DOCSLIB.ORG

Fall 2003 Issue (PDF)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Alumni News NOTES FROM ZAMIR Mazal tov to: published semi-annually by Joyce and Michael Bohnen on the birth of their grandsons, Yair Eliav Wall and Jordan Ethan Goldstein. THE ZAMIR CHORALE Heather and Richard Forrest on the birth of their daughter, Haninah Grace. OF BOSTON Silvia Golijov on the award of the MacArthur Genius Grant to her husband, composer Osvaldo Golijov. Andrew and Heather Greene on the birth of their daughter, Alissa Rosalie. Cantor Scott and Francene Sokol on the birth of their son, Samuel Harlan. Joshua R. Jacobson, Artistic Director Joyce Bohnen, Chair, Board of Directors Nancy Sargon and Norman Zarsky on the bar mitzvah of Rachel C. King, General Manager their son, Isaac. Susan Rubin, Choir President Michael and Serene Victor on the marriage of their son, Daniel, to Sabrina Assayaq. P. O. Box 590126, Newton, MA 02459 Toll-free 866-ZAMIR-20 (866-926-4720) Condolences to: www.zamir.org Janey Bishoff on the death of her beloved mother, Sophie. Andrew Greene on the death of his beloved grandmother, Notes from Zamir editorial staff: Rosalie. Andrew M. Greene, Joshua Jacobson, Rachel King, Lawrence E. Sandberg, Deborah A. Sosin Leila Joy Rosenthal on the death of her beloved father, Ralph. Printing and Mailing: Villanti & Sons Printers, Milton, VT Cantor Scott Sokol on the death of his beloved grandfather, Samuel Kay. The Zamir Chorale of Boston is a non-profit mixed chorus Phyllis Werlin on the death of her beloved uncle, Arnold. whose mission is to be the premier performer of Jewish choral music. The Zamir Chorale of Boston: • Enhances appreciation of Jewish culture and strengthens Jewish identity by heightening awareness of the variety and quality of Jewish music. SAVE THE DATE! • Serves as a worldwide resource for the dissemination of Jewish choral music through concerts, recordings, and j publications, and by commissioning and premiering new works. Zamir celebrates its double-chai anni- • Provides an opportunity for singers to share their versary in June 2005 with a weekend of passion for Jewish choral music in an environment that exciting events for Zamirniks past and respects traditional Jewish observance. present. Mark your calendars now for The Zamir Chorale of Boston is funded in part by the June 3 through 5, 2005, and join us for Massachusetts Cultural Council, is supported by plenty of song, celebration, and camara- the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, and is choir-in-residence derie! The festivities are capped off by at Hebrew College. the 36th anniversary concert on Sunday evening, June 5, featuring music Zamir has commissioned throughout its histo- ry and Ernest Bloch’s Sacred Service. Copyright © 2003, Zamir Chorale of Boston, Inc. All rights reserved. Individual articles are copyrighted by their authors, The 36th anniversary weekend is chaired whose permission to use their works is gratefully acknowledged. Cover image: Poster advertising a 1919 production of Joseph by Ronda Garber Jacobson. To volunteer Rashemsky’s The Rabbi’s Melody at the 2nd Avenue Theater, New your assistance or ideas, please contact York City. Reproduced with permission of the American Jewish Ronda at [email protected]. Historical Society, New York, NY, and Newton Centre, MA. 2 Notes from Zamir, Autumn 2003 A Message from the General Manager 2003–04 CONCERT SCHEDULE Shortly after I began my position as Zamir’s General Man- Nov. 16, 7 pm Temple Emunah ager last spring, I attended a rehearsal and heard the Cho- Lexington, MA rale sing for the fi rst time. I was immediately captivated by Nov. 23, 3 pm Temple Shalom the gorgeous sound this group made, and by the aptness of Newton, MA Zamir’s name—Hebrew for nightingale. Since then, I have come to appreciate the many other things, in addition to Dec. 7, 4 pm Temple Tifereth Israel Malden, MA its sweet sound, that make the Zamir Chorale of Boston so special—its impressive accomplishments over the course of Dec. 24, 7:30 pm Temple Emanuel 35 years; its focused mission of perpetuating Jewish culture Newton, MA through music; and the extraordinary dedication of its sing- Feb. 12, 4:30 pm Church of the Covenant ers, volunteers, board members, and donors. (American Choral Directors I feel fortunate to have joined Zamir at an especially Assn. conference) exciting time. The group’s reputation has never been greater, Boston, MA and we receive inquiries from more presenters clamoring to Feb. 29, 1 pm Solomon Schechter Day School have Zamir concerts in their communities than we can fi t in Newton, MA one season. The Chorale has undertaken two international Feb. 29, 3 pm Hebrew Rehabilitation Center tours in the past year, has released its sixteenth recording this for Aged fall, and is enlarging its educational activities, expanding its West Roxbury, MA collaboration with Hebrew College, and making exciting plans for the upcoming double-chai (2004–05) season. To Mar. 14, 7:30 pm Weymouth (MA) High School support all this activity, Zamir is also opening a new offi ce (with Hingham Symphony in January at 1320 Centre Street, Newton, Massachusetts. Orchestra) The “nightingale” is poised to soar to even greater Mar. 16, 8 pm Jordan Hall heights. Accordingly, we are launching a fundraising cam- (with Hingham Symphony paign this fall to support our increased musical and educa- Orchestra) tional activities. When you receive a letter from Zamir this Boston, MA season, please consider providing leadership in this time of May 5, 7:30 pm Hebrew College, Newton, MA growth, by stepping up to a new giving level. I look forward to meeting many of Zamir’s friends and June 6, 7:30 pm Casey Theater, Regis College Weston, MA supporters this season, and I invite you to contact me any- time with your ideas and comments. July 11 North American Jewish Choral Rachel King Festival, Ellenville, NY YES! I wish to make a year-end gift to the Zamir Chorale of Boston. q Friend ($36+) q Donor ($100+) q Patron ($360+) Our thanks to you—receive your choice of Zamir CD or video. q Benefactor ($1,000+) Receive CD or video, two tickets to Zamir’s annual concert, and invitation to private donor reception. q Shir Chadash Circle ($3,600+) Receive above, two extra tickets, special event with Zamir, naming opportunities. q Conductor’s Circle ($10,000+) Receive all of above, plus private Zamir concert in your home. q Other ____________________________________ Tax-deductible donations may be made by check, payable to Zamir Chorale of Boston, or by credit card. qVISA qMC qDiscover qAmEx Account #________________________________________________ Exp. _________________ I have applied to ____________________________________________________________________ for a corporate matching gift. Name______________________________________________________________________ Phone__________________________ as you would like it to appear in our contributor listings Address __________________________________________________________________Email _____________________________ Please return to Zamir Chorale of Boston, P.O. Box 590126, Newton, MA 02459. Thank you! Notes from Zamir, Autumn 2003 3 Special Events, Autumn 2003 On October 20, 2003, Zamir hosted a reception at Hebrew College in Newton Centre, Massachusetts, to thank its major donors and supporters of Zamir’s Heritage Mission to Italy (see p. 17). Photos by Joe Wertheim. Clockwise from right: Artistic Director Joshua Jacobson chats with Dr. David Gordis, President of Hebrew College; a Zamir ensemble performs Italian-Jewish repertoire from the Heritage Mission; guests survey photo montage of Italy by professional photographer and Zamir singer Jody Weixelbaum. Zamir Gives a World Premiere Zamir opened its 2003-04 season on November 16 with a world-premiere performance of “Harninu,” by Ameri- can composer Benjie-Ellen Schiller. Zamir commissioned “Harninu” from Schiller in honor of Rick Boyar, longtime singer, percussionist, and friend of Zamir, who passed away in October 2002. With both Schiller and Boyar’s wife, Ronni, in the audience, the Chorale gave a perfor- mance notable for its great feeling and intensity. “We are delighted to honor Rick Boyar with this beautiful new piece by our friend and collaborator Benjie-Ellen Schiller,” said Joshua Jacobson. “‘Harninu’ represents Benjie-Ellen at her best: it refl ects her classi- cal training, as well as her love of folk music and her deep commitment to traditional Jewish music and the Hebrew biblical text.” Zamir will reprise “Harninu” on other con- cert programs throughout the season. To hear a clip of the Chorale performing the work, visit www.zamir.org. Photo: Ronda Jacobson 4 Notes from Zamir, Autumn 2003 JEWS IN MUSICAL THEATER his fall, Zamir is focusing on Karl Goldmark, Erich Korngold, Arnold Schoenberg, and the role of Jews in musical Kurt Weill. Ttheater. Since the destruction Jews were not only composers of musical theater in of the national sanctuary in Jerusalem Europe, they were also seen as characters on stage. The stories some 2,000 years ago, the rabbinic of the Hebrew Bible inspired numerous productions, from authorities placed strict limits on the the anonymous Play of Daniel (twelfth century) through such performance of any kind of music. spectacles as Rossini’s Moses (1818), Verdi’s Nabucco (1842), Exceptions were made only for certain Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah (1877), and Schoenberg’s joyous occasions: divine worship, re- Moses and Aaron (1932). While characters from the Hebrew joicing with a Bible were presented as heroes, bride and groom, and the celebration contemporary Jews were not of the springtime holiday of Purim. always seen in a favorable light. In many communities, Purim was The commedia del’ arte scenes in an opportunity for extreme frivol- Orazio Vecchi’s satirical madrigal ity; the commemoration of the res- comedy, L’amfi parnaso (1597), cue of Persian Jewry from Haman’s include the humorous depiction genocidal plot was celebrated in a of a Jewish pawnbroker. Halévy’s carnival-like atmosphere. The bibli- La Juive (1835) sympathetically cal story of Esther was acted out in presents the tension between a Purim-play (purimshpil) with cos- modernity and the traditional tumes, staging, dialogue, and song.
Recommended publications
  • Summer Stock Finale—Now with More Uptown

