The Hebrew word niggun (pl. niggunim) has a wide spectrum of meaning, including song, melody, production of sounds on an instrument, minstrelsy, and even cantillation marks. The term has entered Yiddish as nign (pl. nigunim), where it is less broadly formulated and means melody or song. In current usage nign or niggun usually refers to the religious melodies of the Hasidim. In Hasidism the singing of nigunim is a religious act intended to lead to union with God (Yidd. dveykus) and through which Hasidim express their social and religious affiliation.

Since the foundatio…