Ufros ‘Aléinu וּפְרוֹשׂ עַלֵֽינוּ

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This song is dedicated to cantors Julie Batz and Jennie Bemesderfer, whose beautiful singing voices guided the composition in my mind.

The lyrics to וּפְרוֹשׂ עַלֵֽינוּ Ufros Aleinu are from a recurrent phrase in the Jewish Night Prayer, הֲשְׁכִּיבֵֽנוּ Hashkivénu. As such, the mood of this piece is that of a lullaby. But a lullaby for all of us, not just the baby. The full text of the prayer asks God not just for peaceful sleep, but also for the strength to stand up to life and for shelter from the suffering that the Jewish people have endured through the ages. This context gives the song its contrasting emotions and depth.

The melody is a 3-voice round beginning with a gentle cradle-rocking tune, offset by hauntingly sad chromatic "sobs" descending in the second voice, and ending with reassuring "sighs". Together the voices form lush harmonies of continually changing color that build in tension until the end.

In performance the voices should start and end one at a time in the order written, so that the piece as a whole proceeds from cradle-rocking to anxious reflection and on to comfort. Bowed strings are an excellent choice for an instrumental arrangement.

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