Piyyut

Ph.D. dissertation from Northwestern University

Discusses "Pizmon: Syrian-Jewish religious and social song" (Meadowlark 105, 1985) edited by Kay Kaufman Shelemay and Sarah Weiss, descriptive booklet (8 p.) by Kay Kaufman Shelemay, Sarah Weiss, and Geoffrey Goldberg. Pizmon (pizmonim, pl.) is the term employed by the Syrian Jews to denote a Hebrew song in praise of God, whose melody is borrowed.

A compilation of 31 Jewish-Babylonian songs, including Hebrew texts, English translations and transliterations. 17 songs are also performed by the author (voice), Ehsan Alemam ('ud) and Waleed (tar, daff) and appear on the accompanying CD. Includes historical, social and musical background.

Dr. Musleah has authored three books. In 1973, he published “On the Banks of the Ganga, The Sojourn of Jews in Calcutta,” in which he described in detail the life and institutions of Jewish settlers from the closing years of the eighteenth, to the mid–twentieth, centuries. Derived from Indian and local Jewish sources, it is the leading record of a Jewish habitation so far into the Orient and a useful contribution to the overall understanding of Indian Jewry. The volume has been out of print.

Chiefly musical scores with words in romanized Hebrew; texts in Hebrew characters: 21 p. at end.

A comparative survey of the music of the Jews in Syria and Turkey. Includes analysis of turkish and arab modal systems with examples from christian liturgy and arab songs.

An introduction to a score of synagogue music and hymns, transcribed, arranged and harmonized by Emanuel Abraham Aguilar (see separated entry). The essay deals with the history of Spanish Jewish poets and their poetry, as well as the question of survival of ancient tunes and the introduction of