Hanukkah!

Description

The three well-known songs that make up this suite, “Hanukkah, O Hanukkah,” “Ma’oz Tzur,” and “Dreidel,” may be performed as individual stand-alone pieces or presented as a suite, which makes it a flexible addition to holiday programming.

Program Notes

A few years ago I was contacted by fellow composer Shirl Jae Atwell on behalf of an educator friend, Alexandra Howard, who needed some music in a hurry. It was for her middle school orchestra to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. Ms. Howard had found other arrangements available that were too difficult for her ensemble’s abilities. Atwell and Howard asked if I could write something appropriate quickly. I responded with two of the three tunes presented here, “Dreidel Dreidel Dreidel” and “Ma’oz Tzur” (the latter known in English as “Rock of Ages”). I preparing these arrangement for publication I decided a third song was needed for balance, so I added “Hanukkah, O Hanukkah.” All three are dedicated to the Barret Traditional Middle School Orchestra (Louisville, KY) and its director, Alexandra Howard.