I think adding "Jew-ish" makes it a bit broader. Like, does Mendelssohn count?
With that said, in no particular order: Bloch, Schoenberg, Mahler, Ligeti, Babbit, Copland, Alkan, Korngold, Glass
Don't worry, Mozart wasn't remotely a Jew. The closest he ever got to a Jew was probably Lorenzo Da Ponte who converted and became a Catholic priest anyway.
to be precise, the cemetery that he was originally buried in is now a basketball court; when that cemetery was paved over, all of the remains there were moved to Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
>I think adding "Jew-ish" makes it a bit broader. Like, does Mendelssohn count?
Personally, I think Mendelssohn can be considered Jewish rather than "Jew-ish."
1. Ethnically, he was Jewish.
2. According to Jewish law, since he was born before his mother converted to Christianity, i.e., while she was still Jewish, he is Jewish. This is not affected by the fact that he was not circumcised.
>Abraham's children were brought up at first without any religious education; they were baptised in 1816, and Abraham and Lea were baptised on 4 October 1822
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Mendelssohn_Bartholdy?wprov=sfla1
>Every person/man that was born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, even if he was/is not circumcised
https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/127356 (in Hebrew)
3. This is more of an opinion, but as a Jew, if the nazis considered you to be Jewish, i.e., you have at least one Jewish grandparent, then you are Jewish enough for me. Mendelssohn [obviously ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Mendelssohn?wprov=sfla1) meets this criterion.
I don't really consider him Jewish. He had Jewish ancestors, but he wasn't raised Jewish, didn't practice Judaism, and didn't associate with the Jewish community.
Forced to convert to become the Vienna conductor. The third movement of his first symphony is considered to be him wrestling with his “conversion” to Catholicism (really was a mystic) with his Jewish heritage
For me this is a no brainer. I’m sad for him that it was necessary to convert, but his music transcends religion, so I can only say thank you. I am eternally grateful that he did what it took to be a conduit for the essence of the God in Humanity.
Darius Milhaud, Osvaldo Golijov, Gerald Finzi, Steve Reich, Yehudi Wyner. (this is sticking with folks mainly known for classical music--I come from a musical theatre background, where most of the great composers are Jewish.)
Wow, I never realized how Jewish oriented the American songbook era composers were. Nothing wrong with that at all, just an observation I never noticed.
Oh, very - to the point that the major non-Jewish ones were the exception, like Cole Porter and Harry Warren. But Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Dorothy Fields…all Jewish.
You know all the Christmas music you hear during the holidays? Almost entirely written by Jewish people...which is a little weird, but I guess it paid.
Definitely most of the secular "crooner" Christmas songs were written by Jewish people (I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire, Let It Snow, etc.), but the traditional Christmas carols were written in the 19th century and earlier in Europe and didn't have any Jewish roots, and most (but not all) of the modern Christmas pop songs weren't written by Jews, either.
If you plucked the Jewish contribution out of American music, there wouldn't be much of consequence left. You can say the same for a lot of disciplines.
I like to observe that you can't be anti-Semitic without being anti-American, because so much that is quintessentially American and crucial to our culture has been made by Jewish Americans.
I mean, what would we be without Rhapsody in Blue!
Seems that way huh? That entire era of American culture is at the same time Jewish culture, goes hand in hand. Why music and composition though? I must research.
A lot of them were immigrants or first gen and had come from regions where we were persecuted, certainly not allowed to produce fine art.
As well there is a lot history of jewish theater (dating back to the Hellenistic period) and music (dating back as far as we know, when we 'read' the torah it's basically sung in a minor key, the haftarah is in a major key)
Also when we moved to America we frequently weren't allowed to participate in the more traditional fine arts, at least immediately, but jews were very active in the new medias of the late 19th early 20th century, such as Broadway, Radio, Movies, TV, etc. These at the time were frequently looked down at by the traditional arts, but still allowed for significant expression and art.
Mieczyslaw (Moshe) Weinberg. He wrote so much amazing music, and a large number of his pieces clearly reflect his Jewish background. There’s some weird stuff around a deathbed conversion to Russian orthodox Christianity, but one of his final works is a symphony titled Kaddish, so even in hie later years he was certainly connected to Judaism.
Conversion actually doesn’t mean you’re no longer a Jew in Judaism. Even if someone identifies as a Catholic convert the religion says that he is a Jew no matter what. It’s impossible to break the covenant. And historically, converts were still treated very differently and seen as a better Jew, as Mahler’s life shows.
