The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music ed. by Joshua S. Walden (review)

The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music, edited by Peabody Conservatory professor Joshua S. Walden, seeks to answer the seemingly obvious question, “What is Jewish music?” In the course of this book, however, the reader will learn that the response is not so clear-cut. Since Jews have lived in a multitude of countries, they have adopted and adapted numerous disparate musical styles to their own ancient traditions, thereby creating a rich musical tapestry that continues to evolve. Walden informs us that the term “Jewish music” comprises “folk songs in multiple languages, dance music played by ensembles of instrumentalists, forms of religious music developed in the synagogue and the home in far-flung communities, methods of chanting the text of the Hebrew Bible, classical music written for the concert hall, and commercial popular music . . . ” (p. 6). Indeed, Walden offers the example of the tune for “Hatikvah” in the book’s introduction as a means of demonstrating the ubiquity of Jewish music. While most Jews (and some non-Jews) recognize this tune as the Israeli national anthem, Walden explains that it shares a common folk song ancestor with Bedřich Smetana’s Die Moldau, as well as Mozart’s “Ah! Vous dirai-je, maman” (“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”), among several others (p. 2). In this way, he illustrates the vast influences on Jewish music, explaining that what makes the music Jewish is its associations.

This particular focus on ontology pervades the book and separates it from other works on Jewish music that emphasize primarily history (Abraham Z. Idelsohn’s seminal tome, Jewish Music: Its Historical Development [New York: H. Holt, 1929; reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 1992]; Marsha Bryan Edelman, Discovering Jewish Music [Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society, 2003]) or genre (for example, Mark Slobin, Fiddler on the Move [Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000]). Instead, Walden utilizes a gestalt approach, allowing for a very broad yet in-depth examination of the topic. The book’s back cover states that it “is a key resource for students, scholars, and everyone with an interest in the global history of Jewish music.” Due to the detailed examination of numerous topics, however, this author feels that the book is best suited for musically-knowledgeable readers seeking an overview of Jewish music, or perhaps a college course on the topic. Therefore, The Cambridge Companion to Jewish Music is similar to the other books in the Cambridge series, which offer in-depth investigations into various genres, styles, composers, and instruments.

Walden divides the sixteen-chapter book into three sections. Part I, entitled “Conceptions of Jewish Music,” attempts to pinpoint its essence. Chapter 1, “Ontologies of Jewish music” by Philip Bohlman, informs us that there are five conditions of Jewishness in music: religion, language, embodiment (contextuality), geography, and identity, adding that these definitions continue to evolve as the music itself also evolves. He states that Jewish music is often defined by what it is not, noting, “Jewish music comes into being when an original text or ritual process undergoes transformation that expands upon its meaning, enhancing them within the multiplying contexts of Jewish culture and history” (pp. 15–16).

Edwin Seroussi addresses the multiple meanings of “diaspora” in chapter 2, asserting that “the mapping out of clusters of Jewish musical styles and repertoires” by simple binaries such as Ashkenazic/Sephardic “obliterated countless nuances based on place and time” (p. 30). Since the term has now grown “to describe every possible physical or imagined, voluntary or forced displacement of individuals or communities” (p. 27), he wonders whether it can still be applied to Jews. With the founding of the state of Israel, the term “was supposed to be eradicated” (p. 30), but with so many world centers, it continues to evolve in meaning (pp. 37–38).

In chapter 3, Judah Cohen examines the role played by communal organizations, educational...