# Jewish Religious Music



## davidpneff

While most of the music threads here are understandably Christian oriented (indeed, some of the most beautiful music ever written was for the church), I thought I'd share some Jewish music and some Cantorial music.

This video here is of Psalm 1 in Hebrew, written by Michael Isaacson (one of my favourite composers of classical Jewish music).






This video is of the cantor at my synagogue. His name is Thom King and he is singing Sim Shalom (a song for peace) also written by Michael Isaacson.






Translation

Grant peace everywhere goodness and blessing,

Grace, lovingkindness and mercy to us and unto all Israel, Your people.

Bless us, our Father, all of us as one with the light of Your face;

For by the light of Your face You have given us, Adonai our God,

The Torah of life, and love of kindness, and righteousness and blessing and mercy and life and peace;

And may it be good in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel at all times and in every hour with Your peace.

Praised are You, Adonai, who blesses His people Israel with peace.

(From Wikipedia)


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## Delicious Manager

There is a fair amount of religious music on Jewish themes by Ernst Toch that you might like to explore.


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## Pugg

I only know klezmer, that doesn't count I suppose .


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## Judith

There is also Bruchs Kol Nidre, which is used the evening before Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). As the music says, the beginning of the festival is called Kol Nidre.


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## QuietGuy

There's Leonard Bernstein's Symphonies 1 (Jeremiah) and 3 (Kaddish) and the Chichester Psalms.


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## Pugg

Judith said:


> There is also Bruchs Kol Nidre, which is used the evening before Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). As the music says, the beginning of the festival is called Kol Nidre.





QuietGuy said:


> There's Leonard Bernstein's Symphonies 1 (Jeremiah) and 3 (Kaddish) and the Chichester Psalms.


I am ashamed for forgetting those.


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## regenmusic

I have four or five albums which I bought recently that have authentic Jewish music. I will try to get them together to list them. There are also two books, I know of: 

Bible & Music: Influences of the Old Testament on Western Music by Max Stern.

and

The Old Testament in Music by Moshe Gorali

I had a copy of the latter one and it's a very excellent book, oversized and filled with great art.


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## regenmusic

My albums are of Jewish folk songs.


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## Pugg

regenmusic said:


> My albums are of Jewish folk songs.


Is that different from klezmer?


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## Triplets

No mention of Solomone Rossi? He was an Italian Jew, circa 1600, who wrote primarily Monteverdi like Secular and religious works


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## Triplets

Pugg said:


> Is that different from klezmer?


Klezmer is a Popular Music type idiom that began with Eastern European Hasidic Jews. It is not meant for Religious Services


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## Pugg

Triplets said:


> Klezmer is a Popular Music type idiom that began with Eastern European Hasidic Jews. It is not meant for Religious Services


Thank you for the answer, so it is popular like regenmusc said?


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## Judith

Judith said:


> There is also Bruchs Kol Nidre, which is used the evening before Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). As the music says, the beginning of the festival is called Kol Nidre.


Letting you all know that we celebrate Kol Nidre this evening as it is the start of Yom Kippur. To those of you who are celebrating:-All the best!!


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## MaxB

Judith said:


> Letting you all know that we celebrate Kol Nidre this evening as it is the start of Yom Kippur. To those of you who are celebrating:-All the best!!


And of course a sweet blessed year! With awe & joy.


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## Simon Moon

Ernst Bloch wrote quite a bit of Jewish music. 

Here's a few:

Avoda – A Yom Kippur Melody
Baal Shem (for Violin Solo and Orchestra)
Five Jewish Pieces
Méditation Hébraϊque
Suite Hebraique (for Violin and Piano)


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## Meyerbeer Smith

Meyerbeer's setting of Psalm 91 (in Latin)


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## millionrainbows

Jewish Religious Music could mean "Religious music written by Jewish people." 

Philip Glass: he was ethnically Jewish, and his music reflects his interest in the music of India, Eastern philosophy, etc.

Steve Reich, too.


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## TxllxT

*In memory of Hans Bloemendal, the Amsterdam cantor I*


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## TxllxT




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## TxllxT




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## TxllxT




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## Figleaf

TxllxT said:


>


Some remarkable vocalism there. The beauty and (especially) the flexibility of those cantors' voices always amazes me. Tell me, would they have improvised certain passages or did they simply sing what was written? (Not that there's anything 'simple' about performing such gloriously florid music!)


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## jailhouse

This isn't traditional Jewish religious music, but it's a setting of 4 Jewish Psalms and it's one of Steve Reich's greatest accomplishments imo.






first 31:00 minutes


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## hpowders

Figleaf said:


> Some remarkable vocalism there. The beauty and (especially) the flexibility of those cantors' voices always amazes me. Tell me, would they have improvised certain passages or did they simply sing what was written? (Not that there's anything 'simple' about performing such gloriously florid music!)


My grandparents used to force me to attend services and I was led kicking and screaming all the way, but YES; those cantors I experienced had the most glorious voices-I've heard the whole normal range-tenors, baritones and basses. Never heard any of them sing sharp or flat.

Richard Tucker, by the way, was a cantor before becoming an opera singer.


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## isorhythm

In addition to the excellent Tehillim, Reich wrote You Are (Variations): 




And The Cave, though many consider this one of his less successful works: 



 I think I'd have to see it live to judge but I'm inclined to agree. This one may not count as a Jewish religious work; it draws on interviews with Jews, Muslims and Christians about Abraham.


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## Five and Dime

Is anyone familiar with the Milken series on Naxos? It doesn't seem to get too much publicity but there must be some good stuff there.

Here's a link to 50 discs...
http://www.emusic.com/browse/album/all/label:110560/

and here's another 68...
http://www.emusic.com/browse/album/all/label:731341/

and here's another 34...
http://www.emusic.com/browse/album/all/label:501515/

I'd be interested in buying a few of these if someone is kind enough to recommend a few.