Sondheim. Not usually recognised as classical but there can be a lot of support for him being considered a post-tonal classical composer who happened to choose to write for Broadway.
Absolutely. I would have mentioned Bernstein but someone did, and nobody would dispute Bernstein. Sondheim deserves much more recognition in the classical world; Sweeney Todd alone is a testament to his harmonic and contrapuntal talent, to say nothing of the lyric writing that puts modern songwriting to shame.
Yes, I am obsessed with Sweeney Todd :D
The prelude and the underscores also show Sondheim's potential as a classical composer and I guess the fact he works in broadway in some way is basically showing how good he is to even have a choice. His work is so influential to me as well. I am currently composing a symphony and there are elements of musical in it which are inspired greatly by Sondheim.
We are alike. I mostly write chamber music (wrote a few orchestral pieces that haven't been performed) and there's always at least a little Sondheim influence in my mind.
No, I am a student at a junior conservatoire for flute, violin and conducting but composition is just something I do on the side. I do have to study composition and compose for my A Levels (UK exams). I am currently 16 though, so I am not old enough for music conservatoire anyway.
"not while I am around" from Sweeney Todd is my favourite number from the show, there is also "my friends", "ballad", "epiphany", "a little priest" which are all really good. 'Into the woods' is another show that I like from Sondheim.
I am not sure to be honest, it just started one day and more and more ideas came (with loads of effort obviously. I am not a genius, so things take effort!) :3
I played piano for Company for what was basically a residential college production in university. It was definitely harder than I anticipated, but I now feel like I really understand the Sondheim sound.
Mendelssohn (I know his "Jewishness" is a subject of dispute).
Kurt Weill (did compose "classical music", although of course better known for his musical dramatic work, whether in prewar Berlin or Paris or on Broadway)
Irving Berlin (OK, not classical music at all but what a composer!)
George Gershwin (the same, I guess, but oh wow...)
Bernstein, natch.
And living in France, I would add Meyerbeer.
Not a fan of Schoenberg, but I'm a past-70 old fart and have never really gotten into the Second Viennese School, although "A Survivor From Warsaw" is chillingly good.
What should I know about John Zorn. Apparently he curates events like 1 mile from where I live like on a weekly basis (well where I live is NYC, but still). I'm afraid I'll never find it urgent to go to any of these, and life will pass me by, and I will eventually regret never seeing any of this
My favourite piece has to be his piano concerto in E major. Very virtuosic but still harmonically so pretty. I recommend Markus Pawlik’s recording. Other great piece include is his violin concerto, suite for 2 violins, Aus aller Herren Landern and valse op 34
Mieczyslaw Weinberg fled Poland just before the Nazi invasion and spent his whole career in the Soviet Union. He lost his whole family in the Holocaust. Produced a huge quantity of music and in my experience it is all amazing, full of beauty and passion (with a deep feeling of compassion) and just enough mid-century weirdness that things are always interesting.
Samples:
[Piano Quintet.](https://youtu.be/TDPWqjuSJKc?si=Y8GGGsLyct8V0Djo)
[Symphony No.6.](https://youtu.be/hqBzsUDLqB8?si=FPFuEqzK5UxkpTUg) (This is a tribute to children in a cruel world -- read the intro comments.)
Erwin Shulhoff and Pavel Haas were both Czech Jewish composers who were murdered by Nazis. Both left behind wonderful music.
Some samples:
Shulhoff: [Piano Sonata No. 1.](https://youtu.be/IlZdjmHWyto?si=UJwXvg_9XsU76xQk)
[String Quartet No. 1.](https://youtu.be/Q2pSLX-mWQw?si=FQVBMa4cj0-AIZdx)
Haas: [String Quartet Nol 2: "From the Monkey Mountains."](https://youtu.be/NhG-ZAyCLSw?si=617hUCV1F_DVt1u2)
Copland needs to be mentioned. I'm not that big a fan, though I know many others are.
Anton Rubinstein's one of my favorites (though his family converted when he was a child). Check out his nocturne or romance op 44.
Kreisler is also fun, at least as a violinist. Maybe more famous as a performer but if you like Sarasate or Wieniawski he's right up there.
Alkan is pretty cool and wrote some great, if a little eccentric piano music. Like if the child of Chopin and Liszt took ecstasy and then developed schizophrenia.
[Grande Sonate](https://youtu.be/ivtTLXFUA0E?si=QwMsXYhh6chwbKnE)
[Symphony and Concerto for Solo Piano](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_myNda5GuxAUpbp8jbdijLpwr8RfCPcgA8&si=bM8AEL08DJbWWgPF)
[Sonate de Concert for Cello and Piano](https://youtu.be/YeDxEv59R6k?si=KksoUj3_lhqe0u_x)
Just some of my favorites although there are many other great pieces.
