History and Origins of Sephardic Music
Sephardic music is thought to have originated from the Jewish population living in medieval Spain and Portugal. Following their expulsion from Spain and Portugal in 1492 and 1496, respectively, the...
View ArticleJuly 24: Abraham Goldfaden, the “father of modern Yiddish theater,” was born...
Abraham Goldfaden, the “father of modern Yiddish theater,” was born in Russia (today’s Ukraine) on this date in 1840. Goldfaden was a poet in Hebrew and Yiddish, many of whose poems were set to music...
View ArticleJewish Bucket List: Yiddish Immersion
The stage was set. The musicians played. The featured performer read Yiddish poems accompanied by klezmer music. The crowd was excited. I was, too. The whole experience gave off the vibe of being in a...
View Article“Oyfn vegh shteit a boym”, lullaby in Yiddish
On the way stands a tree He stands grown All birds from the tree Went up and flown Three turn to the west, three to the east And the rest to South And the tree was left alone Vacant for the storm I say...
View ArticleDavid Berman (Silver Jews, Purple Mountains) Dead at 52
David Berman, the poet and songwriter known for his projects Silver Jews and Purple Mountains, has died. Drag City confirmed the news; his cause of death has not been confirmed. He was 52 years old....
View ArticleAugust 16, 1896: Wanda Landowska, who almost singlehandedly revived the...
Wanda Landowska, who almost singlehandedly revived the harpsichord in the early 20th century, died on this date in 1959. Warsaw-born, she was a child prodigy on piano and began winning prizes in Poland...
View ArticleA Bizele Masheke, a ‘shikers’ (drunk’s) song with translation
די זינגערין און מוזיקאָלאָגין דזשיין פּעפּלער, וואָס איז שטענדיק אַ פֿאַרלאָזלעכער קוואַל פֿון טשיקאַווע ווידעאָס פֿון אַלטע לידער, האָט לעצטנס אַרויסגעלאָזט אַ רעקאָרדירונג פֿון ד׳׳ר הענעך...
View ArticleSaveTheMusic presents: A very original song for Rosh Hashone in Yiddish
An original song for Rosh Hashanah in Yiddish by Chana Mlotek, Z ”L , music archivist at YIVO (Yiddish Research Institute in New York City) sings songs in Yiddish that she wrote for Rosh Hashana while...
View ArticleYom Kippur 5780, music and memory
In just a little while, the notes of Kol Nidre will start playing, that melody that moves the one who knows its meaning as much as the one who knows nothing about it. Theodor Reik tells us that, when...
View ArticleSukkot Song
Sukkot is a weeklong Jewish holiday that comes five days after Yom Kippur. Sukkot celebrates the gathering of the harvest and commemorates the miraculous protection G‑d provided for the children of...
View ArticleJack Black, Flaming Lips and Haim among those to join Hanukkah album
A holiday-inspired music album titled “Hanukkah+” will be released on Nov. 22 and feature a collection of Jewish classics and originals from artists, including Haim, the Flaming Lips, Jack Black and...
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A new kind of ambassador: The rise of Israel’s Shalva Band and Netta Barzilai
As the Shalva Band and 2018 Eurovision Song Contest winner Netta Barzilai redefine what it means to be beautiful and successful, perhaps they are, at the same time, redefining what it means to be a...
View ArticleMusic from a Speeding Train: Jewish Literature in Post-Revolution Russia
A history of Russian-Jewish and Soviet Yiddish literature from the 1920s to 2006, the study focuses on the themes of time, memory, and the body. This study is a work of restoration, an attempt to...
View Article“Baby It’s Cold Outside” in Yiddish! –קעצעלע, ס’ברענט דער פֿראָסט
Music and original English lyrics: Frank Loesser (1910-1969) Yiddish lyrics: Binyumen Schaechter (2015) Performed by Cantor Joshua Breitzer and Donna Breitzer Piano accompaniment by Seth Weinstein...
View ArticleBeautiful Yiddish Chanukah Song, “Borekh ate”
The *beautiful* Yiddish Chanukah song “Borekh ate” (“Blessed Art Thou”) Performed by the Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus / JPPC Binyumen Schaechter, Conductor And if you haven’t yet seen the...
View ArticleDJ Beethoven’s “Ale Brider” oif Yiddish
Yiddish poem: I. L. Peretz (1852-1915) Original music: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony Choral adaptation: Binyumen Schaechter Filmed live in performance November 1, 2015 • Merkin Concert Hall, NYC Jewish...
View ArticleTraditional Hanukkah Songs from Around the World
We want to be sure everyone has a chance to enjoy the full richness of the holiday, and we don’t just mean the delicious fried richness.
View ArticleDay One: SaveTheMusic Presents Hanukke Oy Hanukke a Yom Tev a Sheiner
Jewish People’s Philharmonic Chorus / JPPC דער ייִדישער פֿילהאַרמאָנישער פֿאָלקסכאָר Binyumen Schaechter, conductor בנימין שעכטער, דיריגענט Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thejppc Website:...
View ArticleDay Two: STM Presents “Hanukke Oy Hanukke a Yom Tev a Sheiner”
Kippalive – Al HaNisim כיפה-לייב על הניסים
View ArticleBeethoven’s “Ode to Joy” in Yiddish!
On YouTube in honor of today’s December 16th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven here’s the Yiddish adaptation and the new choral adaptation of his “Ode to Joy” from his Ninth Symphony “Brider”...
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