120. Freaking out

I held the three CDs in my hands and started to freak out. This was an awful lot of music and, being a note snob (one of the reasons why I like to chant Torah--it's cool following those little symbols), I didn't have much experience learning by ear. My task was Shaharit, the first half of which was identical to Shabbat. The rest of the service was a mixture of prayers unique to the High Holidays, which I knew from five years in the choir, and more Shabbat prayers with completely different tunes. I would be alternating some lines or stanzas with the rabbi, but the bulk of the singing would be my job--unlike the rest of the year when the rabbis, who all happen to have nice voices and good ears, participate equally. I was to lead Shaharit on Yom Kippur and the second day of Rosh Hashonah.