Re: Classical Recordings: What Is Jewish Music?

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

Bob's gracious clarification actually raises some interesting (I think) 
"What Is Jewish Music?" issues.  Some are actually just what I (no doubt 
philistinely) call "modern art" issues, just with new predicates. If a 
seemingly formless "abstract" painting bears the title "Paris, 1931," is it, 
in fact, "about" Paris?  And likewise wrt (= with respect to) the proverbial 
piece of "modern" junk--excuse me, sculpture--deposited in front of the 
Museum of Modern Art w/ some similar pretentious title.  If we learn that 
the work of art was merely "inspired" by Paris in the 30s even if it does 
not purport to be a depiction of the city in any sense, does that make it 
"art of the city" (so to speak).  So, similarly, I would ask (I do not mean 
this in the _slightest_ bit hostilely or sarcastically re Bob's initial 
query _at all,_ just musing):  If a composer claims that a piece of music 
was "inspired" by the Holocaust, the rebirth of the State of Israel, discord 
in the State of Israel, the havurah movement, the Jewish Renewal movement, 
discord in the Jewish Renewal movement, etc., etc., etc., can it be said to 
be "about" any of these things?  Does that suffice to make it legitimately 
"Jewish" music?                                                              
                   Of course, we could add on a different set of questions 
regarding the sufficiency or necessity of recognizably Jewish musical themes 
for a work to be called Jewish--as well as, perhaps, issues regarding the 
Jewishness (in his or her own mind?  Not meant snottily, but consider all 
the issues on the table now:  patrilineal Jews, halachically questionable 
(to some) adoptions, or marriages, etc.)--anyway, regarding the Jewishness 
of the composer.  Is Prokofiev's "Overture on Hebrew Themes," a non-Jewish 
composer working w/ Jewish musical materials but shaping them, of course, 
into a piece of Western "classical" music not intended for Jewish purposes 
or for specifically Jewish audiences, "Jewish" music?  Endless delicious 
minutiae to consider, as Sherlock Holmes once said.  Thanks to Bob for 
(inadvertently) raising the issue.  And P.S., Bob:  In what Schoenberg work 
w/ nothing Jewish in the title is there Jewish textual material?--Robert 
Cohen                                                                        
                                             "robert wiener" 
<wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>CC: "Robert Cohen" <rlcm17 (at) hotmail(dot)com>
>Subject: Re: Classical Recordings: Jewish?
>Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 16:52:57 -0400
>
>Robert,
>
>Some of these compositions have "thematically Jewish musical content".
>Others may have programmatic references to Hebrew Scriptures (even
>without identifying the reference in the title).  Others may have no
>Jewish significance at all (other than, perhaps, a composer who is
>Jewish and has written other works with a Jewish theme, such as
>Cotel).  The Gluck work caught my eye only because I know that he has
>written Jewish music, not because of its title.
>
>I'm sure that you have found many instrumental works that have no
>mention of their Jewish inspiration in their title, yet have Jewish
>musical (e.g., Ben-Haim) or even textual (e.g., Schoenberg) themes.
>That is why I wrote e.g.=exempli gratia/for example, "reference to
>Hebrew Scriptures", rather than i.e.=id est/that is.  Recordings
>interest me as having Jewish significance for many reasons, such as,
>Jewish text actually sung or spoken, or the use of Jewish musical
>themes (e.g., trope or nusach), but also if an event or text of Jewish
>siginificance was a conscious inspiration for the piece (e.g., the
>Shoah or Noah and the Flood).
>
>The pieces I listed were just works that made me wonder by their
>composer and/or title, "Do they have any Jewish significance?" when I
>saw them mentioned (e.g., on lists of new recordings).  I've done some
>research on them without being able to answer the question.  Sometimes
>even record reviews in the American Record Guide or Fanfare are of no
>help.  That's why I've asked the list for help.
>
>Thanks for the opportunity to clarify.
>
>Bob
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Robert Cohen <rlcm17 (at) hotmail(dot)com>
>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
>Date: Monday, June 21, 1999 3:58 PM
>Subject: Re: Classical Recordings: Jewish?
>
>
> >Bob, I'm puzzled.  Some of these titles--certainly the Gluck,
>say--sound
> >like purely instrumental works.  In what way could they have
>_textual_
> >Jewish content ito (=in terms of) Scriptural references and the like?
>I.e.,
> >as opposed to thematically Jewish musical content?
> >
> >
> >>From: "robert wiener" <wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com>
> >>Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> >>To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
> >>Subject: Classical Recordings: Jewish?
> >>Date: Mon, 21 Jun 1999 14:07:30 -0400
> >>
> >>Can anyone help me determine if these recently recorded classical
> >>works have Jewish content (e.g., reference to Hebrew Scriptures)?
> >>I suspect that at least some of them do because of the composer,
> >>title, or both.
> >>
> >>Adler, Samuel: Choose Life
> >>Chesky: Psalms for Strings (3)
> >>Cotel, Morris Moshe Cotel: 5 Quatrains for Soprano and Ensemble
> >>Ellison, Michael P. Before All Beginning
> >>Glick, Srul Irving: Serenade and Dance For Solo Violin
> >>Lamb, Marvin: J.B.II
> >>MacMillan, James: Adam?s Rib
> >>Ran, Shulamit: Inscriptions
> >>Toovey: Adam
> >>Vainberg, Moshe: Sonatas for Solo Cello (1-4)?
> >>Weinzweig: Dance of Masada
> >>
> >>Thanks,
> >>Bob
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
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