Even the harshest Mendelssohn academics have said that he identified as a jew (even Sposato).
Lewandowski and Berlinksi have done so much for shul organ music that they have to be mentioned.
Leo Ornstein is a great jewish impressionist.
Gorb is fantastic too - just played his yiddish dances.
Left field. Shostakovich wrote some pieces with strong Jewish influences (piano trio 2, for example) and Prokofiev wrote the lovely Overture on Hebrew themes.
It’s funny, I was taught by Jewish musicians on Shostakovich and they all seem to regard hin him almost as a kind of honorary Jew. There‘s some instinctive kinship between his music and Jewish music, even on a deeper level than his regular references of Hebrew themes.
Rozsa, Korngold, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Alkan, Copland, Herrmann, Waxman
One could also mention a boatload of great Jewish film composers from Classic Hollywood, but most of them fall outside the purfew of this topic due to a lack of ”proper” concert compositions by them (the few mentioned among the above are notable exceptions to that)
Good call. Waxman is awesome. I've been lucky enough to see screenings of Sunset Boulevard and Rebecca in the cinema this year, and his music contributes SO much to the deep gothic atmosphere in both works.
How dare they sleep on my man😫 proudly Jewish and one of the most frequently performed composers in the 19th century who is rarely performed today. Almost like… something happened in the 20th century where people… were suppressing German Jewish music and culture… anyways I care so deeply about this man and his sick as hell operas that I think pple would love today if they only knew. Okay. Rant over. Anyways if anyone wants to be a part of the great Meyerbeer revival hmu👀👀👀
Count me in (I live in France).
He was the most-played opera composer in France in the 19th century and his "Robert le Diable", now virtually forgotten, was so famous that it figures in the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo".
You can thank that scumbag, Richard Wagner, for almost single-handedly destroying his reputation by the end of the 19th century, even before Wagner's spiritual descendants made sure it did not rise again during the 20th.
The question with him IMO is not should he be included for quality, but is his work classical. He's known for his opera. It's the same argument with Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.
Personally I think part of all of their works should be included. And if you're just talking composers, classical or not, any list without all three is incomplete.
A lot of good jewish composers (of all genres) listed here
For my part, "Jew-ish" would definitely be Mahler, with klezmer-like music popping up in his symphonies from time to time.
Also, I definitely think of Shostakovich as "Jew-ish". Unlike Mahler he isn't from a Jewish background but he definitely empathized with Jewish people and appreciated their music. His quote about Jewish music's "ability to build a jolly melody on sad intonations" has always struck me as an interesting observation. The last movement of his Piano Trio No. 2 definitely fits that bill
Only thing of his I ever listened to was his Chichester Psalms, which failed to grab me when I listened to them decades ago. Think I should give them another shot?
The one that doesn't get mentioned enough, as much of his work was specifically liturgical, is Louis Lewendowski. A lot of the Ashkenazi liturgical music traditions centering from Berlin more or less ceased, post Shoah.
Max Bruch, who was not Jewish at all, but according to Wikipedia: “The success of Kol Nidrei led to an assumption by many that Bruch was of Jewish ancestry, although Bruch denied this and there is no evidence that he was Jewish. As far as can be ascertained, none of his ancestors were Jews. Bruch was given the middle name Christian,[1] and was raised Protestant.[8] Indeed, despite repeated denials by his surviving family, so long as the Nazi Party was in power (1933–1945), performance of his music was restricted because he was considered a "possible Jew" for having written music with an openly Jewish theme. As a result, his music was largely forgotten in German-speaking countries.”
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the few Jewish composers who published music during the Italian regime, and I think he has many great works to check out!
Mendelssohn is in my top 10, so he is the obvious "favorite."
Copland is in my top 20. So he comes next.
Gershwin is certainly in the conversation. Korngold as well.
Mahler is not in the conversation. I admire his technical ability but I cannot tolerate his symphonies despite many good faith attempts at it.
I'll probably give it another go sooner or later, but not before I finish my recent Vaughan Williams cycle purchase, then maybe a run through of every recording I own from Vivaldi through Sibelius 😉
Ernest Bloch, Michael Shapiro, Paul Schoenfield.
But Ernest Bloch is my all-time favorite. He is just so great, and his family are also really kind people.
