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

Yehalelu et Shem A’ (O Praise the Name of A’)
I composed this melody in 1985 in honor of Dr. Esther Ticktin’s sixtieth birthday. Esther asked me to compose a melody that would reflect praise and thanksgiving at the joyous moment of returning the Torah to the ark. The distinct A and B parts of the melody, with their contrast in tempo and color, emphasize the celebration of God’s name and the faithfulness of the people Israel.

Composing the melody was an opportunity for me to thank Esther for her loving friendship, wisdom, and spiritual openness since my arrival in the Washington, D.C., area in 1978. Esther has always supported me enthusiastically in creating new music for liturgical texts, and her creativity and steadfast encouragement are always a source of inspiration.

An Excerpt
Yehalelu et Shem A’ (O Praise the Name of A’) I composed this melody in 1985 in honor of Dr. Esther Ticktin’s sixtieth birthday. Esther asked me to compose a melody that would reflect praise and thanksgiving at the joyous moment of returning the Torah to the ark. The distinct A and B parts of the melody, with their contrast in tempo and color, emphasize the celebration of God’s name and the faithfulness of the people Israel. Composing the melody was an opportunity for me to thank Esther for her loving friendship, wisdom, and spiritual openness since my arrival in the Washington, D.C., area in 1978. Esther has always supported me enthusiastically in creating new music for liturgical texts, and her creativity and steadfast encouragement are always a source of inspiration.
Ul’amtuye (May You Bestow) I composed this melody—my first—in 1984, in memory of my husband, Paul Lichterman, z”l (1945–1983), son of Alfred and Sarah Lichterman. Sung before the reading of the Torah, the Aramaic text, chosen by Norman Shore, honors Paul’s love for God as expressed in song and the written word. When Paul studied sacred text or prayed, his effusive joy was contagious. Particularly memorable to his friends was his Living Talmud class at the Jewish Study Center in Washington, D.C., where he brought his years of yeshiva study to Jews of all backgrounds. “Ul’amtuye” has traveled to congregations throughout the country. May Paul’s memory and legacy be for a blessing.
Tzadik kaTamar (Like a Palm Tree) This melody was composed in honor of the bar mitzvah of Zack Arnson-Serotta, May 5, 2001. The tree Zack’s parents, Cindy Arnson and Gerry Serotta, planted at his birth has flourished along with him and has come to symbolize the family in which he is rooted. Inspired by the custom of using the branches of a tree planted at a child’s birth for that child’s wedding hupah, Cindy artfully created a yad from a branch of the tree for Zack to use in reading the Torah at his bar mitzvah. The melody is distinctly Latin because Zack’s home embraces both a love of all things Jewish and a deep appreciation for other cultures, especially those of Latin America and the Middle East.
Telfila liM'dinat Israel (Prayer for the State of Israel) I composed this melody in memory of Yitzhak Rabin, z"l, who was assassinated at a peace rally in Tel Aviv on November 4, 1995. Rabin was a distinguished soldier, starting with his service in the Palmah. His transition from military strategist to peace negotiator demonstrates the potential for peace, and his memory serves as an example to peacemakers everywhere. The text, written after the founding of the State of Israel, speaks of the bitter fruits of violence and the hope for a time of peace.	photo courtesy of Ron Sachs/CNP