Hashir shehalviyyim is one of Ganchoff’s most prized compositions, and it is part of the repertoire of his most successful students. The piece exemplifies his classical cantorial approach as it builds, with graduating intensity ornamented by subtle inflections, to a logical climax. The tasteful, elegant melody at the end extends the nobility of the overall musical statement. Rather than sounding as if it were grafted onto the preceding recitative or expropriated from some popular source (as with many inferior cantorial constructions), it is perfectly in character with the prevailing mood and appears to grow naturally out of the recitative material.