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Hava Nagila
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Wikipedia article
'Hava Nagila' (, 'Havah Nagilah', "Let us rejoice") is a Jewish folk song. It is traditionally sung at celebrations, such as weddings. Written in 1918, it quickly spread though the Jewish diaspora.
History
Hava Nagila is one of the first modern Jewish folk songs in the Hebrew language. It went on to become a staple of band performers at Jewish weddings and 'bar/bat(b'nei) mitzvah' celebrations.
The melody is based on a Hassidic Nigun. It was composed in 1918, to celebrate the Balfour Declaration and the British victory over the Ottomans in 1917. It was first performed in a mixed choir concert in Jerusalem.[https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/music/291493/secret-history-hava-nagila The secret history of Hava Nagila]
Abraham Zevi Idelsohn (18821938), a professor at Hebrew University, began cataloging all known Jewish music and teaching classes in musical composition; one of his students was a promising cantorial student, Moshe Nathanson, who with the rest of his class was presented by the professor with a 19th-century, slow, melodious, chant ('niggun' or 'nigun') and assigned to add rhythm and words to fashion a modern Hebrew song. There are competing claims regarding Hava Nagila's composer, with both Idelsohn and Nathanson being suggested.NPR staff, 2013, "Film Hoists 'Hava Nagila' Up Onto A Chair, In Celebration Of Song And Dance." 'NPR' (online), February 28, 2013, see [https://www.npr.org/2013/03/03/173160541/film-hoists-hava-nagila-up-onto-a-chair-in-celebration-of-song-and-dance], accessed 3 September 2015.
The 'niggun' has been attributed to the Sadigurer Chasidim, who lived in what is now Ukraine. This version has been recreated by Daniel Gil.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5L9GBd3ecQ Hava Nagila - The Original, & Unaltered Hasidic Melody] The text was probably refined by Idelsohn. Members of the community began to immigrate to Jerusalem in 1915, and Idelsohn wrote in 1932 that he had been inspired by that melody.
Lyrics
Notable performers
* Singer Harry Belafonte is known for his version of the song, which was recorded for his album 'Belafonte at Carnegie Hall' in 1959.Belafonte, Harry (1959) 'Belafonte at Carnegie Hall: The Complete Concert' (LP) RCA Victor LOC-6006 He rarely gave a concert without singing it, and stated that the two stand out songs from his professional career were The Banana Boat Song, and Hava Nagila.[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJqXjvlKa2w "Hava Nagila, What Is It? (Part I)"] at YouTube Belafonte noted and claimed, "Life is not worthwhile without it. Most Jews in America learned that song from me."Leland, John. (2004) 'Hip: The History', New York, NY, USA: HarperCollins, p. 206.
*Dalida (1959)
* Brave Combo[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007OQRE84/ref=dm_sp_alb?ie=UTF8&qid=1346099891&sr=8-3-fkmr0 "Hava Nagila Twist", on 'The Hokey Pokey:Organized Dancing' (1991)]
* Glen Campbell
* Chubby Checker
* Carmela Corren - Israeli singer
* Celia Cruz
* Dick Dale and the Del Tones (surf rock)
* Neil Diamond, in addition to having performed 'Hava Nagila' in his 1994 'Live In America' concert,[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s214RkLm0NQ Neil Diamond Live In America 1994], at YouTube incorporated it into 'The Jazz Singer,' based on Samson Raphaelson's play, in which he acted out a cantor with popular-music ambitions.
* Dream Theater performed a cover of "Hava Nagila" in Tel Aviv, Israel on June 16, 2009.[http://whiplash.net/materias/news_874/091017-dreamtheater.html Dream Theater: vdeo de msica Judaica no show em Israel], luew, 19/06/09
* Bob Dylan
* Lena Horne, "Now!" (US #92, 1963)
* Irving Fields
*Ivan Rebroff
* Four Jacks and a Jill released a version of the song on their 1965 album, 'Jimmy Come Lately'.[http://www.rock.co.za/legends/60s/4jacks_albums_one.htm Four Jacks and a Jill, 'Jimmy Come Lately'] Retrieved May 13, 2015
* Connie Francis
* Abraham Zevi Idelsohn published the Hebrew song book, "Sefer Hashirim," in 1922, which includes the first publication of his arrangement of the song Hava Nagila. He also produced the first commercial recording in 1922, on the Polyphon record label ("Order No. 8533."), as part of a series which recorded 39 Hebrew folk songs.
* Jon Lord of Deep Purple included Hava Nagila in his solo keyboard improvisations as heard on Made in Europe (1975).
* Betty Madigan, "Dance Everyone Dance" (US #31, 1958)'Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 19551990' -
*Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, who recorded the song live for the album 'Ruin Jonny's Bar Mitzvah'. They also recorded a second version on the same album to the tune of Feliz Navidad.
* Frank Slay and his Orchestra, "Flying Circle" (US #45, 1962)
* The Spotnicks
* Pete Townshend, whose ability to play the song was instrumental to his induction in The Who.
* Nissim Black, a Jewish Orthodox rapper, recorded an adaptation titled "The Hava Song".
Use in sports
Basketball
Maccabi Tel AvivAfter every home Maccabi Tel Aviv win, the fan group The Gate, which is the biggest Maccabi fan group, start chanting Hava Nagila
Association football
Ajax AmsterdamSupporters of the Dutch association football club AFC Ajax, although not an official Jewish club, commonly use Jewish imagery. A central part of Ajax fans' culture, the song Hava Nagila can often be heard sung in the Stadium by the team's supporters, and at one point ringtones of "Hava Nagila" could even be downloaded from the club's official website.[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404E7DB153FF93BA15750C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1 Amsterdam Journal; A Dutch Soccer Riddle: Jewish Regalia Without Jews], 'The New York Times', 28 March 2005.[http://www.niw.nl/6900hava-nagil/ Hava Nagila!] 'Nieuw Isralietisch Weekblad', 15 October 2013[http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/13/AJAX/article/detail/3547425/2014/01/02/Waar-komt-de-geuzennaam-Joden-toch-vandaan.dhtml 'Waar komt de geuzennaam 'Joden' toch vandaan?'], 'Het Parool', 1 February 2014.
Tottenham Hotspur
Supporters of the English football club Tottenham Hotspur commonly refer to themselves as "Yids" and are strongly associated with Jewish symbolism and culture. "Hava Nagila" has been adopted as an anthem of sorts by the club, and was one of the most frequently sung songs at the team's former stadium at White Hart Lane.[https://books.google.com/books?id=4P3UoKLO1xwC&pg=PT60&lpg=PT60&dq=white+hart+lane+hava+nagila&source=bl&ots=nvmCuyPdjB&sig=eqAjnsLx9HDQQSlupnM1ASmHI4o&hl=en&sa=X&ei=iG4qU4aXAYeO0AXZgoCIBA&ved=0CDwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=white%20hart%20lane%20hava%20nagila&f=false Promised Land: A Northern Love Story] Anthony Clavane, 12 February 2014[http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c3fbd9e6-21e2-11e3-9b55-00144feab7de.html#axzz2wTSV4CnH The Yid Armys chants turn anti-semitism into kitsch banter], 'Financial Times', 20 September 2013.
Other versions
"Hava Nagila" was covered in a Cantonese version as "" ("Carnival"). It was recorded for the album '' by George Lam in 1981.
In Finnish the song is being performed by the name Hanna ja Niilo Hanna.
See also
* Hora (dance)
* Jewish music
* Music of Israel
* Zum Gali Gali
References
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