The Making of a Reform Jewish Cantor

by Cohen, Judah M.

• ISBN13: 9780253353658
• ISBN10: 0253353653
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-10-01
• Publisher: Indiana Univ Pr

Summary

The Making of a Reform Jewish Cantorprovides an unprecedented look into the meaning of attaining musical authority among American Reform Jews at the turn of the 21st century. How do aspiring cantors adapt traditional musical forms to the practices of contemporary American congregations? What is the cantor's role in American Jewish religious life today? Cohen follows cantorial students at the School of Sacred Music, Hebrew Union College, over the course of their training, as they prepare to become modern Jewish musical leaders. Opening a window on the practical, social, and cultural aspects of aspiring to musical authority, this book provides unusual insights into issues of musical tradition, identity, gender, community, and high and low musical culture.

Author Biography

Judah M. Cohen is the Lou and Sybil Mervis Professor of Jewish Culture and Assistant Professor of Folklore and Ethnomusicology at Indiana University Bloomington. He is author of Through the Sands of Time: A History of the Jewish Community of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments and Attributions	p. ix
Note on Transliteration and Transcription	p. xiii
Introduction: A Moment of Transformation	p. 1
To Fashion a Cantor	p. 24
Seeking the Tradition	p. 46
Constructing a Tradition	p. 68
Through the Prism of the Practicum	p. 113
A Prism of Cantorial Sound	p. 154
A Prism of Cantorial Identity	p. 197
Conclusion: Cantors in Israel and the Structure of Musical Authority	p. 226
Ashkenazic and Sephardic Pronunciation Table	p. 243
Selections on Compact Disc	p. 245
Notes	p. 247
Bibliography	p. 277
Index	p. 291
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