Contemporary Jewish religious music
Encyclopedia
For the purposes of this article, “contemporary” refers to the period from 1967 (Israel’s Six-Day War
) to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law
. For the purposes of this article, “religious” refers to the content and context of the music itself: liturgical or implicit references to the divine.
Jewish ethnomusicologist Mark Kligman notes, “The scope of contemporary Jewish music encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, including music for the synagogue, folk and popular music on religious themes, Yiddish songs, klezmer music, Israeli music, and art music by serious composers. Every sector of the Jewish community – from the most right-wing Orthodox to the most secular – participates in the Jewish music endeavor, creating, performing, and listening to the particular music that meets its taste and needs.”
The question of what is Jewish music and what makes music Jewish continues to be explored in academic and artistic circles alike. It may be seen in the work of Velvel Pasternak
, who has spent much of the late twentieth century as a preservationist committing what had been a strongly oral tradition to paper. Also, John Zorn's
record label, Tzadik
, features a "Radical Jewish Culture" series that focuses on exploring what contemporary Jewish music is and what it offers to contemporary Jewish culture.
community, cantoral and chasiddic melodies
were the musical standard.
In the 1950s and early 1960s recordings began to be made of noncantorial Jewish music, beginning with Benzion Shenker’s recording of the music of the Modzitz
chassidic sect and Cantor David Werdyger
's Gerrer recordings. The annual Israeli Hasidic Song Festival, first held in 1969, became a stage which saw the premières of pieces like Nurit Hirsh’s
Oseh Shalom; Tzvika Pik’s
Sh’ma Yisrael; and Shlomo Carlebach’s Od Yishama and V’ha’eir Eineinu.
in 1948, American Jews showed increasing interest in Israeli music. This trend dramatically accelerated with the Six-Day War
. “The practice of singing Israeli songs in American synagogues, camps, and at social gatherings, which spread in the 1950s, accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s as young American Jews looked to Israel as a positive model for Jewish identity, and the songs’ popularity also served as a Jewishly unifying factor.”
An additional influence was in the pronunciation of Hebrew both in worship and song. The Reform Movement, which previously had used Ashkenazic pronunciation of Hebrew
(reflecting a German-Polish tradition), switched to Sephardic pronunciation (reflecting the way Israelis spoke).
worship, the music centered around the use of organ and choir. Rather than the paradigm of organ and choir, the new music was composed for acoustic guitar and group singing.” This new style focused on making the music "simpler, thoroughly democratic in its singability, largely Hebrew, and playable on guitar."
This influence is also clear in the music of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Carlebach gained fame for bridging between the folk world and the traditional Jewish Hasidic tunes.
into modern Orthodox Jewish music. Their influence is carried over to bands like Blue Fringe, Soul Farm, The Moshav Band, Reva L'sheva, Piamenta, Even Sh'siyah and many more.
Periodically Jewish music jumps into mainstream consciousness, with the reggae
artist Matisyahu being the most recent example. The 2007 Grammy Awards were a landmark in Jewish music, as the Klezmatics
(a klezmer
/folk group
) became the first Jewish band to win a Grammy. Their music combines lyrics by Woody Guthrie
, the famous American lyricist, with classical klezmer tunes.
s and universities. Examples of this trend include The Chevra with clear pop-boy band overtones and dance moves and Blue Fringe
with its extended jam sessions echoing Phish
and the Dave Matthews Band
. Other examples include acts such as Chaim Dovid
or Shlomo Katz
who echo Shlomo Carlebach's musical style.
One type of music that is very popular among Orthodox artists and their listeners usually consists of a formulaic mix including brass
, horns
and strings
. These songs are often a joint effort by a composer and an arranger with the singer having little to no input. Many of the entertainers are former yeshiva students who perform in dress suits. Many have day jobs or are studying in kollel
and sideline singing at Jewish wedding
s. Musical background and training varies from no formal training to very high levels (though rarely academic).
Lyrics are most commonly short passages in Hebrew
from the Torah
or the siddur
, with the occasional passage from the Talmud
. Sometimes songs with original lyrics compiled in English, Hebrew
or Yiddish
deal with central themes such as Jerusalem, the Holocaust
, Jewish identity
, and the Jewish diaspora
.
