Nishmat kol hay

This is a complete recording of one of the most important opening sections of the Sabbath morning liturgy. It is performed mostly by the hazzan, with short interludes sung by the congregation. Nishmat, an ancient prayer dating back to Talmudic times, consists of a recitation based on the cyclical repetition of a melodic phrase, not unlike Hebrew psalmody (see above no. 9 and below no. 17) but more developed and with a wider range. The beat fluctuates between a clear style and a more recitative, flexible one. The rhythmic patterns of this piece emerge from the interplay between accented and non-accented syllables and of longer and shorter literary phrases.