Chassidic Ecstasy in Music

Chassidic Ecstasy in Music PDF Author: Shmuel Barzilai
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9783631584521
Category : Hasidim
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
Music is of paramount importance in Judaism. On the verse, «Hearken unto the song and the prayer which Your servant prays before You this day» (I Kings 8:28), the Gemarrah states that wherever there is song, there shall be prayer; and indeed, in the Temple, song was an inseparable element of the sacrificial services, thereafter finding its position in the prayers and the Torah reading, with its special melody, in the synagogue. Chassidism employed music as one of its main avenues for serving G-d. Music served to bring the individual to a state of awakening and joy, nullifying sadness which was seen as an element that could only lead to negativity. Joy allowed one to reach ever higher levels in the service of G-d, leaving one's sorrows behind, as explained by the founder of the Modzits Chassidic court, Rabbi Yehezkel of Kozmir, when interpreting the verse, «with joy you shall go forth» (Isaiah 55) to mean that through joy, we shall go forth from all our difficulties. In this book, Shmuel Barzilai takes the reader on a brief and concise tour of the Chassidic courts and their world of music. It explains the wordless melody (Niggun), which is perhaps even more important than songs having words; the importance of dance; the place of honor given to Shabbat songs; and the role of music in Kabbalah. The book provides an overview of the activities of Rabbis who composed and sang at every opportunity, whether in the synagogue or while conducting the traditional Tisch where Chassidic adherents gathered each Shabbat and Festival to hear their Rebbe explain sections of Torah, sing and interpret sayings on music. Barzilai also discusses melodies - niggunim - that became particularly famous, or derived from non-Jewish sources but underwent a process that allowed them to be adopted by the Admoric leaders and integrated into the Chassidic court's repertoire.

Chassidic Ecstasy in Music

Chassidic Ecstasy in Music PDF Author: Shmuel Barzilai
Publisher: Peter Lang
ISBN: 9783631584521
Category : Hasidim
Languages : en
Pages : 234

Get Book

Book Description
Music is of paramount importance in Judaism. On the verse, «Hearken unto the song and the prayer which Your servant prays before You this day» (I Kings 8:28), the Gemarrah states that wherever there is song, there shall be prayer; and indeed, in the Temple, song was an inseparable element of the sacrificial services, thereafter finding its position in the prayers and the Torah reading, with its special melody, in the synagogue. Chassidism employed music as one of its main avenues for serving G-d. Music served to bring the individual to a state of awakening and joy, nullifying sadness which was seen as an element that could only lead to negativity. Joy allowed one to reach ever higher levels in the service of G-d, leaving one's sorrows behind, as explained by the founder of the Modzits Chassidic court, Rabbi Yehezkel of Kozmir, when interpreting the verse, «with joy you shall go forth» (Isaiah 55) to mean that through joy, we shall go forth from all our difficulties. In this book, Shmuel Barzilai takes the reader on a brief and concise tour of the Chassidic courts and their world of music. It explains the wordless melody (Niggun), which is perhaps even more important than songs having words; the importance of dance; the place of honor given to Shabbat songs; and the role of music in Kabbalah. The book provides an overview of the activities of Rabbis who composed and sang at every opportunity, whether in the synagogue or while conducting the traditional Tisch where Chassidic adherents gathered each Shabbat and Festival to hear their Rebbe explain sections of Torah, sing and interpret sayings on music. Barzilai also discusses melodies - niggunim - that became particularly famous, or derived from non-Jewish sources but underwent a process that allowed them to be adopted by the Admoric leaders and integrated into the Chassidic court's repertoire.

Studying Hasidism

Studying Hasidism PDF Author: Marcin Wodzinski
Publisher: Rutgers University Press
ISBN: 1978804210
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 315

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Book Description
Studying Hasidism, edited by internationally recognized historian of Hasidism Marcin Wodziński, introduces previously untapped sources, such as folklore, music, or material culture and shows how they can be employed to answer new questions in the history of Hasidism.

