NOTE

Oseh Shalom Bimromav was written for Jameson Marvin and the Harvard-Radcliffe Collegium Musicum, which I had the privilege of singing in from 2005 to 2009. It received its first performance in March 2009 at Sanders Theatre in Cambridge, MA, and in May 2009 it was awarded the Francis Boott Prize as the best choral composition written that year at Harvard University.

The text for Oseh Shalom Bimromav is a well-known Hebrew prayer from the Jewish liturgy. It is recited in several different places during a typical Shabbat (Sabbath) service, but it most poignantly concludes the Mourner’s Kaddish, a prayer used for remembrance of those who have passed on or are in need. The text is often heard in the context of an upbeat klezmer tune, especially during the “hora” dance at weddings, but in this setting I wanted to explore a more mournful, somber understanding of the text.