Music of Israel
The music of Israel is a combination of Jewish and non-Jewish music traditions that have come together over the course of a century to create a distinctive musical culture. For almost 150 years, musicians have sought original stylistic elements that would define the emerging national spirit.[1] In addition to creating an Israeli style and sound, Israel's musicians have made significant contributions to classical, jazz, pop rock and other international music genres. Since the 1970s, there has been a flowering of musical diversity, with Israeli rock, folk and jazz musicians creating and performing extensively, both locally and abroad. Many of the world's top classical musicians are Israelis or Israeli expatriates. The works of Israeli classical composers have been performed by leading orchestras worldwide.
Music in Israel is an integral part of national identity. Beginning in the days of the pioneers, Hebrew songs and public singalongs (Shira beTsibur) were encouraged and supported by the establishment. "Public singalongs were a common pastime [of the early settlers], and were for them a force in defining their identity", wrote Nathan Shahar.[2] This view of music as nation-building continues to this day. "We are in the midst of creating a culture", wrote Nahum Heyman, one of Israel's leading music composers and music historians.[3] Jewish immigrants from Europe, Asia, the Middle East and elsewhere brought with them their musical traditions, melding and molding them into a new Israeli sound.[4]
1967 as a turning point[edit]
The 1967 war marked an important turning point in Israeli culture. In the words of Amos Elon, "in the Six Day War of 1967, the Israeli people came of age... it marked the transition from adolescence to maturity."[49] The period after the war saw a burgeoning of cultural activity – within a few years, the number of art galleries increased by a third, the number of theaters doubled, and a proliferation of restaurants, night clubs, and discothèques opened. Economic growth went from 1 percent per annum before the war to 13 percent the following year.[49]
The Israeli music scene opened up to the rest of the world. Rock music, which prior to the war had almost no audience and was almost never played on the state radio, started drawing audiences.[17] Muzika Mizrahit, the underground style of popular music enjoyed by Israelis of Sephardic origin, gradually gained legitimacy and recognition. Israeli musicians performed abroad with increasing frequency, and European and American musicians came to Israel to perform.
In this growth of diversification, much Israeli music lost its national flavor, and became largely inspired by international styles. The Israeli preoccupation with defining a national style faded. "I don't like the attempt to be ethnic very much", said rock musician Shalom Hanoch in an interview. "I don't search for roots [in my music], my roots are within me... I don't have to add oriental flavor for people to know that I am from the Middle East."[50]
Nonetheless, many Israeli musicians, both popular and classical, continued to be concerned with defining a distinctly national identity in their music.
Evolution of the music industry[edit]
Starting in 1967, the productions of the Lehakot Tzva'iyot became much more elaborate, and for the next five years these groups played a defining role in Israeli music. However, in the 1980s the Lehakot started to decline, until they were discontinued altogether.[51] Taking their place as a breeding ground for new musical talent were the two classical music academies in Israel – The Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv[52] – as well as two private schools that teach mostly jazz and popular music (The Rimon school in Ramat Hasharon[53] and the Hed school in Tel Aviv).
Until the end of the 1980s, the Israeli government, primarily through its control of radio and television, continued to play a central role in shaping the musical tastes of Israelis.[54] In 1965, a feud between rival concert promoters was behind conservative forces in the government that refused to allocate foreign currency to pay for the Beatles to play in Israel.[55][56] Some rock and Muzika Mizrahit artists complained that the radio and television discriminated against their music, preventing the commercial success of these increasingly popular genres.[57]
With the commercialization of Israeli radio and television in the 1990s, the hegemony of the state-run media as arbiters of musical taste declined.[54] In their place, recording companies, impresarios and clubs became increasingly important in finding new talent and advancing careers, in a manner more typical of European and American industries.
Music education[edit]
Israel offers myriad opportunities to study music, from early childhood through adulthood. Music education in Israel enjoys government support, a vestige from the pre-state days when musicmaking was seen as a tool for teaching Hebrew to new immigrants and building a national ethos.
The Israel Ministry of Education supports 41 music conservatories throughout the country.[112] Conservatories offer programs for all ages. One of the most notable of these is the Stricker Conservatory of Tel Aviv,[113] which, besides offering lessons and courses, sponsors a number of concert series and master classes by visiting artists.
A number of institutions of higher education offer degrees in music and musicology. In addition to the two music academies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem,[114] both Tel Aviv University[52] and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem[115] offer advanced degrees in musicology. The Hebrew University is also home to the Jewish Music Research Center.[116] Bar-Ilan University has BA, MA and PhD programs in musicology and a program in music therapy;[117] in 2007, its Safed College opened a three-year program in ethnic music including Klezmer, Hassidic, Western and Eastern music styles. Levinsky College offers a teaching certificate of a BA degree in music education.[118]
The Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, founded in 1985, is Israel's only school for jazz, R&B, bebop, rock, and pop music. Many of its graduates have gone on to become well-known music professionals and performers.[119]
Music education does not end with degree programs. Israel offers numerous opportunities for adult musicians to continue learning and performing, even if they do not pursue this as a career. There are two organizations for amateur chamber music players – The Israel Chamber Music Club, for string players, and Yanshuf[120] for wind players. There are more than 20 community orchestras scattered throughout Israel[121] for amateur musicians.