The SHIRAH Chorus performs Ma'oz Tzur, led by Matthew Lazar

[AllyxInxWonderlandx3]

Tomorrow my choir is going to St.Therease, to sing for the senior citizens there. This is one of the carols we'll be singing. Although, only the English part. (; This is one of my favorites actually. ^-^ The funny and kinda sad part of it though, is that, my friends Tori, and I are the only ones who can actually hit the high notes.. and we're altos. Tomorrow should be "interesting". o.o

[GTEd]

I'd love to have my singing group (in Los Angeles) do this—possibly our director, a composer and arranger himself, could arrange a version 2 be sung in Hebrew. We sing Hebrew songs and compositions at nearly every concert we perform, and one member often sings a popular yiddish song, some she had learned from her grandmother, a Holocaust survivor in Bergen-Belsen. I love singing the Hebrew words, as another poster says they are so warm and beautiful. Thanks for uploading.

[yelix2]

this song is impossible to translate. i found like 10 english translation but non were as good as the original.

in hebrew the words are all so warm and beautiful, in english they're hust too many big words that are impossible to understand...

LOVE THIS SONG!

[gil4237]

Thanks for your two responses, but I could not get the "Real McCoy" rendition

by using watch?v=swrP3athPuM. Can you help on this?

[gil4237]

Immensely enjoyable, and the very best of the of Maoz Tsur singing on You Tube! I have seen this music attributed to the Italian composer Benedetto Marcello, also to

a German marching song.

[Lagolop]

@gil4237

"This Hebrew song is thought to have been written sometime in the 13th century. It was originally sung only in the home, but has been used in the synagogue since the nineteenth century or earlier. Of its six stanzas, often only the first stanza is sung (or the first and fifth)."

And I do recall reading somewhere that is was written in Germany (but it's not a beer hall song as MONDOBENO suggested...LOL). OTOH, it could have ben sung in beer halls too ;)

[Cantormatis]

@Lagolop This is not at all a German melody, but the original tune for an Italian rite piyyut that has fallen into disuse called "Shnei Zeitim" (two olives). It was adapted for use for Maoz Tsur as it was a popular tune. It was perhaps the last of the so-called "MiSinai" melodies to be adapted. It exists in versions as early as the 18th century, which is basically the earliest written nusach-ashkenaz we have.

[geekstud]

Other sources indicate it at least has use in Germany earlier than that, and further, the setting as performed and commonly known is a textbook example of German 4-part hymn harmonization from 350 years ago. There's nothing new about cross pollination of music, of course.

[Lagolop]

@gil4237

Here is another part of the song as sung by the "real McCoy". Doesn't get more authentic than this.

watch?v=swrP3athPuM

[MondoBeno]

This song was written in Germany in the 1400's. The melody is from a German beer hall song.

[Lagolop]

@MondoBeno

Very funny ....

[DrumTVShow]

Great singing!.....very nice....

[mcfrdmn]

Excellent performance

[slipknotrocks421]

some of my family =]

my name is Dale Shirah

named after my dad

Shirah means Musical

we are a jewish family not religion but by race

just to share a little of us =]

and we are all christians :P

well not all :P

[primussolus]

Regarding the English version.

Be aware that the translation is somewhat loose...

Maoz Tzur =! rock of ages.

Maoz Tzur Yeshuati = stronghold of my salvation.

Rock of ages is a Christian term.

With these poor translated lyrics and the great melody it sounds more like a national anthem of some Pacific nation.

Cheers.