Jewish music

Jewish music can be divided into traditional religious music, sung in synagogues and during home prayers, and secular music, called klezmer. Traditional music has evolved gradually and over a very long period of time. Modern composers are thus strongly influenced by this tradition.

In the old music, various instruments (lyre, harp, tambourine, trumpets and pipes) and, of course, singing were used, but in synagogues musical instruments are not used in worship. Traditional religious music is therefore purely vocal.

In addition to religious music, popular folk music has also been used. Jewish music initially used themes from German, Russian and other music, depending on where the immigrants came from. By the 20th century, however, a consciously indigenous Jewish music influenced by its Arab roots was already forming. It was also an opportunity to introduce Hebrew not only into musical texts, but also to popularize it in general. The State of Israel also gave significant support to music, and to Jewish culture in general. This gave rise, among other things, to the tradition of public singing.

The song Israel uses is Hava nagila (Let us rejoice), which was composed by 12-year-old Torah student Moshe Nathason more than 1,000 years ago. Next is Shalom Aleichem, which is a spoken greeting in Hebrew and means "peace be with you." The appropriate response is aleichem shalom. This form of greeting is traditional among Jews around the world.

Finally, during the live performances, you can hear the song Im Hashem Lo Yivneh Bayis sung by the Shira Choir. Although it is not original folk music, this song accurately describes the current form of Jewish music. It is a haunting song that will appeal to all listeners, not just those of Jewish descent.