THE WORLD OF SONG

Two Chassidim met in the world of Negina: the outstanding and famous Chassid Rabbi Hillel of Paritch, one of the Chassidim of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek, and a Chassid of our generation, R’ Mordechai Brotzky, who decided to produce R’ Hillel’s deep niggunim. * At a certain point, the two of them met at the gravesite in Cherson where R’ Mordechai played the niggunim for R’ Hillel and asked for his approval before going public with them. * The results: a series of niggunim of R’ Hillel in an impressive performance for our generation.

 
It’s not every day that a Chassid decides to work on the niggunim of the Chassid, R’ Hillel of Paritch.

I agree, it’s not the usual.  The planning of this project actually started ten years ago.  I started working on it a few times, but each time I started I dropped it because it wasn’t simple.  It required making difficult decisions and I felt that I did not have the tools for it.

What made you start the project?

R’ Hillel of Paritch was known as one of the great Chassidim of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.  He composed a number of niggunim of great depth, each of them a creation in its own right. 

First, I had to start collecting the niggunim.  Some of them appear under R’ Hillel’s name in the Seifer HaNiggunim, but there were others that had to be found and verified.

What stopped me each time from moving forward was trying to get reliable information about the niggunim attributed to him.  There are niggunim which can be definitely attributed to him, and those which are in the hearsay category.  I started doing research and asking those in the know, those with knowledge of the tradition as well as musical talent.  I would go and record these people, more than once, and the picture slowly became clearer.

We are talking compositions from 150 years ago.  How can you really know about a niggun, whether it’s R’ Hillel’s or not?

Our starting point was those niggunim attributed to him according to reliable Chassidic tradition. 

Every composer and artist has his characteristic artistic style.  R’ Hillel also has a unique style which characterizes his niggunim.  R’ Shmuel Zalmanov wrote in the introduction to the Seifer HaNiggunim, “R’ Hillel’s niggunim excel in sharp expressions of depth of thought as it is bound up with emotionalism and excitement of the heart.”

Indeed, in his niggunim there is a strong conjoining of contemplative thought and powerful emotional expression.  This is expressed in that the niggunim begin gradually, layer by layer, with many parts, in a precise and structured edifice which leads to a peak of emotional power which comes from the essence of the soul.  These are slow and complex niggunim and most or all are long.  When you listen to renditions of R’ Hillel’s niggunim by various singers you start recognizing the style and you can usually accurately identify whether a niggun is his or not.

There are seven niggunim that are definitely his, and there are also niggunim that don’t have his name on them, #86 and #88 in Seifer HaNiggunim, which are called “Niggunei Shabbos V’Yom Tov.” But there is a tradition from the baal-menagen R’ Eliyahu Rivkin – who is one of the important sources of tradition on niggunim and he recorded many of them – that these two niggunim are R’ Hillel’s.

To be even more certain, I consulted with various mashpiim who have a feel for negina and they told me they don’t know about this tradition, but as far as the style, these two niggunim fit R’ Hillel’s style.  So that is why I included them with the prayer and hope that I didn’t make a mistake.

There is another niggun on the CD, Zhebiner Kup, that is associated with R’ Hillel, although it is not one he composed, but one he got as a gift from his friend, the famous Chassid, R’ Pesach of Malastovka, one of the Alter Rebbe’s Chassidim.  R’ Hillel sang this niggun for the Tzemach Tzedek and publicized it.  R’ Hillel even gave it the name “Kup” (head), saying that the niggun was made “with the head.”  R’ Pesach apparently knew that his friend would like it for it is composed in R’ Hillel’s style.

There is a niggun that was not included on the CD, the niggun to the words “Azamer Bishvachin,” about which the Rebbe said (Shabbos Parshas Balak 5716) that it is attributed to R’ Hillel.  This is the only niggun with words which is why it wasn’t included.

WEIGHTY UNDERTAKING

R’ Hillel became a Chassid in the time of the Alter Rebbe after being exposed to his teachings, but he did not have the chance to see the Alter Rebbe.  He later became the Chassid of the Mitteler Rebbe and the Tzemach Tzedek.

