Music for Passover: Adir Hu

David Sparr

Music has always been a big part of all celebratory Jewish meals, and no meal is more important in our tradition than the Passover Seder. (…although some might advocate for the Yom Kippur break-fast!)

Songs sung at the dinner table are called Zemirot, and Passover has many – both traditional and new. Dayeinu would probably be the first one that comes to mind, along with Eliyahu Hanavi, Chad Gadya, and Echad Mi Yodeia (Who is One?).

But one of my favorites is Adir Hu, which we could translate as “Mighty is God” (since we no longer use “He” for God). While there have been a few new melodies written for Adir Hu (including an entrancing one by Shlomo Carlebach), by far the most popular is the traditional Ashkenazic melody which can be traced back to the early 1600’s in Germany.

In this recording I have taken the traditional melody and interpreted it through the lens of modern jazz and gospel harmonies. Since it is unlikely we will be able to gather for a Passover Seder in a traditional way, online sharing is one of our best alternatives. I’m happy to be able to contribute to the Ohabei Shalom online community in this way, and hope to do more in the coming days.

If you have any comments or requests, feel free to contact me at: dsparr@ohabei.org

Chag sameach!

David Sparr (TOS Music Director)