    Summer Stock Finale—Now with More Uptown

    Newsroom - Milken Archive of Jewish Music - Summer Stock Finale—Now with More Uptown The Archive Newsroom About Us Resources Milken Archive > Newsroom > Summer Stock Finale—Now with More Uptown July 16, 2014 Summer Stock Finale—Now with More Uptown While Second Avenue was a tenement haven for Jewish immigrants and the Catskills replaced the dachas of the old world, for many artists of Yiddish theater it was still the “uptown” allure of Broadway and Carnegie Hall that were the pinnacle of their American dream. In our “finale” installment of the Summer Stock streaming series, we spotlight Joseph Rumshinsky, the last of the Big Four composers. While the other three were content to entertain their core audience and occasionally cross over to the “uptown” world, Rumshinsky wanted to take all of Yiddish theater along. Rumshinsky wasn’t alone in his quest. In fact, he was so closely associated with Molly Picon and her husband Jacob Kalich, that they were known as The Three Musketeers of the East Side. Whether Rumshinsky, his colleagues and successors brought Second Avenue to the mainstream or the mainstream down to Second Avenue might be fodder for dissertations, but their lasting impact on theater, music and film is undeniable. Join us for one last session in the Catskills to learn more about Rumshinsky, stream some of his beautiful, ambitious songs (one of which Picon wrote the lyrics for) and watch Cantor Benzion Miller sing Rumshinsky and Tomashefsky’s version of Sh’ma Yisro’el. And if you missed any of the installments on Abraham Ellstein, Sholom Secunda, or Alexander Olshanetsky, you’ll find links for those, too.
  • The Lawrence Marwick Collection of Copyrighted Yiddish Plays at the Library of Congress: Introduction to the Annotated Bibliography

    The Lawrence Marwick Collection of Copyrighted Yiddish Plays at the Library of Congress: Introduction to the Annotated Bibliography