As a solution to the Jewish law against men hearing women singing, Jewish boys choirs became popular in the 1970s. Among the more notable of these groups are Pirchei London, the Toronto Boys Choir, the Miami Boys Choir
, and the Yeshiva Boys Choir. Currently the Miami Boys Choir led by Yerachmiel Begun is perhaps the most popular, with a number of albums amongst the top record sales in Orthodox Jewish circles.
In addition to Matisyahu, some well-known Orthodox contemporary Jewish musicians include Yossi Green
, Martin Davidson, and Abie Rotenberg
; a well-known arranger of this type of music is Yisroel Lamm. Popular artists include Mordechai Ben David
, Avraham Fried
, Lipa Schmeltzer
, Eli Gerstner
, Shloime Dachs
, Dedi Graucher, and Yaakov Shwekey
.
, Dan Nichols
, Rick Recht
, Josh Nelson and others have shared their newest compositions with the latest generation of campers. Nichols and Recht are among the leading Jewish rock singers of the present day and remain extremely popular among Jewish summer campers. Sam Glaser
, Sue Horowitz, Noam Katz, Beth Schafer, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow and others have contributed significantly to modern Reform Jewish music and have been included in Ruach
, the biennial music compilation produced by the Union for Reform Judaism.
, Abie Rotenberg
, Uncle Moishy
, and the producers of the 613 Torah Avenue
series are examples of Orthodox Jewish musicians/entertainers whose music teach children Jewish traditions. Parallel performers exist in Israel with the lyric in Hebrew or Yiddish.
In the Reform and Conservative communities, there has been a body of contemporary children's music written in the last 20 years. Children's music tends to focus on teaching Jewish values and ethics, Hebrew alef-bet and vocabulary, and teaching about the holidays. Though well-known Jewish songwriters like Debbie Friedman and Craig Taubman have written many children's songs, there are some who focus almost exclusively on this genre, like Peter and Ellen Allard and Shira Kline.
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
) to the present day, “Jewish” refers to the various streams and traits of Judaism practiced. Many Orthodox Jews use the term “religious” to refer to a strict adherence to Jewish law
Torah Judaism
Torah Judaism is an English term applied to a number of Orthodox Jewish groups to describe their Judaism as being based on an adherence to the laws of the Torah's mitzvot as expounded in Orthodox Halakha...
. For the purposes of this article, “religious” refers to the content and context of the music itself: liturgical or implicit references to the divine.
Jewish ethnomusicologist Mark Kligman notes, “The scope of contemporary Jewish music encompasses a wide range of genres and styles, including music for the synagogue, folk and popular music on religious themes, Yiddish songs, klezmer music, Israeli music, and art music by serious composers. Every sector of the Jewish community – from the most right-wing Orthodox to the most secular – participates in the Jewish music endeavor, creating, performing, and listening to the particular music that meets its taste and needs.”
The question of what is Jewish music and what makes music Jewish continues to be explored in academic and artistic circles alike. It may be seen in the work of Velvel Pasternak
Velvel Pasternak
Velvel Pasternak is a musicologist, conductor, arranger, producer, and publisher specializing in Jewish music. In 1981 he was described as "an expert on the music of the Hasidic sect and probably the largest publisher of Jewish music anywhere, although he is quick to note that publishing Jewish...
, who has spent much of the late twentieth century as a preservationist committing what had been a strongly oral tradition to paper. Also, John Zorn's
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
record label, Tzadik
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
, features a "Radical Jewish Culture" series that focuses on exploring what contemporary Jewish music is and what it offers to contemporary Jewish culture.
Hasidic influence
Within the traditional JewishOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
community, cantoral and chasiddic melodies
Nigun
A nigun or niggun is a form of Jewish religious song or tune sung by groups. It is vocal music, often with repetitive sounds such as "bim-bim-bam" or "ai-ai-ai!" instead of formal lyrics. Sometimes, Bible verses or quotes from other classical Jewish texts are sung repetitively to form a nigun...
were the musical standard.
In the 1950s and early 1960s recordings began to be made of noncantorial Jewish music, beginning with Benzion Shenker’s recording of the music of the Modzitz
Modzitz (Hasidic dynasty)
Modzitz or Modzhitz is the name of a Hasidic group within Orthodox Judaism that derives its name from Modrzyce, one of the boroughs of the town of Dęblin, Poland, located on the Vistula River...
chassidic sect and Cantor David Werdyger
David Werdyger
David Werdyger is a Hasidic Jewish Hazzan and solo singer who is considered one of the pioneers of 20th-century Jewish music...
