S/O Jewish Music: Which songs are from non-Jewish sources?

amother

↑ Freesia

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 1:25 pm

amother Strawberry wrote:

There absolutely was official Jewish music, the music of the Levi'im in the Beit Hamikdash. They had musical instruments and a choir. There's a mishna that lists the Levi'im's jobs and one was in charge of Shira. There's a mesora that Moshe Rabbeinu brought their niggunim down from Har Sinai. There's also the music David Hamelech composed for Tehillim.

There is an idea of elevating the mundane but also an idea of keeping our distance from the profane. Sometimes the line between is easy to see, as in some of the music videos posted. No person in their right mind thinks those performers or their work should be elevated. There are other types of music that might have a place in our homes, but in order to elevate something you have to be in an elevated place yourself, or at least in a position where you can reach the elevated place. Otherwise you'll just drag the impurity into the mud along with yourself.

And there's options saying since the Beis hamikdash was destroyed we don't have "real music" and listening to music is ossur.

Some people don't hear live music, others don't hear any music at all.

amother

Acacia

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 5:19 pm

amother Butterscotch wrote:

It’s גניבה and גניבת דעת on the part of the Jewish “artists”. Give credit where it’s due. Let us know who composed the tune.This is basic menchlichkeit! In my opinion it’s irrelevant if the original lyrics are trashy or not, don’t pass someone else’s song as your own! Where is the emes??
The worst offender imo was MBD. He not only ripped off a song, but a GERMAN song just a few decades after the Holocaust. And he had the chutzpah to write on the back of his tapes that tape copying was assur. Disgraceful.
Edit to add he also wrote that playing the tape on the sabbath is forbidden. Such a holy man.

At least the current Jewish singers could claim it’s just a “cover”. There were no covers or YouTube or internet back then. It was stealing, a complete rip-off.

When my kids were little, they were gifted Jewish kids tapes. Half the songs were from Sesame Street. No credits on back to original song. For shame.

Please delete this post. He may be well known , but loshon horah is a thing. I wish I wouldn't have read it

amother

↑ Butterscotch

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 7:32 pm

amother Acacia wrote:

Please delete this post. He may be well known , but loshon horah is a thing. I wish I wouldn't have read it

Perhaps this whole thread is LH.
People are “outing” Jewish singers by posting the original song.. and thus calling them all גנבים.

amother

DarkCyan

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 7:33 pm

At the end of the day there are a limited amount of notes. It's not surprising that some music will sound similar to others. And most musicians are influenced by the music of their day. When everyone around you is playing jazz, your music is likely to have jazz influences and sound similar.
To me it's less about the origins and more the vibe coming from the music. If I walk past a house and hear music playing and I can't hear the words, some tunes will sound non jewish even if they have been sung by a jew with hebrew words.
In Yiddishkeit we believe in being able to transform the mundane into holiness. Why can't we apply the same logic to music?

↑ Thisisnotmyreal

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 7:38 pm

amother Tiffanyblue wrote:

To the song called Hop Cossack. SMH

Do you know any details about the shpoler Zeide? Do you know this particular story? Do you feel that you are qualified to oppose the shpoler Zeide and his choice to introduce this song with these lyrics to Yidden?

amother

↑ Tiffanyblue ↓

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 8:46 pm

Thisisnotmyreal wrote:

No, I don't. Care to enlighten me about this story?

amother

↑ Tiffanyblue

Sat, Nov 05 2022, 9:43 pm

I googled it, looks like it's popular among lubavichers but yes, it explains why the words.
By the way, some articles say that the Shpole Zaide came up with this melody, but that doesn't make sense as it's a Ukrainian national dance. Someone else up thread linked it, but here's another one, at 9:30
https://youtu.be/AOgdrrzOi1A

bearwithme

Thu, Nov 24 2022, 8:48 am

There was a story years ago about someone complaining about wedding songs being put to music from TV shows and other non-Jewish songs, who was told, "It's not our fault you watched TV." But if we don't know where the music is from? "Bas Kol" sounded not Jewish even without ever hearing the original.
I was born in the 1960s, and am not very musical (This is me:

A tone-deaf old person from Tring
When somebody asked him to sing,
Replied, "It is odd
But I cannot tell 'God
Save the Weasel' from 'Pop Goes the King.'"

) but recognize tunes I grew up with. The intro to Shira Choir's new "Ki Hinei Hachomer" reminds me very strongly of a Queen song (Bohemian Rhapsody? Somebody to love?) but no one else seems to think so.

↑ shabbatiscoming

Thu, Nov 24 2022, 8:58 am

bearwithme wrote:

A tone-deaf old person from Tring
When somebody asked him to sing,
Replied, "It is odd
But I cannot tell 'God
Save the Weasel' from 'Pop Goes the King.'"

I just went to listen to that song. I can hear what you mean Smile

Roots

Sat, Sep 21 2024, 2:52 pm

I love this new song from mordechai shapiro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?.....apiro
but my friend keeps saying it reminds her of a taylor swift song.
I dont know non jewish music so well- is anyone here familiar with her music-or can I tell her it seems to be an origional song

amother

↑ OP

Sat, Sep 21 2024, 9:55 pm

Not sure if this was posted yet to the thread, but a big doc of "Jewish" tunes that come from non-Jewish music by Music Studio NYC. (You can add by commenting on the document)

https://docs.google.com/docume.....f5R0/