Yigal Calek’s contribution to the world of Jewish music is overarching

Photos: Mishpacha and Family archives

IS

there any way to measure YIGAL CALEK’s contribution to the Jewish music industry?  As a composer, he gave the world such enduring classics as “Ashirah Lashem,” “Mar’eh Kohein,” “Ko Amar,” and “Chamol”; as a producer, arranger, and choir conductor, his London School of Jewish Song albums, beginning with London Pirchim’s Mah Navu in 1970, set the standard for all Jewish boys’ choirs for years to come.

But it wasn’t only about youth choirs. Yigal Calek’s contribution to the world of Jewish music is overarching, from those unforgettable tunes to the catchiest (and often unusual) lyrics, his originality and production abilities delighted a generation of both children and adults sitting near family record players, as much as they wowed large audiences in concert. But what stayed with listeners long after the curtain came down, or the record or cassette tape reached an end, are the genuine and passionate feelings for Yiddishkeit which came from deep within his heart, and touched theirs.

Yigal Yisrael Calek came of age in Stamford Hill, London. His parents were chassidim from Lodz who had managed to escape the Nazis and reach Eretz Yisrael, where Yigal was born. They arrived in London in 1953, shortly after his bar mitzvah. Yigal got involved in the Pirchim groups of Agudas Yisroel, and became a popular madrich in camps and play productions. After learning at Gateshead Yeshiva, he took a teaching job in the newer community of Golders Green.

Yigal started off his marriage to Adina in Antwerp, Belgium, where her family lived, using his unique educational talents, including music, to inspire children. Back in London, while his initial efforts to start a choir were not widely appreciated in the very conservative stronghold of Stamford Hill, they slowly bore fruit. (“It was known as ‘Yigal’s meshugassen’ in the early days,” Yigal’s early partner Jeffrey Craimer a”h told Mishpacha a while back.) Yigal was both charismatic and experienced with children, and by the 1960s, the choir was up and running, known at first as the London Pirchim choir.

The choir, and Yigal’s compositions which they sang, became iconic in the Jewish world. The songs resonated deeply and continue to be beloved to listeners of all ages, so that everyone has their Yigal Calek favorites. The outpouring of reactions to Yigal’s petirah over Succos points to his lasting impact decades later, and a loss felt deeply and personally.

Although Yigal produced just seven albums in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, each one is still treasured, and those vintage tunes are still hummed, used for tefillos, and danced to at simchahs. His music will certainly continue to bring joy and inspiration to Klal Yisrael, through difficult times and into their glorious future.

That New Sound

When Yigal’s first album, MAH NAVU, was recorded at a famous London studio, recalled his early music partner Jeffrey (Yisroel) Craimer a”h, the engineers were amazed and impressed at the choir boys’ good behavior. The music arrangements for that album used accordion, bass, guitar, and celeste, but no percussion instruments, meaning there was no beat. Combined with a recording technique of choir and music on one track, this created a distinctive sound.

Mah Navu, which is graced with a full-color picture of the boys in shirtsleeves on a snowy Hampstead Heath, brought a new sound to the Jewish music scene. The material was original, showcasing Yigal as an original and brilliant composer, and the fresh-voiced choirboys were perfectly trained to sing those tunes and harmonies that balanced the melodic richness of the traditional with catchy yet uncomplicated arrangements. In addition to the title track, the album included such classics as “Shimu Melochim,” from the shirah of Devorah Haneviah, the poignant “Hamavdil,” composed by Jeffrey Craimer, and “Gam Ani Odecha,” which, although less known, is considered the embodiment of Yigal’s style.

It was because he had a deep feeling for the pesukim that Yigal was able to bring them to life in song. For example, the pride and strength of Devorah’s commitment to Hashem is audible in “Shimu Melochim.” Yigal composed this piece during his time in Antwerp, when he was teaching Navi to students with little religious background and wanted to convey to them the majesty and power of the prophetic pesukim of Shiras Devorah.

