New Jewish School

The New Jewish School (Russian: Новая еврейская школа (НЕШ)) was a movement in Russia of the 1900s to create a national Jewish art music. It was connected with the founding of the Society for Jewish Folk Music.^[1][2][3]

Selected discography

• Eli Zion - from St. Petersburg to Jerusalem - Music from the "New Jewish School" : Joseph Achron: Fragment mystique. Ernest Bloch: Méditation hébraïque. From Jewish Life. Sinowi Feldman^[4] Poem. Solomon Rosowsky: Rhapsodie - Récitatif et Danse Hassidique. Lazare Saminsky: Chassidic Suite: Chassidic Dance. Chassidic Suite: Meditation. Joachim Stutschewsky: Frejlachs. Shir Yehudi. Israeli Suite. Leo Zeitlin:^[5] Eli Zion - paraphrase on a folk theme and trope of 'Song of Songs'. Performed by David Geringas (cello) and Jascha Nemtsov (piano). recording SWR. released Hänssler Classic.^[6]

References

1. Jascha Nemtsov Jüdische Kunstmusik im 20. Jahrhundert Page 48 2006 "... composers and performers worked towards the creation of a national Jewish art music, or a „New Jewish School" of music. The Society for Jewish Folk Music at St. Petersburg, which Rosowsky helped found in 1908, is documented by his reminiscences and other material in the collection."
2. DSCH journal 20-23 - Page 9 2004 "JN: Melodies of Hassidic origin were in fact the first melodies with which composers from the New Jewish School came into contact, and as is often the case, this happened by chance. Initially, following the setting up of the New Jewish School nobody knew exactly where to begin (Nemtsov elaborated on this phenomenon for his dissertation [1]). Indeed, often a completely incorrect view is given of one aspect of this development: the impression that everyone who composed New Jewish music did so 'just like that'. Nothing is further from the truth, especially as at the time there were no set programmes or rules. You need to imagine that we are referring here to young, enthusiastic musicians, who wanted to compose music with a national colour, in a so-called Jewish Style."
3. Musica judaica Volume 17 - Page 161 American Society for Jewish Music - 2004 "Aside from composers, performers also played a significant role in promoting the music of the New Jewish School, particularly the pianist Alice Jacob-Loewenson (1895-1967), "
4. Die neue Jüdische Schule in der Musik - Page 231 Jascha Nemtsov - 2004 "Sinowi Feldman (1893-1942), Mitglied der Moskauer Gesellschaft für jüdische Musik, Autor einiger Kammermusikwerke im jüdischen Stil. Feldman stand unter dem künstlerischen Einfluss Alexander Krejns, mit dem er befreundet war."
5. 1884-1930 Yivo annual - Volume 23 - Page 249 Yivo Institute for Jewish Research - 1996 "78 My own conclusion is that Rothmuller knew (perhaps from Saminsky's article) that it was Leo Zeitlin who wrote Eli Zion, and he knew (either from Saminsky or from some other source) that Zeitlin had emigrated to the United States and died."
6. Jewish renaissance: magazine of Jewish culture Volume 4 - Page 31 2004 "... provides a window into the group of composers and performers who championed Jewish music in the first half of the 20th ... the CD its title, was, according to the erudite sleeve notes, one of the most frequently played pieces of the New Jewish School between 1910 and 1930. It receives here its world premiere recording, alongside Feldman's impassioned Poem, ..."