This is my personal list of sites with mp3 and other recordings of nusach and Jewish liturgy. I collected these links because I am deeply interested in the music of Jewish liturgy, and I want to learn every melody there is for everything. I am not likely to ever reach this impossible goal, but this list is my attempt at it, at least!
These resources are arranged by an algorithm that considers how extensive a resource the resource is in each area. This consideration is subjective, but if you are looking for a particular High Holiday tune, you are more likely to find it toward the top of the High Holiday page than the bottom. Resources in gray boxes contain significant non-Ashkenazi nusach, in some cases alongside Ashkenazi nusach and in other cases to its exclusion.
Keep posted, since I add new resources to this list from time to time. I am also working on a larger project, NusachDB, to collect the melodies themselves. If you know of any useful sites not on this list, or notice a miscategorization, please let me know at webmaster@offtonic.com. Notable missing (or not well-covered) recordings include the Saturday night portions of Maariv, Kiddush Levanah, the Hoshanot of Sukkot, the Hakafot and Chatan Torah passages of Simchat Torah, the Al Hanisim paragraph in the Amidah and Birkat Hamazon of Chanukah, Purim, and Yom Haatzmaut (in the Conservative tradition, anyway), the Haggadah chanting of the Magid and others, and, of course, any less famous melodies for well-covered services like Kabbalat Shabbat and Hallel. If you know of any sites with these, please send them along, or hey, record them yourself if you'd like!
Click "Catalogued recordings" to see which recordings or sheet music in a particular site have been added to NusachDB. For the foreseeable future, these do not represent the totality of recordings for most sites, but the lists will get more complete with time.
Please enjoy this list and may it increase your learning.
Some recordings of Shabbat songs and prayers, including a nice recording (with instrumental accompaniment) of the Birkat Hamazon that uses some interesting melodies at times. The site is difficult to traverse, but there are other musical resources on it: Chanukah blessings, Chanukah songs, more Chanukah songs, Purim songs, and Haggadah songs.
Note: includes Seudah Shlishit songs
Great site with lots of Chasidic recordings of melodies! Has a section for Sephardic and Chasidic melodies, too. Click on the download links to listen in your browser if the player doesn't work.
A huge and fairly comprehensive collection of German-tradition nusach recordings by a Marcel Lang. There's nusach for everything, and sometimes even several different versions. This site is superlatively good for Friday night recordings and has several unique tracks like the Purim Kiddush!
Note: includes a ton of zemirot and multiple melodies; there are additional melodies under Yekkish Semirot
A surprisingly large collection of audio classes, including model complete seders, songs (including actually teaching the songs) and blessings, stuff like that. It's basically an open directory structure, and it's just filled with stuff. It even has correct laining for Job, Proverbs, and Psalms! I should mention that there's much more in here than I can categorize myself, so if I missed anything, let me know! There are many recordings under Songs that I don't immediately recognize, so if you're looking for something in particular, it could be here. There are also many videos of classes which include songs and nusach at the main site.
Note: lots of zemirot under Songs/Shabbos Songs
A big collection of songs, focusing on zemirot and piyutim, with words, translation, and often multiple recordings (though some have none). It's not organized by occasion, so I could be off in my categorizations, but this should be a primary resource for zemirot. There are some Indian (Bene Israel) tunes, but they're all cut off after exactly one minute. Be careful, too, because a few of the recordings are sung without particular attention to pitch!
Note: includes B'vo'o M'Edom, Baruch El Elyon, Bilvavi, B'nei Heichala, Chai Adonai, Dror Yikra (17 recordings), Ki Eshm'rat Shabbat, Ps. 23, Shimru Shabtotai, Y'did Nefesh, Yoducha Rayonai, Yom Shabbaton, Yom Zeh M'chubad
An Orthodox congregation, with plenty of great nusach recordings and audio classes. Other recordings are in the pages under Resources, including some beautifully harmonized recordings for Shabbat.
Note: includes lunch and Seudah Slishit zemirot, some with multiple versions, most with instrumental accompaniment, as well as the Kiddush itself; includes Ki Eshm'rah Shabbat and Shimru Shabtotai
In Hebrew (the English version has the same stuff, but not everything has been translated). Absolutely wonderful collection of piyutim (and regular blessings and psalms too, if you look hard enough) from all over the world. It's no longer updated, with the new site being Atar Hapiyut V'hat'filah. The old content uses Flash, so it might be, well, very difficult to get to it right now.
