frontlines Direct Optical® Reviving The Art Of Piyyut SUP ER STOR E Farmington Hills 248 553 8270 - - Canton Barbara Lewis I Contributing Writer 734-981-1760 directopticalsuperstore.com M olly Mardit of Huntington Woods is entranced by piyyut. She became interested in this ancient sung Hebrew liturgical poetry during a class in Jewish mysticism at the University of Michigan's Residential College. (The word means both the art form and an individual poem.) "Music is an important part of getting closer to God:' said Mardit, 26, who grad- uated from U-M on May 2 with a double major in international studies and Judaic studies and a minor in music. After her professor shared piyyutim (the plural of piyyut) from his very large collection of Jewish music, Mardit decided to do her senior honors thesis on the revival of piyyut in Israel and North America. As part of that project, Mardit, accom- panied by an instrumental ensemble, performed a selection of 10 piyyutim on May 3 in the Residential College's Keene Theatre. Between pieces, she provided background information about piyyut and the origin of each song. The earliest piyyutim were written in seventh-century Palestine as non-prayer additions to synagogue services, and the form spread to Europe and the Middle East. In the Middle Ages, Spanish Jews composed many piyyutim, which went to Northern Africa after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492. In addition to using piyyutim in services, people began to sing them at home for special occasions, such as the birth of a child, and in concert. Many piyyutim incorpo- rate folk melodies from their host culture, Mardit said. Some piyyutim, including "Yigdal" and "Adon Olam" are familiar to anyone who regularly attends synagogue services. Sephardic Jewish immigrants brought piyyut back to Israel in the 20th-century. In the last 20 years or so, there's been renewed interest in this art form, said Mardit, who spent a year in Israel after graduating from the Frankel Jewish Academy. Kehillot sharot — singing com- munities — in Israel and North America are dedicated to studying and performing piyyut. JN CONTENTS Above: Molly Mardit and her ensemble. Mardit learned several of the songs she performed from the kehillah sha- rot at Congregation Beth Jeshurun in Manhattan. The annual piyyut festival in Jerusalem will take place Sept. 8-11 this year. For her recital, called the "Piyyut Journey," Mardit put together a five-piece ensemble she called Ensemble HaMalka (the Queen's Ensemble); it included Will Cicola on accordion and clarinet, Dilek Engin on viola, Ben Fuhrman on mando- lin and saz (a Middle Eastern lute), Mike List on percussion and Tim Patterson on string bass. Mardit, who is also an accomplished pianist, says she plans to look for full- time employment while continuing to study and perform. Eventually, she hopes to go to graduate school to study music performance or ethnomusicology. For more information about piyyut, visit www.piyut.org.il/english (note the spelling of piyyut with one "y"). ❑ JEWISHNEWS Metro Obituaries Points of View Sports Synagogue List Torah Portion Columnists Danny Raskin Robert Sklar 8 70 47 62 50 49 Shabbat and Holiday Lights Shabbat: Friday, May 15, 8:29 p.m. Shabbat Ends: Saturday, May 16, 9:38 p.m. Shabbat: Friday, May 22, 8:36 p.m. Shavuot 1: Saturday, May 23, 9:46 p.m. Shavuot 2: Sunday, May 24, 9:47 p.m. Holiday Ends: Monday, May 25, 9:48 p.m. 60 47 CAP U YOUR OUT IN OF POCKET EXPENSE ON ' A COMPLETE ' EYEGLASS PURCHASE Exp 5/31/15 NO INSURANCE 10 May 14-20, 2015 I 25 Iyar-2 Sivan 5775 I Vol. CXLVII, No. 15 Arts & Life 53 Business 51 Business Memos 51 Calendar 22 Editor's Picks 57 Here's To 51 Home/Open Door .... 25 Israel 5, 24, 47, 52 Letters 5 Lifecycles 63 Marketplace 65 HAVE INSURANCE Times are from Yeshiva Beth Yehudah calendar. 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