שירי ארץ ישראל? Songs of the Land of Israel?

The genre “Songs of the Land of Israel“ is considered as the 'folk' music of Israel. This repertoire, unlike most other folk music cultures, has developed mainly in the 20th century and consists of composed songs. Nevertheless, it complies with some of the characteristics conventionally attributed to 'folk' music: It exists as an oral tradition and it is typically consumed in the framework of 'Shira be-tzibbur' (communal singing). This genre is an eclectic one, consisting of borrowed melodies from different cultures (eastern and western) and of original Israeli melodies. The author deals with the question: Is this genre Israeli in spite of its being eclectic.