I’ve wanted to talk to Pinchas Bichler for a long time. Bichler is a composer, music producer, and the founder and manager of Malchus Choir. Over the years, he has composed some songs which became big hits. Perhaps the most popular of his songs is “Shaarei Shomayim,” performed by Zanvil Weinberger.
As we start our interview, I ask him a question that’s been on my mind for a while: It seems that songs in chassidish music usually make use of basic chords and simple scales. Why is that?
Yes, he agrees, chasidic music is limited. That’s the nature of the music. Think about it, he says – most of the Jews in Eastern Europe were hardworking people. Many of them were in survival mode. Life was not easy. And that was reflected in the music. It was simple.
He explains that you can even point a finger and identify when a niggun is chassidish and when it’s Litvish (Lithuanian/yeshivish). The chassidish tune is often bolder, while the Litvish is simpler and more limited in range. But even the chassidish music is, at the end of the day, also limited. You can’t take it to new scales or new rhythms. We are less colorful, says Bichler.
Who created the structure of chasidic music? He doesn’t know. It presents a challenge to work within its limitations and create something beautiful.
As a comparison, I mention Carlebach songs, many of which have simple chords and are often in the Major scale. Bichler mentions that the parallel of Carlebach in chassidish music is perhaps the Skulen and Modzitz tunes. He adds that it is possible that in past years, the music might indeed have been more complex at times.
Another thing I wanted to get Bichler’s opinion about is the recent trend of Electronic Dance Music and trance influencing Jewish music. In his view, dance and trance beats do not create inner happiness. They only make you move. But they’re not a replacement for real music, he says.
Malchus Choir features many players and different instruments. When you watch their videos and listen to their songs, you can hear the rich music with all its elements. Bichler explains that hasidic pieces have a lot of information – many tunes, brasses, strings. While the scales and chords are basic and limited, the music itself is indeed rich. Why is the emphasis traditionally on brasses and strings? Here he shares something astonishing.
In the music of Beit HaMikdash, there were many strings and brasses. The strings in that time, however, were different from the modern violins. They were perhaps more similar to guitar. And there was of course the harp. The Mishna describes that there were about 4,000 players glorifying Hashem with instruments – “k’arbaat alafim mehalelim leHashem b’kelim” (Divrei Hayamim I 23:5). Others sang with their mouths. Back then, there were no speakers and sound systems so they had to have hundreds of people singing so they could be heard.
Jewish music, Bichler says, is music that should cause revival, enthusiasm, happiness.
Creating Hits
At this point I have to ask him: How did you compose “Shaarei Shomayim?” Where did the inspiration for this powerful song come from?
Actually, there’s no story, he tells me. He’s not even sure when he composed it. Maybe this is the reason it became such a success. Since “Shaarei Shomayim,” he hasn’t yet had another big hit that succeeded on that level. The song just came to him. Every time he composes a new song, he tries to create a big hit. He says that every time singers reach out to him to compose songs for them, they say they want a song like “Shaarei Shomayim.”
From all the songs he has composed, what is his favorite?
He has songs that haven’t been published. He is a Sadigura chassid. His favorite thing is to compose long pieces which are less commercial. After further thinking, he says his favorite tune he composed is “Teifen Eileinu,” which is performed by Zanvil Weinberger and the Malchus Choir.
The Malchus Choir
A few years after his wedding, Bichler started as a music arranger in studios. He was studying in a kollel at the same time. He realized he was not enjoying musical arranging. He used to sit for hours with the musician in the studio and felt he didn’t have the energy for it. With the choir however, he enjoyed it a lot more. The band members were all avrechim (kollel students) like him. Slowly he abandoned the musical arrangement side and went into the vocal part.
About 13 years ago, there was a big Siyum HaShas in Jerusalem. At this time, he was also writing for HaMevaser newspaper. Since he knew people and people knew him, they wanted him to be the maestro of the choir that would perform at the siyum. After the performance, he drew from the studio world the entire first generation of the Malchus Choir: the Weinberger brothers – Zanvil, Michael, Yossi, Yoeli – Motti Wiesel, Pollack, Davidovich. They offered a new product that did not exist before, especially in Israel. It took time for people to understand the concept.
Make Music!
Bichler is also a writer and a researcher of Jewish music. Besides writing in a newspaper, he also researches Jewish music.
I asked him to share something interesting he has discovered about chassidish music in his research.
Unfortunately, what he discovered is a little sad: A lot of chassidish music that is composed just does not get produced. Because the cost of producing is very high and can sometimes go to hundreds of thousands of dollars, many songs and even ancient nigunim are never released due to lack of budget. We miss out. Bichler estimates that thousands of tunes have not been released and some of them are lost.
People reach out to him and other musicians, sending songs with the hope that they’ll get released. Their goal is that their song will become the next “Shaarei Shomayim.” But they don’t have the budget and that means it is probably not going to happen.
Here Bichler wants to take the opportunity and urge musicians: You have a song? A tune? Release it! No matter how. Perform with it. Get into the studio and release it on a low budget. Don’t have a budget for musicians? Just get a keyboardist and bring him to the studio.
Family Influence
Bichler grew up in a very musical home. His father was a baal tefillah and very musical. He used to buy the new albums and the family used to sit and sing. At their Shabbat table, they would sing for three hours.
He grew up on chassidish music – Belz, Nadvorna – and also Avraham Fried, Mordechai Ben-David, Shwekey, Lipa Schmeltzer, and Mona Rosenblum.
Bichler learned how to play, but not formally. His grandfather had a piano at home and taught him how to play. He also taught him some musical theory.
On Pesach, his parents used to buy one Afikoman gift for all the brothers. One year, they decided to buy a keyboard. From all the siblings, he was the only one who really didn’t like the gift and wasn’t excited about the keyboard. In the end, though, he was the only one who played the keyboard and became a musician!
For many years, Bichler used to compose and build arrangements. He had a lot of music in his head but it didn’t come into expression until he started the Malchus Choir.
There’s a difference, he says, between being a musical maestro and leading a choir. A maestro needs to know a lot of music theory. But to lead a choir, you need more intuition and the ability to pass the energy to those in front of you. In the Malchus Choir, Bichler is the maestro and sometimes also sings. If you look at the many video clips of Malchus on YouTube, you will often see him singing.
You can listen to the Malchus Choir on YouTube and the music platforms.