A beautiful variety of traditional Jewish Music arranged for guitar. Twenty solos and six duets. The melodies are drawn from Sephardic, Yiddish, Israeli, and Oriental folk songs, as well as Chassidic tunes, Klezmer tunes and music originally sung by Cantors.
The arrangements are as varied as their source material. Perfect for weddings and other celebrations, religious services and simply for enjoyment.
Almost all of the arrangements are accessible for the intermediate player, with a few pieces for less experienced players. Guitarists with advanced skills will find plenty of interesting material here.
For every piece, there is an "Annotations and Performance Notes" page providing historical and/or cultural perspective as well as technical guidance. An Appendix (with Glossary) discusses in considerable detail the scales used in traditional Jewish music. A bibliography and discography are provided for those who would like to learn more about these beautiful and enduring music traditions.
guitar music
Please Note: These are not actual "performances," but are simply computer-generated midi files of the scores. They are provided to give a rough idea of how the arrangements sound. The elements that would make the music "musical" and moving are missing. These computer-produced recordings are missing rich guitar timbre, rubato and dynamic variation. There is no human-contributed dynamic control over the balance between the voices. There is no overlapping sustain of the notes in arpeggios or in 3-voice textures as would happen naturally in a human performance.
When you play these pieces on your guitar, you will add all those musical and expressive elements, so use your imagination as you listen to these mechanical 'performances."
Sheet Music for Guitar
3 pages
eBook (PDF) $1.99
Guitar Duet, score.
Easy intermediate level.
Arranged as a three voice canon
for two guitars, the piece begins low with a range of
only a fifth and then builds in intensity as the range gradually opens, encompassing four octaves on the second page.
Each player gets two voices at times, making both parts interesting to play. Two pages of music plus one page of text (performance notes and annotations).
This piece can also be found in Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar by Ellen Whitaker.
The pieces listed below from
Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar
also are available individually at Lulu.com.
Solo Guitar, score in standard notation.
4 pages without tab, 10 pages with tab.
Intermediate to Advanced level.
eBook $3.75 Paperback (no tab) $3.75
Paperback
(including tablature)
The arrangement begins with the soulful
16-measure melody alone, which is followed by
variations that offer a variety of textures and opportunities for expression. Performance notes and annotation are included.
This piece can also be found in Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar by Ellen Whitaker.
Arvey-Francis Guitar Duo
Hashiveinu
arranged by Ellen Whitaker
Collections
eBook (PDF) $2.95 Paperback $7.48
Arvey-Francis Guitar Duo
Eiliyahu Hanavi
from Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingersyle Guitar
Listen to Arrangements Buy Individual Arrangements
Three original repertoire pieces suitable for intermediate guitarists. The pieces are lyrical and lend themselves well to the self-expression of the performer. Each piece is two pages long and is comfortable to play, being written in a style that is idiomatic to the guitar.
Performance notes are included.
EllenWhitakerGuitar.com
Johanna Beisteiner playing Shalom Aleichem
The arrangement starts with the unaccompanied melody, which is long and beautiful. Then it evolves using a satisfying variety of textures as it proceeds through the variations. Each variation is moving and unique. There is even a section of complex polyphony that is unexpected, but works very well. Beisteiner is a brilliant guitarist, in both her impeccable technique and her expressive musicality.
- Variations on Alan Bern's "Reb Itzik's Nign" (Duet) 3:36
- L'Shana Tova0:40
- Firn Di Mekhutonim Aheym (Duet)5:52
- Kadesh Ur'chatz1:46
- Tres Hermanicas (Duet)1:45
- Shalom Aleichem3:33
- Dodi Li2:03
- Adio Querida2:27
- Utzu Etzo0:48
- Shabes Shabes1:24
- Kol Nidre1:27
- Shir Ha'ma'alot1:36
- Eili Eili1:50
- Baruch Elohenu1:16
- Chanuka O Chanuka0:41
- Dona Dona2:34
- The Chanukah Light1:45
Here's What They're Saying About
Jewish Traditions for Classical and Fingerstyle Guitar
"...very attractive presentation...The music itself ranges from interesting through to delightful...The duets are equally charming with well-balanced and equally interesting parts for both players."
- Steve Marsh, Classical Guitar Magazine
"...an excellent book of guitar arrangements of Jewish favorite melodies...The thoroughness of this book is to be admired...JMWC recommends this book not only to individuals, but to teachers, schools and colleges..."
- Judith Pinnolis,Jewish Music Web Center
"Thanks for publishing this work. It is a splendid volume and I especially enjoy the musicological explanations...I just played through Shalom Aleichem and didn't want another evening to go by without contacting you. I do hope you are planning a second volume.
- Stuart S. Miller,
Professor of Hebrew, History, and Judaic Studies,
Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies.
University of Connecticut at Storrs
Individual pieces
Firn Di Mekhutonim Aheym
(Duet) intermediate level
9 pages
Shalom Aleichem
(Solo) intermediate to advanced
4 pages without tab
7 pages with tab
Dodi Li
(Solo) easy to intermediate
3 pages
Tres Hermanicas
(Duet) intermediate
5 pages
Kadesh Ur'chatz
(Solo) intermediate
3 pages
Adio Querida
(Solo) advanced, quite difficult
4 pages
Shabes Shabes
(Solo) intermediate
3 pages
Kol Nidre
(Solo) intermediate
2 pages
Eili Eili
(Solo) intermediate
3 pagers
Baruch Elohenu
(Solo) intermediate
3 pages
Dona Dona
(Solo) easy to intermediate
4 pages