I'm late to the party, and he's not precisely "classical", but I don't think anyone has mentioned Lalo Schifrin yet, and having written the MI theme alone is enough to grant him immortality as a composer!
“Jew-ish!”
Just like George Santos!
Edit: downvotes? do you really want to associate yourselves with a lunatic racist like Santos, who *actually* used that term in an antisemitic way? Weird post/thread
I'm not that familiar with any in the Western classical canon, though I'm sure they exist. If you'll accept switching the genre to jazz, I can think offhand of Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef. I'm sure there are more than don't immediately spring to mind.
I’m sure there are many. My point is, regardless, it’s just a weird post and a weird question and a weird locution associated with a racist MAGA con man who just got kicked out of Congress
Hehe. Hello, tetchy landsmann.
To add to the fun, I'm also from Long Island, albeit not from Santos's former district. I don't love the guy, but unless he stages a comeback, IMO, there are bigger, scarier fish to fry right now.
I think adding "Jew-ish" makes it a bit broader. Like, does Mendelssohn count? With that said, in no particular order: Bloch, Schoenberg, Mahler, Ligeti, Babbit, Copland, Alkan, Korngold, Glass
I had Mendelssohn in mind with "Jew-ish." I most decidedly was NOT thinking Mozart. TIL...
Don't worry, Mozart wasn't remotely a Jew. The closest he ever got to a Jew was probably Lorenzo Da Ponte who converted and became a Catholic priest anyway.
Fun fact: da Ponte is buried under a basketball court on East 12th Street in NYC.
to be precise, the cemetery that he was originally buried in is now a basketball court; when that cemetery was paved over, all of the remains there were moved to Calvary Cemetery in Queens.
Wow, I thought that was some joke that I didn’t quite get…had no idea he died in NYC!
yep, he was an Italian Lit professor at Columbia when he died, IIRC.
Yeah, I was pretty shocked when out of the blue I learned he was buried across the street from my apartment.
uh what does “don’t worry” mean here…?
I think it was meant to assuage TheaterKid's (possible) concerns about their own ignorance?
Jew-ish = Bruch. He composed the Kol Nidrei for his Jewish friend.
>I think adding "Jew-ish" makes it a bit broader. Like, does Mendelssohn count? Personally, I think Mendelssohn can be considered Jewish rather than "Jew-ish." 1. Ethnically, he was Jewish. 2. According to Jewish law, since he was born before his mother converted to Christianity, i.e., while she was still Jewish, he is Jewish. This is not affected by the fact that he was not circumcised. >Abraham's children were brought up at first without any religious education; they were baptised in 1816, and Abraham and Lea were baptised on 4 October 1822 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Mendelssohn_Bartholdy?wprov=sfla1 >Every person/man that was born to a Jewish mother is Jewish, even if he was/is not circumcised https://www.yeshiva.org.il/ask/127356 (in Hebrew) 3. This is more of an opinion, but as a Jew, if the nazis considered you to be Jewish, i.e., you have at least one Jewish grandparent, then you are Jewish enough for me. Mendelssohn [obviously ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses_Mendelssohn?wprov=sfla1) meets this criterion.
I don't really consider him Jewish. He had Jewish ancestors, but he wasn't raised Jewish, didn't practice Judaism, and didn't associate with the Jewish community.
Mahler was Jewish? Had no idea
Forced to convert to become the Vienna conductor. The third movement of his first symphony is considered to be him wrestling with his “conversion” to Catholicism (really was a mystic) with his Jewish heritage
ngl when you mentioned bloch i thought about [this bloch](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Bloch_(mathematician)).
Mahler
For me this is a no brainer. I’m sad for him that it was necessary to convert, but his music transcends religion, so I can only say thank you. I am eternally grateful that he did what it took to be a conduit for the essence of the God in Humanity.
Mahler. He started Jewish, but around the 2nd symphony, he was forced to switch to a Catholic to become the mistro of the austira symphony orchestra.
I do so like living in a country with at least ostensible separation of church and state.
Darius Milhaud, Osvaldo Golijov, Gerald Finzi, Steve Reich, Yehudi Wyner. (this is sticking with folks mainly known for classical music--I come from a musical theatre background, where most of the great composers are Jewish.)
Gershwin, Bernstein, Copland
Wow, I never realized how Jewish oriented the American songbook era composers were. Nothing wrong with that at all, just an observation I never noticed.
Oh, very - to the point that the major non-Jewish ones were the exception, like Cole Porter and Harry Warren. But Gershwin, Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Oscar Hammerstein, Dorothy Fields…all Jewish.
and, Jule Styne, Leiber & Stoller, Burton Lane, Yip Harburg, Harold Arlen, Sammy Fain, Lee Brown…..I’m sure there are others I’m forgetting.
