Y'did Nefesh

A lyrical and sensuous setting of Y'did Nefesh for Soprano, Tenor and Piano. Y’did Nefesh is a piyyut, a Jewish liturgical poem that is meant to be chanted or recited during religious services. It was written by the sixteenth century kabbalist, Rabbi Elazar Azkari (1533-1600) of Safed. Azkari’s philosophy centered on the intense love one must feel for God, a theme that is clearly evident in the words of Y’did Nefesh. As with many other piyyutim, Y’did Nefesh is an acrostic poem: the first letters of each of the four verses make up the four-letter name of God, known in English as the Tetragrammaton.