The record’s popularity brought more boys to the choir. Yigal began to put on concerts with his boys, first under the banner of Yad Bezemer and later as the London School of Jewish Song, offering an opportunity for live Jewish music in London and around the world. At every event, he opened with the opening track of his first record, “Sali Umetzudasi,” which became the choir’s signature for several years.

The “Tzitzis Album”

A year later, the 1971 album, BORCHI NAFSHI was released, widely known at the time as the “Tzitzis album,” because Yigal designed it with real tzitzis fringes tied on to the corners of the record jacket. It features the operatic voice of soloist Joel Portnoy, the sweetness of David Feld’s vocals, and songs “Borchi Nafshi,” “Be’ein Meilitz Yosher,” “Taaleh Aruchah,” “Yekum Purkan” (composed by 11-year-old choir member Yissochor Lichtig, today a rosh yeshivah), and the ever-popular “Mar’eh Kohein.” Warm and soulful, the album emphasizes devotion and emotional depth, appealing to both young audiences and older generations. (A few of these Yamim Noraim-themed songs are still sung in shuls. The original “Mar’eh Kohein” was slow, although wedding bands in Eretz Yisrael today tend to play it with a much faster tempo.)

One of the tracks, “Al Naharos Bavel,” which never achieved the widespread popularity of many of the other songs, is seen by some as one of Yigal’s most complex and beautiful compositions. In it he enacted the Babylonian overseers callously insisting “Shiru lanu mishir Tzion,” while the Jewish captives respond, “Eich nashir es shir Hashem al admas neichar? [How can we sing the song of Hashem on foreign ground?]” The cover mentions that the album’s profits would go toward helping Jews stuck behind the Iron Curtain, a recurring focus of Yigal’s compassionate efforts in the 70s and 80s.

Silent Treatment 

The plight of Soviet Jewry had hit bottom in 1971, and activists approached Yigal Calek to produce a music record in conjunction with the demonstrations outside the Soviet Embassy in London. An evening of music and speeches was arranged in a London concert hall, as well as a commemorative record produced by Yad Bezemer containing four songs. That night, “CHILDREN OF SILENCE” — a Suzie Rein tune with Jeffrey Craimer’s powerful English lyrics – was sung by Yigal and the choir for an impassioned crowd, making the suffering of Soviet Jewry real to audiences in London and beyond.

Another gem on the mini album was Craimer’s composition for “Ezkerah,” set by Calek to the words of one of the most emotional Selichos of Ne’ilah. Sung on the record by Chazzan Pesach Segal, this heartrending piece has become a highlight of Ne’ilah in shuls all over Europe.

Showstopper

Yigal moved onward with the choir on his own once Jeffrey Craimer moved to Eretz Yisrael in 1972. It was now not only a fixture in the UK, but slowly growing a fan base across the Atlantic. In the early 70s, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum of New York, who was leading his summer camp, Sdei Chemed, in Eretz Yisrael, decided to produce concerts as part of the camp program. One year, he invited Yigal Calek to come along from London, bringing his choir to join camp and to perform at the concerts. The London boys were a huge hit — not only did they perform their signature songs, but Yigal had brought new material, such as “Ashirah Lashem Bechayai” and “Ko Amar,” which made their debut at Sdei Chemed concerts.

Rabbi Baruch Chait fondly recalls the magical summers he shared with Yigal and the friendship they developed. “I connected to Yigal when he brought the choir over to Eretz Yisrael for camp. We invited him because the atmosphere of the London School of Jewish Song and their type of niggunim were the right style for our yeshivah boys. Having him there was very exciting, because Yigal had such charisma, and such musical flair. His stage presence was more dynamic than anyone I can remember. He made any concert into a veritable show. When the London boys came on, it was visually exciting, with dances and costumes, and the songs were acted out on stage with motions and choreography. He paid attention to every step, every costume. Having Yigal in camp gave those summers a super charge. We sang on the buses and on the tiyulim — it was part of our camp experience.”

