Re: Pre WWII Jewish Music (fwd)

[I. Oppenheim <i.oppenheim...>]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 28 Apr 2002 13:53:53 -0400
From: Judah Cohen <jcohen (at) fas(dot)harvard(dot)edu>
To: hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org
Subject: [HANASHIR:11432] Re: Pre WWII Jewish Music

Shirona,

   First off, there are the Chalutzim songs, which were certainly an
important genre for the various Jewish communities to see their changing
status in society, especially in the format of the Zionist dream.  Granted
this extends back to c. 1900 (and before), but a major migration to Israel
took place in the 1920s, so it's pretty revelant to the period.
   In other areas, it seems the Jewish involvement in the Art Music world
was quite prominent during this time in a way different from
others--primarily to develop a "National" Jewish music.  There were several
pre-WWII organizations and publications that looked at this issue quite
seriously.  Most important of these was Mailamm, an organization intended to
be an international Jewish music support group linking Europe, Palestine and
the United States.  There's been some good literature on this period that's
worth reading:

   Philip Bohlman, "The World Center for Jewish Music in Palestine
1936-1940:  Jewish Musical Life on the Eve of World War II."  New York:
Oxford U. Press, 1992. [I have not yet read this book, but Bohlman has an
excellent reputation.]
   Jehoash Hirshberg, "Music in the Jewish Community of Palestine,
1880-1948:  A Social History."  New York, Oxford U. Press, 1997.
   Irene Heskes, "Shapers of Jewish Music:  Mailamm and the Jewish Music
Forum, 1931-1962."  in *American Music* v. 15, #3: 305-320.

   Bohlman has also been looking at music in German-Jewish communities just
before World War II, and has some interesting material on pre-War
German-Jewish musical attitudes (and youth music) at the start of his book
"The Land Where Two Streams Flow."
   In Europe itself, the material that seems most reflective of the Nazi
onset seems to have been in terms of contrafact songs (i.e., new, often
topical lyrics set to familiar tunes) and Cabaret songs, many of which were
often fierce social critiques as well as "exposures" of the underbelly of
society, sexual, moral or otherwise.  Both of these genres, however, are a
little hard to define as "Jewish" and pre-War per se:  the contrafact songs
are often grouped in with those created *during* WWII; and the cabaret
songs, while a well known genre of the Weimar (Germany interwar) period,
were often not explicitly Jewish, though a good number were written by Jews
(see, for example, Ute Lemper's 1996 recording "Berlin Cabaret Songs"
London 452 601-2).

   I don't know if this answers your question, but I hope it may give an
idea of what was out there at the time.
   Judah.

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