The change from aria to folk music mirrors a transition in the cantor's role from ambassador to God, chanting on behalf of the flock, to a leader who helps members pray directly to God. A century ago, cantors sang liturgy in a "high church" style [which] represented "a very transcendent theory of God, that said God was somehow removed from us," Sager said. "I think people's concept of God has changed toward a more immanent concept - you know, the small voice within."But nusach is not aria, nor is it folk song.
Nusach involves the particular order of the prayers, as well as the way in which prayers vary by punctuation, phrasing and melodic pattern. By melodic pattern, think of something similar to a blues pattern. A typical 12-bar blues progression allows the musician playing the melodic lead to dissect the notes that make up the chords. Nusach acts pretty much the same way.Traditional Jewish prayer is chanted by each member of the congregation out loud - mostly individually, occasionally in unison. The shaliach tzibbur, who may or may not be a trained hazzan, sets the pace, interacts with the congregation when there is call and response, and reminds congregants of the proper nusach (on a special day, it's easy to slip into the regular shabbat or weekday nusach out of habit).
Those leading the prayer service create intricate combinations of notes within the patterns or modes of the nusach but are bound by the chords that make up these patterns. In addition, certain prayers are open to innovation outside the nusach. For example, there is a long-standing tradition of making the El Adon prayer in the Sabbath morning services a kind of dealer’s choice. There are also places where innovation is limited or prohibited outright. In the Ashkenazic rite, for example, the "Kaddish" said before the Shabbat Musaf prayer is a melodic constant.
This is called davening. It uses an ancient Eastern approach to music; improvising melodies along various scales related to times of day or seasons of the year is common to Arabic and Indian music as well as Jewish liturgy.
The English words "pray" and "worship," though not incorrect, do not fully describe what we do. . . . First of all, davening is a response to words; for that to happen, we must articulate our words of prayer. Even the parts of the service that we read quietly are done sotto voce, not silently. Davening must involve the whole self, and keeping silent is unnatural during prayer. . . . If you have just read through the words, without attaching your mind and imagination, you have not davened. . . . Jewish prayer is musical. Even when we daven quietly, we chant the words rather than just recite them. . . .Most cantors use nusach as the basis for their ornamentation, but the operatic ones perform before a mostly passive audience, whereas a traditional hazzan is more of a conductor or "band leader."
Jewish prayer is almost always communal: we approach God not only as individuals but also as members of the community. . . . Communal prayer has been compared to a jazz band. . . . If everyone plays the same thing, or at the same tempo, or with the same volume or feeling, it's boring; if each is too independent, it's dissonant. To really work together well, a jazz ensemble has to practice a lot, know the music, and know one another. . . . like a good jazz session, a moving religious service can transform a timid spectator into an enthusiastic participant. Take a deep breath, clear your mind, and rejoice in standing in the presence of God.
Although there are times when a traditional congregation sings in unison, the point of nusach is to build momentum throughout a period of time by repeated melodic motifs. Folksinging cantors may derive melodies from nusach (although they rarely do), but by structuring the service as separate "songs" to which everyone sings along, they interfere with each individual's momentum and concentration. When I participate in a folksinging service - whether inspired by Debbie Friedman or Schlomo Carlebach - I can't find "the small voice within." When I attend an operatic cantorial service, I can't participate.
The last word on the subject.
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