Synagogue Song
An Introduction to Concepts, Theories and Customs
Synagogue Song
An Introduction to Concepts, Theories and Customs
This item is available to order.
Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
Paperback / softback
£28.99
QTY
Publisher: McFarland & Co Inc
ISBN: 9780786470617
Number of Pages: 203
Published: 15/03/2012
Width: 15.2 cm
Height: 22.9 cm
Throughout history, music has been a fixture of Jewish religious life. Musical references appear in biblical accounts of the Red Sea crossing and King Solomon's coronation, and music continues to play a central role in virtually every Jewish occasion. Through 100 brief chapters, this volume considers theoretical approaches to the study of Jewish sacred music. Topics include the diversity of Jewish music, the interaction of music and identity, the emotional and spiritual impact of worship music, the text-tone relationship, the musical component of Jewish holidays, and the varied ways prayer-songs are performed. These distillations of complex topics invite a fuller appreciation of synagogue song and an understanding of the ubiquitous presence of music in Jewish worship.
Table of Contents
Preface
Introduction
I. Foundations, Functions and Figures
What Is Sacred Music?
Music and Civilization
A Most Ancient Ritual
Musical Supervisors
Community and Liturgy
Sacred Time, Sacred Sound
Practical Functions of Synagogue Music
A Resonant World
Singing Metaphysics
Sanctification
Music as Language
Beauty in Sacred Song
Some Thoughts on “Traditional” Synagogue Music
Creating a Synagogue Musical Tradition
The Development of Jewish Music Traditions
Judging Synagogue Song
The Problems of Meaning
Conformity and Survival
Charismatic Tunes
Jewish Youth and Musical Change
Nusach Variations
Sacred Classics
Sing a New Song
Musical Layers
A Shir Koddesh
Instruments of Worship
Richard Dawkins and Synagogue Song
Darwin, Heschel, Music, and Marriage
Liturgical Hits
The Legacy of Jack Gottlieb
II. Spirituality, Emotions and Identity
Religion, Emotion and Music
The Divine Lover of Music
To Edify and Glorify
Six Songs in the Hebrew Bible
Music, Prayer and Concentration
An Instrument Divine
Singing Is Believing
From Heart to Heart
Moods, Modes and Musical Meaning
Mystery and Melody
Singing, Health and Prayer
Heart and Mind
Serving God with Joy
Niggunim and Augustine
Holy Noises
Songs Without Words
Hymns of Praise
Stereotyping Synagogue Sounds
Singing for Joy
Being the Music
Absolute Music, Absolute Worship
Fight Songs and Fighting Words
Musical Taste, Musical Fact
Ethnicity in Jewish Music
Historicism and Futurism
Music and the Mitzvah of Nostalgia
Musical Minhag
Identity and Memory
Performing Identity
Diversity and Balance
III. Holidays and Liturgy
Shabbat Singing
Music and the Moods of Shabbat
Opening Songs on Shabbat
Vayekhulu and the Renewal of Time
Reinterpretation Through Song
Thanksgiving Every Week
The Modern Origins of an “Ancient” Tune
Springtime and the Song of Songs
Song of Redemption
Sound of the Sea
Akdamut and the Power of Song
Songs of Renewal
Moses, Music and Eurocentrism
The Curious Case of Kol Nidrei
The Sound of Sincerity
Rejoicing in Torah
Songs of Victory and Light
The Maoz Tzur Melody: Sacred or Sinful?
Making Noise
Music, Midrash and Megillah
Tension and Release
Aleinu: Its Storied Past and Sacred Melodies
Adon Olam: Master of the World
The Myth of Ein Keloheinu
The Religious Roots of Hava Nagila
IV. Cantors, Choirs and Congregations
The Cantor at the Center of the World
Singing and Prophecy
Cantors and Levites
More Than a Voice
The Cantorial Ideal
The Cantor’s Prayer
Cantors, Rabbis, Hitters and Pitchers
The Choir in Jewish History
The Music of Heaven on Earth
Unity, Participation and the Choral Experience
From Choir to Congregation
Why Congregations Sing
A Blended Sound
The Limits of Congregational Singing
Good and Friendly Music
Appendix: Jewish Music Research
Bibliography
Index
Preface
Introduction
I. Foundations, Functions and Figures
What Is Sacred Music?
Music and Civilization
A Most Ancient Ritual
Musical Supervisors
Community and Liturgy
Sacred Time, Sacred Sound
Practical Functions of Synagogue Music
A Resonant World
Singing Metaphysics
Sanctification
Music as Language
Beauty in Sacred Song
Some Thoughts on “Traditional” Synagogue Music
Creating a Synagogue Musical Tradition
The Development of Jewish Music Traditions
Judging Synagogue Song
The Problems of Meaning
Conformity and Survival
Charismatic Tunes
Jewish Youth and Musical Change
Nusach Variations
Sacred Classics
Sing a New Song
Musical Layers
A Shir Koddesh
Instruments of Worship
Richard Dawkins and Synagogue Song
Darwin, Heschel, Music, and Marriage
Liturgical Hits
The Legacy of Jack Gottlieb
II. Spirituality, Emotions and Identity
Religion, Emotion and Music
The Divine Lover of Music
To Edify and Glorify
Six Songs in the Hebrew Bible
Music, Prayer and Concentration
An Instrument Divine
Singing Is Believing
From Heart to Heart
Moods, Modes and Musical Meaning
Mystery and Melody
Singing, Health and Prayer
Heart and Mind
Serving God with Joy
Niggunim and Augustine
Holy Noises
Songs Without Words
Hymns of Praise
Stereotyping Synagogue Sounds
Singing for Joy
Being the Music
Absolute Music, Absolute Worship
Fight Songs and Fighting Words
Musical Taste, Musical Fact
Ethnicity in Jewish Music
Historicism and Futurism
Music and the Mitzvah of Nostalgia
Musical Minhag
Identity and Memory
Performing Identity
Diversity and Balance
III. Holidays and Liturgy
Shabbat Singing
Music and the Moods of Shabbat
Opening Songs on Shabbat
Vayekhulu and the Renewal of Time
Reinterpretation Through Song
Thanksgiving Every Week
The Modern Origins of an “Ancient” Tune
Springtime and the Song of Songs
Song of Redemption
Sound of the Sea
Akdamut and the Power of Song
Songs of Renewal
Moses, Music and Eurocentrism
The Curious Case of Kol Nidrei
The Sound of Sincerity
Rejoicing in Torah
Songs of Victory and Light
The Maoz Tzur Melody: Sacred or Sinful?
Making Noise
Music, Midrash and Megillah
Tension and Release
Aleinu: Its Storied Past and Sacred Melodies
Adon Olam: Master of the World
The Myth of Ein Keloheinu
The Religious Roots of Hava Nagila
IV. Cantors, Choirs and Congregations
The Cantor at the Center of the World
Singing and Prophecy
Cantors and Levites
More Than a Voice
The Cantorial Ideal
The Cantor’s Prayer
Cantors, Rabbis, Hitters and Pitchers
The Choir in Jewish History
The Music of Heaven on Earth
Unity, Participation and the Choral Experience
From Choir to Congregation
Why Congregations Sing
A Blended Sound
The Limits of Congregational Singing
Good and Friendly Music
Appendix: Jewish Music Research
Bibliography
Index
