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Jewish Music

Origins
The known origins of Jewish music go as early as the Temple in Jerusalem and the ritual that served in it. After departure from the holy land to exile, Judaism prohibited secular music, but the synagogue remained a place of singing. Some of taamey ha-mikra (traditional signs on Hebrew bibles), according to which the verse and prayers are read, are chanting signs.
During the many years of exile, there were almost no Jewish composers, except for Solomon Rossi, who tried to write tunes for prayers, but this was rejected by Rabbis. Nevertheless, foreign influences from Gentile environments and the Christian Church kept on being absorbed into sacred songs and prayer versions. Jews of Islamic countries were also exposed to Arab singing and playing, the characteristic scales and oriental ornaments, and Jewish prayers were enriched by a variety of melodies sung with a clearly Eastern styleThe Andalusian orchestra, Israel.
Today, the state of Israel has a fascinating encounter with the different musical cultures where Jewry existed, and chanting prayers in the various versions is one of the experiences of this melting pot. Most Israelis believe that only pluralism and recognition of every musical culture's beauty will bring about a true human merger, and the entire variety of prayer forms and liturgical songs are to be preserved and nurtured.

Klezmer
Jewish instrumental music developed in Eastern Europe from the 15th century, when Jewish "Klezmer" bands excited and rejoiced Jews in the Diaspora, as well as the Christians in their surroundings. This music, played at Jewish weddings and other family events, is based on improvisation and folk tunesJewish Klezmer band transmitted from father to son, instead of via accurate notation.
The writer Y. L. Peretz best describes this music in his Hassidic stories; after the Second World War and the near complete annihilation of Eastern European Jewry, it became a symbol of a lost civilization.
The main instruments in this music were the violin, the trumpet and the double bass. But since the 20th century, the clarinet took a central role in the "Klezmer" music, and the expression capacity clarinetists manifest, the human emotion - from laughter to crying - have placed it in the center of this Jewish "soul music". Nowadays, players such as Giora Feidmann, Albert Piamenta and Israel ZoharKlezmer music by Israel Zohar and his band perform this music regularly and have won many fans for this style all over the world. The annual Klezmer festival in Safed, the Galilee, is a good occasion to meet this music in it's natural environment. Hassidic music is alive!Hassidic Klezmer music played on recorder

Israeli composer Avidom with Albert EinsteinIsraeli Music
Serious music in Israel evolved alongside the immigration of active composers, even before the Israeli State's establishment. Composers of this founding generation, such as Paul Ben-Haim ("Israel Plays"), Menahem AvidomThe 'Rinat' Choir from Israel in the Psalms cantata by Menahem Avidom (the "Folk" symphony), Uriah Boskowitz ("Semite Suite") and Eden Partosh ("Visions") - all created 20-century music, with reference to global trends, combined with elements of Middle East music: ancient modes, typical rhythms, ornamentation, trills, and so on.
Among the composers of the second generation, like Noam Sharif ("Confession" for cello), and Haydu, who studied the musical folklore of different Jewish communities ("Mishnaiot" and "A King's Hail"), the tendency of turning to ethnic sources developed further, but others turned to different directions: the composer Menahem Zur turned to electronic music ("Hymns" on a magnetic tape), and Yitzhak Sadai turned to electro-acoustic music.

About Arabic music...

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MusixCool© By Nadav Dafni