Re: music for the whole world?

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

>Or, in New MExico in March, when we were giving a concert for the new
>National Hispanic Culture Center (apparently the first official
>socio-cultural event bringing together the region's Jews and
>Hispanics), we were invited to hear an acquaintance's friend sing
>Sephardic songs - at an avowedly "non-denominational" church. The singer
>had learned - apparently from a woman rabbi in New MExico - songs for
>the Yom Kipur and Rosh Hashana, and she felt it appropriate to sing
>these as well as several Sephardic love songs, as PART OF THE SERVICE in
>this church, which as far as I could see, was a church, "denominational"
>or otherwsie. Was this promoting understanding? appropriating?


This intriguing--and disturbing?--anecdote from Judith (and, btw, I'm pretty 
sure I know who the "woman rabbi in NM" is) brings home why some Jewish 
religious authorities would explicitly forbid teaching Jewish liturgical 
music to non-Jews (speaking of whether our music is, or always should be, 
the whole world's music)--precisely out of the fear that they (Gentiles) 
would appropriate it for *their* (presumably idolatrous) religious music.

I'm of two minds about this, as I so enjoy chronicling what Paul aptly calls 
(and I often call) musical "cross-fertilization"--and, in particular, I 
collect examples of swapping of religious music between Jews and Christians 
and like to share them with lecture audiences.  And I enjoy knowing that 
spiritually uplifting music can move (or lift up ...) anyone so 
inclined--this is really the Hassidic principle, of using (at least in 
Jewish life--i.e., in that direction) any music we find spiritually moving.  
Yet the traditionalist in me is quite uneasy about Jewish religious music 
being used in churches--at least to the extent that it's wedded to texts 
celebrating J.C., or the V.M., or the Trinity, or other narishkeit.  
(Sorry.)

It's a quandary.

--Robert Cohen

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