How can I get listed?
If you would like your announcement listed on the JMWC, please send complete information. This is not a news gathering service, so to be considered for a listing, you'll have to inform the JMWC by sending an email. Please do not send attachments. Restrict your suggestions to Jewish musical events.--- Best wishes! Judy
Mailing Address
All Review materials and other documents should be sent to my work address:
Judith Pinnolis
Goldfarb Library MS045
Brandeis University
PO Box 549110
Waltham, MA 02454-9110
Need more HELP with JMWC?
Below are some frequently asked questions. I hope they can help you find some answers. Take a moment to look these over.
Here are some basic areas that are covered below:
JMWC search engine
reference questions
famous tunes
music collecting info for beginners
music for your kids
catalogs of instrumental music
It just seemed to be random.
Answer:
- I'm using a commercial indexer, called Atomz. It will find the exact words, but often it will find words that "sound like" what you typed in, or words with similar spellings, so it has some fuzzy searching there. It also doesn't have traditional "stop" words found in some large databases--it will search words like "of", "in" or "the", "an", etc. Try to avoid using a "stop" word and just search with primary keywords or an exact phrase.
- It may be that I don't have what you're looking for! It also may be that it isn't found because there is no specific website, or because the annotation I wrote didn't capture some information from the content of a website that might be important to you.
- Feel free to email me your question. Maybe I know which website does have the information you want, or I know someone who can help or where you should look. I'll let you know if I have no idea, or can't help.
AND I do answer email.
Q:Do you answer questions?
Answer:
- YES! I do try to answer all my email questions, in some way. I've had questions from all over the world from as far away as Manila and Sydney, and as close to home as, well, as Brandeis University students!
- I don't do your homework. I can help you find a book, but I don't read it for you.
- I don't fax or copy pages from articles or books. I don't provide document delivery. I will help you with a citation though, and try to let you know where to find information.
Q: Can you get me the music of, (text of, history of) Hatikvah?
Answer:
- You can hear this tune through a midi file at a site called Ahavat Israel:
http://www.ahavat-israel.com/music.html.
or HebreosNet. http://www.hebreos.net/MIDIS/index.html - You can read about the history of this song in:
"Hope and the Man: Hatikvah and Naphtali Herz Imber" IN Passport to Jewish Music by Irene Heskes. - A copy of the score can be found in:
The Songs We Sing by Harry Coopersmith; The Jewish Kids Catalog by Chaya M. Burstein and other song books and anthologies.
Q:I want to start collecting Jewish music, but I just have no idea where to start.
Do you have any suggestions?
Answer:
- Yes. There is a website with 'musical examples' including the names of various CD's or cassettes. It's written by Mark Kligman, one of our nation's premiere Jewish musicologists. Dr. Kligman is Assistant Professor of Jewish Musicology at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. He has published a "Contempory Jewish Music in America: Musical Example Play List" on the web. Here's the website: http://huc.edu/faculty/kligman/playlist.html
Once you look at the list, you can possibly order the recordings you might want through one of the online JMWC sites under "obtaining recordings" or by going to one of the "brick and mortar" (i.e. real stores).
- Seth Rogovoy, in his book "The Essential Klezmer" provides an extended discography of klezmer music. This book can be obtained from most book or online retailers.
- Several websites that offer musical samples on the web also offer advice and reviews. See our JMWC listings of "reviews".
- JMWC recommendations: coming soon.
Q: Where can I find a good band for my daughter's Bat Mitzvah? (fill in any other simcha)
Answer:
- The JMWC doesn't make recommendations of bands for events.
- You can find listings of performer websites in the JMWC under the topic "Performing Groups". A listing doesn't constitute a recommendation. These listings are "neutral," i.e. this is to provide information for you to make decisions.
- Many bands have a listing with Ari Davidow's "Klezmershack" website under: "Bands by Location" or "Bands by Name". http://www.klezmershack.com/contacts/klezbyloc.html
Q:I'm looking for some easy music for my child to play some Jewish songs on piano, (flute, recorder, sax, in school band, in school orchestra.)
Answer:
- This is not an easy question. I don't know your child's age, ability, interest...BUT there are MANY places to find resources, including of course, the obvious: don't overlook asking your child's music teacher! And don't forget your local public library! Most US public libraries can order musical materials for you on an InterLibrary Loan program if they don't own it themselves.
- Listings in the JMWC include a section on "Publishers of Score and Sheet Music". This can be a starting place. Most of the publishers have some "easy" music for children. "Tara" or "Transcontinental" might be good places to start.