You know all the Christmas music you hear during the holidays? Almost entirely written by Jewish people...which is a little weird, but I guess it paid.
The royalties are the real Hanukkah miracle Note they don't exactly exactly have baby Jesus in them either, so mamele is OK with it.
Yeah I must say it’s odd
Definitely most of the secular "crooner" Christmas songs were written by Jewish people (I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas, Chestnuts Roasting Over an Open Fire, Let It Snow, etc.), but the traditional Christmas carols were written in the 19th century and earlier in Europe and didn't have any Jewish roots, and most (but not all) of the modern Christmas pop songs weren't written by Jews, either.
Jewish culture has always strongly emphasized an education in the fine arts.
Jewish theater dates back to at least the Hellenistic period, and someone can take your land, but they can't take your education.
Yeah exactly
If you plucked the Jewish contribution out of American music, there wouldn't be much of consequence left. You can say the same for a lot of disciplines.
I like to observe that you can't be anti-Semitic without being anti-American, because so much that is quintessentially American and crucial to our culture has been made by Jewish Americans. I mean, what would we be without Rhapsody in Blue!
Seems that way huh? That entire era of American culture is at the same time Jewish culture, goes hand in hand. Why music and composition though? I must research.
A lot of them were immigrants or first gen and had come from regions where we were persecuted, certainly not allowed to produce fine art. As well there is a lot history of jewish theater (dating back to the Hellenistic period) and music (dating back as far as we know, when we 'read' the torah it's basically sung in a minor key, the haftarah is in a major key) Also when we moved to America we frequently weren't allowed to participate in the more traditional fine arts, at least immediately, but jews were very active in the new medias of the late 19th early 20th century, such as Broadway, Radio, Movies, TV, etc. These at the time were frequently looked down at by the traditional arts, but still allowed for significant expression and art.
Mieczyslaw (Moshe) Weinberg. He wrote so much amazing music, and a large number of his pieces clearly reflect his Jewish background. There’s some weird stuff around a deathbed conversion to Russian orthodox Christianity, but one of his final works is a symphony titled Kaddish, so even in hie later years he was certainly connected to Judaism.
He was also very important and close to Shostakovich and is said to have inspired his Op. 79.
Mahler (I know he converted, but at least Jew-ish), Steve Reich, Ligeti, Bloch, Korngold, Morton Feldman
Conversion actually doesn’t mean you’re no longer a Jew in Judaism. Even if someone identifies as a Catholic convert the religion says that he is a Jew no matter what. It’s impossible to break the covenant. And historically, converts were still treated very differently and seen as a better Jew, as Mahler’s life shows.
Sondheim. Not usually recognised as classical but there can be a lot of support for him being considered a post-tonal classical composer who happened to choose to write for Broadway.
Sondheim and Bernstein, both amazing!
Absolutely. I would have mentioned Bernstein but someone did, and nobody would dispute Bernstein. Sondheim deserves much more recognition in the classical world; Sweeney Todd alone is a testament to his harmonic and contrapuntal talent, to say nothing of the lyric writing that puts modern songwriting to shame.
Yes, I am obsessed with Sweeney Todd :D The prelude and the underscores also show Sondheim's potential as a classical composer and I guess the fact he works in broadway in some way is basically showing how good he is to even have a choice. His work is so influential to me as well. I am currently composing a symphony and there are elements of musical in it which are inspired greatly by Sondheim.
We are alike. I mostly write chamber music (wrote a few orchestral pieces that haven't been performed) and there's always at least a little Sondheim influence in my mind.
:3
Did you go to school for comp? I definitely don't know a lot who did. It was a minority group at my school.
No, I am a student at a junior conservatoire for flute, violin and conducting but composition is just something I do on the side. I do have to study composition and compose for my A Levels (UK exams). I am currently 16 though, so I am not old enough for music conservatoire anyway.
Awesome. Keep at it!
:D
Btw how it possible to study two instruments and conducting at once
It would be impossible to be world class at all of them but I have enough time to study them at a decent level :3
Can you recommend something to listen from Todd and Sondheim both?
"not while I am around" from Sweeney Todd is my favourite number from the show, there is also "my friends", "ballad", "epiphany", "a little priest" which are all really good. 'Into the woods' is another show that I like from Sondheim.
<3 thanks Btw, how did you start to compose a symphony? Edit: lol I thought Todd is a composer
I am not sure to be honest, it just started one day and more and more ideas came (with loads of effort obviously. I am not a genius, so things take effort!) :3
So by pieces too?
