With every breath - Hal'luyah
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Music of Andrew Mayer Now on CD
Song Notes and Lyrics
How to Purchase CDs
The Music of CBI's Andrew Mayer
Now Available on CD
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"With Every Breath, Hal'luyah"
CD Cover |
Andrew Mayer is an extraordinary pianist and composer featured regularly at CBI Erev Shabbat services with the Chai Band. His captivating Jewish and liturgical music brings the words of our Psalmists, liturgical texts and Jewish folklore to life. His music gives us food for thought, great joy and the inspiration to pray.
Featured performing Mayer's compositions are his wife, Heidi Gantwerk, Cantor Arlene Bernstein, and CBI congregants Tracy Hirschfeld, Myla Wingard, Jeff Myers, Abbi Hirschfeld, Buddy Voit, Lou Rosen and Gregg Gerson.
This CD is Andy's first and includes pieces performed at his March 2008 Shabbat Kaleidoscope presentation at CBI and at Erev Shabbat services. The CD is dedicated to Andy's mother, Renee Grace Mayer z"l, who passed away in March.
How to Purchase the CD
Please enjoy samples from the CD below. Order your CD by contacting Andy Mayer directly. The cost is $14 plus $2 shipping and handling per CD. The CDs are also available in CBI's Glazer Gift Shop.
Song Notes and Lyrics
Az Yashir Yisrael
This song was originally performed at CBI in June 2007 for the farewell service of Rabbi Paul Citrin. The Hebrew text, requested by Rabbi Citrin, is from the Torah portion Chukat (Numbers 21:17): " Az Yashir Yisrael et hashirah hazot -- It was then that Israel sang this song: Ali ve’er enula Arise, O well , sing to it!" The piece is structured as a three-way counterpoint between the Hebrew text, a cello obligato and my own English lyrics.
Sing, Yisrael, of the prophet.
Sing of Miriam!
Her well - sustained us, sustained us,
As we wandered, as we wandered.
Sing, Yisrael, of the journey.
Of the desert!
From the sand arose a wellspring, her blessing,
As we wandered…
Giving
Water, when I was thirsty.
Hope, when I was desperate.
I remember: O God – you walked beside me,
As I wandered, as I wandered.
Sing, Yisrael, of the prophet.
Sing of Miriam!
Her well - sustained us, sustained us,
As we wandered, as we wandered.
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Va’ani Zot
This is the first piece of Jewish music I ever composed. I started working on it sometime in fall of 2005 after being asked by Cantor Bernstein. After obsessing for some six months, I finally finished it in April 2006. The text is from Prophets (Isaiah 59:21):
Va’ani zot briti otam amar Adonai, ruchi asher alecha, ud’varai asher sam’ti b’ficha lo yamushu mipicha, u’mipi zar’acha, umipi zera zar’acha, amar Adonai, mei’atah v’ad olam.
As for Me, this is My covenant with them, says Adonai: Let not My spirit, and the words that I have put in your mouth, depart from you, nor from your children or their children, from this time forth and forever.
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Tree of Life (How Can I Return?)
This piece premiered at the Shabbat Kaleidoscope service in March of 2008. The lyrics are inspired by the Eitz chayim prayer (Proverbs 4:2, Proverbs 3:18 and Lamentations 5:21):
Eitz chaim hi la’machazikim bah, v’tom’cheha m’ushar.
D’racheha dar’chei no’am, v’chol n’tivoteha shalom.
Hashiveinu Adonai, eilecha v’nashuvah, chadeish yameinu k’kedem.
Behold, a good doctrine has been given you, My Torah; do not forsake it. It is a tree of life for those who hold it fast, and all who cling to it find happiness. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace. Help us to return to you, O God; then truly shall we return. Renew our days as in the past.
I don’t know how it got so far,
I don’t know where it went wrong.
All I can do is look to the future.
The past has been gone for so long.
How can I hope to return to you,
When it feels like you’re pushing me away?
It’s a tree of life. It’s a tree of life.
And all its paths are peace, but the
Journey is a mystery.
