Adon Olam
It is sometimes attributed to Solomon ibn Gabirol (1021–1058 CE),[2] who is known for his Hebrew poetry, although there is no solid evidence for this, and the regular metric structure does not seem to accord with his other compositions.
Adon Olam is one of the most familiar hymns in the whole range of the Jewish liturgy and is sung in many communities at the end of the Additional Service (Musaf) for Shabbat (Sabbath) and Yom Tov (Festival).
[5] According to Seligman Baer, the hymn seems to have been intended to be recited before going to sleep, as it closes with the words: "Into His hand I commit my spirit when I fall asleep, and I shall awake.
According to the custom of the Sephardim and in British synagogues generally, it is sung by the congregation at the close of Sabbath and festival morning services, and among the Ashkenazi Jews it sometimes[citation needed] takes the place of the hymn Yigdal at the close of the maariv service on these occasions, while both hymns are sometimes[citation needed] chanted on the Eve of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidre).
[1] It is likewise recited or chanted at the commencement of the daily early morning prayer,[1] that its utterance may help to attune the mind of the worshiper to reverential awe.
Special mention should be made of the setting written by Simon W. Waley (1827–1876) for the West London Synagogue, which has become a classic among the British Jews, having been long ago adopted from the "reform" into the "orthodox" congregations, of England and its colonies.
[10] In Hebrew schools and Jewish summer camps, the Adon Olam hymn is sometimes set, for fun, to secular tunes like "Yankee Doodle" or "Jamaica Farewell".
In 1976, Uzi Hitman created a more upbeat tune for the 8th Annual Hasidic Song Festival and has become the most popular version in Israel when sung outside traditional liturgical settings.
A rhythmic English version in the book Prayers, Psalms and Hymns for the Use of Jewish Children[11] of 1905 only loosely follows the Hebrew text.
A rhythmic English version which adheres much more closely to the Hebrew text is attributed to Frederick de Sola Mendes; it appears in the entry Adon Olam in The Jewish Encyclopedia of 1906 and in the Union Hymnal[12] of 1914.
Then in His hand myself I lay, And trusting sleep, and wake with cheer; My soul and body are His care; The Lord doth guard, I have no fear.
