Revitalization of Jewish Classical Music at YIVO

by ALEX WEISER

There is a wealth of music amid the treasures of YIVO’s collections. Folksong field recordings and song books, liturgical music, hundreds of sets of parts for Yiddish operettas, thousands of popular music broadsheets, recordings in the form of 78s, LPs, CDs, and much more.

As a composer of contemporary classical music myself, one aspect of these collections has been particularly exciting for me to get to know: Jewish classical music. There are arrangements of Yiddish, Hebrew, and Ladino folksongs; art songs which set to music Yiddish and Hebrew poetry; chamber music elaborating on Jewish melodies and musical styles; and more.

These works themselves are artifacts of history that can deepen our understanding of the musical, literary, cultural, and political worlds they came from. Even lesser known musical gems broaden the richness of their respective traditions, allowing us to listen beyond the celebrated canon of perennial favorites. What is more, their beauty and inherent musical value have much to offer audiences today.

Curating concerts that bring this music to light has been one of my great joys working at YIVO. By performing this music and putting it into the hands—and on the music stands—of up-and-coming musicians, we ensure that it remains part of a living and breathing tradition. Furthermore, we keep that tradition vital by adding to it. New works contribute a fresh perspective to these traditions and offer an opportunity for contemporary composers to musically think through the meaning and relevance of the past.

Towards this end, YIVO—with generous support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs—has commissioned a variety of new compositions that add to these repertoires.

YIVO commissioned Annie Gosfield’s Number Six Goerck Street which is about a rent strike in the Lower East Side; Ofer Ben-Amots’s Nigun & Hora for cello and piano; works reflecting on the Song of Songs from Loren Loiacono and Na’ama Zisser; Book of Doubt / Book of Faith from Adam Roberts as a companion piece to Morton Feldman’s Rothko Chapel and David Lang’s Little Match Girl Passion on our “Secular Sacred Music” concert; and new works based on Yiddish folksongs from Martin Bresnick, Marti Epstein, Aaron Kernis, and Judith Shatin.

This coming April, YIVO will be adding five more works to this list with another concert exploring Yiddish folksongs which will feature new works from Derek David, David Ludwig, Anthony Russel, Daniel Schlosberg, and Dan Shore. I hope you’ll join us at this concert as we celebrate, reflect upon, and expand the rich musical legacy preserved in our collections.

Curious to hear our past concerts? Listen now on YIVO’s YouTube Channel.

Alex Weiser is YIVO’s Director of Public Programs.