In Hebrew. This is the remake of Invitation to Piyut and Shituf Piyut. It's more difficult to navigate but has more stuff, and it includes most of the old stuff as well (but not all, for legal reasons).
In Hebrew (the English version is the legacy site, Invitation to Piyut, which is no longer maintained). Absolutely wonderful collection of piyutim (and regular blessings and psalms too, if you look hard enough) from all over the world, run by the National Library of Israel. It's massive, constantly updated, and it takes submissions if you want to send in your own recordings that they don't yet have. It's the successor site to Invitation to Piyut and Shitufiyut, containing (most of) the recordings from both.
Not what I'm interested in -- until "More Cantorial", where you'll find a Haggadah recording of Cantor Pinchas Rabinowitz with a whole bunch of new tunes. Awesome. Would totally rock if it didn't have blinking animated GIFs.
Note: includes several Saturday z'mirot under shabbat kiddush/night songs
Shiurim and music of Breslov chasidim. In Hebrew. Like other Chasidish sites, it also contains quite a few instrumental tracks, and the audio quality varies for older recordings. Loading times can be very slow! The Breslov chasidim use the Chasidish Nusach Sefard.
Note: includes a very large number of zemirot (שירי ברסלב - ניגוני חסידי ברסלב - שבת)
Many recordings of table songs from various traditions, and not just for Shabbat! Some are piyutim also sung at other occasions (Adon Olam, Ein Keloheinu, Yigdal). It's a sister site to London Sephardi Music.
A collection of zemirot and other recordings for Shabbat at home. I think everything on it is from Aish.com, but there may be exceptions. Make sure to click "download" instead of the song title.
Great site with mp3's of nearly everything. This should always be the first stop. His nusach can be unique, at times, and he has great melodies that are hard to find elsewhere.
There is a lot here! There are melodies and accompanied recordings for many things, and not so much nusach. If you aren't familiar with Chabad, you'll find exciting combinations here, like using the Hoshia et Amecha tune for the R'tzeh paragraph in the Birkat Hamazon. A fantastic resource.
Note: short Kiddush; Zemirot under Chasidic Classics
A Reform synagogue with trope lessons, prayers, and some songs, including Haggadah stuff. Much of it is more song than nusach with simple songs that may even involve clapping and English.
Interesting melodies from an Iraqi tradition, for a variety of texts including Kol Nidrei, Shabbat piyutim, etc.
Note: Zemirot
A whole bunch of Sephardic recordings. If it's similar to the Liturgical Music of Shaar Hashamayim website, it's because it's made by the same person! The content is different, though, and there's a lot more detail in some of the pages, including texts of prayers and piyutim. Jewish Table Singing is a sister site and features many of the same recordings.
In Hebrew. The English language Modzitz site may be old and have RealAudio files, but the Israeli site has all the music! The site's English section is apparently under construction, but the Hebrew section is easily navigable (especially with Google Translate). There are melodies for various zemirot and blessings, as well as many, many niggunim. Some recordings are instrumental only, some are sung with accompaniment, some are just sung.
In Spanish. Includes a very nice collection of Shabbat table tunes, including Bendigamos, kiddush, and several zemirot. Some of the recordings have harmony and guitar. There are also accompanied Shabbat recordings from services including minchah.
A collection of seder melodies, zemirot, and other songs, along with transcribed sheet music, with many different melodies per song. A nice treasure trove, since most sites only have one melody for each thing, but the audio controls are very fussy.
Note: several Zemirot, including one for Shabbat Chanukah
Texts and recordings of pretty much everything one might need for one's own Shabbat celebration, including kiddush, zemirot, etc. Recipes too!
Note: chanting for kiddush starts at Zachor; includes Yom Shabbaton, Yedid Nefesh, and Psalm 23
A bunch of 1980's recordings of Shabbat table songs with a Sephardic flair. There are many zemirot here. The previous page also has a Purim song.
Also a great site with quite a bit, from the Conservative tradition. It has most of the Haggadah, as well as melodies for a lot of things on Shabbat and weekdays (all in streaming format). My second stop.
There are several Carlebach CD's available for purchase, but you can listen to the individual tracks on the site. These are great melodies, but as is usually Reb Carlebach's style, the words are usually just a line or two from the liturgy.
In French. A site of shiurim that also includes some recordings of nusach (Sephardic). Some are under Chabbath -> Chants du Chabbath (includes many zemirot and other piyutim), a few are under La Prière (most of the pages there are empty, though), and a few are under Les fêtes juives -> Pessa'h. Not all of the recording links work, unfortunately.
