Book contents
- Leonard Bernstein in Context
- Composers in Context
- Leonard Bernstein in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Musical Examples
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Bernstein’s World
- Chapter 1 Education
- Chapter 2 Mishkan Tefila
- Chapter 3 Jewishness
- Chapter 4 Sexuality, Relationships, and Family Life
- Chapter 5 Civil Rights Activist and Vietnam War Resister
- Chapter 6 The Cold War, Democracy, and Hope
- Part II Conducting
- Part III Composition, Creation, and Reception
- Part IV Bernstein as Musical and Cultural Ambassador
- Part V Connections
- Part VI The Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Chapter 3 - Jewishness
from Part I - Bernstein’s World
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 April 2024
- Leonard Bernstein in Context
- Composers in Context
- Leonard Bernstein in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Illustrations
- Musical Examples
- Contributors
- Preface
- Part I Bernstein’s World
- Chapter 1 Education
- Chapter 2 Mishkan Tefila
- Chapter 3 Jewishness
- Chapter 4 Sexuality, Relationships, and Family Life
- Chapter 5 Civil Rights Activist and Vietnam War Resister
- Chapter 6 The Cold War, Democracy, and Hope
- Part II Conducting
- Part III Composition, Creation, and Reception
- Part IV Bernstein as Musical and Cultural Ambassador
- Part V Connections
- Part VI The Legacy
- Further Reading
- Index
Summary
Jewish related works form a significant part of Bernstein’s oeuvre. He draws from Hebrew texts taken from the bible and liturgy and also uses traditional Jewish melodies. Bernstein had a strong Jewish upbringing in his synagogue, Mishkan Tefila in Boston. Throughout his life Jewishness provided an approach to express his heritage and larger humanitarian ideas. This chapter discusses the Jewishness in Bernstein by investigating various works, including his three symphonies. In 1945 Bernstein was commissioned to write a setting of the Hashkiveinu prayer for a Friday evening service by the Park Avenue Synagogue in New York. This piece is discussed as a demonstration of various compositional styles that Bernstein applies that are not derived from Jewish tradition. Through differing approaches of direct use of melodies and text from the Jewish tradition, Bernstein provides an example of Jewishiness in art music with a complex and varied approach.
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- Leonard Bernstein in Context , pp. 18 - 25Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024