Hamavdil
Yossele Rosenblatt, Music
Hamavdil bein kodesh l’hol (“the One
who distinguishes between the holy
and the everyday”) is the ultimate
piyyut (liturgical poem) for Havdalah,
sung or recited following the Havdalah
service in both Ashkenazi and
Sephardic traditions. The first letters
of the first through eighth verses are an
acrostic of the author’s name: Yitzhak
HaKatan (Little Isaac), an otherwise
unknown medieval poet. Due to the
references to forgiveness and the plea
for opening of the gates of heaven, it is
assumed that Hamavdil was originally
written for the Ne’ilah service at
the conclusion of Yom Kippur. The
lyrics are sung to numerous melodies
throughout the Jewish world, some
reflecting the serenity of Shabbat and
others greeting the new week with
almost boisterous joy and delight.
Tracks 5, 8 and 13, as well as this track,
are different settings of Hamavdil.
Rosenblatt’s Hamavdil is one of the
best-known settings for Havdalah
in the classical cantorial repertoire.
The piece is often performed as a
duet; its hallmark is the march-like
tune with which it begins and ends.
The middle features a melody with a
mellower ambience, with passages of
supplication in the sixth and seventh
verses, where the text conveys a
message of repentance and a cry for
forgiveness that echo texts of the
liturgy for the High Holy Days.
Yossele (Josef) Rosenblatt (1882-
1933) was one of the most prominent
hazzanim of the 20th century, a legend
in his own time. Born in a small town
in the Ukraine, he was recognized as a
prodigy from a very young age. After
serving as a cantor in major cities in
Europe, he emigrated to the US in
1912 to serve as a cantor in New York
City. He also pursued his passion
for concert performance, touring the
US and, later, European capitals to
perform at concert halls and charity
events. He recorded numerous albums
and wrote more than 600 cantorial
compositions.
Hailed as a quintessential virtuoso
for his heavenly voice, Rosenblatt was
offered opportunities to sing opera,
but refused, in large part because
performances would have required
violating Shabbat. At a late stage
of his career, Rosenblatt turned to
performing popular music, mainly in
theaters and vaudeville shows. In 1927,
he appeared in the first talkie, The Jazz
Singer, and contributed his voice to
the soundtrack. In 1933, he was invited
to participate in the making of a film
in Mandatory Palestine. In the film he
is seen touring the country, singing
some of his famous pieces at holy sites
in Jerusalem and at Rachel’s Tomb
in Bethlehem. He died in Jerusalem
shortly after finishing the film.