I suppose so
Perhaps Bernstein should have the award for being the most Jewish of all of them
I played piano for Company for what was basically a residential college production in university. It was definitely harder than I anticipated, but I now feel like I really understand the Sondheim sound.
Sondheim super fan over here! Glad to see he's getting love elsewhere <3
George Santos
Author of the Unfinished Symphony, so he says. I'm sure he'll get around to finishing it.
Isn’t that the guy who wrote Mahler 4th symphony?
Yes -- while climbing Mount Everest!!
He was also Beethoven’s teacher in composition and ghost wrote Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
Did you know he was taught by Bach?
Man, that guy has done everything!
Well, Mendelssohn is an obvious answer and I really do like him.
Mendelssohn (I know his "Jewishness" is a subject of dispute). Kurt Weill (did compose "classical music", although of course better known for his musical dramatic work, whether in prewar Berlin or Paris or on Broadway) Irving Berlin (OK, not classical music at all but what a composer!) George Gershwin (the same, I guess, but oh wow...) Bernstein, natch. And living in France, I would add Meyerbeer. Not a fan of Schoenberg, but I'm a past-70 old fart and have never really gotten into the Second Viennese School, although "A Survivor From Warsaw" is chillingly good.
Agree about Berlin--his melodies are masterful and his lyrics are simple yet complex in their own right.
Ervin Schulhoff. The Nazis might have seen Mendelssohn as Jewish but he certainly didn't himself. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul_(oratorio)
John Zorn
Great answer
What should I know about John Zorn. Apparently he curates events like 1 mile from where I live like on a weekly basis (well where I live is NYC, but still). I'm afraid I'll never find it urgent to go to any of these, and life will pass me by, and I will eventually regret never seeing any of this
charles alkan
For sure Moritz Moszkowski
Huh! Where to start with him?
His piano concerto (E major)
My favourite piece has to be his piano concerto in E major. Very virtuosic but still harmonically so pretty. I recommend Markus Pawlik’s recording. Other great piece include is his violin concerto, suite for 2 violins, Aus aller Herren Landern and valse op 34
Mieczyslaw Weinberg fled Poland just before the Nazi invasion and spent his whole career in the Soviet Union. He lost his whole family in the Holocaust. Produced a huge quantity of music and in my experience it is all amazing, full of beauty and passion (with a deep feeling of compassion) and just enough mid-century weirdness that things are always interesting. Samples: [Piano Quintet.](https://youtu.be/TDPWqjuSJKc?si=Y8GGGsLyct8V0Djo) [Symphony No.6.](https://youtu.be/hqBzsUDLqB8?si=FPFuEqzK5UxkpTUg) (This is a tribute to children in a cruel world -- read the intro comments.) Erwin Shulhoff and Pavel Haas were both Czech Jewish composers who were murdered by Nazis. Both left behind wonderful music. Some samples: Shulhoff: [Piano Sonata No. 1.](https://youtu.be/IlZdjmHWyto?si=UJwXvg_9XsU76xQk) [String Quartet No. 1.](https://youtu.be/Q2pSLX-mWQw?si=FQVBMa4cj0-AIZdx) Haas: [String Quartet Nol 2: "From the Monkey Mountains."](https://youtu.be/NhG-ZAyCLSw?si=617hUCV1F_DVt1u2)
Copland needs to be mentioned. I'm not that big a fan, though I know many others are. Anton Rubinstein's one of my favorites (though his family converted when he was a child). Check out his nocturne or romance op 44. Kreisler is also fun, at least as a violinist. Maybe more famous as a performer but if you like Sarasate or Wieniawski he's right up there.
Three interesting but forgotten 19th century guys who deserve some love: Anton Rubinstein, Victor Bendix, and Karl Goldmark.
Victor Bendix is a wonderful composer! Love the symphonies and piano concerto, such a cool combo of the German and Scandinavian styles.
Ira Gershwin
Meyerbeer
Still amusing how he funded Wagner's career.
Alkan is pretty cool and wrote some great, if a little eccentric piano music. Like if the child of Chopin and Liszt took ecstasy and then developed schizophrenia. [Grande Sonate](https://youtu.be/ivtTLXFUA0E?si=QwMsXYhh6chwbKnE) [Symphony and Concerto for Solo Piano](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_myNda5GuxAUpbp8jbdijLpwr8RfCPcgA8&si=bM8AEL08DJbWWgPF) [Sonate de Concert for Cello and Piano](https://youtu.be/YeDxEv59R6k?si=KksoUj3_lhqe0u_x) Just some of my favorites although there are many other great pieces.
