What is Ravel’s “Kaddisch”, played in tribute to the victims of October 7?

“Kaddish” is a Jewish prayer. “Kaddisch”, a composition of the same name by Maurice Ravel, was performed by the National Guard on Wednesday at Les Invalides.

The ceremony honoring the victims of October 7 was held on Wednesday February 7 at the Hôtel National des Invalides, in the heart of Paris, in the presence of representatives of the families. The entry of the portraits of the victims into the courtyard of honor carried by Republican guards was followed by the interpretation of the Kaddish by Maurice Ravel. Originally, the kaddish is, in the Jewish religion, one of the essential prayers of the liturgy of the dead.

The French composer whose best-known work is The Bolerocomposed the Two Hebrew Melodies for voice and piano in 1914, based on traditional songs (lyrics and melody). The work was commissioned by Alvina Alvi, a soprano from the St. Petersburg Opera. The first melody, Kaddish, is a play in the Aramaic language. The second, The Eternal Enigma, shorter, is in Yiddish language. These compositions may have led some people to believe, by mistake, that Ravel was Jewish and the latter denied this in 1928: “I am not Jewish. I would add that if I were, I would not hide it in any way.”

The Kaddish is a prayer in Aramaic of which there are a multitude of versions. It is closely linked to the history of the Jewish people. Kaddish means “sanctification.” Tradition reports that after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, the Jewish people in exodus recited it as a sign of their hope in God. Originally, nothing speaks of death, yet it is known to accompany mourning. In most communities, Kaddish is recited during all prayer services, as well as during funerals and memorial ceremonies. One of its versions is the Kaddish Yatom, the prayer of orphans, or kaddish of the bereaved. It is then pronounced by the son of the deceased person or, according to tradition, by spouses, children, parents, brothers and sisters. The prayer is not about death, but about the future, and it ends with a message of peace. It is a hymn to the glory of God.