Israel and music

Inbal Megiddo, the wonderful cellist who teaches at the New Zealand School of Music, gave an interesting and thought provoking talk last night on the role of music in Judaism and Israel. She talked about music in ancient times in the Temple, but it is music in the emerging Israel and the role of music in nation building that was of special interest. The early generation of Jewish composers, the generation of Ernst Bloch drew inspiration from traditional Jewish liturgical and popular klezmer music. The following generation gathered the music of the various ethnic groups in Israel, as Bartok and Vaughan Williams did in their time in their lands. The younger generation are no longer self-conscious about writing Jewish music. They are just contemporary composers. If they draw on the wealth of different musical traditions around them these are building blocks of the language of their music. As important, however, as the works of Israeli composers, performers have a significant role to play in bringing the various people of the land of Israel together. Inbal, a former member of the Western- Eastern Divan Orchestra talked about the orchestra that brings together young musicians from the countries of the Middle East, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, to make music together, and incidentally, establish friendships. She talked about the Arab Orchestra of Nazareth that employs Russian Jewish musicians to supplement the Arab musicians playing traditional Arab musical instruments. The orchestra brings together Muslims, Christians and Jews. She mentioned the Polyphony Conservatory, based in Nazareth, with a branch in Jaffa. Most of its 130 students are Palestinian Israelis, but among the students there are  Israeli kibbutzniks who are brought together by their love of music. Perhaps it is in music that we can see the future of a peaceful Middle East. There may come a time when Arabs get sick of murdering Arabs, Palestinians stop murdering Israelis and Israelis murdering Palestinians. and the region will live in harmony and cooperation as they do when making music in their orchestras.