Re: Polyphony

[Matthew H. Fields <fields...>]

In article <3dceup$b25 (at) ixnews1(dot)ix(dot)netcom(dot)com>,
Howard Stokar <hstokar (at) ix(dot)netcom(dot)com> wrote:
>Why is there no polyphonic tradion of Jewish music?  I'm looking for
>some informed responses.
>Howard Stokar

1) There is, cf Salomone Rossi.
2) A lot of our tradition focusses on heterophony of ornate melodies, i.e.
musics similar to those of our Arabic, Ottoman, and other neighbors over the
centuries.
3) I guess what you're fishing for is counterpoint, in which case, cf
Salomone Rossi, or my own compositions, or Leonard Bernstein's 1st and
3rd symphonies...but there's certainly polyphony among the various players
in a typical Klez ensemble, e.g. a top line, a bass line, and various
other colors.