https://youtu.be/CCBKHgPc5rU## Adon Olam - S.W. WaleyThe OED (Oxford English Dictionary) characterises the verb ‘take’ as “one of the elemental words of the English language”, and lists around 85 uses.Many of these uses were integral to, and indeed identifiers of, the patois spoken among the choir members of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation of London. It was, by default, the verb used to describe which of the *hazzanim* was officiating; who the conductor of the choir might be; which one of the harmonic parts a specific chorister was assigned to sing, and which piece of music had been selected.A sentence reflecting all of that would probably go like this:Last Shabbat Rev. Abinun took *Musaf*, and Alf Dias, who took the choir, decided that Maurice should take the tenor and that we would be taking Waley’s *Adon Olam*.Which brings me neatly on to this week’s offering which is… that’s right, a performance of Waley’s *Adon Olam*.By way of introduction, I have to confess that as a six year old chorister, I was certain that the word was spelt ‘wailey’, and was a description of the piece, referring in particular to its sonorous bass counterpoint. As it turns out, I was wrong. ‘Wailey’ was not a description. ‘Waley’ was the name of the composer, and a rather gifted one at that.Simon Waley’s published compositions include a piano concerto, marches and caprices for piano, several orchestral pieces, and choral settings for the *Hallel*. In addition to his prodigious musical output, he found the time to be a broker on the London stock Exchange, travelogue author and inveterate letter writer to *The Times* of London. He was also prominent as a leader within the reform West London Synagogue.This piece was one of many to make its way into the London Spanish and Portuguese repertoire from the West London Synagogue, but the only one do do so composed by Waley.This rendition is loosely based on an arrangement by Jacob Hadida, choirmaster of the Spanish and Portuguese congregation of London between 1933 and 1937 and again from 1945 to 1954.The image in the video is a photograph of Lauderdale Road Synagogue taken shortly after its opening in 1896.Please like and share.