Jewish Composers

[vandermolen]

Aaron Avshalomov : A Jew in China



As early as 1924 Avshalomoff began to study ancient Chinese classical music, folk and temple music and street cries. His own melodies were based on the various pentatonic modes and on the whole-tone scale. Around 1940 he also began to experiment with Indian modes. His Chinese-style melodies were combined with secondary melodic lines, using simple duple or triple metres. At the same time he made full use of the range of Chinese percussion instruments and ornamentation, supporting his pentatonic melodies with interesting chordal harmonies. In orchestration he followed the example of Rimsky-Korsakov and in structure the traditional forms of Western music, although experimenting with remoter modulations in order to add interest to pentatonic melodies, thus creating a highly personal musical language.

Marco Polo Records has released three recordings of his orchestral music. 

I like his 'Chinese-like' First Symphony.

[Spineur]

Salamone Rossi was an italian jewish composer contempory of Claudio Monteverdi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamone_Rossi
As Ernest Bloch, he composed some Hebraic music (performed in Synagogue).
Here is his Kaddish
https://www.youtube.com/v/aBBXYsdt8Jk
The style is close to the music composed in his time.
This  Alphabetum Hebraicum composed in the south of France in 1539 is closer to the traditional Sephardic music of Spain.  Simple but moving music.
https://www.youtube.com/v/E3OXV2rviSg

[vandermolen]

Salamone Rossi was an italian jewish composer contempory of Claudio Monteverdi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salamone_Rossi
As Ernest Bloch, he composed some Hebraic music (performed in Synagogue).
Here is his Kaddish
https://www.youtube.com/v/aBBXYsdt8Jk
The style is close to the music composed in his time.
This  Alphabetum Hebraicum composed in the south of France in 1539 is closer to the traditional Sephardic music of Spain.  Simple but moving music.
https://www.youtube.com/v/E3OXV2rviSg

Beautiful music. Thanks for posting. Is the Alphabetum Hebraicum on CD?

[Heck148]

Marc Lavry (December 22, 1903, Riga – March 24, 1967, Haifa) would fit in here as well -

Born in Latvia, emigrated to Palestine in 1936 to escape anti-semitism...
the only work of his that I know is "Emek"....like Bartok and Kodaly, Lavry combined folk and classical styles in his compositions, certainly evident in the tone poem "Emek"

[Cato]

Concerning Aaron Avshalomov: Four Biblical Tableaux:


https://www.youtube.com/v/h7buPw68Njo


https://www.youtube.com/v/kxkbusKzi74


https://www.youtube.com/v/SgE460Ulcec

And #4:


https://www.youtube.com/v/Jgewq4xIODQ

[Cato]

Here: #4:

https://www.youtube.com/v/mgjxzjptNqk

[kishnevi]

Beautiful music. Thanks for posting. Is the Alphabetum Hebraicum on CD?

"Alphabetum Hebraicum" is really an elementary Hebrew grammar for Christians: you can see it via Google Books. 

The Youtube is apparently a recording of one of the traditional cantillations used to read the Decalogue in synagogue---although of course no form of Jehovah is used,  only Ad-on-ai (the LORD)

And Rossi has his own small thread...
http://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,19634.0.html

[snyprrr]

hands off the keyboard, snips

oy oy

[vandermolen]

Marc Lavry (December 22, 1903, Riga – March 24, 1967, Haifa) would fit in here as well -

Born in Latvia, emigrated to Palestine in 1936 to escape anti-semitism...
the only work of his that I know is "Emek"....like Bartok and Kodaly, Lavry combined folk and classical styles in his compositions, certainly evident in the tone poem "Emek"

He did well to get out of Latvia when he did. Emek is a very enjoyable work. I'd like to hear more of this composer's music. Here is Emek:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CdDaPtA_3pI

[Roy Bland]

A contribution
https://www.academia.edu/26166885/Israelism_Nationalism_Orientalism_and_the_Israeli_Five?email_work_card=title

[Biffo]

He did well to get out of Latvia when he did. Emek is a very enjoyable work. I'd like to hear more of this composer's music. Here is Emek:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CdDaPtA_3pI

Emek and a few other works are available on Spotify. I briefly previewed Emek and saved it to my library; I will have to come back to it when I have more time.

