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Discovering Jewish Music Most of us have experienced some sort of “Jewish music,” whether it’s through synagogue attendance, a Bar Mitzvah celebration or a klezmer concert. The many forms of Jewish music are as numerous and varied as the number of Jewish communities throughout the world. Discovering Jewish Music (Music 30839) brings together those different kinds of Jewish music, weaving them into a context of Jewish history, philosophy and sociology, in language that everyone can understand. The course begins with the music of the Bible, but moves quickly to examine the nature of folk and liturgical music in the three major Diaspora communities that evolved after the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. From there, students will examine the development of Jewish music on the concert stage, and the explosion of popular music in North America and Israel which has had such an enormous impact on Jews and their musical identities. The course addresses key genres and the many people whose work have made an important contribution to the broad spectrum of Jewish music, with dozens of audio examples that allow students to listen to the music as well as learn about it. About the Instructor
Dr. Edelman is a native Philadelphian, and was educated at both the Philadelphia High School for Girls and the High School Department of Gratz College. She studied at New York University and Barnard College, from which she received a B.A. in Music in 1975. In that same year Dr. Edelman also received a Bachelor of Hebrew Literature degree (majoring in Jewish history and education) and a Bachelor of Sacred Music degree from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. She earned her Master of Sacred Music from the Seminary the following year, and a Master of Education degree from Teachers College, Columbia University in 1978. Her Doctorate in Music and Music Education was awarded by Columbia University in 1982. Prior to her appointment to the faculty of Gratz College in 1985, Dr. Edelman spent 15 years as a music educator and consultant to various day and supplementary schools and summer camps. Her wide-ranging experiences in Jewish music education and administration have included stints as Director of the Department of Music Resources of the Central Agency for Jewish Education of Greater Philadelphia; Coordinator of the Jewish Music Network of the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education (CAJE); and service as a member of the Board of Directors of the American Society for Jewish Music. Dr. Edelman has also been active as a choral singer, and as conductor of various vocal and instrumental ensembles. She is currently Administrator of the Zamir Choral Foundation, Inc. Marsha Bryan Edelman has been acclaimed for her extensive knowledge and the popular appeal of her presentations before adult audiences throughout the United States and Israel. She is also the author of numerous articles on Jewish music and Jewish education, and program notes attendant to concert and recorded performances of Jewish music. Her book, Discovering Jewish Music, was published by the Jewish Publication Society in June, 2003. |
Dr. Marsha Bryan Edelman is Professor of Music and Education at Gratz College. She also serves as director of the Tyson Music Department and coordinates the College’s academic programs in Jewish music.