Music Web Directories
Scholarly Resources
Starting Research in Jewish Music Library of Congress Subject Headings in Jewish Studies Conducting General Biographical Research Online Bibliographies and Texts For Your Bookshelf: A Bibliography of Books on Jewish Music Primary Sources Online Organizations, Societies, Conferences Places to Study Libraries Other Institutions Online Journals General Music and Library Resources
Getting to the Music
Festivals Artists & Performing Groups Choral Music Obtaining Recordings Brick and Mortar Directory Publishers: Scores/Sheet Music Online Music/Midi Libraries Online Scores and Sheet Music Cantillation/Nusach Radio Programs Concert Schedules Song Books
Online Groups
Listservs
Reviews
Books and Scores Reviews (NEW FEATURE) Record Reviews Performance Reviews
Biographical
Bibliography of Biographies Biographies
Return to Web Resources Top of Page
Directories and Megasites
Maven -- Music
Maven is a megasite which lists various Internet sources around the world. The music page contains an extensive alphabetic listing of Internet sites concerned with Jewish music. There are some annotations. Sites are ungraded.
http://www.maven.co.il/subjects/idx196.htm
Shamash-- Jewish Resources on the Internet/Arts
Shamash contains a directory of sites of Jewish interest called "Jewish Resources on the Internet". In the directory is an arts section which includes sites of interest in Jewish music.
http://www.shamash.org/trb/judaism.html
The Jewish Guide to the Internet
This site updates the printed volume of the third edition by Diane Romm. Music is found under the "Performing Arts" section. The general listings are organized by subject categories. The music categories are somewhat uneven, possibly reflecting the nature of materials on the web (and also that the website provides updates, not complete listings information in the book). Some categories don't have extreme depth or miss important listings. Overall, this site is comprehensive in many areas and works well in conjunction with the book. Referrals to page numbers are presumably so that those with the book can correct their copies of previous listings. Because of the clear organization and subcategories, this site is a good place to start.
http://www.jewishinternetguide.com/main/
Jewish Music Resources on the Internet: National Finder
Roger Harris of Britain maintains a site of Jewish music websites. Organized alphabetically, within some general groupings, such as "a capella" and "bands".
http://www.nationalfinder.com/jmr/
Return to JMWC Homepage
Return to Web Resources for Jewish Music Top
Scholarly Resources--
Library of Congress Subject Headings in Jewish Studies
Library of Congress Subject Headings in Jewish Studies
The Sixth Edition of the Library of Congress Subject Headings is published by the Association of Jewish Libraries. Using the these terms for subject searching is desirable when searching academic library catalogues.
http://www.JewishLibraries.org/lcsh.html
ALA-LC Romanization Tables:Transliteration Schemes for Non-Roman Scripts
Romanization Tables that are used by the Library of Congress for representing different foreign languages, including Hebrew and Yiddish are linked to from this site. When you click on the Hebrew and Yiddish link, it will go to an Adobe Acrobat .pdf file. You will need to be able to load Acrobat to view the file. It is a two page file with the chart of romanization characters and the rules of application. You can go directly to the .pdf link directly.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/roman.html
http://lcweb.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/romanization/hebrew.pdf (.pdf)
Organizations, Societies, Conferences
**Ministres Officiants D'Alsace-Lorraine
French website on famous cantors of the region, with history, pictures and some sound clips. In 2001, Michel Heymann, cantor in Luxembourg was name President of l'Association Europienne des Ministres Officiants, an organization which specializes in Jewish liturgy for the eastern part of France and surrounding areas. Sound clips include various elements in the Ashkenaz tradition from different holidays.
http://www.sdv.fr/judaisme/histoire/rabbins/hazanim/index.htm
Agentur TOJWE
The German Artists Agency TOJWE presents Jewish artists, musicians and events in German speaking areas of Europe.
http://www.tojwe.de/index.html
American Conference of Cantors
The Reform movement's cantors organization and placement service. There are over 200 invested or certified cantors who are members.
http://www.accantors.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=Content.default
AMJ: L'Association Amis de la Musique Juive
L'Association AMJ: Les Amis de la Musique Juive --Friends of Jewish Music in Geneva, Switzerland sponsor exhibits, concerts, lectures, debates and music workshops. The organization's goals are to share the breadth and depth of Jewish music with a larger audience. Events are open to all, but members get a discount on ticket prices. The types of music sponsored include liturgical, vocal and instrumental, operetta, popular songs, Israeli, and theater music. Their website is offered in English, French and German.
