Re: "Classical" music with a Jewish theme

[Mark Kirschbaum <mkirschb...>]

On Fri, 16 Oct 1992, Max Stern 310-524-6152 wrote:

> Ari Davidow asked about "classical" Jewish music and asked for more
> information about Matt Fields' compositions.

> Although I believe Ari's question was focused on contemporary
> composers, I think it would be fun to develop a FAQ answer for the
> question "What 'classical' music has been written throughout the ages
> on Jewish themes?"  The list could be arranged chronologically by birth
> date of composer.  Maybe some kind of asterisking convention should be
> used for list entries which are controversial.

> Here's a smattering of a beginning, from memory.  '*' means that the
> item is controversial because not all would agree that it is inherently
> Jewish; '@' means that not all agree that it is classical (for example,
> because it was written for the synagogue rather than for the concert
> hall).

>   Salamone Rossi        @dozens of choral settings of psalms, etc.
>   Handel                *Israel in Egypt (oratorio)
>                       *Judas Maccabeus (oratorio)
>   Felix Mendelssohn     *Elijah (oratorio)
>   Verdi                 *Nabucco (opera)
>   Ernest Bloch          Sacred Service (Avodat HaKodesh)
>                       Shelomo
>                       Kol Nidre
>   Leonard Bernstein     Kaddish
>                       *Chichester Psalms
>   Yehezkel Braun        many choral and orchestral works
>   Jose Bowen            @Jazz settings of Jewish liturgy

> I have left out literally *dozens* of contemporary composers -- mostly
> Israeli and American -- who are writing in this general area.  One of
> them is Max Stern of Jerusalem -- no relation, although I have met him
> -- who won a prize for composition a year or so ago.  The list above is
> only a skeleton, which may suggest the breadth of this topic.

> Anyone want to contribute to this list?

>  |\/|  /_\  \/
>  |  | /   \ /\                      Max(dot)Stern (at) 
> TorreyPinesCA(dot)ncr(dot)com

There are some wonderful recordings out by the Boston Camerata dealing
with Jewish-style (to borrow a phrase from the non-kosher delis) music
from the Rennaissance and Medieval periods that are well worth checking
out. Noah Greenberg and his group in the late fifties did some other
Renaissance material of Jewish interest, but I think they are only on
vinyl. The idea of really classical vs synagogue as categories is a bit
problematic, though- I mean is Bach's Bmin mass less great because it was
meant to be played in a cathedral? Let us refrain from the "it must be
inferior because it is Jewish" bit.
                                        mark kirschbaum

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