    The Lawrence Marwick Collection of Copyrighted Yiddish Plays at The Library of Congress: Introduction to the Annotated Bibliography by Zachary M. Baker with the assistance of Bonnie Sohn Library of Congress Washington, D.C. — 2004 Contents The Lawrence Marwick Collection of Copyrighted Yiddish Plays at the Library of Congress: Introduction to the Annotated Bibliography ............................................................................v Zachary M. Baker Yiddish Plays From The Lawrence Marwick Collection.......................................................................1 Index to Yiddish Titles...........................................................................................................................172 Index to Yiddish and English Titles in Roman Characters ..............................................................188 Index to Names of Persons Other Than Primary Authors ..............................................................217 Yiddish Plays from the Lawrence Marwick Collection: Introduction – iii THE LAWRENCE MARWICK COLLECTION OF COPYRIGHTED YIDDISH PLAYS AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS: INTRODUCTION TO THE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY by Zachary M. Baker Background This bibliography of one of the largest and most significant extant collections of Yiddish plays sheds light on the vibrant popular culture of Jewish immigrants to the United States. The more than 1,290 plays included here were first identified by the late Dr. Lawrence Marwick, Head of the Hebraic Section of the Library of Congress, on the basis
  • Cover Art Yiddish Theatre V3 a MESSAGE from the MILKEN ARCHIVE FOUNDER

    Cover Art Yiddish Theatre V3 a MESSAGE from the MILKEN ARCHIVE FOUNDER

    Cover Art Yiddish Theatre V3 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 first 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 specifically 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.
  • View the Evening's Program

    View the Evening's Program

    DECEMBER 13, 2017 YIVO Institute for Jewish Research PRESENTS A YIDDISH LIEDERABEND — AN EVENING OF YIDDISH SONG — Devised and directed by Neil W. Levin ANNE E. LEIBOWITZ MEMORIAL CONCERT Tuesday Evening, December 13, 2017 Ida Rae Cahana, SOPRANO Elizabeth Shammash, MEZZO -SOPRANO Raphael Frieder, BARITONE Simon Spiro, TENOR Yehudi Wyner, PIANO CAMEO APPEARANCE: Robert Paul Abelson COVER: M. Milner, sheet music cover, vocal suite, 10 Children’s Songs for singer and piano, words by Y. L. Peretz, 1921. YIVO Archives. INTRODUCTION by NEIL W. LEVIN OR MOST OF US in the twenty-first century, allusions to “Yiddish song” have come typically if not F ipso facto to connote the popular, folk, quasi-folk, theatrical and other entertainment, and even commercial realms. Rarely now, especially outside circumscribed Yiddishist circles, do unmodified ref- erences to Yiddish song evoke association with the artistically cultivated, classical vocal genre known as Lieder, or ‘art song’—the intimate, introspective expressive medium that interprets, animates, and musically reflects as well as explicates serious poetry. Yet, classically oriented Yiddish song recitals such as this evening’s presentation—whether in appropriately modest public recital and chamber music venues or in the Liederabend context of domestic, quasi-salon social gatherings—were once commonplace components of Jewish cultural life in cosmopolitan environments; and nowhere more so than in the New York area. The German word Lied (pl., Lieder) translates generically in musical terms simply as ‘song’. The precise German equivalent of ‘art song’ is Kunstlied (as opposed, for example, to Volkslied for folksong), but that term is not actually invoked in general references to the ‘art song’ genre with which we are concerned here.
  • The International Anglo-Yiddish Newsletter

    The International Anglo-Yiddish Newsletter

    Der Bay The International Anglo-Yiddish Newsletter ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- January 2005 Vol. XV No. 1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sightseeing & The Tour at the IAYC Conference: A Tale of Two Cities: Minneapolis, The City of Lakes, and St. Paul, As you go back, you ride through the Univ. The Capitol City, take center stage for this of Minnesota Campus, home to 46,000 Twin Cities highlights tour. students, and you'll visit St. Anthony Falls, the birthplace of Minneapolis. Your tour of the Twin Cities includes both unique downtown areas. While in Minneapolis, you'll TOUR DATE: June 5, 2005—TIME: 1:00 P.M. experience the oldest pedestrian mall in the COST: $20.00 per person—Includes: Deluxe country, The Nicollet Mall and the second floor motor coach transportation & guide. skyway system that connects over 35 blocks throughout Minneapolis. The tour stops at The There are many other things to do. Come early Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, an 11-acre urban or stay later. The hotel will honor convention garden featuring some 40, sculptures by leading rate. Here is a short list of other great sites. international & American artists. • Mall of America: It is the largest shopping and entertainment complex in the United States. The Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, designed by • Sculpture Garden: The largest sculpture Siah Armajani, connects the Garden to Loring garden in the United States. Park and downtown Minneapolis. The Cowtes • Theater in the Round: Ph: 612-333-3010 Conservatory, contains the Regis Gardens. • Minneapolis Institute of Art: Spans 5,000 years of art includes a Judaica collection. You tour Kenwood, one of Minneapolis' oldest • The Guthrie Theater, Walker Art Center, and and most beautiful residential areas.
  • YIDDISH ART THEATER/YIDDISH FOLKS THEATER) BUILDING, 181-189 Second Avenue, Manhattan

