Dorman’s Nigunim (Third Violin Sonata) was premiered in New York in 2011 by Gil and Orli Shaham, for whom it was written. In 2014, the composer orchestrated the piano part, and in 2017 heavily revised it, in which form Nigunim won the 2018 Azrieli Prize for Jewish Music. “I tried to bring more of the folk elements and rhythmic variety to the fore through orchestral colors,” says Dorman, “often by using instruments in unusual ranges and with unorthodox performance techniques. I think the biggest challenge was to preserve the role of the original piano part without overwhelming the violin and maintaining a balance that makes the piece sound like a genuine concerto.”

Nigunim (plural of nigun, also spelled niggun) are a type of Jewish religious song, largely improvisatory in nature, and often incorporating repetitive sounds such as “bam-bam-bam” or “doi-doi-doi.” In tone they may be mournful and devotional, or joyous and triumphant. Dr. James Loeffler, on the web site myjewishlearning.com, notes that nigunim are “often described as mystical musical prayers or a spiritual language beyond words. They are songs formed of multiple melodic phrases, typically sung without instrumental accompaniment and without words,” and are “performed in a distinctive expressive vocal style with dramatic inflections similar to cantorial music referred to by the Yiddish words krekhts (literally moan, sigh, or sob) and kneytsh (pinch).

Dorman writes that in preparing to compose Nigunim, “I decided to explore the music of various Jewish traditions from different parts of the world and how they relate to larger local musical traditions. To my surprise, I found that there are some common musical elements to North African Jewish cantillations, Central Asian Jewish wedding songs, Klezmer music and Ashkenazy prayers. Though I did not use any existing Jewish melodies for Nigunim, the main modes and melodic gestures of the piece are drawn from these common elements. Moreover, different sections of the piece draw upon local non-Jewish musical traditions of each of these regions. For example, the second movement uses principles found in Georgian folk rhythms and harmonies and the fourth is inspired by Macedonian dances.”