Re: Specificity of Jewish music

[SamWeiss <SamWeiss...>]

You might want to take a look at the following book:
<<SACRED SOUND AND SOCIAL CHANGE: Liturgical Music in Jewish and Christian 
Experience>>, Lawrence A. Hoffman (Editor)

The Table of Contents appears below.  You can actually read online the 
entire 45-page chapter by Eliyahu Schleifer on "Jewish Liturgical Music 
from the Bible to Hasidism" at
http://www.liturgica.com/html/litJLitMusDev1.jsp?hostname=liturgica

Introduction: North American Culture and Its Challenges to Sacred Sound 1
Pt. 1 Reconstructing the Past: Sacred Sound from the Bible to Reform
  Introduction 11
  Jewish Liturgical Music from the Bible to Hasidism 13
  Jewish Liturgical Music in the Wake of Nineteenth-Century Reform 59
  Christian Liturgical Music from the Bible to the Renaissance 84
  Christian Liturgical Music in the Wake of the Protestant Reformation 124
Pt. 2 Exploring the Present: Sacred Sound in North America Today
  Introduction 147
  Catholic Prophetic Sound after Vatican II 150
  Present Stress and Current Problems: Music and Reformed Churches 174
  The Hymnal as an Index of Musical Change in Reform Synagogues 187
Pt. 3 Composing Sacred Sounds: Four New Settings of Psalm 136
  Introduction and Instructions to the Composers 215
  The Roman Catholic Tradition 221
  The Methodist Tradition 235
  The Jewish Tradition 255
  The Episcopal Tradition 274
Pt. 4 Critiquing Sacred Sound: Perspectives on the Sacred and the Secular
  Introduction 287
  Sacred Music in a Secular Age 289
  A Petition for a Visionary Black Hymnody 300
  Enculturation, Style, and the Sacred-Secular Debate


At 07:53 PM 10/18/02, Helene Century wrote:
>I am established in Montreal. I am a Jewish singer, singing traditional
>songs from Sephardic and Yiddish traditions, some Israeli pieces as well
>as liturgical music.
>I sing sometimes as a cantorial soloist in the Reform synagogue.
>There is a group called "Dialogue judeo-chretien" (Jewish-Christian
>dialogue) with which I have collaborated for a few years. This coming
>December they asked me to do little conference about the role of music in
>the Jewish tradition. At the same time a monk will talk about christian
>(catholic) music.
>According to the context, the accent is more the role of music in the
>religious realm of Jewish life. I thought of doing a talk in 3 parts
>- The role of music in general
>- The specificity of Jewish music (historical, musical, social...anything
>I can think of)
>- What are the main differences between the Christians (mainly the
>catholics) and the Jews towards music.
>
>Being also a music therapist, I have no problems with the first point,
>but I would love to have some suggestions for the other points. I have a
>lot of information at hand but I get a little overwhelmed and start
>wondering if I am not getting lost in details losing the most important
>points. I have to talk for 30 minutes.
>
>I am also interested in a specific point which might not even be relevant
>for this conference and it is the relationship between rabbi and cantor.
>I read a long time ago that the cantor was like a counter-power for the
>rabbi which explains that these relationships are often conflicting. But
>I don't remember where this comes from, neither in which context.
>
>I am open to any suggestions. The conference is in the beginning of
>December so there is still some time to read and think. I thank in
>advance all of you who will take time to share their knowledge and
>opinions with me.
>Sincerely
>Helene Engel
>Email : helene (at) total(dot)net

_____________________________________________________________
Cantor Sam Weiss === Jewish Community Center of Paramus, NJ

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