[vandermolen]

Castelnuovo Tedesco is another Jewish composer whose music I like as is Maximilian Steinberg, especially symphonies 2 and 4. He is best known as the teacher of Shostakovich but I find him to be a very rewarding composer in his own right.

[Roy Bland]

Castelnuovo Tedesco is another Jewish composer whose music I like as is Maximilian Steinberg, especially symphonies 2 and 4. He is best known as the teacher of Shostakovich but I find him to be a very rewarding composer in his own right.

Dear Vandermolen another jew composer persecuted by fascism and sadly neglected was Vittorio Rieti
https://anpi.it/media/uploads/patria/2010/6/40-43_CASSARA.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJ7brc1q-s
Contribution of jewish composers in creation of soviet asiatic music is highly valuable Ashrafi,Gliere.Yudakov.Brussilovsky etcccc......

[vandermolen]

Dear Vandermolen another jew composer persecuted by fascism and sadly neglected was Vittorio Rieti
https://anpi.it/media/uploads/patria/2010/6/40-43_CASSARA.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uJ7brc1q-s
Contribution of jewish composers in creation of soviet asiatic music is highly valuable Ashrafi,Gliere.Yudakov.Brussilovsky etcccc......

Thank you. Unfortunately I can't read Italian 

[Roy Bland]

Thank you. Unfortunately I can't read Italian 

He was friend of Sauguet
http://www.bruceduffie.com/rieti.html

[vandermolen]

He was friend of Sauguet
http://www.bruceduffie.com/rieti.html

Thank you!
Most interesting about the Sauguet connection.

[vandermolen]

Another composer whose music I admire:

[San Antone]

This is a fantastic collection of Jewish composers.

Milken Archive of American Jewish Music

The Milken Archive comprises the largest collection of American Jewish music ever assembled, featuring such leading artists as the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and Sir Neville Marriner, Yoel Levi, Gerald Schwarz, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra. The Archive's primary goals are to reconstruct and preserve for current and future generations major musical manifestations of the American Jewish experience, and to reveal the intersection of Jewish composers and Jewish subject matter with some of the major genres in Western classical music. The collection has reached a major milestone with the release of the 50th CD in its pioneering recording series for Naxos American Classics.