I have always described Alkan as “Mendelssohn meets Shostakovich” and that seems to land pretty well :)
Mendelssohn, obviously. And some people are really stretching the definition of "classical" here.
Heh, true. I'm inclined to accept Gershwin, as the man did write some concertos...
Even the harshest Mendelssohn academics have said that he identified as a jew (even Sposato). Lewandowski and Berlinksi have done so much for shul organ music that they have to be mentioned. Leo Ornstein is a great jewish impressionist. Gorb is fantastic too - just played his yiddish dances.
Left field. Shostakovich wrote some pieces with strong Jewish influences (piano trio 2, for example) and Prokofiev wrote the lovely Overture on Hebrew themes.
It’s funny, I was taught by Jewish musicians on Shostakovich and they all seem to regard hin him almost as a kind of honorary Jew. There‘s some instinctive kinship between his music and Jewish music, even on a deeper level than his regular references of Hebrew themes.
Amen!
Rozsa, Korngold, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Alkan, Copland, Herrmann, Waxman One could also mention a boatload of great Jewish film composers from Classic Hollywood, but most of them fall outside the purfew of this topic due to a lack of ”proper” concert compositions by them (the few mentioned among the above are notable exceptions to that)
Good call. Waxman is awesome. I've been lucky enough to see screenings of Sunset Boulevard and Rebecca in the cinema this year, and his music contributes SO much to the deep gothic atmosphere in both works.
How are so few people saying Meyerbeer
How dare they sleep on my man😫 proudly Jewish and one of the most frequently performed composers in the 19th century who is rarely performed today. Almost like… something happened in the 20th century where people… were suppressing German Jewish music and culture… anyways I care so deeply about this man and his sick as hell operas that I think pple would love today if they only knew. Okay. Rant over. Anyways if anyone wants to be a part of the great Meyerbeer revival hmu👀👀👀
Count me in (I live in France). He was the most-played opera composer in France in the 19th century and his "Robert le Diable", now virtually forgotten, was so famous that it figures in the novel "The Count of Monte Cristo". You can thank that scumbag, Richard Wagner, for almost single-handedly destroying his reputation by the end of the 19th century, even before Wagner's spiritual descendants made sure it did not rise again during the 20th.
Gershwin
George Gershwin
Bernstein and Copland.
Reich by a lot
Offenbach was Jewish, and a name I've not seen mentioned otherwise.
I’m embarrassed to have omitted Jacques! He was one of the greats!
The question with him IMO is not should he be included for quality, but is his work classical. He's known for his opera. It's the same argument with Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim. Personally I think part of all of their works should be included. And if you're just talking composers, classical or not, any list without all three is incomplete.
A lot of good jewish composers (of all genres) listed here For my part, "Jew-ish" would definitely be Mahler, with klezmer-like music popping up in his symphonies from time to time. Also, I definitely think of Shostakovich as "Jew-ish". Unlike Mahler he isn't from a Jewish background but he definitely empathized with Jewish people and appreciated their music. His quote about Jewish music's "ability to build a jolly melody on sad intonations" has always struck me as an interesting observation. The last movement of his Piano Trio No. 2 definitely fits that bill
Actually, I hear it throughout the entire trio.
Mendelssohn and (jew-ish) Shostakovich (he used a lot of tunes derived from Jewish folk music, e.g. in his violin concerto or his second piano trio)
Shostakovich was definitely fond of Jewish folk music and sympathized with the Jewish plight in the Soviet Union, but he himself wasn't Jewish at all.
Oh, it seems that l didn’t understand what „jew-ish“ means (l know his grandparents weren’t Jewish but polish).
Yeah, I meant more like composers descended from converts, who were converts themselves, or who were otherwise estranged from their Jewish roots.
Then I have one more - Mieczysław (Moisey) Weinberg. Polish/Soviet composer with Jewish roots. I recommend his violin and flute concertos ;)
Yehuda Ashlag
It would be hilarious if someone named "Yehuda Ashlag" WASN'T Jewish. (But hey, Norman Jewison wasn't...)
Leo Smit.
Alexander Goehr
Steve Reich if you consider 20th century minimalism under the umbrella of “classical”. Different Trains for related subject matter in his work.
Menachem Avidom, Gustav Mahler, Arnold Schönberg.
Does mahler count? If not, I choose Mendelssohn.
Mahler, Schoenberg, Glass
Władysław Szpilman?
