A Tangent to What is Jewish Music

[Adrian Durlester <durleste...>]

Chevra:

I've no desire to step into the debate of "what is Jewish music?" but I
would be curious to find out how readers of this list might answer this
question, which I posed to the Hanashir list, which is:

 "a place for Jewish song leaders, music educators, songwriters,
performers, cantors, musicians, teachers, etc. to share information,
experiences, ask questions, receive guidance."

In a recent end of the year message, I wrote:

"Other lists may focus primarily on cantorial arts or "ethnic" Jewish music
(i.e. klezmer), or are lists for fans, listeners, etc.  Here at Hanashir we
focus on the full range of music that is being used today in worship,
schools, camps, etc. I have been searching for adequate terminology to
describe this genre, but as of yet have been unsuccessful. I lean towards
"contemporary Jewish liturgical music" but even that can be a bit too
exclusive. I'm open to suggestions on this one. After all, we are lumping
into one giant pot traditional nusach, "mi-Sinai" tunes, turn-of-the century
(hmm-that's about to become an unspecific term...) classic synagogue music,
camp songs, chalutzim songs, Israeli pop music, classic and contemporary
cantorial music, classic contemporary folk-style liturgical music, new
contemporary liturgical music, pedagogical music, and dozens of other
categories."

The "genre" we are talking about here is the one that originated with Debbie
Friedman, Kol B'seder, Doug Mishkin, Doug Cotler, Craig Taubman. But it also
includes the synagogue music of Steinberg, Isaacson, Richards, Nelson.Not to
mention the likes of Lewandowski, Sulzer, Adler, Horvick, et al; plus the
60s and 70s Israeli pop that has infiltrated the synagogues; plus Reb
Shlomo's music-a genre unto itself  And the newer contemporary sounds of
Julie Silver, Sam Glaser, Ma Tovu, Yom Hadash, Steve Dropkin, Peri Smilow,
Karen Daniel et al.

The genre needs a name. Contemporary Jewish Liturgical or Contemporary
Jewish Folks seem inadequate. Suggestions welcome. It may be there is more
than one genre here. For example, my wife's music (Karen Daniel) is
influenced by a more Nashville and less folk sound, Yom Hadash is influenced
by Beatles, Dylan, Springsteen, et al. Sam Galser's msuic could hardly be
considered "folk." So, how do we categorize all this music, and what can we
call it?

Adrian A. Durlester
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Adrian A. Durlester  -  durleste (at) home(dot)com
http://members.home.net/durleste/
Student, Vanderbilt University Divinity School
http://divinity.lib.vanderbilt.edu/vds/vds-home.htm
Music Director, Congregation Micah, Nashville, TN http://www.micahnash.org/
Home phone (615) 646-9788 Nextel cel-phone (615) 207-2661
You can page me from http://www.nextel.com
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
Editor, Bim Bam (for Torah Aura Productions) http://www.torahaura.com/
Alternate Email: aad (at) iname(dot)com  adriand (at) aol(dot)com

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