About the creation

The Golden Chain - suite for Orchestra, based on East-European Jewish folk tunes, was composed in 1937 and a piano version of the work was made by the composer in the same year. In the piece, the composer preserves the Jewish and Hassidic folk tunes in their purest form, transferring them to the concert hall as they were originally sung.  The Suite is in seven movements: a Lullaby; "Hatzkele" - a Jewish comic song for girls; "The Eternal Enigma" - an old Jewish song touching upon the riddle of existence; "And Moses Rejoiced" - a Hassidic tune; "Deep in the Woods" - a love song; "Yame, Yame" - a maidens' song, "Yume" being the diminutive for Benjamin; and the last movement "And Purify Our Hearts" - a Hassidic tune. The Suite is dedicated to the conductor Issay Dobrowen, under whose baton The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra presented the first performance of the work in 1938.