Jewish Professional Musicians in Iraq and Israel, Revisited
In 1979 Esther Warkov, a young American PhD student in ethnomusicology, came to Israel to study the music of first-generation Jewish immigrants from Iraq. From 1979 to 1981 Warkov worked under the direction of Prof. Amnon Shiloah of the Hebrew University, an eminent scholar of music in…
Tish
In Yiddish, Tish means table. In the Hasidic movement, the Tish is the public feast of the rabbi (see: Admor), held with a large crowd. During the feast, the rabbi and/or his Hasidim, sing niggunim, Zemirot, or various texts related to the event.
However, the main reason of the Hasidim to…
Cleaving tune (Niggun Dvekut)
The term Niggun Devekut, which probably is a Hebrew translation of the Yiddish expression 'A dveykes nign' or 'A Dveyke', and is found in contemporary sources and among Hebrew speaking Hassidim, literally refers to meditational tunes which 'function as means to help the Hassid enter into a…
Ba'al Menagen\ Menagen
The word 'menagen' (menágn in a Yiddish accent) comes from the verb 'nagen,' which in the hasidic writings and in oral tradition means singing (and not playing an instrument, which is its usual Hebrew meaning). The terms 'Menagen,' 'Ba'al Menagen,' as well as the less common 'Ba'al Negina,' signify…
Anim Zemirot
The Piyyut 'Anim Zemirot,' also known as 'Shir HaKavod' (Song of Glory), appears in the Ashkenazi Siddur at the end of the morning prayers, after the Mussaf service. In some Israeli synagogues the prayer was moved to an earlier part of the service, the end of the Shaharit service before the Torah…
Andalusian Nuba
In this article we will review the development of the Nuba, which is considered the pinnacle of Andalusian music, from its origins in 9th century Spain, its arrival in North African countries in the fifteenth century, and through its coalescing into three main styles that continue through the…
Admor
Admor is an acronym in Hebrew for 'Adonenu, Morenu Ve-Rabenu' (our master, our teacher, our rabbi). It is a synonym to Tsadik, the leader of a Hassidic community, and to the Rebe (in Yiddish), pronounced Rebi by Habad Hassidim in Hebrew.
The Admor's leadership is different from the leadership of an…
Baqqashah (Pl. Baqqashot)
The Baqqashot (petition) is a religious practice maintained by several Jewish communities. It consists of gatherings that occur early on Sabbath morning, from 2-3 a.m. until the Shaharit prayer, in which the participants communally sing various piyyutim, which are titled Baqqashot. The practice…
Ades Synagogue
The Ades synagogue of the Aleppine Jewish community is located in the Nakhalat Zion neighborhood, in central Jerusalem.
At the turn of the twentieth century many Jews emigrated from Syria to various countries, particularly the U.S., England, different Latin American countries, and Palestine, where…
Had Gadya
Written in Aramaic, Had Gadya appears at the very end of the Passover Haggadah. Like Ehad Mi Yodeah, also found at the end of the Haggadah, it is a cumulative song, with each verse adding another motif to the story. It begins with a kid bought by the “father” (of the singer-subject of…
The Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam
The beautiful Dutch synagogue is also known by its Ladino name, Esnoga, and is one of the Dutch Jewish community's most important structures. Its history and that of Amsterdam's Jewish community reflects the history of the entire Jewish community of the Netherlands.
During the 16th and 17th…
Tango (LKT)
This entry is part of the Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that…