Jewish Wedding Music From Around the Globe

Question: I am researching world-wide Jewish wedding music. Does your library hold audio recordings?

Answer: The JTS Library holds a wide variety of audio recordings of Jewish wedding music. These recordings represent far-flung Jewish communities around the globe, from Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrakhi traditions. Here are examples of cantorial music, folk music and art music relating to the Jewish wedding ceremony and celebration.

Shneyer, David. Love Songs and Blessings, A Jewish Wedding Music Sampler. Rockville, Md., Judaica Resources, 1990 Cassette and booklet. KIT 13.

Audio Available at Judaica Sound Archives:

Cardozo, Abraham Lopes. The Western Sephardi Liturgical Tradition. Jerusalem, Jewish Music Resarch Centre, 2004. CD 750
Includes Sheva Brakhot (Spanish Portuguese)

Audio available at Jewish Music Research Centre:


Chassidic Wedding Dance Melodies. Rudy Tepel, conductor. Disc. REC 408

Audio avail at Judaica Sound Archives:

Koussevitzky, Moshe. Live In Concert and Wedding Ceremony. Brooklyn, Aderet Music, 1996. Cassette. CAS 811

Teiman: the Music of the Yemenite Jews. Produced at Tel-Ad Jerusalem Studios. Teaneck, NJ, Israel Music Heritage Project and Ergo Media, 1993. VID 202
Includes Yemenite Hinna and Wedding Ceremony

Audio and video available at Spielberg Film Archive Virtual Cinema:

Neshoma Orchestra. Mazel Tov! Music for a Jewish Wedding and Other Joyous Occasions. Cedarhurst, NY, Neshoma Orchestra, 1992. Cassette and book. CAS 217 M2017.6.P37 M3 1992
Wedding dance medley 1--Ceremony A--Wedding dance medley 2--Ceremony B--Israeli dance medley--Ceremony C--Mezinka medley

Zim, Paul. Paul Zim’s Musical Mazel Tov to the Bride and Groom. Forest Hills, NY, Simcha, 1992. Cassette. CAS 199
Smorgasbord medley: Oseh shalom - Hava netze b’machol - Rad halailah -- Chorshat ha’ekaliptus -- Vayhi bishurun melech -- Ma tovu -- Mi haish -- Mi adir -- Eshet chayil. Bridal marches: Erev ba - Dodi li - Iti milvanon - Erev shel shoshanim--Mi ban siach -- Od yeeshoma (I) -- Od yeeshoma (II) -- Mazel tov medley: Siman tov - Chos’n kallah mazel tov - Od yeeshoma - Yasis alayich.

Miron-Michrovsky, Issachar, composer and conductor. Prothalamia Hebraica: The wedding Celebration in Contemporary Israeli Sefardic Idiom. New York, N.Y. : Musical Heritage Society, 197? Disc. GDC476

Putterman, David J. [Wedding Ceremony, 194?] 2 sound discs, 78 rpm. REC 1577.
Live recording of Jewish wedding ceremony, both recited and sung by Cantor David J. Putterman of New York’s Park Avenue Synagogue

Bernstein, Leonard. A Jewish Legacy. Hong Kong, Naxos, 2003. CD 691.
Three wedding dances. The first waltz (canon) ; Cha-cha-cha ; Hora

Feldman, Zev and Andy Statman.. Jewish Klezmer Music. Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ, Shanachie, 2000. CD 401
Galitsianer tantsel = Galician dance -- Old sher -- Fun der khupa = From the wedding canopy -- Doina -- Kallarash -- Bride’s waltz -- Ternovka sher -- Kaleh bazetsen = Seating the bride -- Gypsy hora and sirba -- Fihren di makhetonim aheim = Escorting the in-laws home -- Alineinem = All together -- Wedding march.

Azose, Hazzan Isaac. The Liturgy of Ezra Bessaroth. Bellevue, WA, Isaac Azose, 1999. CD617.
Sheva Berahoth (7 wedding blessings). Sephardic (Turkish and Rhodesli tradition).

Di Naye Kapelye. Berlin, Germany, Oriente Musik, 1998. CD 479 M1850.D56 D5 1998
Ani maamini/Wedding march from Transylvania

Barkin, Jacob. The art of Jacob Barkin: Liturgy and Oratorio. Chicago, Musique Internationale, 1997. Cassette. CAS 851.
Songs and processionals for a Jewish wedding composed by Mario Castelnuevo-Tedesco.

Rubin, Joel. Beregovsky’s Khasene: Bergeovski’s Wedding, Forgotten Instrumental Treasures from the Ukraine. Mainz, Weltmusik WEERGO, 1997. CD 204.

Brave Old World (Musical group). Beyond the Pale. Cambridge, MA, Rounder, 1994. CD 182.
Bobover wedding march

Muzsikas (Musical group). Maramos: The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania. Salem, Hannibal, 1993. CD 232.
Khosid wedding dances and the greeting of the bride (Hungarian and Romanian music of Transylvania)

Elman, Mischa. Hebraic and Russian Melodies. New York, Vanguard Classics, 1992. CD 79
Yemenite wedding \ Marc Lavry

Synagogal Music in the Baroque. Jerusalem, Jewish Music Research Centre, Hebrew University, 1991. CD 149.
Echo-poem for a wedding in the ghetto of Mantua / Salamone Rossie, 18th century Italy

Shashmaqam. Central Asia in Forest Hills N.Y.: Music of the Bukharan Jewish Ensemble Shashmaqam. Washington, DC, Smithsonian/Folkways, 1991. CD 120
Medley of songs from wedding repertory: yar-yar, abru kosh dumi mor, shastu-shastu chor, chashmi siyah dori, doire interlude, mahvashi nozuk, badanam, orzu. Jewish Bukharan music from Uzbekistan.

Sulzer, Salomon. Salomon Sulzer: Synagogue Music Reborn. Herts, Symposium Records, 1991. Cassette. CAS 577.
Marriage service in the tradition of 19th century Vienna.

The Yemenite Jews: Jewish-Yemenite Diwan. France: Auvidis-Unesco, 1990. CD 20.
Ahuv yevarech ha-hatan = The beloved will bless the groom (Shira; wedding song) Ahuv mei-har ha-mor natan li morasha = The beloved from the mountain of myrrh gave me my heritage (Shira; wedding song)

A Breslov Wedding in Jerusalem. Jerusalem: Breslov Research Institute, 1990. Cassette. CAS 1011.

Holzman, Arthur. Israel Is Born, written and narrated by Arthur Holzman. New York, Caedmon, 195? REC 392
Bokharian Jewish wedding song, from 1950’s Israel.