UV'SHOFAR GADOL
by Michael Reid Winikoff
SATB div. Choir and Soli with optional organ
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DURATION: 7:45 unabridged
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THE MUSIC - "A great horn is sounded; a soft, thin voice is heard.” This setting of the second paragraph of Un’ta-ne Tokef opens with an aural image of the earthly shofar blast resounding upward to heaven. The closing fugue is punctuated repeatedly by the fortissimo choral tutti, a proverbial “rubber stamp” on the phrase "...et gzar dinam" (“the decree of judgment”). The final unison phrase outlines the descending minor triad heard over and over in chant and responses
throughout the High Holy Days. See excerpt from this work, K'vakarat. See also related
settings, of the first verses of the piyyut, Un'ta-ne Tokef, and it's final section, Ki Kh'shimcha.
PERFORMANCE - This setting is offered in SATB version only, because of the importance of the different vocal colors available with treble and men's voices to the musical effects in the work - vocal colors not available in pure men's TTBB voicing. The work demands sufficient choral and solo vocal resources to achieve dramatic effect. Musically, it is moderately challenging due to its overall length, the chromatic opening section through measure 22, and the complexity of the final fugue.
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Uv’shofar gadol yitaka |
A great horn is sounded; |