's Gerrer recordings. The annual Israeli Hasidic Song Festival, first held in 1969, became a stage which saw the premières of pieces like Nurit Hirsh’s
Nurit Hirsh
Nurit Hirsh is an Israeli composer, arranger and conductor who has written over a thousand Hebrew songs. -Biography:Nurit Hirsh studied at the Academy of Music in Tel Aviv, majoring in piano. She also studied composition with Mordecai Seter, orchestration with Noam Sheriff and conducting with ...
Oseh Shalom; Tzvika Pik’s
Svika Pick
Svika Pick is an Israeli pop singer and composer.-Biography:Henrik Zvi Pick was born in Wrocław, Poland. He studied music at the Conservatory of Ramat Gan and started to perform at the age of 15.Pick was married to Israeli songwriter Mirit Shem-Or...
Sh’ma Yisrael; and Shlomo Carlebach’s Od Yishama and V’ha’eir Eineinu.
Israeli influence
With the founding of the State of IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
in 1948, American Jews showed increasing interest in Israeli music. This trend dramatically accelerated with the Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
. “The practice of singing Israeli songs in American synagogues, camps, and at social gatherings, which spread in the 1950s, accelerated in the 1960s and 1970s as young American Jews looked to Israel as a positive model for Jewish identity, and the songs’ popularity also served as a Jewishly unifying factor.”
An additional influence was in the pronunciation of Hebrew both in worship and song. The Reform Movement, which previously had used Ashkenazic pronunciation of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
(reflecting a German-Polish tradition), switched to Sephardic pronunciation (reflecting the way Israelis spoke).
Folk music influence
Largely influenced by the folk music revival of the time, in the 1960s and 1970s, a new genre of worship music grew out of the Reform summer camp movement. From almost the beginning of ReformReform Judaism (North America)
Reform Judaism is the largest denomination of American Jews today. With an estimated 1.5 million members, it also accounts for the largest number of Jews affiliated with Progressive Judaism worldwide.- Reform Jewish theology :Rabbi W...
worship, the music centered around the use of organ and choir. Rather than the paradigm of organ and choir, the new music was composed for acoustic guitar and group singing.” This new style focused on making the music "simpler, thoroughly democratic in its singability, largely Hebrew, and playable on guitar."
This influence is also clear in the music of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. Carlebach gained fame for bridging between the folk world and the traditional Jewish Hasidic tunes.
Rock influence
At the same time as the folk revival made waves in Jewish worship, established composers like Gershon Kingsley and Raymond Smolover utilized contemporary genres like jazz and rock in their compositions. As in the broader world, the influence of rock music was debated and still is in some circles. Influence of the rock world came to the Orthodox world with bands like the Diaspora Yeshiva Band. The Diaspora Yeshiva Band was founded around 1976 at the Diaspora Yeshiva in Jerusalem. Avraham Rosenblum on guitar, Ben Zion Solomon on fiddle and banjo, Simcha Abramson on saxophone and clarinet, Ruby Harris on violin, mandolin, guitar, and harmonica, Adam Wexler on bass, and Gedalia Goldstein on drums. They were the originators of infusing rock and roll and bluegrassBluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
into modern Orthodox Jewish music. Their influence is carried over to bands like Blue Fringe, Soul Farm, The Moshav Band, Reva L'sheva, Piamenta, Even Sh'siyah and many more.
Periodically Jewish music jumps into mainstream consciousness, with the reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
artist Matisyahu being the most recent example. The 2007 Grammy Awards were a landmark in Jewish music, as the Klezmatics
The Klezmatics
The Klezmatics are a Grammy Award-winning American klezmer music group based in New York City, who have achieved fame singing in several languages, most notably mixing older Yiddish tunes with other types of more contemporary music of differing origins...
(a klezmer
Klezmer
Klezmer is a musical tradition of the Ashkenazic Jews of Eastern Europe. Played by professional musicians called klezmorim, the genre originally consisted largely of dance tunes and instrumental display pieces for weddings and other celebrations...
/folk group
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
) became the first Jewish band to win a Grammy. Their music combines lyrics by Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, the famous American lyricist, with classical klezmer tunes.
Important figures
- Shlomo Carlebach is considered by many to be the most influential Jewish songwriter of the last half century.