Sdei Chemed marked a new era and new opportunities for Yigal, because one Sdei Chemed participant, Yisroel Lamm, was the key to his next step. Yisroel recalls, “I had recently joined Neginah Orchestra. When I realized how good Yigal and his choir were, I decided that we just had to collaborate with them. I called our producer, Yitzchak Gross, in New York, and told him that we had to work something out. In that way, I was the shadchan of the London School of Jewish Song and Neginah.”

“I Knew They’d Be Huge”

Neginah and the London School got to work on their first collaboration, which is widely known as the ASHIRAH album, or the LONDON-NEW YORK album. Digital collaboration didn’t exist at the time, but phone lines hummed as Yigal shared his vision. His son Dovid recalled, “My father would speak about horses and chariots, wind and storms, seas and faraway lands, people crying and laughing. As children, we found these conversations to be almost magical.” Yisroel concurs. “He would tell me that he wanted the song to transport listeners to Har Habayis, or lehavdil, to Portugal, and he would make that happen,” Yisroel says.

Yitzchak Gross and Yisroel Lamm flew to England, songs were chosen and arrangements written. The sound had changed slightly, but there was still that appeal — the creative choices of pesukim, passages from Gemara and midrashim, and the insightful interpretation, the rousing compositions, and the young British accents.

This album emerged in 1973, and featured hit after hit. There was “Ko Omar,” “Ashirah,” and “Chamol.” “Lechu Banim” and “Vechi Yadav shel Moshe.”

“I can still recall the moment I knew that this would be big,” Yisroel Lamm says. “It was when we were recording the vocals for ‘Chamol.’ A boy was singing, and Yitzchak and I were blown away by his vocals. We looked at each other and we both knew we were hearing something exceptional. And in fact, the album was huge. It put the London School very firmly on to the map, and led to concerts all over the United States.”

In 1972, Yigal brought his boys to New York. They stayed in Boro Park and the very first concert was held at Brooklyn College. The choir and Yigal had become international headliners, with concerts opened by Mordechai Ben David and Jo Amar.  Sheya Mendlowitz a”h, told Mishpacha in an interview a few years ago, “At some point, it was decided that instead of bringing the entire choir from London to perform in New York, Yigal would train a choir of local boys for New York concerts. And that’s how I met Yigal — I was one of the choir kids who sang with him in concerts of the New York School of Jewish Song. I admired him tremendously. He trained us in songs, harmony, and choreography, and he knew how to bring everything to life, and to do it in a very Torahdig way.”

Across The Ocean

In 1974, Yigal was in Israel and created Pirchei Yerushalayim — the record with a maroon cover, the boys standing on the ancient steps outside the Old City, and entitled, “Yigal Calek and his Yad Bezemer Tzabarim.” The album contained “Ki Yikareh Kan Tzippor,” and Yossi Green’s “Kol Beramah,” which are classics, still sung today, as well as a creative “Mimkomcha.” The arrangements were by Mona Rosenblum, and listeners got to enjoy a synergy of Yigal’s distinctive songwriting and arrangements with a native Sabra style and boys singing with Israeli accents.

Yossi Green’s prolific music career was actually launched with Yigal’s encouragement. Three of Yossi’s early songs are on this album — “Kol Berama,” “V’amartem Ko Lechai,” and “Hinei Mah Tov” (Yigal met Yossi when the latter was a bochur studying in yeshivah in London). Yossi says that when Yigal told him people all over the world would be singing his songs, all he could say was, “What are you talking about?”

“Ki Yikarei Kan Tzippor” was an example of Yigal’s theatrical side. In a concert at Brooklyn College, he had the choir grouped together like baby chicks in a nest. When they got to the words “shaleiach teshalach es ha’eim,” the whole choir followed him “flying” around the stage, waving their hands like birds. It might have been kitschy by today’s standards, but he took the audience flying along with him.

Concert Command

LONDON LIVE came out in 1976 and included such songs as “Lamah Yoshavta” (an unusual choice of words, taken from the mussar Devorah Haneviah gives to those who waited to see who the winning side would be before joining the battle), “Hu Elokeinu,” and a rendition of Reb Chaim Banet’s “Shema Beni,” which became an iconic part of the London repertoire. It also debuted Rav Aviezer Wolfson’s “Lemaan Achai.” Rav Wolfson and Yigal passed away a few hours apart on Chol Hamoed Succos, and “Lemaan Achai” was sung at Yigal’s kevurah in Jerusalem.

