Music

We Sing for All Things

The practical mind pays more attention to the commas and colons in the great text of reality than to its content and meaning, while to the sense of the ineffable things stand out like marks of exclamation, like silent witnesses; and the soul of man is an urge to sing for all beings about that for which they all stand.   All things carry a surplus of meaning over being – they mean more than what they are in themselves.   Even finite facts stand for infinite meaning.   It is as if all things were vibrant with spiritual meaning, and all we try to do in creative art and in good deeds is to intone the secret strain, an aspect of that meaning.

As long as we see only objects we are alone.   When we begin to sing, we sing for all things.   Essentially music does not describe that which is, rather it tries to convey that which reality stands for.   The universe is a score of eternal music, and we are the cry, we are the voice.

Reason explores the laws of nature, trying to decipher the scales without grasping the harmony, while the sense of the ineffable is in search of the song.   When we think, we employ words or symbols of what we feel about things.   When we sing, we are carried away by our wonder, and acts of wonder are signs or symbols of what all things stand for.

Abraham Joshua Heschel
From “Man is Not Alone” (Noonday Press, 1951)

Music is an essential facet of our congregation.   We have many wonderful musical activities at Temple Emanuel , and many different levels of participation.   Our egalitarian Conservative minyan sings together with joyous, Carlebach-style niggunim for Shabbat, Weekday and Festival services.   Our Renewal minyan features guitar and drums and welcomes all levels of participation in a relaxed environment.   Our Progressive service features our renowned Emanuel Ensemble, a professional vocal group of 4 to 12 voices, who lead the musical aspects of the service.

Our Community Choir numbers 40 enthusiastic participants and we sing at many different special events during the year: Simchat Torah, Tisha b’Av, Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah and on the occasional Shabbat.   Community Choir members enjoy the benefits of vocal workshops (and personal tuition for Temple members).

We are developing instrumental programs at the congregation too; our Purim Spiel band has expanded in recent years to 7 players, and we hope to have a Klezmer ensemble happening soon.

If you are interested in any of these activities, please contact Cantor Joseph Toltz via email – jdtoltz@emanuel.org.au