Brandon Nelson - El Malei Rachamim: A Holocaust Memorial (concert band) [score video]

El Malei Rachamim (God full of compassion) is a Jewish Prayer for the departed that is recited at funeral services, on visiting the graves of relatives, and after having been called up to a reading of the Torah on the anniversary of the death of a relative. The prayer originated in the Jewish communities of Western and Eastern Europe and since the end of the Holocaust, the prayer has been adapted as a memorial prayer for the victims of the Holocaust and of Nazi persecution.

This is the text of the prayer and the inspiration for this piece:

Merciful God, who dwells above, provide a sure rest upon the Divine Presence's wings, to all souls of our holy and pure brethren whose blood was spilt by the murderers in Auschwitz, Belzec, Bergen Belsen, Dachau, Majdanaek, Sobibor, Treblinka, and other extermination camps in Europe, all the souls of the six million Jews, victims of the European Holocaust, who were murdered, slaughtered, burnt and exterminated for the Sanctification of Thy Name, by the German Nazi assassins and their helpers from the rest of the peoples. Therefore, the Master of Mercy will protect them forever, from behind the hiding of his wings, and will tie their souls with the rope of life. The Everlasting is their heritage, the Garden of Eden shall be their resting room, and they shall rest peacefully upon their lying place, they will stand for their fate at the end of days, and let us say: Amen

This piece features a combination of traditional and contemporary composition methods to create a highly emotional and deeply meaningful experience for performer and listener. The subject is explored from a number of angles, including reverence, mystery, grief, anger, and hope.

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