המרכז לחקר המוסיקה היהודית https://jewish-music.huji.ac.il/he/node/22216 מחבר Eliahu Adelman Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was one of the United States' great and prolific folk singers. Many of his songs dealt with the plight of the worker, the importance of unionization, social solidarity and resistance against tyranny in its many forms. His influence on American music is incalculable, as new generations of musicians continue to adapt and be inspired by his work. Within his vast oeuvre there are a handful of songs with Jewish themes, and a few of them are specifically related to Hanukah. Guthrie himself was not Jewish; however his second wife, Marjorie Mazia Greenblatt, and their four children, including famous folk-singer Arlo Guthrie, were. Guthrie met Marjorie in 1942 when she was performing a dance based on one of his songs. Their first daughter Cathy Ann was born in 1943 and they were married from 1945 until 1953. In 1942 the couple moved to Coney Island, across the street from Marjorie's mother, Aliza Greenblatt, a well-respected Yiddish poet and songwriter in her own right. It was through his close connection to the poet and socialist Greenblatt that Guthrie became more acquainted with Judaism. They would share songs and Woody would study Jewish texts and history. In the late 1940s Guthrie wrote a handful of Hanukah-related songs, some for the local Jewish community and some for his children. The themes of the songs range from joyous children's songs, without much content connected to the actual holiday (Hanuka Dance, Hanuka Gelt, Honeyky Hanukah), to songs that express the rituals and history of Hanukah (Hanuka Bell, The Many and the Few, Happy Joyous Hanuka -- the latter is structured as a cumulative song similar to the Passover Seder songs Had gadya and Ehad mi yode’a) to a song that has a certain Christian feeling to it (Hanuka Tree). It is Hanukah time Mother sewed us Little satchels made of linen. We will hang the satchels Around our necks; The holiday of Hanukah will Bring us much joy and happiness. With the dreidle we will play, Do whatever we like; Of our father we will demand To get some Hanukah Gelt. Grandfather, as usual Will make sure that all is done; Tell us all of Hannah And her seven sons. Every night tasty toasty Latkes will be eaten; And the miracle of Hanukah Will never be forgotten. The song Hanuka Dance, is a simple children's song, probably written for his daughter Cathy]The words have no substantial connection to the content of the holiday and are similar to countless other folksongs and children's rhymes in which dance instructions are given to the listener: “Tippy tap toe”; “Clap your hands”; “Jump real high”; “Run real fast”; “Hop hop hop”; and “Skippy skip skip” (this final line is not sung on the recording but rather appears in his published lyrics). The Klezmatics recorded two albums of Guthrie's songs. The first, Wonder-Wheel from 2006, garnered the band a Grammy award for "Best Contemporary World Music Album". In the same year they released Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah, a twelve-song album that includes newly composed melodies to lyrics that Nora found in 1997, adaptations of the two aforementioned songs that Guthrie recorded, as well as instrumental klezmer pieces that the band composed. Their versions of the songs that Guthrie recorded are not that different from the originals in regards to musical style. The main difference is in the atmosphere of the songs, both of which are much more solemn than Guthrie's. The Many and the Few features a continuous drone and the song has the feel of an Irish ballad, a sense that is emphasized by the presence of Irish singer Susan McKeown, who alternates singing verses with Lorin Sklamberg, the Klezmatics' vocalist. The different character of Hanuka Dance is created by a change in guitar accompaniment, which does not accentuate the off-beat, is slower, and features chord arpeggios. Every few verses, an additional instrument enters, creating a rich soundscape. The repeating verses and guitar accompaniment, along with the rich orchestration, give the song a circular feel and the sense that it could continue endlessly. . [1] Guy Lodgson and Jeff Place, 31.