Hava Nagila
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For the Party Animals song, see Hava Naquila (song).
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“Hava Nagila” (הבה נגילה, literally "Let us rejoice") is a Jewish traditional folk song in Hebrew, that has become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs.
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Origin [edit]
The melody was taken from a Romanian folk dance-song from Bucovina (a variant of Hora).[1] It uses the Phrygian dominant scale, common in music of Romania. The commonly used text was probably composed by Abraham Zevi (Zvi) Idelsohn[2][3] in 1918 to celebrate the British victory in Palestine during World War I as well as the Balfour Declaration. Psalm 118 (verse 24) of the Hebrew Bible was the source of Hava Nagila.
Lyrics [edit]
| Transliteration | Hebrew text | English translation |
|---|---|---|
| Hava nagila | הבה נגילה | Let's rejoice |
| Hava nagila | הבה נגילה | Let's rejoice |
| Hava nagila ve-nismeḥa | הבה נגילה ונשמחה | Let's rejoice and be happy |
| (repeat) | ||
| Hava neranenah | הבה נרננה | Let's sing |
| Hava neranenah | הבה נרננה | Let's sing |
| Hava neranenah ve-nismeḥa | הבה נרננה ונשמחה | Let's sing and be happy |
| (repeat) | ||
| Uru, uru aḥim! | !עורו, עורו אחים | Awake, awake, brothers! |
| Uru aḥim be-lev sameaḥ | עורו אחים בלב שמח | Awake brothers with a happy heart |
| (repeat line four times) | ||
| Uru aḥim, uru aḥim! | !עורו אחים, עורו אחים | Awake, brothers, awake, brothers! |
| Be-lev sameaḥ | בלב שמח | With a happy heart |
Note: The “ḥ” can be pronounced as a voiceless pharyngeal fricative [ħ] (as in Classical Hebrew) or a voiceless uvular fricative [χ], as “ch” as in Bach (Modern Hebrew pronunciation).
Notable performers [edit]
- Abraham Zvi Idelsohn produced the first commercial recording in 1922 on the Polyphon Record label as part of a series which recorded 39 Hebrew folk songs.[4]
- Singer Harry Belafonte is known for his version of the song [3], which was recorded for his album Belafonte at Carnegie Hall in 1959. He rarely gave a concert without singing it and stated that his two “stand out” songs are “The Banana Boat Song” and “Hava Nagila”.[5] Belafonte explained: “Life is not worthwhile without it. Most Jews in America learned that song from me.”[6]
- Irving Fields[5]
- André Rieu
- Ivan Rebroff
- Josephine Baker recorded a version during her Havana sessions
- Frank Slay recorded an instrumental rock 'n' roll arrangement titled "Flying Circle" that was a #45 U.S. hit in 1962.
- Chubby Checker[5]
- Connie Francis[5]
- Dick Dale and the Del Tones (surf-rock)[5]
- Glen Campbell[5]
- Bob Dylan[5]
- Lena Horne[5]
- Jon Lord of Deep Purple included Hava Nagila in his solo keyboard improvisations in concert, as heard on Made in Europe (1975).[7]
- Jeff Garlin sings Hava Nagila
- Raphael[8]
- Penta[9]
- Dalida[10]
- Neil Diamond[11]
- Brave Combo[12]
- American thrash metal band Anthrax sampled Hava Nagila's main melody at the beginning of their song I'm the Man.
- Finnish power metal band Sonata Arctica usually ends its shows performing a humorous song, usually referred to as The Vodka Song, played on the tune of Hava Nagila.[13]
- At a sold-out show in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2009, American progressive metal band Dream Theater performed a cover of Hava Nagila.[14]
- Regina Spektor includes a performance of the song as the outro of her song "The Flowers".
- The Spotnicks (instrumental rock)
- moe. Dr. Stan's Prescription Pt. 1
- Harry Belafonte's version used in a comedy scene in Tamil Movie Mozhi
- Me First and the Gimme Gimmes played two versions of the song on their album Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah.
Usage in sports [edit]
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See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ A. Idelsohn "Jewish Music: its historical development", p.12
- ^ Yudelson, Larry. "Who wrote Havah Nagilah?". RadioHazak. Larry Yudelson. Archived from the original on 2008-07-29. Retrieved 2007-11-08.
- ^ In an appearance on BBC Radio 4 Desert Island Discs on 28 October 2007, Joel Joffe referred to his grandfather Abraham Zevi Idelsohn as the author of "Hava Nagila", but in the programme notes it says "Composer: Bashir Am Israelim", meaning that either this is an alias for Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, to whom Joffe was clearly referring in the programme, or (more plausibly) the programme notes contain a mis-transcription of "Shir Am Yisraeli", meaning "Israeli folksong".
- ^ http://www.seligman.org.il/joffe_AZIdelsohn.html
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Hava Nagila, What Is It? (Part I)" at YouTube
- ^ Leland, John. Hip: The History, HarperCollins, 2004, p. 206.
- ^ "Set Lists 1968 to 1976". The Highway Star. Retrieved 2012/06/18.
- ^ [1] Raphael sings "Hava Nagila" at Youtube
- ^ [2] Neo Cheezy (2007)
- ^ DALIDA Hava nagila 2, at Youtube
- ^ Neil Diamond Live In America 1994, at Youtube
- ^ "Hava Nagila Twist", on The Hokey Pokey:Organized Dancing (1991)
- ^ "Hava Nagila" by Sonata Arctica in a Tokyo concert, at Youtube
- ^ Dream Theater: vídeo de música judaica no show em Israel, luew, 19/06/09
- ^ Kvelling for Aly Raisman on Salon. Retrieved 8 August 20112
External links [edit]
- Harry Belafonte sings Hava Nagila with Danny Kaye (1966) on YouTube
- Hava Nagila's Long, Strange Trip
- Hora Music, How do you sing and dance Hava Nagila Lyrics and steps.
- Who wrote Havah Nagilah?
- Hava Nagila
- Discogs search for other remakes of Hava Nagila
- Historical research includes first recording of Hava Nagila
- Romani version of Hava Nagila (Aven, rromalen)
- Hava Nagilah, What Is It?
