הגשם הראשון | Ha-geshem ha-rishon | First Rains (1912)

Artist: Abraham Zvi Idelsohn (1882-1938)

Lyrics: Based on Shaul Tchernihovsky

Tune: Foreign Melody

The text of this song was published in the second volume of Ha-Zamir (Odessa, 1903: p. 20-21) under the title "Ha-sheleg ha-rishon" [The First Snow]. The original song, which was first published in the children's magazine Olam Katan [A Small World] (Warsaw, 1901, vol. A 1: p. 27), was written by the poet Shaul Tchernihovsky (1875-1943).

Tchernihovsky’s piece tells of the first snow of the winter season. Idelsohn adapted the words to the weather of Erets Yisrael, where snow is rare but rain is common, especially in the winter months. Instead of “sheleg" [snow], then, Idelsohn’s song features the word "geshem" [rain].

In the song, children are encouraged to go out and dance in the rain. The raindrops water the earth, trees and grass, and the children should welcome them, saying "shalom geshem" [Hello, rain!].

Idelsohn added instructions: a choir should be divided into two; one part sings verses 1 and 4, and the other part sings verses 2 and 3.

The melody, whose source is unidentified, is in a major key.