A Quest

[Dan Kazez <kazez...>]

9 February 1996

The "what is Jewish music" question has been at the center of my 
professional work for several years.  I have searched dozens of 
libraries (Yale, Library of Congress, U. Mich., etc.) in a quest for 
Jewish-inspired music for cello and piano (or very readily 
transcribable to the cello).  I have been judge and jury, of course.  
My goal was to assemble a collection of music that sounds Jewish.  
The religion of the composer was never an issue.

My ultimate goal was to present a major European concert tour with a 
"Jewish" program, designed so that every audience would enjoy 
"Jewish sounds."  My last concert was in London.  There, I enjoyed 
asking the audience for their opinion--did they think that specific 
works that I played were Jewish sounding.

More recently (last November) I spent two days in residence at 
Northern Illinois, at the invitation of Israeli music scholar Robert 
Fleisher.  I lectured on "Jewish music" and cultural activities of 
Diaspora populations.  I also brought along a recent composition by 
Toronto Jewish composer Louis Applebaum.  (We were scheduled to 
perform in Toronto 2 weeks later.)  We performed this music for a 
composers forum (12 student and faculty composers).  We discussed at 
length whether the actual sounds of Applebaum's composition were 
indeed "Jewish."

At our Toronto concert, we played music by composers Ben Steinberg 
and Applebaum, in addition to our regular program.  In between 
pieces, Steinberg, Applebaum, and I discussed ("for the audience") 
the whole issue of Jewish music.  In addition to discussing general 
issues in this regard, we discussed matters related to a list of 15 
or so key questions that I assembled for the benefit of the 
audience.

It has been a fascinating quest!!

Perhaps I will post my questions for present readers to mull over.

Dan Kazez

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   -----------------------Music-on-Jewish-Themes-----------------------
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   ------------------------Daniel-Kazez-cellist------------------------
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    1995-96 CONCERTS:  Prague, Berlin, Rome, Florence, Paris, Salzburg, 
         Brussels, London, DeKalb, Toronto, Dayton, Akron, Columbus
   
    Dan Kazez/Associate Professor of Music
    Wittenberg Univ./Springfield, Ohio 45501
    kazez (at) wittenberg(dot)edu
    tel:  513-327-7354/fax:  513-327-6340