I don't have time to record it and post the recording, but here's how it goes, IIRC: Leader: A-bba! Group: I-ma! Leader: I-ma! Group: A-bba! Leader: Abba Ima! Group: Ima Abba! Leader: Ima Abba! Group: Abba Ima! Leader: Abba Ima Ima Abba! Group: Ima Abba Abba Ima! Leader: Abba Ima Ima Abba Ima Abba Abba Ima! Group: Ima Abba Abba Ima Abba Ima Ima Abba! (Actually, I'm not sure the last call-and-response pair is included outside of gatherings of especially nerdy Jews; most song-leaders probably fear over-taxing the short-term memories of the singers.) Jim Propp On Mon, Nov 23, 2015 at 10:13 AM, James Propp <jamespropp@gmail.com> wrote:
Does anyone know the background of the incursion of the Thue-Morse sequence into 20th century Jewish popular folk music?
There's a style of call-and-response mini-song often tucked into the middle of "David Melech Yisrael" dating back at least to the 1970s, in which two opposed Hebrew words or phrases, like mother/father and yes/no, are alternated in Thue-Morse style (see https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thue–Morse_sequence).
Was there some particular musician who was responsible for this?
(Also, can anyone find a relevant clip on YouTube?)
Jim Propp