Surprised Paul Ben-Haim hasn’t been mentioned - lots of great music there!
Leonard Bernstein. If you want to go strictly classical though, Mendelssohn.
Bernstein as a composer? As opposed to a conductor?
Oh yeah lol
Very much so! Google him and you’ll be presently surprised
Only thing of his I ever listened to was his Chichester Psalms, which failed to grab me when I listened to them decades ago. Think I should give them another shot?
Yes, by all means!
Offenbach
The one that doesn't get mentioned enough, as much of his work was specifically liturgical, is Louis Lewendowski. A lot of the Ashkenazi liturgical music traditions centering from Berlin more or less ceased, post Shoah.
Max Bruch, who was not Jewish at all, but according to Wikipedia: “The success of Kol Nidrei led to an assumption by many that Bruch was of Jewish ancestry, although Bruch denied this and there is no evidence that he was Jewish. As far as can be ascertained, none of his ancestors were Jews. Bruch was given the middle name Christian,[1] and was raised Protestant.[8] Indeed, despite repeated denials by his surviving family, so long as the Nazi Party was in power (1933–1945), performance of his music was restricted because he was considered a "possible Jew" for having written music with an openly Jewish theme. As a result, his music was largely forgotten in German-speaking countries.”
Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco was one of the few Jewish composers who published music during the Italian regime, and I think he has many great works to check out!
Max Bruch.
Mendelssohn is in my top 10, so he is the obvious "favorite." Copland is in my top 20. So he comes next. Gershwin is certainly in the conversation. Korngold as well. Mahler is not in the conversation. I admire his technical ability but I cannot tolerate his symphonies despite many good faith attempts at it.
Thank God for this last comment. I have given up trying.
I'll probably give it another go sooner or later, but not before I finish my recent Vaughan Williams cycle purchase, then maybe a run through of every recording I own from Vivaldi through Sibelius 😉
Mendelssohn
Ernest Bloch, Michael Shapiro, Paul Schoenfield. But Ernest Bloch is my all-time favorite. He is just so great, and his family are also really kind people.
Maybe not classical but Gershwin :)
Hard to go wrong with: 1. Mahler 2. Copland 3. Bernstein
Earnest Bloch
What do you mean, Jew-ish?
Mendelssohn fits the description of Jew-ish.
Mahler!
Salomone Rossi, Fanny Hensel (if her brother counts, so should she, I guess?)
Copland and Bernstein
Aaron Copland. Greatest composer of Americana orchestral music in the 20th Century.
Mahler, Zimmer, and Barenboim (if that counts).
john zorn
[удалено]
Feldman my beloved
Definitely Moszkowski, his etudes are amazing
Alkan, Feinberg, Herrmann
Gershwin and Mendelssohn too but they're the most obvious choices
First popular in the late 1900's, I would say Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch and Mike Diamond.
Mikhail Gnessin of course.
Mahler, Bloch and Ben-Haim.
Dorman rocks! Check out his cello concerto!
Thomas Lupo and Meredith Monk are close to my heart.
I'm late to the party, and he's not precisely "classical", but I don't think anyone has mentioned Lalo Schifrin yet, and having written the MI theme alone is enough to grant him immortality as a composer!
Bloch. I also like Bernstein, especially the Chichester psalms, I always love the boy soprano solo at the second movement
Gershwin
Felix Mendelssphn lmao he's the only one I know
“Jew-ish!” Just like George Santos! Edit: downvotes? do you really want to associate yourselves with a lunatic racist like Santos, who *actually* used that term in an antisemitic way? Weird post/thread
Take a breath, my friend. As I explained elsewhere, the "Jew-ish" was for people who were related to/were themselves converts.
Let’s hear you ask for a list of “Favorite Islamic Composers”
I'm not that familiar with any in the Western classical canon, though I'm sure they exist. If you'll accept switching the genre to jazz, I can think offhand of Ahmad Jamal and Yusef Lateef. I'm sure there are more than don't immediately spring to mind.
I’m sure there are many. My point is, regardless, it’s just a weird post and a weird question and a weird locution associated with a racist MAGA con man who just got kicked out of Congress
Would it change your conviction at all if I told you that I'm Jewish?
As am I. But carry on. Didn’t mean to spoil the fun.
Hehe. Hello, tetchy landsmann. To add to the fun, I'm also from Long Island, albeit not from Santos's former district. I don't love the guy, but unless he stages a comeback, IMO, there are bigger, scarier fish to fry right now.
Vivaldish /s
Mozart. The answer always is Mozart.