Israeli army songs

[meydele <meydele...>]

I was lucky enough to be around this past winter when Ed Seroussi from Bar-Ilan 
University taught a class at UCLA on 
Israeli Popular Music.  I went back to my class notes to see what he said about 
Israeli "military music". What I set forth 
in the rest of this post is all second-hand, based on my class notes and 
recollections of the lectures.  If I've got any of it 
wrong - it's my fault, I didn't take it down right or garbled it in memory.  As 
for the hebrew - hah!  you can tell I'm a 
Yiddishist, don't rely on my transliterations at all. 

Seroussi spoke quite abit about the IDF entertainment troupes, which really 
shaped Israeli popular music for many, many 
years.  Almost all Israeli popular music pre-1967, as I understood him, was 
collectivist in nature.  The big break came 
after 1967, when songs began to address personal, individual issues, rather 
than collective ones.

The 1st IDF entertainment troupe was also the most influential one, the Nakhal 
troupe.  Almost all the significant 
songwriters and performers of the '50's thru the '80's came from that troupe, 
which got to pick the best performers.

Some songs that Seroussi pointed out in particular from the IDF troupes, as 
indiciative of the music that was being 
performed (these are my notes, verbatim): Mul ha Sinai - In Front of Mount 
Sinai: talks about Sinai desert after it was 
conquered in 1956.  Tambur accompaniment, w/arabic rhythm.  Lyrics: The 
soldiers are coming and they discover the 
burning bush - it is still on fire, kept there for 2000 years and now the young 
people of  Israel come into the desert and 
find the bush on fire.  Dissonance between the music and the text - lot of 
arabic influence in the music, while the text is an 
archetypal zionist text.  1956 was the first time that the Israeli army was on 
the offensive, the people were euphoric.  This 
is one of the classics of israeli popular music.  Covered many times

Central command troupe - 2 songs,  - among the very earliest songs of one of  
the most prominent israeli female 
composers, Naomi Sheimer who is still prominent.  1958 - hamseen bamishvat - 
hot desert wind in the military post - 2 
parts, slow and fast. Slow is bluesy feeling: it's hot in this post, Fast is 
let's steal a car, run to Tel Aviv, see a movie, kiss 
a woman.  The music depicts the context of the text, unlike the earlier folk 
songs.  Theatrical concept of music, alot to do 
w/the urban cabaret type of music.  
         Belal ha shme - everything happened because of a very small nail.   
About a horse, w/mouth clip-clop.  Text by Sheimer 
        as well as music.  Ironic overtones in the song, story is humoristic, 
music is modal w/response (oh-ho, oh-ho song).  

        IDF Entertainment Troupes - '60's were the golden era of IDF troupes.  
After the big start in the '50's, the '60's is 
        when the pattern of choosing the best artists and spending countless 
hours on productions comes to  a peak.  After that, 
        a decline and disbanded in the '80's.   Yair Rosenbloom - wrote 
countless famous Israeli songs.  Shir ha Shalom is one 
        of  his songs.  He composed most of his songs for the IDF troupes that 
he managed.  Probably every single major artist 
        of the '70's. '80's and '90's started in these troupes.  Very famous 
song, 1963.  "Mahar" by Naomi Sherer.  All the songs 
        being played have the pattern of stanza and refrain.  Song of 
hope-tomorrow, everything will be better.  Implicit in the 
        song is that peace will come, ships of the navy will be used to export 
oranges.  Today, this song is now played by the 
        Army band as a military march.  New sound for the nakhal ensemble.  
Larger instrumental ensemble, not just accordion 
        and drum.  Productions are more professional in all aspects from the 
troupes of the '50's, which were really folk 
        ensembles.

So, anyway, that's what I found that seems relevant to the discussion.  Don't 
ask me for any details, 'cuz I've now told you all I 
know.

Shira


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