Re: College level Jewish Music course

[Allen Davis <adavis...>]

I haven't seen it yet, but I think that Manny Rubin, who teaches at 
Umass/Amherst in the Music and Judaic Studies Depts., has written (or at 
lest was working on) an introductory text book on Jewish music for a 
general, non-specialist readership. My sense is that it is long on history 
and context, and short on detailed musicological analysis, which could put 
it in the sweet spot for your purposes.

I taught such a course about five years ago at the Jewish Community of 
Amherst, and found that I needed to do lots of excerpting from many sources 
in order to create a framework for thinking about it as music, as cultural 
expression, as history, as ethnography, as liturgical/religious expression, 
etc. etc. There's so much that has to be defined and filled in before 
especially those unfamiliar with the genres and meanings of the many 
different forms of Jewish musical expression, that to try to do it in one 
"course" is, well, ambitious. Judith Kaplan Eisenstein's book gets close to 
defining the contexts within which to begin learning about Jewish music 
(life and seasonal cycles, Shabat and other holidays, synagogue 
song,  classical music, etc.), but it has its limits. It may, though, be a 
good general introduction for your purposes.

Allen Davis
Amherst, MA

At 09:42 AM 5/17/02 -0400, you wrote:
>I have a question for the group.
>
>For the past four years I have been trying unsuccessfully to offer a course
>on the history of Jewish music at the college where I teach (Southern
>Connecticut State University, New Haven).  However, it finally looks like my
>patience will be rewarded.  The enrollment figures for the fall look good
>enough for it to run.  So now I am beginning in earnest to make plans for
>the course.  When I first began to develop the course, a few years ago, I
>had discussed  the subject and received suggestions and help from several
>members of this group about books and syllabus.  But time has passed and I
>have been spending much more time of late making Jewish music rather than
>studying it as an academic subject.  I am devoting this summer to getting
>myself back up to speed and revising my syllabus.  The question I am posing
>for  the group is twofold.
>
>1.  Suggestions about subjects in Jewish music that you absolutely feel MUST
>be covered in a sophomore-junior level survey music history course.
>
>2. A textbook or series of books that you feel adequately addresses the
>subject for this particular level of students.  Keep in mind that I teach at
>a school where most of the kids hold full-time jobs in order to go to
>college.  Not only do they have trouble affording the textbooks, I find them
>so busy trying to make both ends meet that I cannot give them Ivy School
>length  reading assignments.  I've looked over the field and personally
>haven't found a single recent book (I'm not counting Idelsohn and feel funny
>asking the students to use a book that is missing the last 60+ years of the
>history) that might address my concerns.  Has anyone suggestions?
>
>I hope to hear from you either off-group or on this talk group.  Outside of
>my obvious needs, I think this subject  might make for an interesting and
>provocative discussion.
>
>Thanks --
>
>David
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>David Chevan, Bassologist
>for more info visit my web site located at
>  www.chevan.addr.com
>


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