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Cover Art Helfman Helfman_LinerNts 9440.indd 1 12/5/05 1:03:47 PM A MESSAGE FROM THE MILKEN ARCHIVE FOUNDER Dispersed over the centuries to all corners of the earth, the Jewish people absorbed elements of its host cultures while, miraculously, maintaining its own. As many Jews reconnected in America, escaping persecution and seeking to take part in a visionary democratic society, their experiences found voice in their music. The sacred and secular body of work that has developed over the three centuries since Jews fi rst arrived on these shores provides a powerful means of expressing the multilayered saga of American Jewry. While much of this music had become a vital force in American and world culture, even more music of specifi cally Jewish content had been created, perhaps performed, and then lost to current and future generations. Believing that there was a unique opportunity to rediscover, preserve and transmit the collective memory contained within this music, I founded the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music in 1990. The passionate collaboration of many distinguished artists, ensembles and recording producers over the past fourteen years has created a vast repository of musical resources to educate, entertain and inspire people of all faiths and cultures. The Milken Archive of American Jewish Music is a living project; one that we hope will cultivate and nourish musicians and enthusiasts of this richly varied musical repertoire. Lowell Milken A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR The quality, quantity, and amazing diversity of sacred as well as secular music written for or inspired by Jewish life in America is one of the least acknowledged achievements of modern Western culture. The time is ripe for a wider awareness and appreciation of these various repertoires—which may be designated appropriately as an aggregate “American Jewish music.” The Milken Archive is a musical voyage of discovery encompassing more than 600 original pieces by some 200 composers—symphonies, operas, cantorial masterpieces, complete synagogue services, concertos, Yiddish theater, and folk and popular music. The music in the Archive—all born of the American Jewish experience or fashioned for uniquely American institutions—has been created by native American or immigrant composers. The repertoire is chosen by a panel of leading musical and Judaic authorities who have selected works based on or inspired by traditional Jewish melodies or modes, liturgical and life-cycle functions and celebrations, sacred texts, and Jewish history and secular literature—with intrinsic artistic value always of paramount consideration for each genre. These CDs will be supplemented later by rare historic reference recordings. The Milken Archive is music of AMERICA—a part of American culture in all its diversity; it is JEWISH, as an expression of Jewish tradition and culture enhanced and enriched by the American environment; and perhaps above all, it is MUSIC—music that transcends its boundaries of origin and invites sharing, music that has the power to speak to all of us. Neil W. Levin Neil W. Levin is an internationally recognized scholar and authority on Jewish music history, a professor of Jewish music at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, music director of Schola Hebraeica, and author of various articles, books, and monographs on Jewish music. Helfman_LinerNts 9440.indd 2 12/5/05 1:03:48 PM A MESSAGE FROM THE MILKEN ARCHIVE FOUNDER Dispersed over the centuries to all corners of the earth, the Jewish people absorbed elements of its host MAX HELFMAN (1901—196) cultures while, miraculously, maintaining its own. As many Jews reconnected in America, escaping persecution and seeking to take part in a visionary democratic society, their experiences found voice in their music. The sacred and secular body of work that has developed over the three centuries since Jews fi rst arrived on these Di Naye Hagode (1948) 42:17 Hag Habikkurim (1947) 17:0 shores provides a powerful means of expressing the multilayered saga of American Jewry. (A Choral Tone Poem of the (Festival of First Fruits—A Pageant for Shavuot) While much of this music had become a vital force in American and world culture, even more music Warsaw Ghetto Uprising) 24. I. EL HAKFAR 2:20 of specifi cally Jewish content had been created, perhaps performed, and then lost to current and future 1. Narration 1:40 generations. Believing that there was a unique opportunity to rediscover, preserve and transmit the collective 25. II. URU AH. IM 3:04 memory contained within this music, I founded the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music in 1990. 