Bountiful Light Music -- the Official Site -- the music of Composer and Singer Norma Brooks, Jewish Liturgical Music, Norma Brooks, Bountiful Light Music, Your Bountiful Light, Jewish Music, New Jewish Music, Dr. Norma Brooks, Composer Norma Brooks, Liturgical Music, Bountiful Light Choir, Jewish Composers, Jewish Congregational Music, Congregation Music, Norma Brooks composer, Norma Brooks composer and singer, Innovations in Jewish Music, New Jewish Music publication, Performer, Jewish Music, Workshops and Performances, Jewish Choir Music

"Music is an integral part of the Jewish communal worship experience, serving as the emotional expression of the prayer texts. In Your Bountiful Light, composer Norma Brooks has found just the right notes to serve. Each melody is simple enough to invite congregational participation, while the brilliant choral arrangements by Cantors Ramón Tasat and Natasha J. Hirschhorn add yet another layer to the emotional content. As a professional musician working with amateur choirs and singers, I appreciate how well the arrangements are written for the voice. As a Jew, I revel in the way in which these melodies uplift and transport me as I join my voice together with others in prayer."
Sharon Steinberg
Cantorial Intern (soloist)
Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA

Perfect for listeners, musicians, cantors, choir directors and service leaders, the 90-page, spiral-bound companion book to the CD includes:
· two musical sections: "The Melodies," as written by Norma Brooks, and "The Arrangements" of the melodies, by Hazzan Ramón Tasat and Cantor Natasha J. Hirschhorn
· musical notation with chords
· Hebrew text and transliteration
· English translation by Professor Everett Fox
· notes on the liturgical context for all 14 melodies on the CD
· vocal/choral arrangements for 11 of the melodies

A foreword by Hazzan Tasat, an essay by the composer, and a photo essay give readers insight into Norma Brooks' music. Rounding out the book is a guide to transliteration and a glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms.

Choral selections are usually published as individual works. This groundbreaking book is the first collection of Jewish liturgical music published as a compendium of melodies and arrangements.

Dedication: This book is dedicated to the memory of Paul Lichterman (1945 - 1983), beloved husband of Dr. Norma Brooks, and to Hannah Ticktin (1948 - 1991), dear friend of Dr. Brooks.