The album’s vibe was energizing and communal, strengthening the group’s concert appeal and reputation as a powerhouse in Jewish music.

The Return 

Mr. David (Doody) Rosenberg was a star soloist on the early albums, and when Yigal decided to release TENTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION in 1978 in honor of the choir’s first decade, he gave Doody the ultimate endorsement by using his compositions for all eleven tracks. The most widely-known song from this album, “Hamalach,” became one of the most beloved of Rosenberg’s melodies.

After a 10-year hiatus, THE RETURN OF THE LONDON SCHOOL OF JEWISH SONG in 1988 reintroduced the classic London sound with updated arrangements, bringing Calek’s music to a new generation. It was familiar yet refreshing, blending tradition with modern elements, with Yigal’s son Yoel Calek’s beautiful “Yerushalayim” and “Al Har Gavoha,” but the album didn’t receive maximum exposure and never reached the popularity level of the previous albums. Today it’s hard to find.

Fast forward to 1991, the fourth HASC concert. Producer Sheya Mendlowitz, a lifelong fan of the London School of Jewish Song and a key figure in the development of the Jewish music scene, brought Yigal and the choir back to New York for HASC’s A Time for Music. Sheya once reminisced, “There are only two standing ovations in the entire history of HASC, and one of them was for Yigal. People loved it because it brought back such sweet memories.” Sheya also fulfilled another dream: He produced an album with Yigal and the choir that year, as the two of them became close friends. That album is a blend of the compositions of Yigal and Yossi Green, and also some songs by Yigal’s son Yoel. Its lively and dynamic song list includes, “The Forgotten Princess,” about the downtrodden glory of Shabbos, “Di Zaides,” and the “other Ko Amar,” Yossi Green’s melody for “Ko amar Hashem, alu hahar veheveisem eitz uvenu habayis,” and an original “Eishes Chayil.”

Generational Blend

On the evening of April 3, 1989, two years before the fall of the Iron Curtain, the London School of Jewish Song danced onto the grand stage of a concert hall in Moscow singing “Racheim Bechasdecha,” electrifying the thousands who packed the hall. This concert was followed by three more in Moscow and two in Kiev in the span of a week and a half, to audiences hungry for a taste of Yiddishkeit. It was hard to believe that the concert was permitted, but it was, a sign of the new era of perestroika. Led by Yigal, the choir interacted with the audience, often moving them to tears, offering a taste of Jewish life and a taste of hope. For Soviet Jews, even seeing the advertisements of the concert around their cities offered them an injection of strength.

Nearly a decade after the last album, MAMA, released in 1997, radiates warmth and hope, with a new generation of choir boys singing compositions that inspire contemplation and spiritual elevation. “Mama” — a lyrical English ode — highlighted Yigal Calek’s enduring creativity, while the “London Classics” medley grouped together some of his better-known oldies, helping introduce younger audiences to the legacy of the London School of Jewish Song. With “Mikdash Melech” and “Odeh Lakeil,” this album marked a meaningful amalgamation for Yigal of his son Yoel’s contributions, bringing a generational blend to the heartfelt compositions.

Throughout the years, Yigal Calek’s music remained true to its essence, fostering a powerful sense of connection to Jewish identity, enabling listeners to be in touch with their own souls through song. Through their many moods and styles, which range from upbeat to deeply introspective, the songs were accessible to diverse audiences, bridging the gap between tradition and modernity — and still remain relevant. His songs continue to be sung, covered, and appreciated by new generations, a testament to his enduring influence. They’re still heard in Jewish homes and schools, at Jewish weddings, and perhaps most meaningfully, in shuls and shtiblach – as Yigal Calek continues to live through his music.

Yehi zichro baruch.

With appreciation to Mr. S. Cymerman and Yaakov Brown for their help in the preparation of this piece.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1034)