Encyclopedia of the History of Jewish Music

The History of Jewish Music What makes Jewish music what it is — Jewish? I have pondered this question. So, I decided to research the progress of Jewish music through time, to find if it was a tune, the composer's religion, or just a song's content that made it Jewish. About two thousand years ago, after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, Jews fled their homeland. In this exile, they traveled to and settled in many different countries bringing with them their religion, customs, and musical traditions. Jewish music continues to exist wherever there are Jews, which is almost everywhere in the world. Jewish music is as vast and varied as all the music in the world. There are Jews living in countries as diverse as India, Russia, Europe, Asia, Ethiopia, America, Argentina, Australia, and Israel Jewish music created the basis for popular American music. Jewish composers, lyricists, musicians, and singers - immigrants, using their ethnic melodic roots and infusing bountiful new ideas, helped overwhelm the predominately European culture that dominated music in the early part of the 20th century. Jewish music so powerful and influential created America’s first popular music and changed American culture in less than ten years. The Jewish musical contribution created America’s only contribution to the Fine Arts…The Broadway and Hollywood Musical Comedy’s and co created Jazz. When these proud and determined Jewish people finally had access to the mainstream and creating popular culture in America. The free enterprise and capitalistic system in America and not in any socialistic and communistic countries of Europe would they have total creative freedom, and financial success. Only in America…God Bless America. The Jewish composers created not less than 90 percent of all the music that became major hit songs that Americans listened to and bought sheet music and records and went to see the musicals of Broadway, Hollywood and dance to the big swing bands… No longer would they hear from parents and relatives, “From this you can earn a living?!” HARVEY SHELDON HE KNOWS ALL- TELLS ALL- TELLS EVERYTHING - of all the questions and the history of Jewish music and the biographies of the ground breaking Jewish composers, lyricists, musicians and singers.