https://youtu.be/u_0zJvZbPiUGrowing up in the Spanish and Portuguese congregation of London, I must confess to having been somewhat nonplussed by the musical treatment meted out there to the singing of LeDavid Baruch and Lamnatseach Binginot (Psalms 144 and 67) which introduce Arbit at the close of Shabbat. What was sung was, in essence, a hurried and pared down version of the beautiful and majestic melody for Psalm 67 sung across the Spanish and Portuguese diaspora on festive occasions, such as weddings and on Simchat Torah. The unlovely possibility struck me that that this breakneck performance could only have been the brainchild of an inveterate nicotine fiend who did not want to unduly delay his first post sabbatical smoke.In later years, I discovered that there was, perhaps, an even more serious concern regarding that rendition. It might not even be the right tune. It is certainly not the one sung in either Amsterdam or New York. Both of these communities share a melody for these psalms which is unique to Motsa’ei Shabbat; a melody, moreover, which demonstrates a musicological affinity to many of the settings for these two psalms sung across much of the breadth of the Jewish world. An affinity so marked that, in the opinion of some, it is one of the oldest melodies in the entire repertoire of Jewish music; and maybe - although this may be stretching it - of Levitical provenance.The present recording is of Ps. 67 - Lamnatseach Binginot based on the New York variant.Please share.H/T Nachshon Rodrigues Pereira