- Listings in the JMWC include a section on "Genres" which has links to websites under "Children's". Some of these sites carry sheet music by the composers. Some JMWC websites such as "Soundswrite" have music geared for children. Look closely at those for sheet music.
- General catalogs geared towards children's music often have listings for "Jewish" or "Israeli" songs. These days you can ask for "klezmer" or "Yiddish" and most dealers will know.
- Very often, general books of Jewish music are easily adapted for easy playing. Many "song" books are often a single line of music and can be adapted for G clef instruments.
- Many Jewish musicians arrange their own music. Some in your area may privately publish arrangements for children. You can inquire there (and let me know if they do!!)
- There are some resources that list music and their level of difficulties such as:
Edelman, Marsha B. A Bibliography of Jewish music: resource materials for educators. 1986.
An anthology of music selections arranged by instrument and graded for students. Contains an appendix with contents listing song titles of currently available Jewish music collections.
Goldberg, Ira S. Bibliography of instrumental music of Jewish interest. Part 2: ensemble and solo. 1970
A listing arranged by composer within groupings of instrumental forces. Lists the title of works, instrumentation, duration of piece, publisher or source for obtaining music and brief descriptions. A publisher's index lists the name of publisher and address.
If anyone knows of any more recent books similar to these resources, please email me. If you have a good book at your home for children or sheet music at home with "easy" selections, send me the information. I will collect these and publish a list when I get enough information. If you are an educator and would like to send me a listing of music appropriate for children, please feel free to do that. We get a lot of requests for school band and school orchestra arrangements. If you know of appropriate pieces, please let me know. I will try to consolidate all this information create a bibliography to share.
- I do try to answer specific reference questions on the children's music questions, but I find that over 60% of the time, I find the answer on the JMWC website. Try and take a look at what we've provided... and write to me if you still don't find the answer. If you have found that the website was too hard to use, or you didn't understand how to find the answer, please let me know about that.
Q:How can I get a website listed with the JMWC?
Answer:
- Just write me an email and let me take a look at your site. Please send your name, the full web address and your email address. It's really nice if you can include the city and country of your website (or where you are located) since people are especially interested in that.
- Every website listed and linked to on the JMWC has been personally looked at by me, the author.
- I've written every annotation on the JMWC, except where indicated by "quotes", (which means I took that portion of exact information from the website being described.) I may choose to write a listing that way, or not. It depends on what I find at your site.
- After I look at a website and write the annotation, I add new listings to the JMWC.
- I'm doing this as a service to the Jewish community. I'm not paid, accept no subscriptions, advertising or have any sponsors. So...since it's a labor of love and not income, times may vary as to how long it takes me to make new additions to the website.
- Please be patient. I've been working on the site since 1997, a little at a time, and as you can see... things eventually add up.
Q:Why don't you just list music by Jewish groups, like "Orthodox" or "Reform."
Answer:
- Those websites specifically from a particular movement are listed as being affiliated with that movement in the annotation, if that is known.
- The JMWC is not affiliated with any group. It is independent. It attempts to take a more 'scholarly' and 'informational' view, and attempts to be objective in descriptions of all entries. (although occasionally I do get enthusiastic!)
- The JMWC endeavors to provide information on ALL types of Jewish music. Some groups have been working actively on producing websites, and others have not. Primarily, the sites here are those I've found... if you have another one I've missed, please feel free to let me know!!
- I've purposely avoided dividing things up by 'definitions' to this point. I'm trying to provide non-hyphenated Jewish information for anyone interested in Jewish music, from any walk of Jewish life. The JMWC attempts to be all inclusive and provide equal access to all-- through the Internet
- The JMWC hopes to promote "k'lal yisrael" through Jewish music education.
- Editorial comment: My personal hope is that Jewish people who may not have been exposed to much or different types of Jewish music will learn about them,-- listen to them-- and find enjoyment there. There is a wealth of new and wonderful music being produced... we can all be proud that our culture is so vital, varied and exciting. Today young people are taking an interest in being creative --and expressing their Jewishness in new as well as traditional ways. These young people are from every group and every affiliation (and also non-affiliation). Musical ideas can be a place where Jewish exchange can happen in non-threatening ways, to help build and bind our communities throughout the world-- through Jewish music.
- The JMWC also hopes to promote scholarship and historical preservation of Jewish music. The hope is that by finding out about all sorts of institutions, groups, and organizations of Jewish music, more people can become involved and active in scholarship, composition, performance and/or as audience and supporters.