RE: What IsJewish Music?

[music <music...>]

> Those who want to answer this perennial question have often cited a 
> statement by Curt Sachs at a World Congress of Jewish Music, from East
> to West (Sorbonne 1957): "Music made by Jews, for Jews, about Jews."

I didn't quite understand how Cyril Robinson related the David Hadju 
article/quotation 
to Curt Sachs's attempt at a definition of Jewish music; but in any case and 
fwiw, I
believe Cyril unintentionally misquoted Sachs a bit.  As I've always understood 
it,
Sachs (who had, I believe, previously averred that one could not define Jewish 
music!)
essayed (at the First International Congress of Jewish Music that Jewish music 
was 

"that music which is made by Jews, for Jews, *as* Jews." 

"As" Jews--i.e., presumably (?--I don't have the entire relevant discourse at 
hand),
music composed for Jews by Jews consciously acting/composing as Jews

or (the way I was taught to understand it)

music composed by Jews for Jews to "use"/hear/integrate into their lives (?) as 
Jews.

I'm not sure, actually, if the "as" part adds anything that isn't already 
contained in the
"for" part:  E.g., Mendelssohn didn't compose his Violin Concerto, I assume, 
either
(particularly, let alone exclusively) *for* Jews, *or* for his Jewish listeners 
to use in a
Jewish context or setting or ceremony.  

Some of Ernest Bloch's music was very much composed by him as a Jew, consciously
expressing in his music what he experienced as his Jewish musical/spiritual 
soul or
spirit.  But he didn't compose some of that music (e.g., I assume, the Israel 
Symphony) 
particularly for Jews--it was, rather, what we would call a mainstream 
composition--nor was 
it intended, I assume, that Jews integrate this piece into their Jewish 
religious or communal
or life-cycle lives.  Whereas his Sacred Service was, I assume, more 
specifically intended
for a Jewish audience, and it was intended (at least, Bloch, we can assume, 
hoped) that
Jews would use it in a Jewish way:  They would worship to it.  So the "for 
Jews" and "as
Jews" seem--at least as I'm writing this; I'm willing to be persuaded 
otherwise--to go together.

Similar statements could presumably be made, e.g., about contemporary 
niggunim--i.e., folk
music--for prayer (like those on OPEN THE GATES!), or about songs or other 
compositions 
intended for Jewish use at various life-cycle occasions.

Whereas, I think one could say, when music is intended for a more 
general/mainstream
audience, it goes along with that that it is not intended for use in a 
specifically Jewish
way:  Paul Simon's songs, say, or Leonard Cohen's--even Leonard Cohen's songs 
with
specifically Jewish references; or, perhaps (?), some of the "fusion 
klezmer/jazz" compositions
by some of the bands associated with the Knitting Factory, Tzaddik, etc.

None of this, surely, is black-and-white (and _that's_ assuming it's making 
sense at all):
Pharoah's Daughters, say, or the Klezmer Mountain Boys, intends to play, often 
or sometimes,
for Jewish audiences--and expects, or hopes, that Jews will buy their CDs (as I 
do!); but they 
don't play for, or market their CDs to, *only* Jewish audiences (as I don't!).  
Will Jews listen/dance 
to their music "in a Jewish way"--i.e., "as Jews"?  What would that mean?

FWIW ...

Robert Cohen

cdbaby.com/openthegates

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