Jewish Music of the Diaspora

Through the perspective of Jewish music, the students will be exposed to diverse musical cultures from around the globe while simultaneously being exposed to the rich and multi-faceted cultures of Jewish music. Because the Jews were dispersed around the globe, discrete musical styles and genres evolved for the same texts. The various styles differ from each other in their tonal and rhythmic organizations; instrumentation, tora recitations.  The course examines these aspects as well as the influence of Jewish music on classical music and vice versa. No prior knowledge of Jewish history, Judaism and music theory is required.