Gregg turned his attention to solo guitar for this enjoyable collection of Jewish folk tunes that he dedicated to his two grandmothers. Hebraic Rhapsody: Traditional Jewish Melodies for Solo Guitar includes a suite of seven different tunes with lively dances like Hassidic Dance and touching songs like My Yiddische Momma. 

The guitar has long been associated with folk music and composers over the centuries have been indebted to folk songs. One only has to think of Schubert, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Bartók, Dvorák, Vaughan Williams, Brahms, Grainger, Britten, etc., to realise the extent of this umbilical relationship between so called “art” music and the folkloric.

Gregg Nestor’s arrangements of Hebrew folksongs for solo guitar are a rich reminder of the generations of anonymous musicians whose creativity endures in a wealth of traditional works. This Hebraic Rhapsody comprises melodies that were rooted in everyday living, centered around the Rabbi, the hearth, parents, and the dance, etc.- music and daily routines being inextricably intertwined. Here the emphasis is on community life and family relationships, though dance rhythms and religious cadences are never far away.