Re: What is Jewish Music?

[Ron or Kari Averill <ronkari...>]

As the person who asked this question,
>
>> >How about the case of the man who asked a question of our list recently 
>> >about
>> >klezmer music to be referenced in a work being written to honor Holocaust
>> >survivors, written by someone not Jewish:  is that Jewish music?

I now feel involved in this discussion.  The composition referred to is
something that I'm still in the process of conceiving.  I am considering
using pre-existing Jewish music as part of the piece, or perhaps composing
original music in the style of Jewish music, i.e. klezmer.  I still have not
decided whether or not to do this.  I am trying to be sensitive in each
decision that I make.  If I do use Jewish music, whether it be pre-existing
or not, I don't think my composition could be considered Jewish.  One could
perhaps say that it is in the style of Jewish music, but any religious music
has a spiritual aspect which is outside of the music itself.  As a non-Jew,
I could not pretend to weave that spiritual element into my music.

Dr. Ron Averill

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