2009 Update: But wait, there’s more!! This year’s Hanukkah selections are right here! 😀

Tonight is the first night of Hanukkah — so what about music to go along with it?

The Jewish National and University Library has a great collection of Hanukkah music from a variety of traditions, in both streaming and downloadable form. A couple of examples (links go to streaming audio):

• Candle Lighting chant, from the Ashkenazi tradition.
• “Ma’oz Tzur”, a Hanukkah hymn, performed by the Kol Israel Choir.
• A Yiddish song, “Ir Kleyne Likhtelekh” (Oh, You Little Candles).

Is there much classical music for Hanukkah, I wondered? Oh, yes! Here are just a couple of things I found.

• This CD has several Hanukkah-themed pieces for piano trio, including Great is The Miracle, by Scott Robinson, a four-movement work incorporating folk songs and liturgical melodies. The first movement uses two melodies: a Sephardic version of “Ma’oz Tsur,” and the German synagogue melody, “S’vivon.”
• A Taste of Chanukah was recorded live at New England Conservatory. Evidently the performance has also been broadcast on PBS. Here’s the conservatory’s chorus singing “S’vivon” (Dreydl).

There’s much more out there! Jazz, swing… and of course, there’s this, which I promise not to post. OOPS! Sorry! 😉