Shirei David - שירי דוד

 Here is an easy piyut that can be adapted to many parts of Tefila. In the recording I sing it also to El Adon. Maqam Hijaz

This melody of Az Yashir Moshe is divided into 3 parts: RASD - Dodi Yarad Legano of Parashat Zachor PETIHA - zidane HIJAZ - same tune of Letzur Goalenu for Pesah I always sing this "shira" on Shabbat Zachor as well as the first day Yom Tov for Pesah and Sukkot. There are times I sing it on other Shabbatot as well.

This Moroccan Hanukah song is sang to the tune of E'eroch shir tehila, which is sung whenever there is a Berit Mila. I believe the reason R' David Bouzaglo composed words to this tune was because the Greeks decried any alteration of the human body and decreed that any form of circumcision would be prohibited. So many years later, the Greeks are gone and we're still around performing the ultimate covenant of God. Following the piyut, I sing the Kadish using the same tune. I would normally sing this Kadish for Friday night on ליל שבת. After that I would switch into the traditional Maoz Tsur. Although they are totally different maqamim, the congregation is eager to hear Maoz Tsur so I sing the latter half of the Kadish in that melody. The maqam of this song is maqam Hijaz.

I always felt that until you knew the song of "Shehi La'el," you haven't graduated as a Moroccan Jew. Okay, maybe that's pushing it a little. But one thing is for sure: no matter where you are, if you're with Moroccans, there is guaranteed to be at least one person who'll be singing with you. Maqam - Hijaz el Kbir

For our 2nd song in honour of Avraham Avinu, here is the classic Sephardic melody of Cuando el rey Nimrod. Although the current lyrics originate from Tangiers, Morocco in the late 1800s, the song goes even further back almost to the time when the Jews lived in Spain. It is arguably the most "Sephardic" song in the world. So popular that it has been recorded by many modern day Jewish artists. I sing the first stanza of the song and go directly to El Adon. It fits perfectly. This fits tremendously with any quatrain song especially: Lecha Dodi Rau Banim Yigdal