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## Judith

hpowders said:


> My grandparents used to force me to attend services and I was led kicking and screaming all the way, but YES; those cantors I experienced had the most glorious voices-I've heard the whole normal range-tenors, baritones and basses. Never heard any of them sing sharp or flat.
> 
> Richard Tucker, by the way, was a cantor before becoming an opera singer.


The Cantor at our synagogue is only young but also has a beautiful voice!!


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## Guest

I go for the ancient stuff. Don't know if this is religious or not but it's very nice:


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## Guest

I guess Judaism and Kabbalah have found their way into a lot of New Agey meditation stuff but it has quite a distinctive sound.


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## Guest




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## Guest




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## psfrankel

> Is anyone familiar with the Milken series on Naxos? It doesn't seem to get too much publicity but there must be some good stuff there.


Wow. I had no idea it was so massive. I only have one recording:
Ernst Toch, Cantata of the Bitter Herbs.
It is, of course, for/about Pesach (Passover). It premiered in LA during the middle of WWII, and is "an appeal for universal justice and liberation from oppression" according to the notes. It's quite beautiful imho.

This recording also includes his Rhapsodic Poem, Jephta, from Symphony #5.

I am now going to spend the rest of the night down the Milken archives rabbit hole.


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## millionrainbows

Paul Creston. I have a CD with some of his stuff.

I like Ernest Bloch, too. He has "modernized" the Jewish sound, by using the diminished or octatonic scale.


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## millionrainbows

This is a monumental series on the KZ label. Good luck finding them.


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## metro845

Thank you very much for establishing this thread. Both selections are splendid. 
Which synagogue has the good luck to have Thom King as its cantor?


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## metro845

*The Milken Archive of Jewish Music*

I had the very good fortune to attend the launching of the 50-CD set of Milken Archive recordings at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City. And also meet the project's musical director, Neil Levin.

The archives focus exclusively on Jewish music in the USA. For Israel, Europe and other parts of the world, one has to look elsewhere.

Amazon still has some sets that are available from associated vendors. The sets are worth every penny. Much of the music is available via Spotify, but it requires a premium subscription at $10 per month to get their best offered quality (320 kps). Not bad, but one needs the disks to get full sound quality: either to listen directly, or to rip them into full fidelity wav, flac or Apple Lossless files.

Milken's YouTube is also a very rich resource for videos as well as sound tracks. But, again, one needs the CD's to get the full glory of the sound. Here's the link.

https://www.youtube.com/user/MilkenArchive

*****



psfrankel said:


> Wow. I had no idea it was so massive. I only have one recording:
> Ernst Toch, Cantata of the Bitter Herbs.
> It is, of course, for/about Pesach (Passover). It premiered in LA during the middle of WWII, and is "an appeal for universal justice and liberation from oppression" according to the notes. It's quite beautiful imho.
> 
> This recording also includes his Rhapsodic Poem, Jephta, from Symphony #5.
> 
> I am now going to spend the rest of the night down the Milken archives rabbit hole.


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## metro845

I just posted info on these two essential books on the discussion thread about Jewish themes in classical music. Both are excellent on synagogue and other Jewish religious music:

Two essential books on Jewish music in general include extensive discussion of classical music by Jewish composers and compositions with Jewish themes:
Music in Jewish History and Culture (Detroit Monographs in Musicology/Studies in Music, 2006) by Emmanuel Rubin and John H. Baron.The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music (Cambridge Companions to Music, 2016) edited by Joshua S. Walden.


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## metro845

Beautifully conceived and executed. Thank you!!


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## metro845

Here's several albums of Bloch's music which concentrate on explicitly Jewish themes:

Bloch: 2 Psalms, Suite Hebraique, Baal-shem / Sloane, Oelze, Zimmermann Label: Capriccio Records
Bloch: Schelomo; Bruch: Kol Nidrei / Harnoy, Mackerras Label: Rca Victor Red Seal
Bloch: Sacred Service / Simon, Berkman, London So Label: Chandos

This double album, with Bernstein conducting the NY Phil, has Bloch's sacred service on disk one and works by Foss and Ben Haim on disk 2:
The Royal Edition - Bloch: Sacred Services; Foss / Bernstein Label: Sony



millionrainbows said:


> Paul Creston. I have a CD with some of his stuff.
> 
> I like Ernest Bloch, too. He has "modernized" the Jewish sound, by using the diminished or octatonic scale.


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## metro845

The 24-CD set of KZ Musik recordings is available from this source for 150 euros, $163 at today's rate of exchange.
http://www.musikstrasse.it/index.php?target=buycd&lang=ENG&id_cd=x

Amazon has most of the volumes in stock: most at regular CD prices, but a few that are probably out of print as individual CD's in the series going for fancy prices.



millionrainbows said:


> This is a monumental series on the KZ label. Good luck finding them.


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## Pennywhistler

Pugg said:


> I only know klezmer, that doesn't count I suppose .


 No. Not as Jewish Religious Music, which is our forum topic.


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## hpowders

millionrainbows said:


> Paul Creston. I have a CD with some of his stuff.
> 
> I like Ernest Bloch, too. He has "modernized" the Jewish sound, by using the diminished or octatonic scale.


Paul Creston was of Sicilian/Italian heritage. Giuseppe Guttoveggio changed his name to Paul Creston, though for the life of me, I cannot imagine why. He was not only a renowned composer, but spent some time as a church organist. If his music sounds Jewish, I also cannot imagine why.

Any "religious" music by Paul Creston seemed to be inspired by the New Testament.


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## Pugg

Pennywhistler said:


> No. Not as Jewish Religious Music, which is our forum topic.


Nice first post , took you long to answer.


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