesStudy Score & Audio Order Printed ScoresOrder site / Alternate source of score: gerald@geraldcohenmusic.com Texts & TranslationsLanguage(s): EnglishHebrewText Source: Jewish Liturgy, with additions by Gerald CohenText: Oseh shalom bimromav, Hu yaaseh shalom b’kirbi, Aleinu v’al kol Yisrael, V’al kol yoshvei tevel, V’al kol haolam, V’imru amen. O You who makes peace in the heavens, Make peace within myself, For us and all Yisrael, And all who dwell on earth, And all our precious world, And all our wondrous world, And let us say amen. Translation: O You who makes peace in the heavens, Make peace within myself, For us and all Yisrael, And all who dwell on earth, And all our precious world, And all our wondrous world, And let us say amen. Programming AidsPerformance Difficulty: moderately easySeasonal Usage: SabbathDaily liturgyEarth DaySpringDescriptive Terms: peaceuniversalityhopeserenityAllow Excerpts: Composition is a single movementComposer’s Notes: Oseh Shalom was commissioned by Temple Sholom, Greenwich, CT for Cantor Asa Fradkin and Sasson: The Temple Shalom Teen Choir, in celebration of its centennial. I had never written a choral setting of this very familiar text (one used in every Jewish prayer service) and delighted in having the opportunity to write it for Cantor Fradkin, this dedicated teen choir, and this occasion. In this setting, I chose to expand upon the traditional Hebrew text, making it both more personal and more universal: where the original text asks for peace “for us and for all Yisrael,” the text here speaks of peace “within myself, for us and for all Yisrael, and all who dwell on earth, and all of the world/universe.” The simple, but wide-ranging melody is first heard in Hebrew in the solo voice, then in the full choir, before the choir begins a contrasting section, with the text in English. Finally, the original melody returns, bringing us to a peaceful conclusion. The premiere of the piece was at Temple Sholom in May, 2016. Additional InformationDate of Completion: January, 2016Date of First Performance: Sunday, May 15, 2016Premier Performance Data: Sasson: The Temple Shalom Teen Choir (Gerald Cohen, cond), Greenwich, CTAdditional Performances: January 2017: Shir Chadash: The Brooklyn Jewish Community Chorus, Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, solo, Rachel Brook, conductor; Brooklyn, NY May 2017: Gerald Cohen Vocal Ensemble, Cantor Asa Fradkin, solo; Scarsdale, NY January 2018: Colorado Hebrew Chorale, Cantor Asa Fradkin, solo, Carol Kozak Ward, conductor; Denver, CO January 2020: H.L. Miller Cantorial School Choir, Jewish Theological Seminary; Jacob Agar, Arielle Green, and Jacob Greenberg, soloists; Cantor Natasha Hirschhorn, conductor; New York, NY