Music in Biblical Life

Music in Biblical Life PDF Author: Jonathan L. Friedmann
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786474092
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
Music was integral to the daily life of ancient Israel. It accompanied activities as diverse as manual labor and royal processionals. At key junctures and in core institutions, musical tones were used to deliver messages, convey emotions, strengthen communal bonds and establish human-divine contact. This book explores the intricate and multifaceted nature of biblical music through a detailed look into four major episodes and genres: the Song of the Sea (Exod. 15), King Saul and David's harp (1 Sam. 16), the use of music in prophecy, and the Book of Psalms. This investigation demonstrates how music helped shape and define the self-identity of ancient Israel.

Synagogue Song

Synagogue Song PDF Author: Jonathan L. Friedmann
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 0786491361
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 204

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Book Description
Throughout history, music has been a fixture of Jewish religious life. Musical references appear in biblical accounts of the Red Sea crossing and King Solomon's coronation, and music continues to play a central role in virtually every Jewish occasion. Through 100 brief chapters, this volume considers theoretical approaches to the study of Jewish sacred music. Topics include the diversity of Jewish music, the interaction of music and identity, the emotional and spiritual impact of worship music, the text-tone relationship, the musical component of Jewish holidays, and the varied ways prayer-songs are performed. These distillations of complex topics invite a fuller appreciation of synagogue song and an understanding of the ubiquitous presence of music in Jewish worship.

Dance as Third Space

Dance as Third Space PDF Author: Heike Walz
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
ISBN: 3647568546
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 421

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Book Description
Dance plays an important role in many religious traditions, in rites of passage, processions, healing rituals or festivals. But it is also controversial, especially in Christianity. Colonial European Christian discourses tend to separate dance from religion(s) and spirituality. This volume explores dance as "Third Space", following Homi Bhabha's postcolonial metaphor. The "Inter-Dance approach" combines interdisciplinary theoretical considerations with case studies. International experts examine dance controversies and discourses from the early church to World Christianity, as well as in Hasidic Judaism, Greek mysteries, Islamic Sufism, West African Togolese religions, and Afro-Brazilian Umbanda. Christian dance theologies are unfolded and the boundary-crossing potential of dance in interreligious and intercultural encounters is explored. The volume breaks new ground in how dance as ephemeral performative art, embodied thought and gendered discourse can transform studies of religion.

The Yiddish Supernatural on Screen

The Yiddish Supernatural on Screen PDF Author: Rebecca Margolis
Publisher: Lexington Books
ISBN: 1666910880
Category : Jews in motion pictures
Languages : en
Pages : 237

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Book Description
"This book examines how supernatural film and television integrate Yiddish dialogue to reimagine and reconstruct haunted and mystical elements of the Jewish experience, illustrating how closely bound up the Yiddish language is with shadowy immigrant pasts and the haunted sites of Holocaust memory"--

Hasidism

Hasidism PDF Author: David Biale
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691202443
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 890

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Book Description
A must-read book for understanding this vibrant and influential modern Jewish movement Hasidism originated in southeastern Poland, in mystical circles centered on the figure of Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, but it was only after his death in 1760 that a movement began to spread. Today, Hasidism is witnessing a remarkable renaissance around the world. This book provides the first comprehensive history of the pietistic movement that shaped modern Judaism. Written by an international team of scholars, its unique blend of intellectual, religious, and social history demonstrates that, far from being a throwback to the Middle Ages, Hasidism is a product of modernity that forged its identity as a radical alternative to the secular world.

On Ecstasy

On Ecstasy PDF Author: Dov Baer Schneersohn
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 224

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Book Description


Songs of the Chassidim

Songs of the Chassidim PDF Author: Velvel Pasternak
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 168

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Book Description


Quotations on Jewish Sacred Music

Quotations on Jewish Sacred Music PDF Author: Jonathan L. Friedmann
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 0761855378
Category : Music
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
Quotations on Jewish Sacred Music is a collection of over 700 quotations culled from an array of sources, including rabbinic and theological texts, sociological and anthropological studies, and historical and musicological examinations. The book isdivided into five chapters: What Is Jewish Music?; Spirituality and Prayer; Hazzan-Cantor; Cantillation-Biblical Chant; and Nusach ha-Tefillah-Liturgical Chant. Taken as a whole, these quotations demonstrate both the centrality of music in Jewish religious life and the diversity of thought on the subject. They can be used with profit in sermons, speeches, and papers, and may be read in order or selectively. This is a valuable and easy-to-use reference book for scholars, musicians, synagogue staff, and anyone else seeking concise thoughts on major aspects of Jewish sacred music.