A new course at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany will look at the history and purpose of the niggun, vocal music based on repetitive sounds, both with and without words.

“Song is the Pen of the Soul,” taught by musicologist and violinist Joshua Sussman, will meet four Tuesdays beginning March 5, from 7 to 8:15 p.m., at the synagogue at 420 Whitehall Road in Albany.

The course takes its title from the teachings of Chasidic Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Ziadi who wrote, “If words are the soul of the heart, song is the pen of the soul.”

This course will explain the history and purpose of the niggun, discussing how the authors of Chasidic song in some cases share technical features with classical works by composers such as Liszt and Handel, and examine as well the special niggunim sung during Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. The course also will delve into the Chasidic lore behind the melodies and share the purpose and power inherent in this musical form.

Sussman is an accomplished violinist who has played with symphony orchestras and chamber groups across the United States and Europe. He has a master’s degree in music history from The Hartt School of Music at the University of Hartford in Connecticut as well a degree in rabbinics from the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, New Jersey.

Sussman’s familiarity ranges from the standard classical repertoire to Jewish folk traditions, and his teaching is informed both by his training in musicology and in the ways of Chasidism.

“Song is the Pen of the Soul” is open to the public.  Fee for the four-week course is $25 ($20 for B’nai Sholom members), and registration is required.

For more information, visit www.bnaisholomalbany.org or contact the B’nai Sholom office: 518-482-5283 or office@bnaisholom.albany.ny.us.