Thursdays – The Role of Music in Jewish Ritual

Thursdays – The Role of Music in Jewish Ritual

9/11 The many roles of Jewish ritual and how music has been used throughout Jewish history to enhance our worship. We will look at examples of music in the Psalms, on the makeup of the Levites who provided music for the First and Second Temples. By the end of the September 11th lecture, we will be looking at the history of the organ in the synagogue and how surrounding cultures impacted how we would set our prayers to music.

9/25 We will conclude our series with the music of the Cantor and why the musical experience in the synagogue moved from the bimah to the congregation. Throughout both installments of this two-part series, we will listen to musical examples from the Renaissance composer Salamone Rossi to the folk music-influenced music of Debbie Friedman, Kol B’Seder, and contemporary Jewish singers.