A Land Drenched in Sun....

Part of the thrill of being involved in the P-FAC project has been discovering songs that have slipped completely from the collective memory of the listening public. I found this one, "Omrim Yeshne Eretz", in an old collection of pioneer songs and was instantly struck by it's beauty, and subtle sophistication. It was a perfect match for one of my favorite singers (and favoroite people, as well...), the talented Seth Glass. Seth has been writing and performing his music around NYC for many, many years, and his late 90's release, " A Question of Faith", remains in my listening rotation. His voice was the perfect choice to introduce this song to today's audiences. Seth is joined on this track by old friends David Morgan, Dave Richards, Aaron Alexander, and yours truly. Also making an appearance is the fabulous quartet, String Nucleus.



"Omrim Yeshna Eretz was a poem written by Saul Tchernichovsky (1875-1943) in 1923. The text was set to music that same year by Joel Engel (1868-1927) in a version for voice and piano that reflected the composer’s interest in producing Jewish art music for the concert stage. Engel’s early work in ethnomusicology had provided the impetus for the creation in 1908 of the Society for Jewish Folk Music (Gesellschaft fur Yiddishe Folksmusik), and while the group produced some very sophisticated material, much of it was based on, or at least inspired by existing Jewish folk materials. The combination of Tchernichovsky’s optimistic text and Engel’s accessible melody made this song very popular, leading it, ironically, to be considered among the “folk songs” of the settler era. Indeed, a 1965 orchestral work by Noam Sherrif called “Israel Suite” included this melody among several others that the composer expected to be universally recognizable." (MBE)



They say: There is a land,
a land drenched with sun.
Wherefore is that land?
Where is that sun?

They say: There is a land,
its pillars are seven,
seven planets,
spiringing up on every hill.

A land where it shall come to pass
what every man had hoped for,
Everyone who enters,
meets up with with Akiva.

Peace to you, Akiva!
Peace to you, Rabbi!
Where are the holy ones?
Where are the Maccabees?

Answers him Akiva,
answers him the Rabbi:
All of Israel is holy,
you are the Maccabees!

They say: There is a land,
a land drenched with sun.
Wherefore is that land?
Where is that sun?