Dr. Joseph A. Levine papers, 1918-2021 (bulk: 1980-2010).

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Levine, Joseph A., 1933- creator.

Language:

English

German

Hebrew

Italian

Ladino

Multiple languages

Russian

Spanish

Yiddish

Subjects (All):

Cantors Assembly (U.S.).

Cantors (Judaism).

Jewish composers.

Jews.

Jews--United States.

Jews--Music.

Music.

Songsters.

Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.).

Genre:

Synagogue music

Articles

Concert programs

Correspondence

Books

Sheet music

Penn Provenance:

Gift of Doris Levine, 2025.

Physical Description:

33 boxes (30 linear feet)

Arrangement:

Organized into 10 series: I. Academy for Jewish Religion (AJR) materials; II. Books with annotations and laid in materials; III. Cassettes [RESTRICTED]; IV. Compact discs (CDs); V. Journal of synagogue music (JSM) materials; VI. Levine’s collected materials;VII. Levine's writings; VIII. Personal material; IX. Research/subject files; and X. Sheet music.

Place of Publication:

1918-2021

Biography/History:

Dr. Joseph A. Levine was born in 1933 in Brooklyn, New York. Levine studied fine arts at Cooper Union and received his BA and Hebrew teachers diploma at Yeshiva University in 1955. He received his Ph.D. in sacred music at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Cantors’ Institute in 1981. Dr. Joseph Levine spoke and understood many languages including English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Spanish and Yiddish. Levine taught Jewish music and liturgy at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Academy for Jewish Religion, and the University of London. Throughout his 35-year career as a cantor, Levine worked at Congregation Emanu-El (New York), Chizuk Amuno Congregation (Baltimore), Beth Tfiloh Congregation (Baltimore), Beth Sholom Center of Amityville and Massapequas, Congregation B’nai Jacob (Woodbridge), Congregation B’nai Amoona (St. Louis), Congregation Emanu-El (Philadelphia), and Congregation Ramat El (Philadelphia). In the late 20th century, Levine took leave of his job as a cantor to take over work for his father-in-law’s company Gruen Apron for about thirty years. In the early 2000s, Levine returned to the cantorial world by joining the executive council of the Cantor’s Assembly and working as the editor of their <emph>Journal of Synagogue Music</emph> for sixteen years starting in 2004. During his lifetime, he published two books, titled <emph>Synagogue Song in America</emph> (1989) and <emph>Rise and Be Seated: The Ups and Downs of Jewish Worship</emph> (2001), as well as published works such as <emph>Ba’avur Dovid—the Sabbath Morning Service as Sung by David Kusevitsky—A Transcription and Appreciation</emph> (1992) and <emph>Emunat Abba—the Sacred Chant of Abba Yosef Weisgal</emph> (2009). His journal articles appeared in a variety of publications including: “<emph>CCAR Journal, Encyclopedia of Jewish/American History and Culture, Gratz College Centennial, Maryland Jewish Historical Society Journal, Midstream, JUDAISM, Musica Judaica, National Jewish Post</emph> and the University of Victoria's <emph>Encyclopedia of Religion and Music</emph>.” Dr. Joseph Levine passed away on December 30, 2021 in Philadelphia.

Summary:

The Dr. Joseph A. Levine papers contain musical works from over five hundred composers of Jewish music from the 19th to 21st centuries, ranging from rare to popular pieces of music. This collection contains extensive research files on topics related to Jewish music, Judaism and Levine’s personal interests. The papers also include over a hundred CDs and cassette tapes, issues of the <emph>Journal of Synagogue Music</emph>, Levine’s writings and personal materials. Additional descriptions of each series can be found on their corresponding pages in the finding aid.

OCLC:

1522901583