Midnight Vigil (Hebrew: תיקון חצות, transliteration: tikkun ḥatzot) is an oratorio for tenor (optionally contralto in the revised 1984 version), three mixed choirs, and orchestra by Israeli composer Mordecai Seter (1916–94).
[1][2] Midnight Vigil is a roughly forty-minute monodrama, its action consisting of visions experienced by a lone worshipper who prays all night in a synagogue.
The oratorio's striking drama, power, and coherence derive from Seter's mastery of polyphonic technique, his sure and original orchestration, and his consistent use—with expert balance between repetition and variation—of an intricately linked network of musical materials.
The work's fourth version, a radiophonic oratorio (1960) was similar to the fifth and final one, 30 minutes in length and scored for baritone, narrator, three choirs, and orchestra.
[2] Midnight Vigil is regarded as one of the most important Israeli works, and was paired with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony on the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra's Millennium Festival program of 1 January 2000.