In Italian. Huge archive of Italian recordings, including Italian laining, Italian nusach, and classes. There's a lot more there than I've been able to properly categorize, especially without an Italian siddur, so the notes below are (and will probably always be) incomplete.
Note: includes Yedid Nefesh, Bar Yochai in I Canti di Scoletta, and Saturday Kiddush
The first congregation in America! It's in the Spanish and Portuguese tradition, and it contains a wealth of recordings, including a complete Shabbat morning service, complete weekday services, complete parshiyot, and much more.
A Conservative synagogue with pretty good nusach stuff for Shabbat, including a very nice Hallel and Anim Zemirot. Some of the more generally named files, like Kabbalat Shabbat – Maariv and Birkot Hashachar, are actually complete services.
In Box format, though the mp3's can be downloaded. The Shabbat morning recordings have quite a few songs rather than nusach. There are also some songs that have English as well.
A rabbi and his family have put up three wonderful albums of Shabbat table songs, Sheva Brachot table songs, and year-round songs.
Tisch songs, as well as Yeshivat Reishit's beautifully harmonized high holiday tunes.
A site to collect liturgical tunes -- a worthy goal, if I may say so myself! Each of the pages on the right has some recordings, but our communities has a complete Shabbat morning service with good nusach and tunes.
A few songs and prayers in a very old style (notes are difficult to hear, though). The page is in Hebrew; the headings are Shabbat, second meal of Shabbat, third meal of Shabbat, Psalms, Pesach, and Yom Kippur.
Note: a lunchtime text I can't identify, three zemirot for S'udah Shlishit
The website for a bentscher, which has recordings for a bunch of the zemirot therein as well as Birkat Hamazon itself.
This is a project by Faraj Samra to preserve and present Sephardic chazanut (the title probably gave that away, didn't it?). It's actively growing and receiving regular updates, so this information may soon be out of date. It contains Torah, haftarah, and Tehilim readings, and a very large chunk of the siddur (including melodies sometimes).
In Hebrew. It's a site where users can upload their own recordings of piyutim and make their own piyut-centered pages. There's a ton of stuff on here, in various traditions (emphasis on Moroccan and Yemenite, but there's Ashkenazi as well), with a LOT of non-piyut recordings as well; it's affiliated with Invitation to Piyut, so you know it's good. However, unlike its relative, browsing for anything is an absolute nightmare, since within each occasion, they're ordered by *date*. However, there's much more than just piyutim -- there's laining and tefilah as well, but you have to dig. There's a Google-powered search engine too, which helps.
Note: includes a recording of all of Kiddush in the Yemenite tradition, and probably has all of the zemirot you could want
In French. They sell CD's, but they also have videos and recordings, neatly categorized, including recordings and videos mostly from the Syrian and Tunisian traditions, often with the text as well. Recordings and videos range from traditional to accompanied and produced.
A Conservative synagogue with mp3's for a lot of stuff for Shabbat (and weekday maariv too). It's downloadable, which is nice, and it's a great resource.
The Jewish Community of Japan caters mostly to American expats -- the website and recordings are all in English, and the rabbi is American -- but it's there and they have a website! Most of the links here are YouTube, but if you go to Services -> Sing With Us and choose the submenu options, you'll find a complete Shabbat maariv (no Kabbalat Shabbat), a few from Shabbat morning, and even some Shabbat mincha.
A lot of nice Chasidic niggunim, many very march-like, but it's in Real Audio format, which makes it exceedingly awkward to listen to. Many of the files don't work, either.
An Orthodox shul's recordings of various services, including Hoshanot! Also has a couple of High Holiday melodies and recordings of Yom Tov maariv and shacharit.
Note: includes a few zemirot: an interesting melody for Y'did Nefesh (with sheet music), and two for Baruch Adonai Yom Yom
A Conservative synagogue that sadly no longer exists, but there are still some audio files up, with much of Shabbat (excluding Pesukei D'zimrah).
NOTE: Sorry. The site is no longer there. Gone. But the Wayback Machine has stored it, along with the files on it, here!
Note: Kiddush
In Hebrew. This is a big Judaism site that also has a bunch of recordings. Many are actually samples from Harav Levi Sudri, in the Moroccan tradition, but there are some weekday shacharit recordings as well in both Sephardic and Ashkenazic nusach. There's some sheet music as well; in particular, you can find [sheet music for z'mirot](http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/shabat/zmirot/tohen-2.htm) at some of these pages.
