re: what is jewish music

[Ari Davidow <ari...>]

I have tended not to participate in this thread, when it comes up, as it 
frequently does, because I don't think I have anything particularly profound to 
contribute. But, if only to counter George's request to move on, I'll post 
anyway.

I think that the discussion of what is and isn't Jewish music is important. I 
also think that it will not be something definable, again, in the near future. 
For starters, "Jewish" is no longer definable, except in a religious sense--and 
there is no universally accepted definition of that, even within the Jewish 
community--only within separate denominations of the Jewish community, which 
matters to that portion of people identified as "Jewish" who are affiliated 
with a denomination.

And that points to why this is such a difficult discussion. We're not an 
isolated tribe--we're people who come from many different 
traditions--Ashkenazic, Sephardic, Ethiopic, Yemenite, Bukharan, and more. And 
many of us participate in more than one community, even in more than one Jewish 
community.

I am sure that there was a point in my life where I would have sanctimoniously 
declared that Jewish music was music that was consciously created as part of 
the Jewish community--that there be some direct "intent" and direct continuity. 
But who would define that for =everyone= who produces music that is considered 
Jewish? Are bland European folk melodies, set to secular Israeli patriotic 
lyrics suddenly Jewish? Are Eastern European folk melodies, "discovered" by 
Hasidic rabbis suddenly Jewish? Are bland American summer camp melodies set to 
reform Jewish sentiments Jewish? Maybe so! Certainly, to many people they =are= 
Jewish, and to many people, an integral part of the melodies that they =know= 
as Jewish.

The more important questions may still be of intent, but only insofar as 
"intent" identifies a desire to create music specifically identified as Jewish 
music; and of acceptance--does the community to whom the music is addressed 
"hear" it as Jewish? That may tell us more about us and our current Jewish 
cultures, but I hope it would not be used to exclude that which may be 
meaningful to others, or may, at least, be meaningful to its composer.

(And in that vein, there is a lot to be said for the "Jewishness" of Shlock 
Rock and what it means culturally. I don't think that I'm the one to say it, as 
it happens ;-).)

ari

Ari Davidow
ari (at) ivritype(dot)com
http://www.ivritype.com/

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