He was a tzaddik and a tremendous lamdan (scholar), the perfect oveid, Av Beis Din in Bobruisk, author of Pelach HaRimon, a genius, and had many other unique qualities.  And yet, he placed a great emphasis on simcha, song and dance in the ways of Chassidus.  In his inner world, niggunim were inseparable from service of Hashem.  His friend, the Chassid R’ Yitzchok Isaac of Homil, said about him, “R’ Hillel lived life to the fullest through niggun and dance.” Even when he was elderly and weak and could not dance, he said to his grandson, “Pinye, you dance for me; there is life and there is the need to live life to the fullest.”

It was not happenstance that R’ Hillel composed many niggunim with which he davened, learned, and farbrenged.  He did not suffice with that but also greatly encouraged the young married men to compose their own niggunim.  The Chabad Admurim would send young men to him for guidance in the ways of Chassidus and he would teach them not only the teachings of Chabad Chassidus but also Chabad niggunim.  To him, niggunim were an inseparable part of the principles of guidance in the ways of Chassidus and were an integral part of “how to construct a Chassid.”

The Rebbe Rayatz attributed a somewhat sharp statement to him, “Whoever does not have a talent for negina has no talent for Chassidus.” In a somewhat gentler version, “Whoever has a talent for negina has a better talent for Chassidus.”

Not surprisingly then, when the Chassid and musician R’ Mordechai Brotzky took on the weighty task to produce R’ Hillel’s niggunim, the work needed to be done with great care and responsibility, and not taken lightly.

“There are a few other niggunim attributed to R’ Hillel but there is no clear tradition that he in fact composed them, so I didn’t include them.  Also, the style and musical message in these niggunim does not comport with the other niggunim which we know are very likely composed by him.”

R’ Mordechai had to deal with not only ascertaining which niggunim are R’ Hillel’s but also the existence of different versions.

“As with many old niggunim, here too the question arises as to the correct version.  Since the niggunim were transmitted orally over a few generations, there are a number of versions of the niggunim.  In my research I compared various versions and a certain one was always picked, or something that included a number of versions.  Of course, today there is no way of really knowing which version is correct.  Only R’ Hillel, who will soon arise with all the tzaddikim, will be able to tell us which version is correct.  I pray that he will be happy with the final results …” said R’ Brotzky gravely.

R’ Mordechai did not suffice with extended research and various traditions.  He felt that he still could not produce these niggunim before R’ Hillel himself heard them.  “There were niggunim in this project about which I felt I could not make the decision,” he said.

“On one of my trips to the Ukraine in my mission to strengthen Judaism in the CIS with my mother tongue, I went to Cherson to the shliach R’ Wolf, and from there I went to R’ Hillel’s grave with my violin.  There were some people there and I asked whether they could leave because ‘I need to have a short talk with R’ Hillel.’  They honored my request and I stayed there alone, with my violin, and began playing R’ Hillel’s niggunim to him.  After a long session, I addressed R’ Hillel and said, ‘R’ Hillel, this is your responsibility.  Give me a sign that I am doing the right thing because I don’t know how to decide and this project has been stuck for years.’

“I felt a strong inner feeling that I had to do as I understood and felt and move on.  I felt that it was like R’ Hillel was saying, ‘Go with it, produce it, the most important thing is for it to be in the world of action and not remain more years in the world of Yetzira or Beria as it has been until now.’ 

“It was a tremendous relief.  And since then, things began moving quickly.” 

PUTTING A “FACE” ON EACH SONG

R’ Mordechai Brotzky, one of the famous modern-day Chabad musicians, was born in Moscow and started his musical career at the age of six and a half.  He made aliya at a young age and continued studying music.  He studied at the academy of music in Tel Aviv where he got his first and then his second degree in music.  Then he continued for his doctorate in music at Bar Ilan University.  He served as lead musician for the Israel Camerata Orchestra.  For years he played in symphony orchestras and in various chamber music concerts.

