Re: Borrowing church melodies

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

>When I taught "Jewish Contributions to American Musical Culture" in Poland, 
>I
>referenced 'White Christmas' (which, by the way, is very popular in Poland, 
>in
>English).  Not that I think it's Jewish music, of course, but, like many
>American Jews, Berlin included, it's secular and patriotic (in being 
>written on
>behalf of overseas GI's during WWII, especially in the Pacific Theater).... 
>  One can make a similar
>case for Easter Parade, and Phillip Roth did in a novel whose title I can't
>remember.  Roth claimed (tongue-in-cheek) that Berlin was attempting to
>secularize the most important Christian holidays in an effort to defuse
>anti-Semitism.


I don't know that this was tongue in cheek--though I'm not familiar with the 
Roth--and didn't know (and still don't?) whether this thought originated 
with him.  I've certainly heard it argued in earnest and quite seriously.  
(I say this, btw, as one who can't stand either song, and doesn't have much 
use for I. B. generally--but I can see that maybe he accomplished something 
useful here ...)



>I would reiterate that when Gentiles have appropriated a Jewish text 
>(musical or
>otherwise), it does not diminish its Jewishness.  Look what they've done 
>with
>Torah and it was still very Jewish last time I looked.

BTW:  Just as Jews in many different times and places appropriated secular 
(and, in at least some cases, church) melodies for prayer, almost always to 
the consternation of our rabbis, so Christians in some eras appropriated 
*our* melodies--usually to the annoyance and disapproval of *their* 
religious authorities.  Perhaps the classic case is the hymn that I believe 
is called "Lord God of Abraham Praise," which is written (in English) the 
tune we know as (the traditional, attributed to/composed by Meyer Leon of 
England) "Yigdal" and was an explicit and conscious borrowing from that 
melody.  It's still sung today in some denominations, I'm told, and was 
extraordinarily popular when it was published (late-18th century, I 
believe--am not home).

--Robert Cohen

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