Robert and Molly Freedman Jewish Sound Archive DVD collection, 1919-2015.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Freedman, Molly.

Contributor:

Freedman, Robert, 1929-

Language:

English

German

Hebrew

Ladino

Polish

Russian

Spanish

Yiddish

Subjects (All):

Folk songs.

Hasidim--Music.

Hasidim.

Jewish wit and humor.

Jews--Music.

Jews.

Klezmer music.

Synagogue music.

Theater, Yiddish.

Genre:

Manuscripts, American.

Audiovisual materials.

DVDs.

Sound recordings.

Penn Provenance:

Gift, Robert and Molly Freedman, and others.

Physical Description:

354 items

Place of Publication:

1919-2015.

Language Note:

The primary languages of materials collected are Yiddish, Hebrew, and Ladino, but the Archive collects Judaic audiovisual material in any and all languages in which they occur. Other languages well represented within the Archive include English, German, Polish, Russian, Spanish and "Yinglish."

Biography/History:

The Robert and Molly Freedman Jewish Sound Archive is located in Room 453 of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Archive was founded by Bob and Molly Freedman, its current curators. The Freedmans began collecting recordings of Jewish music early in their marriage and continue to build the collection by acquiring recordings wherever they travel. Sometime in the middle or late 1970s (the cusp of the "klezmer revival"), researchers began to visit the Freedman's home in Philadelphia. Later Bob Freedman was asked to bring some of the music to a Jewish folklore class at the University of Pennsylvania, which subsequently developed into an annual visit by the Yiddish language classes to the Freedman's apartment. In 1981, Bob Freedman bought his first computer and began to list the recordings. He subsequently developed the first Yiddish font for screen display and printer, and over the years developed a database of recordings. Eventually, the collection outgrew the space available in the Freedman home and in 1996 it was donated to the University of Pennsylvania, where it continues to grow.

Summary:

Historically, "Jewish music" has been notoriously difficult to define. For the purposes of the Freedman Jewish Sound Archive, Jewish music may include all genres of music produced by the Jewish people throughout the diaspora. This may include: Israeli music including jazz, rock, and pop; Jewish song in Yiddish, Hebrew, Ladino, or any number of diasporic languages; Instrumental music, including klezmer and classical music; Folk music from many countries and geographic regions; Theater music including Tin Pan Alley and the Broadway musical; Music of the holocaust; Music with Jewish literary origins; Religious music, including Chassidic and cantorial liturgical music; Music representing the Ashkenazi, Sephardi, or "Oriental" traditions of Judaism; Jewish music heavily influenced by non-Jewish music traditions and vice versa. In addition, the Freedman Jewish Sound Archive also collects spoken-word recordings that elucidate the Jewish experience including: Oral histories; Recitation of poetry or prose; Humor and comedy; Theatre performances; Radio programs. This finding aid represents the Archive's materials on Digital Video Disc (DVD). It is organized in alphabetical order by artist and title.

OCLC:

961331302