The Milken Archive of Jewish Music is a collection of material about the history of

Jewish Music Jewish music is the music and melodies of the Jewish people. There exist both traditions of religious music, as sung at the synagogue and domestic prayers, and of secular music, such as klezmer. While some elements of Jewish music may originat ...

in the United States. It contains roughly 700 recorded musical works, 800 hours of oral histories, 50,000 photographs and historical documents, an extensive collection of program notes and essays, and thousands of hours of video footage documenting recording sessions, interviews, and live performances.

History

The Archive was founded in 1990 by businessman

Lowell Milken Lowell Jay Milken (born November 29, 1948) is an American businessman, philanthropist, and the co-founder and chairman of the Milken Family Foundation. He is also the founder of the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching, TAP System for T ...

, with the stated mission to "document, preserve, and disseminate the vast body of music that pertains to the American Jewish experience." It was originally established as the Milken Family Archive of 20th Century American Jewish Music, with composer Michael Isaacson as its Artistic Director In 1993, Neil W. Levin of the Jewish Theological Seminary became the Artistic Director and the Archive became known as the Milken Archive of American Jewish music. Between 2003 and 2006, it released a series of 50 CDs on the Naxos label, which have sold nearly 300,000 copies. In 2005, Producer

David Frost Sir David Paradine Frost (7 April 1939 – 31 August 2013) was a British television host, journalist, comedian and writer. He rose to prominence during the satire boom in the United Kingdom when he was chosen to host the satirical programme ' ...

was awarded the Grammy award for Producer of the Year, Classical, for five of the albums in this series. At present, the Archive's website serves as the primary vehicle for the Archive’s music, and the access point for its other media. The material is organized into 20 thematic groups.

Media coverage

In its remembrance of

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

after his Dec. 5, 2012 passing,

PBS Newshour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virg ...

featured footage of the

Dave Brubeck Quartet David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

playing

Take Five "Take Five" is a jazz standard composed by saxophonist Paul Desmond and originally recorded by the Dave Brubeck Quartet for their album ''Time Out'' at Columbia Records' 30th Street Studios in New York City on July 1, 1959. Two years later it b ...

at a 2007 Milken Archive concert and recording session in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. Milken Archive footage of

was featured in the documentary "Dave Brubeck: In His Own Sweet Way" directed by

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

that aired on December 6, 2010 on Turner Classic Movies. In September 2010, Milken Archive Artistic Director Neil Levin was featured on televisions stations across the United States in the documentary 18 Voices Sing Kol Nidre discussing the

Kol Nidre Kol Nidre (also known as Kol Nidrey or Kol Nidrei; Aramaic: ''kāl niḏrē'') is a Hebrew and Aramaic declaration which is recited in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). Strictly ...

, a declaration recited or sung in the synagogue before the beginning of the evening service on every

Yom Kippur Yom Kippur (; he, יוֹם כִּפּוּר, , , ) is the holiest day in Judaism and Samaritanism. It occurs annually on the 10th of Tishrei, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. Primarily centered on atonement and repentance, the day's ...

. On May 26, 2010, the NPR program “All Things Considered” featured Milken Archive music in its broadcast about clarinetist David Krakauer, “Abraham Inc.: Klezmer with a funky hip hop beat.”

Volumes

The Milken Archive's collection is organized according to the following 20 thematic groups, known as volumes. As of May 2013, the Archive released 16 of the 20 volumes. # Jewish Voices in the New World: The Song of Prayer in Colonial and 19th-Century America # A Garden Eastward: Sephardi and Near Eastern Inspiration # ''Seder T'fillot'': Traditional and Contemporary Synagogue Services # Cycle of Life in Synagogue and Home: Prayers and Celebrations Throughout the Jewish Year # The Classical Klezmer: Rebirth of a Folk Tradition # Echoes of Ecstasy: Hassidic Inspiration # Masterworks of Prayer: Art in Worship # Sing Unto Zion! In Praise of a Jewish National Home # The Art of Jewish Song: Yiddish and Hebrew # Intimate Voices: Solo and Ensemble Music of Jewish Spirit # Symphonic Visions: Orchestral Works of Jewish Spirit # Legends of Toil and Celebration: Songs of Jewish Solidarity, Social Awareness, and Jewish Americana # Great Songs of the American Yiddish Stage: Yiddish Theater, Vaudeville, Radio, and Film # Golden Voices in the Golden Land: The Great Age of Cantorial Art in America # Swing His Praises: Jazz, Blues, and Rock in the Service of God # Heroes and Heroines: Jewish Opera # Odes and Epics: Dramatic Music of Jewish Experience #Psalms and Canticles: Jewish Choral Art in America #Out of the Whirlwind: Musical Reflections of the Holocaust #''L'dor vador'': A Celebration of Children’s Voices

Composers

The Milken Archive has recorded or licensed music by the following composers:

References

External links

Official Milken Archive website
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