    YIDDISH ART THEATER/YIDDISH FOLKS THEATER) BUILDING, 181-189 Second Avenue, Manhattan

    Landmarks Preservation Commission February 9, 1993; Designation List 249 LP-1764 LOUIS N. JAFFE ART THEATER (YIDDISH ART THEATER/YIDDISH FOLKS THEATER) BUILDING, 181-189 Second Avenue, Manhattan. Built 1925-26; architect Harrison G. Wiseman. Landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 467, Lot 31. On December 12, 1989, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a Landmark of the Yiddish Art Theater and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No. 28). The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. A representative of the owner and lessee appeared and stated that they were not opposed to the designation. Three speakers testified in favor of designation. The Commission had previously received letters in support of this designation. 1 DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS Summary The Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater/Yiddish Folks Theater) Building, designed by the prolific theater architect Harrison G. Wiseman, was constructed in 1925-26 for Louis N. Jaffe, a Brooklyn lawyer and prominent Jewish civic leader, who intended it as a permanent home for the Yiddish Art Theater, one of the leading Yiddish "art theater" companies, under the direction of preeminent Yiddish actor Maurice Schwartz. Although the Yiddish Art Theater company performed in the Jaffe Art Theater for only four seasons, this theater remained a Yiddish playhouse (most often as the Yiddish Folks Theater) nearly the entire time between its opening in 1926 and 1945, and was also the site of Yiddish theater revival productions in the 1970s and '80s. The Jaffe Art Theater Building is one of the most tangible reminders of the heyday of Yiddish theater in New York City in the early twentieth century, particularly along the "Yiddish Rialto" of lower Second Avenue, when this form of entertainment was a significant part of the rich cultural heritage of the Jewish Lower East Side of Manhattan.
  • Yiddish Art Theater

    Yiddish Art Theater

    Landmarks Preservation Commission February 9, 1993; Designation List 249 LP-1765 LOUIS N. JAFFE ART THEATER (YIDDISH ART THEATER/YIDDISH FOLKS THEATER) INTERIOR, consisting of the main entrance lobby on Second Avenue, the lobby on 12th Street, the stairways leading to the mezzanine balcony, and the stair landing alcoves (which lead to the basement stairs) beneath these stairs; the mezzanine balcony and upper part of the 12th Street lobby, and the stairways which lead from the mezzanine balcony to the auditorium; and the main auditorium, with its proscenium, side boxes, and ceiling and dome; and the fixtures and interior components of these spaces, including but not limited to, wall and ceiling surfaces, doors, stair railings, chandeliers, exit signs, and attached decorative elements; 181-189 Second Avenue, Manhattan. Built 1925-26; architect Harrison G. Wiseman; Willy Pogany, consultant for interior decoration. Landmark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 467, Lot 31 . On December 12, 1989, the Landmarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as an Interior Landmark of the Yiddish Art Theater, first floor interior consisting of the outer vestibule, lobby, the auditorium, the stage, the staircases leading from the first floor to the balcony floor and all connecting entrance areas; the balcony floor interior consisting of the balcony, the upper part of the lobby, the upper part of the auditorium and ceiling; and the fixtures and interior components of these spaces, including but not limited to, wall and ceiling surfaces, doors, stair railings, and attached decorative elements; and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No.
  • The Fraydele Oysher Yiddish Theater Collection: Contents and Highlights in Context

    The Fraydele Oysher Yiddish Theater Collection: Contents and Highlights in Context

