Songs of Transcendence are based on three songs found within a Jewish prayer service for the Sabbath morning. In a prayer context, these songs are often sung in a number of repetitions, often leaving the words behind altogether towards the end. Thus the spirit of the words is distilled in the melody, as its essence drifts up to the Divine. In these pieces, the melody is stated very clearly at the beginning, and then these materials are elaborated upon using various variation techniques. Given the simple nature of these melodies, the variation processes never take the original very far away from its origins.

This work was commissioned by Michael Jacobson, in memory of his deceased wife, Simone Jacobson, of blessed memory.