Maoz Tzur RealAudio recordings: Traditional Ashkenazi melody, arranged by A. Binder Traditional Italian chant

The original text consists of six stanzas. The first expresses Israel's messianic hopes for the reestablishment of the ancient Temple worship. The following stanzas praise God for delivering the Jews from the Egyptian bondage, from the Babylonian exile, from Haman's plot and from the Seleucid Greek threat. The hymn concludes with a plea for Israel's speedy redemption.

The commonly sung English version of this hymn, popularly called Rock of Ages, was written by 19th-century American Jewish rabbis and leaders Marcus Jastrow [1] and Gustav Gottheil,[2] and is based on the 19th-century German version by Leopold Stein.

The most common melody for Ma'oz Tzur is of West European (Ashkenazi) origin. Scholars suggest it dates from the 15th century, as it is similar to the melodic line of a well-documented church melody of that period. The earliest preserved Jewish source of the melody is a manuscript from Hanover, dated 1744. We include here a recording of this melody as sung by the Zamir Chorale of Boston, Joshua Jacobson, Artistic Director.*

The melody sung by the Italian Jews was first notated by the gentile composer Benedetto Marcello in Venice in 1724. Although less well-known, this melody has gained in popularity in recent years. You may enjoy this recording, also by the Zamir Chorale.*

	[1] Marcus Mordecai Jastrow (1829-1903) was a Polish-born rabbi and lexicographer and a leader of the historical school in the United States. [back] [2] Gustav Gottheil (b. Posen, 1827-1903), Reform rabbi, liturgist, and U.S. Zionist leader; published a hymnal in 1886.[back]
	*Recordings from: Zamir Chorale of Boston, Joshua Jacobson, Artistic Director. "Lights: Music for Chanukah." Copyright © 1990 by AFKA Records. By permission of the Zamir Chorale of Boston. [back]	buy the CD http://www.zamir.org/
	More about The Zamir Chorale of Boston Interview with Joshua Jacobson, Artistic Director
	If you don't already have the Real Audio plug-in for your browser, you can download the free RealPlayer from Real Networks in order to hear the recordings.[back]

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