- Michael IsaacsonMichael IsaacsonMichael Isaacson is an influential composer of Jewish synagogue music, as well as one of the originators of the Jewish Camp Song movement...
grew up in Reform JewishReform JudaismReform Judaism refers to various beliefs, practices and organizations associated with the Reform Jewish movement in North America, the United Kingdom and elsewhere. In general, it maintains that Judaism and Jewish traditions should be modernized and should be compatible with participation in the...
summer camps and was the primary innovator in Jewish camp music. He has since established himself as a prominent composer of synagogue music. - Tofa'ah, founded in 1981, was the first all-women Jewish rock/jazz band. It sets traditional religious Jewish texts to its own compositions, as well as composes original Jewish inspirational songs. The band is unique in that it adheres strictly to the laws of Kol Isha and performs only for female audiences. Its path-breaking work on behalf of Jewish women artists of all denominations is featured in the archives of Hebrew University and the Rubin Academy of Music.
- Debbie FriedmanDebbie FriedmanDeborah Lynn "Debbie" Friedman was an American composer and singer of songs with Jewish religious content. She was born in Utica, New York but moved with her family to Minnesota at age 5. She is best known for her setting of “Mi Shebeirach”, the prayer for healing, which is used by hundreds of...
, another product of Reform Jewish summer camps, was the first woman to set religious Jewish texts in the American folk genreAmerican folk music revivalThe American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States that began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Richard Dyer-Bennett, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie, John Jacob...
, rendering them easily accessible and popular across the denominations. Her settings of "Havdalah" and "Mi ShebeirachYishtabachYishtabach is a prayer in the final portion of the Pesukei Dezimra morning prayers of Judaism known as shacharit, recited before the second kaddish leading to the Shema prayers....
" are ubiquitous in virtually every Jewish community. Julie Silver and Rabbi Shefa Gold have both followed in Debbie Friedman's footsteps as prolific female composers of contemporary Jewish religious music in their own right. - Kol b'Seder, consisting of Cantor Jeff Klepper and Rabbi Daniel Freelander, also arose out of the Reform Jewish camp movement as one of the pioneering groups devoted to composing and fostering what is sometimes called “American NusachNusachNusach is a concept in Judaism that has two distinct meanings. One is the style of a prayer service ; another is the melody of the service depending on when the service is being conducted.-Meaning of term:Nusach primarily means "text" or "version", in...
: "the late 20th century refashioning of liberal Jewish worship to reflect the attitudes and beliefs of life in North America". Some of their well-known settings include "Modeh Ani L'fanecha," "Or Zarua," and "Shalom Rav." - Craig TaubmanCraig TaubmanCraig Reid Taubman is an American singer/songwriter and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. Through his independent label/production office, Craig 'N Company, he has produced 11 albums...
grew up in Conservative JewishConservative JudaismConservative Judaism is a modern stream of Judaism that arose out of intellectual currents in Germany in the mid-19th century and took institutional form in the United States in the early 1900s.Conservative Judaism has its roots in the school of thought known as Positive-Historical Judaism,...
camps and has also contributed a great deal of music to the genre, such as his settings of "L'cha Dodi," "Rom'mu" and "Hashkiveinu." - Safam, a six-man band founded in Boston in 1973, prides itself on a "Jewish-American Sound:" a wide breadth of American musical styles while maintaining a decidedly Jewish flavor. One of the group's founders, Robert Solomon, is a prominent cantor and composer in his own right.
Trends in the Orthodox community
In recent years, the time lag in style between the broad music world and its adoption by the Jewish music world had been decreasing. Many groups and singers have released albums with noticeable influences from contemporary pop, rock music, etc. This is partly a result of a new wave of young Jewish musicians arriving out of yeshivaYeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
s and universities. Examples of this trend include The Chevra with clear pop-boy band overtones and dance moves and Blue Fringe
Blue Fringe
Blue Fringe is an American Jewish rock band. The band's songs cover a range of genres including pop, rock, punk and R'n'B, based around Jewish themes. Blue Fringe was formed in 2003 and has released 3 albums...
with its extended jam sessions echoing Phish
Phish
Phish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
and the Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band
Dave Matthews Band, sometimes shortened to DMB, is a U.S. rock band formed in Charlottesville, Virginia in 1991. The founding members were singer-songwriter and guitarist Dave Matthews, bassist Stefan Lessard, drummer/backing vocalist Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. Boyd Tinsley was...