http://www.club-association.ch/amj/
Cambridge Chazzanut Society: Unofficial Web Page
The Cambridge University Chazzanut Society was founded last year and was inaugurated with a concert featuring the Chazzanut Society Choir and Rev Robert Brody of Kenton.
http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/~ga204/index.html
Cantor's Assembly of United Synagogue
This site includes organizational information, articles on Jewish music, a listing of recordings and related web sites. The cantor's assembly now has an online store for selling Jewish musical resources including liturgical, choral, educational and Yiddish music scores and recordings. See the catalog.
http://www.cantors.org/sys-tmpl/door/
Commission on Synagogue Music: UAHC (Union of American Hebrew Congregations)
The Commission on Synagogue Music helps coordinate programs and activities for the Reform movement's synagogue arm, including training for musicians, publication of music, festivals and events, consultation and education for accessing musical materials for congregations.
http://uahcweb.org/music
German Klezmer Page
The Klezmer-gesellschaft e.V. is a union of artistic amateurs, semiprofessional and professional musicians as well as friends and patrons of mutual cultural and artistic concerns. The klezmer-gesellschaft endeavours to take up and to support actual and traditional musical styles of different cultures. The klezmer-gesellschaft e.v. has been founded in 1990 in Berlin as a non-profit society. World famous clarinetist Giora Feidman is one of approx. 150 members. The page offers record reviews, links to webpages of musical groups, radio programs, and audio samples.
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1741/
Hava Nashira
A Jewish songleaders page offering articles and announcements for youth group and lay songleaders. Information for leaders of youthgroup singing and other events.
http://uahcweb.org/hanashir/
Hava Nashira: Jewish Songleaders Page
Information for leaders of youthgroup singing and other events.
http://uahcweb.org/hanshir
The Jewish Music Institute
"The Jewish Music Heritage Trust has become the Jewish Music Institute, a leading promoter of Jewish music in Britain. Since its work began, in 1983, the organization has gained recognition on the concert platform, in education and in community relations. The Institute encourages musicians, composers and scholars who are today rediscovering and extending the Jewish repertoire and helping to reveal the role Jewish traditions have played in the history of music."
http://www.jmi.org.uk
Music, Spirit & Scholarship: The Legacy of Eduard Birnbaum School of Sacred Music 50th Anniversary Conference
PLACE: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion Brookdale Center,One West Fourth Street,New York, NY 10012-1186 DATES: Sunday, November 22, 1998-Monday, November 23, 1998 TIMES: Sunday Registration starts at 8:30am-- Concert starts at 8:00pm Monday 9:00am--8:00pm. MORE INFO: 212-674-5300 ext.444
Polish Jewish Music International Conference
The Polish Jewish Music International Conference will be held November 15-16, 1998 in Los Angeles California at the School of Music, University of Southern California. This conference, the first of its kind, attempts to fill some of the larger gaps in Polish music history by highlighting the richness of achievements of Polish composers of Jewish descent and Jewish music in Poland. It will attempt to emphasize the complexity of cultural relationships between the two ethnic groups, including both assimilation and coexistence. Discussion will center on composed music and groups of musicians (klezmer) and communities. For more information including a list of sponsors, registration information and the schedule, visit the website.
http://www.usc.edu/go/polish_music/news/events/pjconf.html
Neima
A new organization designed to be an umbrella for Jewish music organizations on college campuses. There are links sites of Jewish choirs and music groups on college campuses.
http://www.neima.org/
Nigun: Society for the promotion and exploration of Jewish music
Nigun is a society located in Duisburg, Germany dedicated to the promotion and exploration of Jewish music. The society sponsors a website, a competition of Jewish music, and information on Jewish music and synagogue poetry.
http://sti1.uni-duisburg.de/Nigun/English/
Symposium on Jewish Music, University of Edinburgh
A conference site for the Symposium on Jewish Music held at the University of Edinburgh held in October, 1996 with a listing of conference precedings. Links to past events such as the ESEM European Seminar in Ethnomusicology, held in Oxford in 1994, with full text of selected papers presented are archived online at this site. Papers of Jehoash Hirshberg and Susana Weich-Shahak of Hebrew University and are available fulltext.
http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/colloquia/conferences/
The Workman's Circle/Arbeter Ring
"The Workmen's Circle/Arbeter Ring, dedicated to fostering Jewish identity and
participation in Jewish life, among its members through Jewish, especially Yiddish, culture and education, friendship, mutual aid and the pursuit of social and economic justice." The Jewish Workmen's Circle sponsors concerts of Yiddish and other Jewish music. They also publish audio cassettes, films and videos with music in Yiddish and English.
