Written by Max Bruch (1838- 1920), the Berlin based composer. Kol Nidrei, op. 47 was originally written for orchestra and cello with harp in 1880 and premiered in 1881 in Berlin. Heinrich Reiman later arranged this piece for organ and cello, incorporating the virtuosic harp parts in conjunction with the cello part. The piece is styled as an Adagio on 2 Hebrew melodies, and consists of a series of variations on two main themes of Jewish Origin. The first theme comes from the Kol Nidre declaration, which is recited during the evening service on Yom Kippur, or Day of Atonement, which is the holiest day in Judaism.

The cello imitates the voice of the cantor who chants the liturgy in the synagogue. The second theme is quoted from Isaac Nathan’s arrangement of “O Weep for Those that Wept on Babel’s Stream,” the text of which was penned by Lord Byron in his collection “Hebrew Melodies.” Bruch was actually a Protestant, who became acquainted with the Kol Nidre melody when his teacher introduced him to the Lichtenstein family, one member of which was the Jewish cantor in chief of Berlin. Bruch is quoted saying, “Even though I am a Protestant, as an artist I deeply felt the outstanding beauty of these melodies and therefore I gladly spread them through my arrangement.”

Recorded by Jacob Hofeling (organ) and Josiah Cordes (cello) at the Bales Organ Recital Hall of the University of Kansas on Dec. 10, 2019.

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