. Other examples include acts such as Chaim Dovid
Chaim-Dovid Saracik
Chaim Dovid is an Orthodox Jewish musician who lives in the Old City of Jerusalem. He has produced more than eleven albums and has played for thousands of people over the past couple of decades.-Background:...
or Shlomo Katz
Shlomo Katz
Shlomo Katz is a contemporary religious Jewish musician in Israel.- Biography :Shlomo Katz was born in New Jersey, son of Cantor Avsholom Katz. His family moved to Israel when he was nine years old and he has subsequently moved back and forth between Los Angeles and Israel...
who echo Shlomo Carlebach's musical style.
One type of music that is very popular among Orthodox artists and their listeners usually consists of a formulaic mix including brass
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
, horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
and strings
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
. These songs are often a joint effort by a composer and an arranger with the singer having little to no input. Many of the entertainers are former yeshiva students who perform in dress suits. Many have day jobs or are studying in kollel
Kollel
A kollel is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim and learning sedarim ; unlike a yeshiva, the student body of a kollel are all married men...
and sideline singing at Jewish wedding
Jewish wedding
A Jewish wedding is a wedding ceremony that follows Jewish law and traditions.While wedding ceremonies vary, common features of a Jewish wedding include a ketuba signed by two witnesses, a wedding canopy , a ring owned by the groom that is given to the bride under the canopy, and the breaking of a...
s. Musical background and training varies from no formal training to very high levels (though rarely academic).
Lyrics are most commonly short passages in Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
from the Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
or the siddur
Siddur
A siddur is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. This article discusses how some of these prayers evolved, and how the siddur, as it is known today has developed...
, with the occasional passage from the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
. Sometimes songs with original lyrics compiled in English, Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
or Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
deal with central themes such as Jerusalem, the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
, Jewish identity
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, and the Jewish diaspora
Jewish diaspora
The Jewish diaspora is the English term used to describe the Galut גלות , or 'exile', of the Jews from the region of the Kingdom of Judah and Roman Iudaea and later emigration from wider Eretz Israel....
.
As a solution to the Jewish law against men hearing women singing, Jewish boys choirs became popular in the 1970s. Among the more notable of these groups are Pirchei London, the Toronto Boys Choir, the Miami Boys Choir
Miami Boys Choir
-History:Formed in 1977 by Yerachmiel Begun, the Miami Boys Choir was part of a larger surge in popularity of Orthodox Jewish choral music.While the group was formed in Miami Beach, Florida, after releasing the first few albums, Begun moved the choir to New York...
, and the Yeshiva Boys Choir. Currently the Miami Boys Choir led by Yerachmiel Begun is perhaps the most popular, with a number of albums amongst the top record sales in Orthodox Jewish circles.
In addition to Matisyahu, some well-known Orthodox contemporary Jewish musicians include Yossi Green
Yossi Green
Yossi Green is a composer of Jewish music. His works include some major hits of the Jewish industry. He wrote his first international hit song for Yigal Calek and the London School of Jewish Song in 1973....
, Martin Davidson, and Abie Rotenberg
Abie Rotenberg
Abie Rotenberg is a prolific Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been producing music since the mid 1970s with a style which has been described as "soft and sweet" with a strong folk influence....
; a well-known arranger of this type of music is Yisroel Lamm. Popular artists include Mordechai Ben David
Mordechai ben David
Mordechai Werdyger , professionally known as Mordechai Ben David or MBD for short, is an American Hasidic Jewish singer and songwriter popular in the Orthodox Jewish community. He has been referred to as the 'King of Jewish music'. He has produced many popular Jewish albums over the past 40 years...
, Avraham Fried
Avraham Fried
Avraham Shabshi Hakohen Friedman better known by his stage name, Avraham Fried, is a popular musical entertainer in the Orthodox Jewish community.-Career:...
, Lipa Schmeltzer
Lipa Schmeltzer
Elazar Lipa Schmeltzer is an American Hasidic singer and composer. He is a headliner within Hasidic and Haredi communities worldwide and has been called "the Jewish Elvis". Schmeltzer has released 10 solo albums as of 2011...
, Eli Gerstner
Eli Gerstner
Eliezer Gerstner , is an Orthodox Jewish singer, songwriter and producer.- Personal life :Gerstner was born in 1980. He is married to Chani Schreiber...
