Moshe Leib Lilienblum defined the feeling of saying a lament as follows: "A gentile 'gets drunk' from alcoholic beverages, and a Jew 'gets drunk' from saying a lament.".
One can be exposed to the sounds of lamentation and lamentation as early as the days of "Bein HaMezrim." In Western European communities, the "Bercho" melody of Shabbat night is changed to a melody surrounded by mournful tones. In the Dutch and Swiss communities, it was even customary to recite piyyutim on Shabbats during the days of "Bein HaMezrim," as the melody of the piyyutim is reminiscent of the melodies of lamentation.
The music of Tisha B'Av
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In 1917, cantor Leib Glanz published an article in Yiddish in the newspaper Der Tag entitled "Laments - the Silent Singer of Sorrow and Grief.".
At the beginning of his article, he writes: "Lamentation is not entirely pessimistic; there are also verses of hope fluttering in it. This silent form of lamentation is a key to the joy of the spirit that accumulated in those generations, who knew how to sing so well in their decline.".
Great cantors and composers such as Eliezer Louis Lewandowski, Shlomo Sulzer, Shmuel Namburg, and others directed their works to the Book of Lamentations and the evening and morning prayers of Tisha B'Av.
The well-known cantor Yaakov Shmuel Margovsky, known as Seidel Rovner, even published a musical book of laments.
In the writings of Cantor Pinchas Minkowski, we also find a number of lamentations. One of them, "The Woman's Swimming to the Prophet Jeremiah," was performed by the Tel Aviv Cantorial Institute in 2007.
Likewise, a unique melody was composed by the cantor and composer Shlomo Sultzer in his book 'Shir Zion' for the lamentation "This night my son will weep and wail.".
Laments for Tisha B'Av, composed by Shlomo Sultzer and Eliezer Grovitz, were recorded on Kol Yerushalayim broadcasts on July 25, 1957, by Cantor Yeshayahu Weinreich, accompanied by the Ohel Shem Choir, conducted by Cantor Shlomo Ravitz.
The Kol Yisrael archives also contain recordings of the reading of a lament by cantors Benjamin Unger and Ephraim Goldstein.
Lamentation "Gods of Zion and Her City""
The lament "To the Gods of Zion and Her City" received special treatment in the Jewish communities, who used to recite it while standing. Some lamentation orders state that "the most important person in the congregation shall recite this lament." The author of this lament is unknown, and some attribute it to Rabbi Yehuda Halevi.
Her melody was widely published, and some mistakenly considered it to be a "Messina" melody, even though it originated from the German ballad "Die Frau zu Wiesenburg".
Researcher Avraham Zvi Idelson determined in his study that the melody originated in a 17th-century Sephardic folk song.
The only one who attributes this melody to Jewish sources is Chaim Bar Dayan, who notes that it was originally composed to "Lecha Dodi," and the melody "Bana Beitech Kabatkhila" in the supplement to the three regalia is from "Eli Zion." Indeed, some sing the Lecha Dodi of Shabbatot Bin Hamizrit to the tune of "Eli Zion and Aria.".
As Rabbi Seidel sings at the 'Imrei Chaim''
During one of the visits of the famous cantor Seidel Rovner to the site of the Kit Dorna, he met there with the author of the 'Imrei Chaim' from Vizhnitz, who was very young at the time.
The Rebbe honored Shioyl with the opportunity to sing from "Anina Duma." At first, Rabbi Seidel refused, claiming that without his choir of poets he could not sing. His choir included no fewer than sixty poets.
But after being urged, he agreed to translate a few verses from the Lamentations, and when those present asked where to begin, he replied: "Wherever you wish.".
Rabbi Seidel opened with the hymn "Then in Full of Doubt," and chose the passage "Arise, Jeremiah, why do you doubt?", as he "translates" it into a heart-wrenching poem, with tears welling up in the eyes of the "Imrei Chaim" at the sound of the stirring melody.
Later, the 'Imrei Chaim' expressed himself: "I loved listening to the cantor Seidel Rovner because he feared God, he had the power of music because he had the power to translate words.".
As mentioned, Rabbi Seidel composed an entire siddur of laments for Tisha B'Av, among which were published "We Returned Friday," "Az B'Holuch Jeremiah," "Terchem Zion," and "Sheha' the Woman.".
The most famous of these is the lament composed by the poet Rabbi Eliezer the Clear - "Then Jeremiah walked over the graves of his ancestors, and there are pleasant bones, why do you lie there, etc." (Lamentation 26) - which was recorded by Cantor Moshe Gentshoff on a record dedicated to his works, and is sung to this day in several Hasidic courts, primarily Hasidic oboe courts on the eve of Tisha B'Av.
Another melody by Rabbi Seidel for "The Woman's Swimming" was sung by the "Yoshavim" in the Belz courtyard. After the end of the laments on the afternoon of Tisha B'Av, the Rebbe would leave the Beit Midrash, the "Yoshavim" would gather, and all the Hasidim would gather around them in mournful singing, in a mournful voice, and in tears.
It is interesting to note that after World War II, the song was forgotten by Hasidism, and in recent years it has returned to being sung by Rabbi Shraga Feibel Klughoft, during the distribution of the "Lekach" at the end of the fast.
But despite this, some attribute this melody to the cantor of Stashov, since another melody for this lament appears in Rabbi Seidel's composition.
Cantors reciting laments
In the past, renowned cantors would pass in front of the Ark during the recitation of the laments, accompanied by a choir. Cantor Shmuel Vigoda describes the prayer on Tisha B'Av in the Great Synagogue on Telomecka Street in Warsaw, when the Scroll of Lamentations is read by Cantor Pinchas Sherman, the late.
When Cantor Sherman arrived to read the chapter "I am the Man," he passed the reading on to Cantor Gershon Sirota, who read this chapter in his booming voice.
Cantor Baruch Shor from Lviv was also known for his laments, and they were sung live by Cantor Israel Alter, during the days of the mandatory "Voice of Jerusalem".
It is also said of the cantor Israel Shor that his well-known melody for "Hata Eloki" was composed after the lamentations were recited on Tisha B'Av.
The newspaper 'The Sholem and the Cantors' World', which appeared in Warsaw, published an article about the recitation of the lamentations by Cantor Seidel Rovner in the month of Av 1938 in New York. He was accompanied by a choir that included cantors David Roitman, Ben Zion Kapov-Kagan, David Moshe Steinberg, Israel Berry, and others.
When the Jews of New York learned that Rabbi Seidel Rovner himself would say lamentations on the morning of the 9th of Av, they gathered en masse at the synagogue.
Today, unfortunately, this beautiful custom has been forgotten, a custom that can be said to be the "delight" of Tisha B'Av.
To listen • Live recording from 1972: Lament for 'Tzadik Rabbi Elazar' performed by Cantor Moshe Stern, accompanied by the Heikhal Shlomo Choir conducted by Zvi Talmon:
