Jewish Musical Heritage

PAGE IN THE PROCESS OF CONSTRUCTION

V  Jewish Languages

VI  Web Articles on Jewish Folk Music

  I  Jewish Music

1. Definitions
2. Jewish Folksongs
3. "It sounds so Jewish!" - Musical foundations: Shtaygers and maqams
4. Borrowing of texts and music

3.  It sounds so Jewish!  

Musical foundations: Shtaygers and maqams

 Is there a distinctively "Jewish" sound in Yiddish or Ladino music?

4. "Why should the Devil have all the good music?" 

This question was ostensibly asked by Martin Luther in defense of the practice of contrafacta, i.e., the setting sacred texts to the tunes of secular songs. Although there is no documentary evidence for this actual remark, the Church in the Middle Ages regularly borrowed music or texts from secular for use in religious contexts, such as the Protestant (Lutheran) chorales. 

This practice has also been characteristic of Jewish music, from the Middle Ages to this very day. The borrowing of Sephardic music – romansas [ballads] and cantigas [lyrical songs] – for recital of piyyutim [liturgical poetry] was especially popular. There are actually two processes: contrafactum [singular] refers to a new text written for the melody of a (well-known) song; while "adaptation" [התאמה] refers to the singing of an existing text to the tune of another song. The piyyut Tsur mishelo akhalnu, an anonymous text enhancing Birkat Hamazon [Grace after Meals], belongs to the second category: it is popularly sung around the table to the melody of the cantiga La rosa enflorese (or Los bilbilikos) on Shabbat and festivals. (Listen to this and the many other melodies sung by different communities of Jews around the world at "An Invitation to Piyut"). 

Rabbi Israel Najara (ca. 1555, Damascus - ca. 1625, Gaza) is the most prolific example of a poet who wrote religious texts – piyyutim, pizmonim, selikhot and vidduyim – to be set to the melodies of popular secular music. His avowed purpose was to turn Jewish youth away from profane songs. (Najara's most popular piyyut is the Shabbat table song, Ya ribbon olam). 

Many rabbis were opposed to the practice of incorporating secular songs, as well as to the playing of instrumental music, because of the continuous imperative to mourn over the destruction of the Temple. In practice, however, the practice of contrafacta continued. Use of alien melodies as the basis of niggunim (songs without words) was even justified by the Hassidim, especially if this were accomplished by tsaddikim (righteous ones), as can be seen in the following legendary story of Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Taub (Hungary):

According to legend, Rabbi Eisik, the Tsaddik of Nagykallo, who loved nature and had a poetic vein, once set out for a walk to the nearby meadow. On his way, he heard a song from a shepherd boy. He was immediately captured by its beauty and felt as if an inner voice was forcing him to learn it. He approached the shepherd boy and offered him two pennies for his song. At the moment the deal was made, the rabbi possessed the knowledge of the song. The shepherd boy, however, forgot it.

[Notes to Muzsikas – "The Lost Jewish Music of Transylvania"]

References

E. Seroussi & S. Weich-Shahak, Judeo-Spanish contrafacts and musical adaptations: The Oral tradition. Orbis Musicae X (1990-1991), 164-193

  Ladino Genres

1. Romansas
2. Coplas
3. Cantigas
4. Endechas
5. Modern songs

1. Romansas 

III  Yiddish genres 

1. Folk songs
2. Composed songs
3. American theater songs
4. Modern songs

IV  Paraliturgical songs in Hebrew

1. Piyyutim
2. Mizmorim
3. Niggunim
4. Modern "chasidic" songs

   V.  Jewish Languages 

Which language is older: Yiddish or Ladino? Which is spoken by more people? How many people speak Jewish languages today, and how many used to? How many Jewish languages are there? Is "Jewish English" a language or a dialect?

Here is a brief definition of Jewish languages. For a fascinating look at the history, linguistic descriptions, and status of Jewish languages today, I highly recommend the Jewish Language Research Website. In addition, Omniglot provides intriguing accounts of the writing systems of these languages. It is becoming fashionable to write about Yiddish language: one example is "Born to Kvetch" by  Michael Wex. If you enjoy reading tidbits about language, join me in my weekly visits to Philologos. (Popular writing in and about Ladino seems to be less dynamic than the Yiddish scene at present, but I suggest you look at the American Sephardi Federation for updates or at sites listed in the Hebrew or English links).

According to the UNESCO Red Book on Endangered Languages, both Yiddish and Ladino are "seriously endangered". This is a moot point: people are always arguing to which extent they're still alive or whether or not they're already dead! There's no question, however, that songs in both languages are definitely undergoing a revival.

   VI.   WEB ARTICLES ON JEWISH FOLK MUSIC  

Cohen, J. (Winter, 2001). Clearing up Ladino, Judeo-Spanish, Sephardic Music. HaLapid.
Cohen, J. Sephardic Song. Hagshama. World Zionist Organization.
Denburg, M. (1995). Jewish Music – An Overview.
Gluck, B. (1997). Jewish Music or Music of the Jewish People? The Reconstructionist, 34. 
Kaston, N. (1993). Jewish Languages, Jewish Songs. Canadian Folk Music Bulletin de Musique Folklorique, 27,4.
Klezmershack: Links to Articles on the Internet.
Madsen, C. In Search of Sephardic Music. Klezmershack. 
Mlotek, Chana E. (2005). [Yiddish] Folk Songs. The YIVO Encyclopedia of Jews in Eastern Europe, Yale University Press.
Seroussi, E. (1998). De-gendering Jewish music: The survival of the Judeo-Spanish folk song revisited  

 Hebrew:  מורשת מוסיקלית