    The Fraydele Oysher Yiddish Theater Collection: Contents and Highlights in Context A Senior Honors Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Graduation with research distinction in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University By Tom Tearney The Ohio State University May 2010 Project Advisors: Professor Neil Jacobs and Professor David Miller, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures For twenty years, a significant resource and insight into the world of Yiddish theater sat dormant and untouched in the archives of The Ohio State University. Purchased in 1990 from an antiquities dealer by The Ohio State University, The Fraydele Oysher Yiddish Theater Collection was only first thoroughly examined and documented by a scholar in 2010. The collection is named for the previous owner, Fraydele Oysher, the sister of the much more famous Moyshe Oysher. Moyshe Oysher had a successful stage career, even appearing in some films. He is well known for his amazing voice as a cantor. Fraydele had a successful career in Yiddish theater herself, though she was often in the shadow of her brother. The collection is extraordinarily diverse, consisting of approximately 300 documents, with a date range of 1875-1990. The collection contains documents in Yiddish, English, German, Russian, Hebrew, Ukrainian, Polish, Spanish, Italian, Romanian and French. This collection consists of sheet music, play scripts, film scripts, hand-written music, photographs, handbill advertisements, sides, poems, news articles, receipts, reel-to-reel audio recordings, catalogs and even hand-written notes to and from Fraydele Oysher. The condition of the documents varies greatly, with some in near-mint condition, while others are greatly tattered and must be given the utmost of care when handling.
  • Harbinger and Echo: the Soundscape of the Yiddish- American Film Musical

    Harbinger and Echo: the Soundscape of the Yiddish- American Film Musical

    HARBINGER AND ECHO: THE SOUNDSCAPE OF THE YIDDISH- AMERICAN FILM MUSICAL A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY RACHEL HANNAH WEISS IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY LESLIE MORRIS, ADVISOR DECEMBER 2012 © Rachel Hannah Weiss, 2012 Acknowledgements The different components of this study represent the wealth of academic and personal influences and experiences I have enjoyed over the past two decades. In many ways, this project began over 15 years ago, when my interest in both film and Yiddish culture took root. In Lori Lippitz’s Maxwell St. Junior Klezmer Band, I was introduced to many of the songs which will be discussed on the pages ahead. It was in the Jr. Klezmer Band that I first experienced the sounds that characterise the American Yiddish stage and screen of nearly 80 years ago. Some years later, Lori pulled from her shelf J. Hoberman’s groundbreaking study of Yiddish cinema, Bridge of Light: Yiddish Film Between Two Worlds, strongly commending the book to my attention. I am in great debt to my teacher and friend Lori Lippitz not only for mentoring me musically and spiritually for so many years, but for directing me to what would ultimately become the focus of my dissertation. My interest in the form of the stage musical developed a bit later, beginning in college, informed very much by the knowledge and ideas shared by my dear friend and colleague Ben Fink. These ideas ultimately piqued my interest in the parallel and also sometimes divergent developments in film musicals, which combined my fascination in the moving image with my abiding interest in the world of sound, especially folk music and the complex production of the ethnic ‘sound.’ Over the years, I have had the great fortune to study with foremost scholars in both Film Studies and Yiddish Studies as well.
  • Download Liner Notes

    Download Liner Notes

    Cover Art Yiddish_Liner Nts.indd 1 12/2/04 4:48:59 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 vision- ary 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 first arrived on these shores provides a powerful means of expressing the multilayered saga of American Jewry. My personal interest in music and deep abiding commitment to synagogue life and the Jewish people united as I developed an increasing appreciation for the quality and tremendous diversity of music written for or inspired by the American Jewish experience. Through discussions with contemporary Jewish composers and performers during the 1980s, I realized that while much of this music had be- come a vital force in American and world culture, even more music of specifically 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, the Milken Archive of American Jewish Music was founded in 1990. This project would unite the Jewish people’s eternal love of music with their commitment to education, a commitment shared by the Milken Family Foundation since our founding in 1982. The passionate collaboration of many distinguished artists, ensembles, and recording producers has created a vast repository of musical resources to educate, entertain, and inspire people of all faiths and cultures.