Music Madness 1: Help Me Choose My Favorite Son

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In honor of March Madness, I thought I would do a series of posts asking you to choose which Karaite songs you like best.

Today’s contest is between two different renditions of the same song. The song is Lahatany Mivhar Banay, which translates to To my Groom, the Choicest of My Sons.

So, go ahead and give them a listen, and tell me which of “My Sons” – you like the best: the Album Version or the Demo Version

Version 1: Album Version

Version 2: Demo Version

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A few notes:

1. The songs basically have the same melody – but are sung at different speeds with a distinctly more Mizrahi feel on the “Demo”. I’d say that the “Album” version is something you’d sing in a ceremony and the “Demo” version is something you’d sing at a reception.
2. If anyone can identify – by name –  the singers on the Album Version, I’d be very appreciative.
3. In the demo version, you hear Rotem say page 144 – this refers to the page 144 in Volume 4 of the Vilna Karaite Siddur, where this song is found.
4. You’ll notice all the verses in the song have 4 lines, except the final verse which has a 5th line: Or Befanav Ya’er Adonai. This fifth line is a repetition of the chorus. While it is possible that this is original, my best guess is that this was a transmission error along the way – and that the final verse also was supposed to have 4 lines – without this 5th line. One reason why I believe that is because the Vilna prayer book follows the final verse of the poem with a verse from the Tanakh, Isaiah 53:10. The verse from Isaiah fits nicely with the fourth line of the final poem – almost as if the two lines are to be read in conjunction. Here is the final verse:

קַרְנוֹ תָּרוּם בְּרוֹב כָּבוֹד

כִּי חֲנָנוֹ אֵל יֶתֶר הוֹד

וַהֲדַר מִפְעָלוֹ יַעֲמוֹד

יִרְאֶה זֶרַע בֵּרַךְ יוָי

אוֹר בְּפָנָיו יָאֵר יוָי

לַחֲתָנִי…

ככתוב יִרְאֶה זֶרַע יַאֲרִיךְ יָמִים וְחֵפַץ יוָי בְּיָדוֹ יִצְלַח

This biblical verse is translated as follows, and is the last part of Isaiah 53:10

. . .he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.