"Shir la-ma'alot essa 'einai"

A niggun for Psalm 121 composed by R. Ben-Zion Halberstam of Bobov (1873-1941). According to various reports it was sung by Bobov Hasidim at Joyful and other events; Kloyzenberg Hasidim sang it at wedding events. The niggun has a tripartite structure: waltz - slow part - march. Each part consists of sections or phrases corresponding to the verses of the psalm. The waltz (verses 1-3) has three sections. The slow part (verses 4-6) ends with an open cadence and it too has three sections: the first continues in the waltz rhythm at a slightly slower tempo; the second is in recitative style; and the third resembles a slow waltz. The third part (verses 7-8) in march rhythm consists of two phrases the second of which ends in a surprising modulation.