[EXCLUSIVE] Yossi Green Vistory: Shabbos with Zeidy Berish – Ma Yedidus Menuchoseich

This past week Yossi Green unofficially released a new single entitled “Shabbos with Zeidy Berish – Ma Yedidus Menuchoseich.”

The single is the second in a series called “Shabbos with Zeidy Berish” and is part of a new series called “Yossi Green Vistory.” Vistory, Yossi tells us, stands for “Vintage Music History” and marks the beginning of a new endeavor on his part to produce, present and thereby preserve some of the most beautiful songs of the previous generations so that they be available for future generations to come, IY”H. The first single in the series was released last year August, 2010 and is called “Shabbos with Zeidy Berish – Boruch Hashem Yom Yom.”

Who is this Zeidy Berish? Zeidy Berish is none other than Reb Dov Berish Halevi Horowitz, Zatzal, otherwise known throughout pre-war Europe as R’ Berish Vishever on account of his having lived in the city called Vishov in what was then Hungary. R’ Berish was one of the most well-known composers of Chassidic music in Europe before World War II. He composed songs for most of the Chassidic dynasties in the Austro-Hungarian part of Europe. There are many stories and legends told about him. One of these is that R’ Berish (some say that he could have been a Rebbe in his own right) after getting to know a new Rebbe, would immediately understand the nuances of his Derech in Avodas Hashem and would then compose a song which would represent and reflect this individuality. He would then have it written up (there were no recording devices readily available at the time) and sent as a gift to the individual Rebbe. It is further said that R’ Berish would develop a strong connection and relationship with each Rebbe who would then ask him to compose songs for specific times and occasions through the years. These songs would go on to become those that the Chassidim, and eventually the Chassidic world, would sing for generations. Tragically, in 1944 at Auschwitz toward the end of World War II, R’ Dov Berish Halevi Horowitz Zatzal, perished together with most of the members of his family as well as the other Jewish people of his city, Vishov. Hashem Yinkom Domom.

Yossi Green says that it was the music and songs of “Zeidy Berish” which he heard at his father’s table and in the Shuls he attended as a young impressionable child, that created within him the drive and stimulation that would later inspire him to compose and set the world aflame with his own music.

The first song in the Vistory series, “Boruch Hashem Yoim Yoim” was in fact a Nigun which R’ Berish sent to the Satmarer Rebbe, R’ Yoel Teritelbaum, Zatzal as a Sholem Aleichem which the Chassidim turned into Boruch Hashem Yoim Yoim. This second single is a Nigun R’ Berish sent to the Ahavas Yisroel – Vizhnitzer Rebbe, R’ Yisroel Hager, Zatzal as a Mizmoir Ledovid. Yossi turned this one into a Ma Yedidis due to its length and great depth. It is a Nigun of immense Dveikus which transports the listener to a time in pre-world war years.

This series is being done with the support of some of the surviving family which is the reason it is so named. The “Shabbos with Zeidy Berish” series will, IY”H, include a series of singles arranged to the words of Shabbos Zemiros & Tefillos.

At the outset these CD Singles will not be available in stores. If one should be interested in obtaining a copy please contact Yossi Green via his Facebook page’s Yossi Green & Yossi Green II.

In honor of the release of this second single
we have the first single available as a FREE download. Click HERE to download or listen with the player below.