International School for Jewish Peoplehood Studies

Jewish Music Collection

FJMC Main Page

Visitors to the Feher Jewish Music Center may personalize their visit by requesting recordings at individual listening booths, each equipped with a touch-screen monitor. They can browse through the database of biographies; find any single piece of music by its title, opening words, textual source, composer and writer, ethnic or religious tradition, geographical origin, language, period, content, performer, and more; listen to music pieces or view films featuring musical performances, traditions and musicians.

Opening page of the database at the FJMC

Sample page from the database at the FJMC

Traditional pieces of music in the collection fall in the following three categories:

Liturgical songs	Synagogal songs in Hebrew and Aramaic; Torah readings and prayers
Paraliturgical songs	Sacred songs in Hebrew sung at home as part of the yearly cycle - the Sabbath and festivals, or the life cycle - circumcision, wedding, death
Everyday songs	Usually sung by women, some in Hebrew, though most are in the vernacular languages spoken by Jews throughout the Diaspora - Yiddish, Judeo-Espagnol, Arabic, Geez, Juhuri and many local dialects

Sample page from the database at the FJMC

Sample page from the database at the FJMC

All information and recordings are accessible to Museum visitors, at the listening center, located in the Culture Section of the Permanent Exhibition. The database will in future be accessible through the internet.

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