אל השער | El ha-sha'ar | To the gate (1912)

Artist: Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938)

Hebrew translation (PDF)

Scientific contributions

• Das „jüdisch-deutsche Liederbuch von 1912“ (by Dr. Gila Fam, 13. September 2022)

The text of this song was published in Ha-Zamir (Odessa, 1903: p. 11). The melody was published in T'amey Zimra Le-Shirey 'Ha-Zamir' [Musical Notes to the songs of Ha-Zamir] (Warsaw 1904: p. 1).

“El ha-sha'ar” comes with instructions, which Idelsohn omitted in Sefer Ha-Shirim. Four or six pairs of children stand one across the other. They raise their hands and create a gate. Under this gate, all the children walk hand in hand. After the pairs pass the gate, they separate, and each child goes in a different direction. The text talks about the joy of leaving the city and going out into the forests and the fields.

The melody is in a minor key. Its origin is unidentified. Ha-Zamir mentions the name of a composer, Miler, who receives no further identification.

Included in

• Sefer ha-Shirim (Book of Songs)

Scores

Original (PDF) Modernized (PDF)

Transliteration

Transliteration (PDF)