http://www.circle.org/public/default.htm
Zamir Choral Foundation, Inc
The Zamir Choral Foundation, Inc. is the only foundation in North America dedicated to the promotion, advancement and perpetuation of the Jewish people through the music of its people, specifically Jewish choral music. Originally founded as an individual choir in 1960, the Zamir Chorale sparked a renewal of the Jewish choral movement, and the creation of several choirs with similar goals. Zamir, as a choral foundation, now provides unique leadership in the sustenance, development and advancement of the Jewish choral tradition in North America.
http://www.zamirfdn.org/
Institutions with Jewish Music Holdings
Please feel free to email the author with additional information about collections in your locale.
Schwartz Library of Beth Sholom Congregation, Elkins Park, PA
The Joseph and Elizabeth Schwartz Library of Beth Sholom Congregation, located in Elkins Park, PA house a library of over 7500 volumes, with Jewish music and Judaic collections. Their music includes over 500 phonograph recordings. The synagogue is located at Foxcroft and Old York Road. Phone 215-887-1342.
http://uscj.org/delvlly/epbsc/alookat.html#Library
Israeli Dance Institute
Open by appointment. Located at JCRC, 12th Floor, 711 3rd Ave., New York, NY 10017. Phone 212-983-4806 or 212-983-4084. Includes items on the history of Jewish dance; Israeli and Jewish music.
Bureau of Jewish Education, of San Francisco, The Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties
If you use the "search function" on the main page of this website, and search the keyword "music" you can retrieve many items. Many catalogue resources of Jewish musical interest and educational materials available in the greater San Francisco area.
http://www.bjesf.org/
Cantorial Council of America
See the annotations about the Belz School of Music. The Cantorial Council is located at: 500 W. 185th St., New York, NY 10033-3201. Phone:(212)960-5353, Fax: (212)960-5359. For more information: E-Mail: wasserma@ymail.yu.edu
. They produce audio tapes of synagogue music and publish a journal: The Journal of Jewish Music and Liturgy.
Congregation Rodelph Shalom
Roberta Lee Magaziner Music Memorial. Contains 340 books and pieces of sheet music. Located at 1338 Mount Vernon Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123.
Congregation Shaarey Zedek
The Cantor Sonenklar Music Collection. Located at 27375 Bell Road. Southfield, MI 48034. Phone 248-357-5544. Contains at least 75 items.
Online Journals
Jewish Heritage Online Magazine
A new online magazine about a variety of Jewish topics, giving articles and interviews. Several are by prominent musicologists and writers of Jewish music.
The Jewish Heritage Online Magazine is a "web monthly devoted to Jewish text study, culture and heritage. Sponsored by the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture (NY)... and is a non-denominational webzine, without religious or political platform."
http://www.jhom.com/music/index.htm
Music and Anthropology: Journal of Musical Anthropology of the Mediterranean
Special Issue on "Religion, Music, and Gender," No. 3 offers two articles of interest in Jewish music: Edwin Seroussi, "De-gendering Jewish music: the survival of the Judeo-Spanish folk song revisited," and
Philip Bohlman,
"The Shechinah, or the feminine sacred in the musics of the Jewish Mediterranean." There is also a CD review of interest by Franceso Spagnolo, "Gepriesen und geheiligt sei ER inmitten Jerusalems".
http://research.umbc.edu/eol/MA/index/number3/ma_ind3.htm
Getting to the Music--
Concert Schedules
See the Announcements page: CalendarsOnline Groups: Listservs
Jewish Music List Archive
Full text archival files of the list on Jewish Music, organized by date.
http://shamash.org/listarchives/jewish-music/
Jewish Music Listserv
The Jewish music list has discussions about a wide range of Jewish music topics. Klezmer and Yiddish music are heavily discussed. This URL is a code fragment that represents a short cut that will take you to a site on Shamash called the "ListProc Interface." It will allow you to immediately subscribe to the Jewish Music list.
http://shamash.org/cgi-bin/MailServ/listproc2?list=jewish-music&to=listproc@shamash.org
Jewish Shul Music
A listserv dedicated to discussions of Jewish liturgical music, primarily hazzanut and choral liturgical music.
http://groups.yahoo.com/subscribe.cgi/jewishshulmusic
Table of contents
Return to JMWC Homepage
Return to Web Resources for Jewish Music Top
Reviews
Record Reviews
Gepriesen und geheiligt sei ER inmitten Jerusalems.