, Shloime Dachs
Shloime Dachs
Shloime Dachs is an American Orthodox Jewish singer who catapulted to stardom on the Orthodox Jewish music scene on the backs of several best-selling albums and innumerable wedding, concert and benefit performances in the late 20th and early 21st centuries...
, Dedi Graucher, and Yaakov Shwekey
Yaakov Shwekey
Yaakov Shwekey is an Orthodox Jewish American recording artist, and musical entertainer. Through his father, he is of Egyptian and Syrian Sephardic heritage, although his mother is Ashkenazic.-Biography:...
.
Trends in the Reform and Conservative communities
The Reform Jewish summer camps continue to be a source of contemporary Jewish worship music, where artists like Craig TaubmanCraig Taubman
Craig Reid Taubman is an American singer/songwriter and music producer based in Los Angeles, California. Through his independent label/production office, Craig 'N Company, he has produced 11 albums...
, Dan Nichols
Dan Nichols
Daniel Nichols is a Jewish rock musician and founder of the band, E18hteen.-Biography:Dan Nichols was born in 1969 in Indiana. He attended Pike Township Schools in Indianapolis. He and his parents converted to Judaism when he was 7, and he attended Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation and camped at...
, Rick Recht
Rick Recht
Richard Samuel "Rick" Recht , is a Jewish rock musician who is especially known for his live performances at Camp Poyntelle and for groups of youth all over the United States as well as performances at synagogues and Jewish rock festivals...
, Josh Nelson and others have shared their newest compositions with the latest generation of campers. Nichols and Recht are among the leading Jewish rock singers of the present day and remain extremely popular among Jewish summer campers. Sam Glaser
Sam Glaser
Sam Glaser is a popular composer, performer and interpreter of Jewish music. Referred to as one of the top ten Jewish artists in the United States by Moment Magazine, he holds a global fifty-city music tour culminating in Israel every year....
, Sue Horowitz, Noam Katz, Beth Schafer, Julie Silver, Peri Smilow and others have contributed significantly to modern Reform Jewish music and have been included in Ruach
Ruach
In Rabelais' Gargantua and Pantagruel, Ruach is the Isle of Winds. The people of Ruach eat and drink nothing but wind, and live inside weathercocks. The island is an allegory of the insubstantial promises and flatteries that people must subsist on to survive in this world.The word "Ruach" comes...
, the biennial music compilation produced by the Union for Reform Judaism.
Children's music
A large body of music produced by Orthodox Jews for children is geared toward teaching religious and ethical traditions and laws. The lyrics of these songs are generally written in English with some Hebrew or Yiddish phrases. Country YossiCountry Yossi
Country Yossi is the name of a monthly, English-language Orthodox Jewish magazine, a radio show, a collection of musical albums, and children's books created, composed, authored, and published by Yossi Toiv, who took on the nickname "Country Yossi" and then transferred it onto the magazine, radio...
, Abie Rotenberg
Abie Rotenberg
Abie Rotenberg is a prolific Orthodox Jewish musician, composer and entertainer from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has been producing music since the mid 1970s with a style which has been described as "soft and sweet" with a strong folk influence....
, Uncle Moishy
Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men
Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men is a Jewish American children's edutainment group based in New York City, featured in audio and video releases, as well as appearing live in concert. Their tapes, CDs and videos are sold in most Jewish music and Judaica stores....
, and the producers of the 613 Torah Avenue
613 Torah Avenue
613 Torah Avenue is a popular series of Jewish children's audio and video albums. The first title appeared in 1977.The series was created by Cheryle Knobel and Rivkah Neuman, of Brooklyn. Rivkah Neuman is the renowned Pre-1A teacher in Yeshiva Toras Emes Kamenitz in Brooklyn for many years...
series are examples of Orthodox Jewish musicians/entertainers whose music teach children Jewish traditions. Parallel performers exist in Israel with the lyric in Hebrew or Yiddish.
In the Reform and Conservative communities, there has been a body of contemporary children's music written in the last 20 years. Children's music tends to focus on teaching Jewish values and ethics, Hebrew alef-bet and vocabulary, and teaching about the holidays. Though well-known Jewish songwriters like Debbie Friedman and Craig Taubman have written many children's songs, there are some who focus almost exclusively on this genre, like Peter and Ellen Allard and Shira Kline.