lesschumras
Member
I’m always amused by discussions of what ” Jewish ” music is. We’ve always adapted the music of the surrounding culture. What a Bukharin Jew would consider to be Jewish music sounds nothing like what the Litvish or Chassidish Jew considers to be Jewish music. Forget what the words were, there is nothing wrong with adapting the melody of a goyish song if it’s good. Much of what passes
Posted 2 weeks ago #
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This statement is correct, but only to a degree. There is real Jewish music. It originates with the Trope utilized when we read the Torah, the Haphtorot and the Megillot. From there came nusach hatephila. That is distinctively Jewish music. Granted it has its earliest roots in Greek tetrachords, but so does nearly all music. Additionally, Glantz and Idelsohn showed how Jews altered and maniulated those tetrachords and created a unique Jewish sound. And BTW, ashkenazic nusach, which is now based upon scaler adaptations of the trope, is not all the different from the makkamot based sephardic nusach. The two sound different due to pronounciation issues and the musical instruments. But the tonal patterns are remarkably similar. In fact, Leib Glantz was so adroit at purifying ashkenazi nuach, that Yemeni Jews often identified very strongly with his chazzanut.