25 Kantoren aus Jerusalem und umgebung
(Jerusalem in Hebrew prayers and songs).
Scholarly CD produced by Jüdische Kulturtage and Haus der Kulturen der Welt in cooperation with Internationales Institut für traditionelle Musik.CD 66.21201. Dr. Edwin Seroussi of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem wrote the program notes. For a thorough review which was written by Francesco Spagnolo of the Yuval Italia Center and is available online via Music and Anthropology, go to the following link:
http://research.umbc.edu/eol/MA/index/number3/cdrev/cdreview.htm .
Ari Davidow's Klezmer Shack
A excellent site for reviews of Jewish klezmer sound recordings, written by Ari Davidow. The site has expanded to include Klezmer news, events and links to Klezmer bands. There is a "klezclassifieds," and links to radio shows on Jewish music. There are links to information about sheet music, recordings, instruments and organizations. The site mounts full text articles on Klezmer music and interviews. This is a recommended site for anyone interested in learning more about klezmer music.
http://www.well.com/user/ari/klez/
Jewish Entertainment Resources: Reviews
Reviews of all sorts of CDs of contemporary Jewish music. Contact information for purchasing the CDs are given, but no musical examples.
http://www.jewishentertainment.net/frameset.html
German Klezmer Pages
Provides reviews of CDs, recordings and concerts. Helpful in discovering some newer European bands and events. Includes concert schedules in German cities.
http://www.geocities.com/Broadway/1791/
Harmony Ridge Music
A site dedicated to female singers and songwriters. Look under "world music" for webpages on Jewish musicians such as Ofra Haza and Judy Frankel.
http://www.rahul.net/hrmusic/index.html
House of Musical Traditions
House of Musical Traditions Recordings Department and CD Archives. Contains a listing of Klezmer and Yiddish, liturgical and Israeli, Ladino and other Jewish recordings. Some listings have selected audio tracks.
http://www.hmtrad.com/records/rec.html
Mining Co. Guide to World Music
A variety of links to various sites with a focus in world music. "Jewish/Israeli" provides an annotated list of various websites, including a link to midi files for Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish and American Jewish songs.
http://worldmusic.miningco.com/
Seth Rogovoy Reviews
Periodic concert and CD reviews by a journalist.
http://www.berkshireweb.com/rogovoy/klezmer/index.html
Wolf Krakowski
An online review of the recording Transmigrations by Wolf Krakowski.
http://home4.swipnet.se/~w-40997/WolfEng.htm
Reviews
Performance Reviews
Radio Hazak: Israeli Music on the Web
Information on artists, news and reviews, and a message board about Israeli pop music. To learn "what's new, what's hot, and what's classic" about Israeli music. Produced by Larry Yudelson, an enthusiast in the United States. Useful for some English translations of Israeli songs and following the interests of young people.
http://www.well.com/user/uydel/hazak.html
Databases--
Jewish Song Lyrics Database
Zemerl: The Interactive Database of Jewish Song
The Zemerl Database provides lyrics, information and sounds of Jewish songs in Yiddish, Hebrew and Ladino. The songs in the database are available by general thematic categories. The information includes title, composer, lyricist and language. There are sometimes included a short commentary about a song. The website invites inquiries about new songs and features articles and recommended reading. Developed by Inna Barmash at Princeton University.
http://www.princeton.edu/zemerl/
Israeli Dance
Website devoted to Israeli Dance with important information about locations for participation in programs inlcuding an online dance session database, large events and festivals, dance camps, and an Israeli folk dance library. Users can search the database and find the location of videos and commercially available tapes and cd's with particular songs and dances. An excellent site for those seeking the music or participation.
http://israelidance.com/
Jerusalem of Gold
This is a web site not only about the song "Jerusalem of Gold", but the history and meaning of a jerusalem of gold. The site provides lyrics, translation and musical notation. It also provides historical background of the song and meaning of Jewish sources relating to the themes.
http://www.jerusalemofgold.co.il
Fifty Years of Song
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs offers a lyrics database for 25 famous Israeli songs with English and Hebrew lyrics as well as the musical score (as a graphics file) for each song. If the URL doesn't work 100%, go to http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/ . Use the GO box for "Israel at 50" and go to the "50 Years of Hebrew Song" link.
http://www.israel-mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00tx0
Kesher LeMachol:The Israeli Folk Dance Connection
Some lyrics in Hebrew and English and transliteration, by way of Adobe Acrobat files.
http://orion.webspan.net/~hgpklm/Pages/danceconnect_frame.html