2. MA NISHTANO 5:06 26. III. SALLEINU AL K’TEFEINU 1:06 3. GEBENTSHT 1:15 27. IV. ATZEI ZEITIM OMDIM 1:36 The passionate collaboration of many distinguished artists, ensembles and recording producers over the past fourteen years has created a vast repository of musical resources to educate, entertain and inspire people of all faiths and cultures. The Milken 4. RIBOYNE-SHELOYLEM 4:07 28. V. SHIRAT HASHOMER (Holem tsa’adi) 2:21 Archive of American Jewish Music is a living project; one that we hope will cultivate and nourish musicians and enthusiasts of 5. Narration :21 29. VI. BAGALIL (Alei giva) 2:15 this richly varied musical repertoire. 6. A LINDER APRIL 3:37 30. VII. HAZZOR’IM B’DIM’A :33 7. VET KUMEN? :31 31. VIII. SHIR LANAMAL 1:50 8. VET KUMEN? (continued) :38 Lowell Milken 32. IX. EL HAKFAR (Reprise) 2:21 9. Narration :14 A MESSAGE FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Coro Hebraeico 10. UN OYB S’VET NOR A MINYEN FARBLAYBN 1:57 Neil Levin, conductor 11. DI SHLAKHT :34 The quality, quantity, and amazing diversity of sacred as well as secular music written for or inspired by Jewish 12. ZEY ZAYNEN GEKUMEN 4:18 The Holy Ark (Torah Service), excerpts (1950) 12:16 life in America is one of the least acknowledged achievements of modern Western culture. The time is ripe 13. Narration :31 for a wider awareness and appreciation of these various repertoires—which may be designated appropriately 33. VAY’HI BINSO’A 1:31 as an aggregate “American Jewish music.” The Milken Archive is a musical voyage of discovery encompassing 14. DOS YINGL 2:12 34. BARUKH SHENNATAN TORAH :37 more than 600 original pieces by some 200 composers—symphonies, operas, cantorial masterpieces, complete 15. Narration :26 synagogue services, concertos, Yiddish theater, and folk and popular music. The music in the Archive—all born 35. ADONAI, ADONAI 4:59 of the American Jewish experience or fashioned for uniquely American institutions—has been created by 16. DI FON 4:05 36. VA’ANI T’FILLATI 1:10 native American or immigrant composers. The repertoire is chosen by a panel of leading musical and Judaic 17. DER TOYT 1:53 authorities who have selected works based on or inspired by traditional Jewish melodies or modes, liturgical 37. KI LEKA TOV / ETZ AYYIM / HASHIVEINU 3:57 18. Narration :24 and life-cycle functions and celebrations, sacred texts, and Jewish history and secular literature—with 19. SHFOYKH KHAMOSKHO :53 Cantor Raphael Frieder intrinsic artistic value always of paramount consideration for each genre. These CDs will be supplemented later by rare historic Slovak Chamber Choir reference recordings. 20. Narration :27 Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra The Milken Archive is music of AMERICA—a part of American culture in all its diversity; it is JEWISH, as an expression of Jewish 21. RUM UN GEVURE 2:01 Samuel Adler, conductor tradition and culture enhanced and enriched by the American environment; and perhaps above all, it is MUSIC—music that 22. Narration :31 transcends its boundaries of origin and invites sharing, music that has the power to speak to all of us. 23. AZA DER GEBOT IZ 4:22 Theodore Bikel, narrator Choral Society of Southern California Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale Neil W. Levin Young Musicians Foundation Debut Orchestra Nick Strimple, conductor Neil W. Levin is an internationally recognized scholar and authority on Jewish music history, a professor of Jewish music at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, music director of Schola Hebraeica, and author of various articles, books, and monographs on Jewish music. 8.559440 Helfman_LinerNts 9440.indd 3 12/5/05 1:03:48 PM Helfman became a self-taught intellectual, familiar About the Composer with the canon of both secular Jewish and Western literature and philosophy. By 1928 he was offered a position as organist and choirmaster at Temple Israel in uptown Manhattan, succeeding the learned conductor and composer Zavel Zilberts. Helfman had no organ training, but he quickly acquired that skill through private lessons. At that time he began his long association with the temple’s cantor, David Putterman, for whom he began composing and arranging special settings. When Putterman left soon afterward to become the cantor of the Park Avenue Synagogue, Helfman accepted a position as choir director at Temple Emanuel in Paterson, New Jersey, where he organized an amateur choir that eventually grew into a respected and well- known concert chorus in addition to a liturgical choir for services. He held that post until 1940. When he was twenty eight, he was awarded a three-year fellowship at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, where he studied piano with Ralph Leopold, composition with Rosario Scalero, and conducting with Fritz Reiner. He also became music director of the Paterson branch choir of the Arbeter Ring (Workmen’s Circle). Its repertoire then consisted almost entirely of nonreligious Yiddish songs, often related to that organization’s social action agenda and working people’s orientation (yet still fundamentally American). This musical niche constituted Composer, choral conductor, and educator MAX HELFMAN one important part of Helfman’s work for the remainder (1901–63) was born in Radzin (Radzyn), Poland, where of his East Coast career.