Incredibly beautiful recordings of Kabbalat Shabbat, as well as a whole bunch of songs and zemirot. Includes weekday maariv and mincha.
A Conservative synagogue with audio for several blessings, including Birkat Hamazon, kiddush for Shabbat evening and morning, chag, and High Holidays, havdalah, aliyah blessings, and Chanukah candlelighting.
A few Shabbat, Pesach, and Rosh Hashanah melodies, though the site is very much in progress. Pesach files are spread over a few different pages, and currently, some of the links don't work (though most do).
Note: includes V'shamru
Various Chasidic recordings and niggunim. Has an extensive section on Ana B'choach and three versions of Shoshanat Yaakov.
In French. You have to dig a bit, but there's some interesting stuff! Much of it is recordings from other places, like Shira Hadasha, but there are original recordings as well. Several recordings of the Shema under Rite quotidien, Friday night and Saturday day kiddush (with an interesting non-Lewandowski melody for Friday night) under Rites domestiques, several versions of several parts of Kabbalat Shabbat, including a whole lot of L'chah Dodi tunes, 10 versions of Tzur Mishelo under Chants du Shabbat; under Shabbat matin, haftarah blessings, kedusha, Ps. 150, and Shirat Hayam; and a whole bunch of High Holiday and Slichot recordings (including a whole Slichot service).
I really like going to services at this shul! The page is a bit hard to navigate, though. Shabbat recordings (for children) are under Congregational Learning. High Holiday Tunes are at the Shabbat and Prayer link (not the one that shows up in the menu), and for extra confusion, the link that does show up in the menu is Chazzan Saul Wachs's recording, which is separate. Several of the High Holiday Tunes are borrowed from other sites as well, so check those out!
Note: includes complete Kiddush
A few piyutim from various traditions, with a focus on the Near and Middle East.
A band's website, with some rock settings for Shabbat piyutim and zemirot.
It's a blog, but the music links on top have a pretty nice variety of nusach and melodies. Very much in progress at the moment. The high holiday recordings are in very large files, though, so it's a bit hard to find what you want in them, but they're very good.
Note: last part of Kiddush
A site dedicated to the memory of Ronny Horvitz and his melodies from Frankfurt. Contains taamim for Torah and haftarah, some Esther,
A wealth of Spanish and Portuguese melodies (and some chazanut), including parts of Hallel, S'lichot, festival liturgy, Shabbat, and a whole bunch of stuff, along with a bit of info on each melody.
General blessings, each in its own page, so it's not easily categorized. Not all blessings have sung recordings attached, but many do, often covering more than the written text. Other pages with recordings (not hosted locally) are here, with posts marked "music".
Note: includes V'shamru and Al Ken/Bore Pri Hagafen
A Karaite congregation with quite a few audio files of prayers and songs from the Egyptian Karaite tradition, including Shabbat, havdalah, kiddush, slichot, Esther, etc.
The Shabbat morning service (using the shortened Pesukei D'zimra). Has Torah trope as well. There's also an alternate melody for the Kaddish Shalem at the end of musaf (which is shortened; Shacharit is full-length), which is cool.
Note: includes kiddush
A bunch of nice recordings (that need to be downloaded) of Pesach tunes, Shirat Hayam, Chanukah blessings, Shabbat, and more. Some have beautiful piano accompaniment!
Note: includes a few recordings of Dror Yikra
A site that looks stuck in the 90's (though it's not like my site is any better). It has MIDI files for some things, some .mp3 files, and some .mp3 samples, along with links to purchase the files on iTunes or Rhapsody (so it isn't actuallystuck in the 90's).
Some beautiful accompanied recordings of mostly piyutim with melodies from around the world. It's the same collection as from Bnai Jeshurun and at Invitation to Piyut North America
Many blessings and songs, for Shabbat and in general. There are additional interesting melodies for many of them, with attributions! They don't follow the traditional order of the service, however, especially for Kabbalat Shabbat.
Note: includes kiddush
Sephardic recordings of some prayers, with a focus on High Holidays, and the entire Torah recited.
Note: includes kiddush
A site dedicated to Spanish and Portuguese communities, with links to videos on YouTube from the Paris, Montreal, Gibraltar, and London communities.
An Orthodox synagogue with a few tracks on how to lead davening for weekday shacharit and Shabbat kiddush (night and day).