After he became religious and Chabad, he researched Chabad niggunim.  He immediately understood that in Chabad one’s talents are not neglected but are used to spread Judaism and Chassidus.

“I began using all my knowledge and professionalism in music for Chabad niggunim.”  At a certain point he left the orchestra and entered the world of Chabad niggunim after being given this as his shlichus by the Rebbe in 5752.  In 5760 he started the Heichal Ha’negina, a center for research, preservation, and dissemination of niggunim.

When he started working on preserving and disseminating R’ Hillel’s niggunim, he knew that he would not be satisfied with work that was incomplete.  Along with the CD he produced of ten niggunim of R’ Hillel’s, he included a booklet of stories about R’ Hillel with hundreds of stories.

“At first I thought of only producing a jacket for the CD with a few stories about R’ Hillel.  But when I began compiling them, I found more and more important stories that could shed light on his personality and I decided to put it out as an accompanying booklet.  I tracked down all the sources I could possibly get to and collected hundreds of stories about him, his teachings and his personality as well as his musical side, of course.

“Outside of Chabad, people have not heard about R’ Hillel, and I felt that I must give some background in order to explain to the listeners who it was who composed these incredible niggunim.  The booklet ended up incorporating nearly 150 pages of stories about him.”

Do you think R’ Hillel’s deep, complicated niggunim will interest non-Lubavitchers who were not raised with a feeling for deep Chabad niggunim?

I often perform for non-Chabad audiences and I see there is an interest in deep things.  Even among the Litvishe, where you can’t openly mention Chabad, Chabad niggunim are definitely played and are well received.  They sense the holiness and depth in these niggunim, which they don’t find in any other music, not even holy music.  There is a consensus today among those who love deep negina that Chabad niggunim is the ultimate in holy niggunim (not to speak of other styles of music which are no comparison).

I definitely think this CD will interest non-Chabad audiences because of its depth.

Have you thought about whether people will have the patience to sit through an entire CD of slow niggunim, constructed as distinct progressions of numerous movements, when you yourself say that most are the same style?

That’s an excellent question.  This is the first time we are producing an entire CD in which all the niggunim are the same style.  I spent a lot of time contemplating how to do it so it wouldn’t be boring, so that it wouldn’t sound like it’s the same niggun repeating itself ten times.

I finally concluded that just as we look at Oriental people and think they all look the same, but when you take a good look you see that each one looks different, the same is true here.  When you first hear it, when you haven’t gotten “into” it, all the niggunim sound the same. But when you get into the depth and concentrate on the details, you discover that each niggun is another experience and there is not one niggun like another.  The more you listen to the niggun, the more you enjoy it and understand it.  It is like learning a maamer Chassidus.  When you read it superficially the first time, it doesn’t penetrate, because you have yet to recognize the depth of the maamer.  The more you delve into it the more you discover the beauty within.  With a niggun too, when you first hear it is hard to grasp its depth, but when you listen over and over, you discover another dimension which no other niggun has, even if it is similar.

I am happy to find out that my assumption has proven to be true as I have learned from feedback.  Someone contacted me and said it should have said on the CD: “Prohibited to listen to while driving.”  He said he had gotten so “into” a niggun that he could no longer concentrate on the road and he had no choice but to pull over on the side of the road and listen to the niggun until the end.  Then he shut it off and continued driving.

Someone else wrote me that he plays the CD in an endless loop.  Someone else wrote, “I feel that I am addicted to R’ Hillel’s niggunim.”  This feedback definitely provides a positive response to your question.

It was a gamble on your part to put so much into this project which is not about one of the Rebbeim but about a Chassid, as great as he was, and to expect Chassidim of our time to relate to them.

To a certain extent, these niggunim are no different than other Chabad niggunim.  Most Chabad niggunim are not from the Rebbeim and they became part of the Chabad repertoire.

