What is the origin of our Hanukkah songs?
Unlike the music of other Jewish holidays, most Hanukkah songs are no more than a century old, says Velvel Pasternak, editor of more than 150 books on Jewish music. This can be explained by the fact that the elaborate celebration of Hanukkah is a post-biblical phenomenon, a creation of the 20th century. The general rule of thumb is that if a song is in Yiddish it comes from Europe and, if it is in Hebrew, its origin is Israel. Most Hanukkah songs have been adapted from folk melodies and usually have more than one set of lyrics. For example, Hanukkah’s popular “I had a little dreidel” was originally written in Yiddish. The opening line was “I made it out of lead,” not “I made it out of clay.” The English lyrics were said to have been penned by Samuel Grossman, while the melody for the English version is attributed to Sam Goldfarb. Rock of Ages (Ma’oz Tzur) has the longest documented history of any Hanukkah song. Its Hebrew words are linked to a 13th century poet known only as Mordecai.