It’s a tree of life.
Sometimes I feel like I don’t know where I’m going.
Sometimes I feel far from home.
Why must there be such sadness in our children.
Will they find peace when they’re grown?
How can I hope to return to you…
I wish we could look through our fathers’ eyes
And learn from the lessons they learned.
We cannot change words already spoken.
I just pray there’s a bridge still unburned.
It’s a tree of life. It’s a tree of life.
How can I return to you,
When I’ve tried for so long?
How can I return to you?
How can I be strong?
God - help me to return to you
And lift me up in song!
It’s a tree of life.
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Meditation for Healing
In the winter of 2006, I wrote a short instrumental piece called “Meditation.” Over a period of a few months, the simple tune became linked in my mind to my hopes for the recovery of a special person in my life. So I put together two traditional prayers for healing (provided by Cantor Bernstein) and combined them into a soprano descant over
the “Meditation” form. This resulting piece premiered at CBI on April 27, 2007.
Mishebeirach avoteinu Avraham, Yitzchak v’Yakov
Mishebeirach imoteinu Sarah, Rifkah, Rachel v’Leah
Yishlach r’fuah sh’leima im kol cholei Yisrael.
May the One who blessed our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the One who blessed our Mothers, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah, bless all those among the people of Israel who are in need of healing, with a renewal of body and spirit.
Baruch atah Adonai rofeh ha’cholim v’nomar Amen.
Blessed is the Eternal our God who heals the sick - and let us say Amen.
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Sh’ma – Just to Be
Written in November 2006, this piece juxtaposes the central prayer in all of Judaism, " Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad!--
Hear, O Israel: Adonai is our God, Adonai is one!" with the profound words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel: " Just to be is a blessing.
Just to live is holy."
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They Light the Way
This song is dedicated to my friend and colleague Julie Kerr z”l (August 24, 1971 –March 17, 2007). The lyrics are my interpretation of Hannah Senesh’s poem Yesh Kochavim, or “There are Stars.” Heidi and I first performed the song at a memorial conference in Julie’s honor on June 15, 2007. Last September, we introduced this piece
to CBI as part of the Yom Kippur family service.
There are stars whose light still shines on the Earth
Even though they’ve long been gone.
Yesh kochavim, yesh kochavim –
Their light shines on and on.
There are people whose spirit inspires us all
Even though they’ve long moved on.
Yesh kochavim, yesh kochavim –
Their light will never be gone.
They light the way, they light the way.
They light the way for humankind.
When you’re lost and feel alone in the world
With nothing but the darkness of night,
Yesh kochavim, yesh kochavim –
You’ll find the stars shine especially bright.
They light the way, they light the way.
They light the way for humankind.
Yesh kochavim, yesh kochavim –
They light the way for humankind.
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With Every Breath
This piece is a setting of Psalm 150. Its first performance was at CBI in January 2007.
Hal’luyah! Halleluyah!
Hal’lu-Eil b’kod’sho, Praise God in the sanctuary,
Hal’luhu bir’ki’a uzo. Praise God whose power the heavens proclaim.
Hal’luhu big’vurotav, Praise God for mighty acts,
Hal’luhu k’rov gud’lo. Praise God for surpassing greatness.
Hal’luhu b’teika shofar, Praise God with shofar blast,
Hal’luhu b’neivel v’chinor, Praise God with harp and lute,
Hal’luhu v’tof umachol, Praise God with drum and dance,
Hal’luhu b’minim v’ugav. Praise God with string and pipe.
Hal’luhu v’tzil’tz’lei-shama, Praise God with cymbals sounding,
Hal’luhu b’tzil’tz’lei t’ru’ah. Praise God with cymbals resounding.
Kol han’shamah t’haleil Yah. Let everything that breathes praise God.
Hal’luyah! Halleluyah!
In the refrains, I added some additional lyrics:
With every breath, Hal’luyah!
With every beat, Hal’luyah!
With every voice, Hal’luyah!
With every breath. Hal’luyah!
With every song, Hal’luyah!
With every dream, Hal’luyah!
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