However, as to your referring to him as a Chassid, I have to point out that although R’ Hillel considered himself a Chassid, there were people who treated him as a Rebbe.  He would accept pidyonos and even performed miracles.  If you read the stories about him you see that he was an incredible person with extraordinary abilities, abilities which we generally associate with Rebbeim.  The Tzemach Tzedek said he has two and a half Chassidim and said R’ Hillel was the “half a Chassid.”  Why only half? Because his other half was on the level of Rebbe.  That is what the Rebbe Rayatz said.

He wasn’t just a “great Chassid.”  He was outstanding.  The Tzemach Tzedek himself said about him, “For 300 years a neshama of a tzaddik in the realm of deeds like R’ Hillel did not descend to the world.”  He was the only Chassid whom the Rebbeim quote from the maamarim he said.  Even the Rebbe, Nasi Doreinu, said that it was the practice to be lenient and learn R’ Hillel’s maamarei Chassidus (which is not the usual Chabad way which is not to learn Chassidus said or written by Chassidim), because he was exacting in the wording of the Tzemach Tzedek.

Aside from R’ Hillel, were there other Chassidim who play a major role in niggunim?

Closer to our generation there was the Charitonov family whose niggunim were accepted by the Rebbeim and became part of the Chabad repertoire.  There were other great Chassidim who also composed niggunim.

Any interesting experiences to tell us regarding this project?

Above anything else was the time I went to R’ Hillel’s gravesite and played his niggunim there.  That was unforgettable.

Even in the recording studio there were special moments.  Usually, with today’s advanced technology, you can record each song in parts and later edit and put them together.  With this CD I couldn’t do that because the experience of the niggun is so intense that I had to play it in one take, from beginning to end.  The niggun here is something alive, a living entity that cannot be cut off in the middle and put together, because that would take away the p’nimius from it.  It was impossible to remain indifferent to the tempo and the message of the niggun; you get into it with all your soul.  In performing the niggun, I feel how, while I’m playing, the niggun takes me to other places.

I was reminded of something said by one of the world’s great violinists (Henryk Szeryng who was Jewish), whom I studied with when I was younger.  He said that the performance of a musical creation needs to be like a telescope – when you look at it, you see a piece of pipe but when you look through it, you see the distant stars.

With which instruments did you perform this series of niggunim?

I started by recording my violin accompanied by the piano, doing it in one session.  Sometimes, it was necessary to play over and over until all parts of the niggun came out perfectly.  Only then did we add instruments like a clarinet, flute etc.

All the musicians who participated in this project, including those who are not yet religious, identified with the niggunim and connected to them for their depth.  They thanked me for the privilege of including them in this project.

This is also my opportunity to thank my wife Liba who is also a pianist.  She accompanied me on the recording and was a full partner in this project.  If not for her help and urging, the project would never have been completed.

In conclusion…

There is a longstanding debate, is music merely art-entertainment or does it convey a message.  It is a debate which crosses lines and is not only within the Jewish world.  Our outlook, the Chassidish perspective which comes from the Rebbeim, is that music is not entertainment but a language which conveys a message and has an effect on us.

As a musician I feel the deep message conveyed by the notes.  Music is a translation of an emotional experience into notes.  Since music is a language, it does not start with notes but with an emotional experience that pulses within a person.  Just like a painting is not merely lines but an expression of some inner process, so too with a niggun; it reflects deep, emotional experiences.

Any creative artist has to know that he has a huge responsibility toward the public who goes to hear and absorb his inner experiences.  He needs to know that what he gives to others must be from the vantage point of his positive experiences, thus helping rectify the world.

When we are dealing with a great Chassid, a tzaddik like R’ Hillel of Paritch, there is no question that his p’nimius experiences are constructive ones which express emuna, yearning and cleaving to Hashem.  He translates this into deep niggunim.  When R’ Hillel composed a niggun he was saying, “this is my personal path,” for a niggun is an expression of a person’s inner journey.  I have brought R’ Hillel’s niggunim to the public in order to open a window into the depths of this holy soul.