Text by the composer
(with traditional Hanukkah blessings at either end)
Blessed are you, O Eternal,
Who made miracles for our ancestors at this time of year.
The miracle of Hanukkah was not merely
That the oil we found in the temple, barely enough for a single day,
Gave light for eight whole days,
Or even that a few Jewish fighters, however brave and dedicated,
Overcame a larger and better-armed foe.
The miracle was that our people risked everything to fight,
Not for their lives, but for their way of life, their Torah, their faith,
Their testimony that God is One.
For when God is One, and your God and my God are the same,
We cannot enslave one another, and we are truly brothers and sisters.
Blessed are you, O Eternal, who has kept us alive, and sustained us,
And enabled us to reach this day. Amen.
PDF: Miracle_of_Hanukkah-sample.pdf
My intent in writing The Miracle of Hanukkah, and the text of the middle section, was to counterbalance much of Hanukkah music, either children’s songs or bland pieces about love and peace. For me, the holiday is about the Jews’ bitter struggle, against brutal odds, versus the Hellenistic empire that ruled the land, not just to stay alive, but to keep alive their culture, their faith, their message of monotheism and its corollary, that all are equal in the sight of God. This narrative is set between two Hanukkah blessings in English translation.
The Miracle of Hanukkah was premiered by Convivium Chamber Singers in 2004 and performed by the Arlington Metropolitan Chorus in 2007. The revised version (see below) was sung by the T-Tones, a choral group at the U.S. Department of State, at its December 2018 concert.
The opening and closing Hanukkah blessings begin with a gently syncopated andante, followed by a marcato 5/8 section.
On the advice of Maestro Robert Shafer I rewrote the middle section, originally in a declamatory and dissonant 7/8, instead using the theme of the bass solo, a 4/4 meter with a melody built on fourth intervals.
The second blessing is similar to the first, but voiced differently, and the Amen returns to the theme of the middle section.
The original music of the middle section did not go to waste. I used it for Memories of Dachau years later, where it was a much better fit for the text.