https://youtu.be/31glOMLwSTE# Keter - Simon Duque | AmsterdamOne of the many endearing features of the Spanish and Portuguese tradition is the impressively short time it takes to complete the reading of Musaf, which on most occasions is done without a repetition. The rendering of the Kedusha is generally accomplished within two to three minutes, a conciseness which often contrasts hugely with the practice of some Ashkenazi synagogues, where the singing of the Kedusha by the Chazen and choir can take longer to perform than a movement of a Beethoven symphony.To a Snogeiro, its brevity, however, does not in any way compromise the Kedusha’s majesty or elegance. A masterful illustration of this is the much beloved composition by Simon Duque, Hazzan of the Amsterdam community, who was one of the tens of thousands of Dutch Jews who tragically perished in the Shoah. This delightful work, adorned with a number of exquisite motifs, is in essence a variation on a theme of the basic chant for the Musaf Amidah shared among all the communities within the tradition.The present recording is something of a distillation of the various versions that I have heard of this piece over the years, including those of Abraham Lopes Cardozo, Salomon Nunes Nabarro and the musicologist Yitshak Levi.In the coming week, I hope to release my second album on Spotify which will be an anthology of Spanish and Portuguese melodies for Kedusha. I’ll keep you posted.Please like and share.