Title   Catalogue No.
ACHRON: Violin Concerto No. 1 / Golem / 2 Tableaux from Belshazzar   8.559408
ADLER: Symphony No. 5 / Nuptial Scene / The Binding   8.559415
ADOLPHE: Ladino Songs of Love and Suffering / Mikhoels the Wise (excerpt)   8.559413
AMRAM: Songs of the Soul / Shir L'erev Shabbat / The Final Ingredient   8.559420
AVSHALOMOV / SILVER / MEYEROWITZ: Jewish Tone Poems   8.559426
BEN-AMOTS: Celestial Dialogues / Hashkivenu / Shtetl Songs   8.559421
BERLINSKI: Avodat Shabbat (Friday Evening Service)   8.559430
BERLINSKI: From the World of My Father / Shofar Service / Symphonic Visions for Orchestra   8.559446
BERNSTEIN: Jewish Legacy (A)   8.559407
BERNSTEIN: Symphony No. 3, 'Kaddish' / Chichester Psalms   8.559456
BEVERIDGE: Yizkor Requiem   8.559453
BRUBECK: Gates of Justice (The)   8.559414
CASTELNUOVO-TEDESCO: Naomi and Ruth / Sacred Service for the Sabbath Eve   8.559404
DAVIDSON: Singing of Angels (A) / And David Danced Before the Lord   8.559436
DIAMOND: Ahava / Music for Prayer   8.559412
FIRST S'LIHOT (THE): The Entire Midnight Service According to Orthodox and Traditional Ritual   8.559428-29
FOSS: Elegy for Anne Frank / Song of Anguish / BEASER: The Heavenly Feast   8.559438
GENESIS SUITE (1945)   8.559442
GOTTLIEB: Love Songs for Sabbath / Three Candle Blessings / Psalmistry   8.559433
GREAT SONGS OF THE YIDDISH STAGE, VOL. 1   8.559405
GREAT SONGS OF THE YIDDISH STAGE, VOL. 2   8.559432
GREAT SONGS OF THE YIDDISH STAGE, VOL. 3   8.559455
HANUKKA CELEBRATION (A)   8.559410
HELFMAN: Di Naye Hagode   8.559440
IN CELEBRATION OF ISRAEL   8.559461
INTRODUCING THE WORLD OF AMERICAN JEWISH MUSIC   8.559406
JACOBI, F.: Cello Concerto / Hagiographa / Sabbath Evening Service   8.559434
JEWISH MUSIC OF THE DANCE   8.559439
JEWISH OPERAS, VOL. 1   8.559424
JEWISH OPERAS, Vol. 2   8.559450
JEWISH STRING QUARTETS   8.559451
JEWISH VOICES IN THE NEW WORLD   8.559411
KINGSLEY: Voices from the Shadow / Jazz Psalms / Shabbat for Today   8.559435
KLEZMER CONCERTOS AND ENCORES   8.559403
LEVY, M.D.: Masada / Canto de los Marranos (BBC Singers, Barcelona Symphony and Catalonia National Orchestra, Kiesler, Y. Levi)   8.559427
MILHAUD: Service Sacre   8.559409
MILKEN ARCHIVE BOX SET   NMIL51
MILLER, Benzion: Cantor Benzion Miller Sings Cantorial Concert Masterpieces   8.559416
PSALMS OF JOY AND SORROW   8.559445
SACRED SERVICES FROM ISRAEL   8.559452
SCHOENFIELD: Viola Concerto / Four Motets / The Merchant and the Pauper   8.559418
SPIRO, Simon: Traditional Cantorial and Concert Favorites   8.559460
STOCK: Little Miracle (A) / Yizkor / Tekiah / Y'rusha   8.559422
TOCH: Cantata of the Bitter Herbs / Jephta   8.559417
VIENNA BOYS CHOIR: A Jewish Celebration in Song   8.559419
WEILL, K.: Eternal Road (The) (highlights) (T. Christopher, I. DeNolfo, K. Dent, C. Hauman, Ernst Senff Choir, Berlin Radio Symphony, G. Schwarz)   8.559402
WEINBERG: Piano Concerto No. 2 / String Quartet Op. 55 / Shabbat Ba'aretz   8.559457
WEINER: Art of Yiddish Song (The)   8.559443
WEISGALL: T'kiatot / Psalm of the Distant Dove / A Garden Eastward   8.559425
WYNER: Mirror (The) / Passover Offering / Tants un Maysele   8.559423
ZAIMONT: Sacred Service for the Sabbath Evening (excerpts) / A Tale of Abram and Isaac   8.559444

[Mirror Image]

I just wanted to remind everyone of the Jewish American thread I started many years ago:

https://www.good-music-guide.com/community/index.php/topic,18101.msg495212.html#msg495212

[Florestan]

Interestingly enough, the names of the most famous 19C Jewish composers all started with M: Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Moszkowski, Mahler. 

In this respect, Moritz Moskowski (double M!) produced an excellent bon mot. To Hans von Buelow's statement "Bach, Beethoven, Brahms! Tous les autres sont des cretins!" he retorted "Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Moszkowski! Tous les autres sont des Chretiens!"