The music of Israel incorporates a variety of musical traditions. Since the First Aliyah of Jews to Palestine in the 1880s,Published surveys of Israeli music begin with the First Aliyah, in the 1880s. See, for example, Hirshberg (1995), Regev and Seroussi (2005), and Shahar (1999). local musical styles have developed alongside the adoption of international genres. Since the 1960s, Israeli music has become increasingly diverse, expanding into rock, folk, and jazz. Some of the world's top classical musicians are Israeli or of Israeli origin.
From the earliest days of Jewish settlement in Palestine, music played a central role in cultural life. Hebrew songs and public singalongs (shira b'tzibur) were promoted on a national level and enjoyed institutional support. Sing-alongs became a popular social activity and contributed to the formation of Israeli Jewish identity.Shahar (1999), 501. Jewish immigrants brought with them musical traditions from their countries of origin, which blended over time with the local music of Palestine, influencing the evolution of a distinct Israeli musical style.cf Eliram (1995), Bohlman (1988), Gluzman (1987). The use of music as a means of fostering Israeli nationalism and culture has continued.Heyman (2007).
History
Early history The development of a body of music associated with the Zionist settlers in Palestine began during the First Aliyah, the initial significant wave of Jewish immigration to the region in the 1880s.Shahar (1999), p 495. Zionist youth movements in Germany and other European countries compiled some of the earliest songbooks for the Zionist movement, combining newly written Hebrew lyrics with existing melodies from European folk songs. An example of this practice is the song Hatikvah, which later became the national anthem of Israel.
In 1895, Jewish settlers established the first Jewish orchestra in Palestine.Hirshberg (1995), p 25. The orchestra was a wind band based in Rishon LeZion. Its repertoire included light classical pieces and marches.
Abraham Zevi Idelsohn, a trained cantor from Russia and a musicologist, settled in Jerusalem in 1906 with the aim of studying and documenting the musical traditions of the Jewish communities living there. At that time, Jerusalem was home to several distinct Jewish enclaves, including Yemenite, Hasidic, and Syrian. Idelsohn systematically recorded and analyzed the songs and musical styles of these communities.Idelsohn (1948). He also undertook the first efforts to introduce these songs to the broader Jewish population, with the goal of developing a new, unified Zionist musical genre.
Idelsohn was later joined in Palestine by other classically trained musicians and ethnomusicologists, including Gershon Ephros in 1909 and Joel Engel in 1924. Like Idelsohn, Engel focused on collecting and promoting traditional ethnic melodies and musical styles, aiming to make them accessible to the broader Jewish population in Palestine.
The Second Aliyah, which took place from 1904 to 1914, was accompanied by an increase in the composition of original songs by Jewish settlers.Shahar (1999), pp 503–506 Among the earliest composers of Jewish folk songs in Palestine were Hanina Karchevsky, known for BeShadmot Beit Lehem, and David Ma'aravi, known for Shirat HaNoar.
Musical cabarets Beginning in the 1920s, café and cabaret music gained popularity in Palestine.Regev and Seroussi (2004), pp 71–90. Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, three prominent cabarets operated in Palestine: HaKumkum (The Kettle), HaMetate (The Broom), and Li-La-Lo. These venues presented variety shows that integrated political satire, theatrical performances, and music.
The cabarets served as launching platforms for the careers of several prominent figures in Israeli popular music. Shoshana Damari began performing as a teenager at Li-La-Lo. Yafa Yarkoni also started her career as a cabaret singer. Composers such as Nahum Nardi (Shtu HaAdarim, Kahol Yam HaMayim), Moshe Vilensky (BeKhol Zot Yesh Ba Mashehu, Hora Mamtera), and Daniel Sambursky (Shir HaEmek, Zemer HaPlugot),Song is from www.nostalgia.com among others, composed songs that later became part of the canonical Israeli song repertoire. Many of the lyrics were written by poet Nathan Alterman.
The cabarets also contributed to the diversity of Israeli music by introducing a popular, light musical style that differed from the New Hebrew style and the Russian folk influences that were dominant at the time. Many of the cabaret songs were composed in major keys, featured upbeat rhythms, and incorporated elements from Latin genres such as tango and samba.
Following the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, cabarets and musical revues continued to be a part of the country's cultural landscape.
Aliyah of musicians in the 1930s By 1935, Jewish musicians across Europe were facing increasing persecution, including dismissal from positions, harassment, and expulsion due to the rise of Nazism. Several prominent figures in European classical music, including Ödön Pártos, Paul Ben-Haim, and Alexander Uriah Boskovich, immigrated to Palestine as part of the Fifth Aliyah.Hirshberg (1995), pp 157–183. Concert violinist Bronislaw Huberman initiated the formation of a Jewish orchestra in Palestine and recruited musicians from some of Europe's leading orchestras. The Palestine Philharmonic Orchestra, which became the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra after the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948, gave its inaugural performance in December 1936. Since then, it has performed in concerts of historical importance. In 1967, following the Six-Day War, conductor Leonard Bernstein led the orchestra in a performance in the Sinai Peninsula. In the 1980s, the orchestra played near the Lebanese border to an audience that included both Israelis and Lebanese on either side of the border fence.
As writers of popular music pursued the New Hebrew Style, many classical composers explored new compositional approaches intended to reflect Zionist themes. In 1946, music critic David Rosolio opined that composing in Palestine required a shift from purely Western concepts, citing the local landscape, lifestyle, and environment as factors necessitating a different approach.Rosolio (1946). In his Semitic Suite for piano (1945), Alexander Uriah Boskovich employed a homophonic texture with drone accompaniment and repeated notes, aiming to emulate the sound of traditional Middle Eastern instruments such as the oud and kanun. Similarly, Paul Ben-Haim's Sonata A Tre (1968), composed for harpsichord, mandolin, and guitar, features musical elements that reflect a distinctly Middle Eastern character.
1967 as a turning point The Six-Day War in 1967 marked a significant turning point in Israeli culture. According to writer Amos Elon, the war represented a shift in the national psyche, signaling a transition from adolescence to maturity.Elon (1971), p 33. The post-war period was characterized by a notable increase in cultural activity. The number of art galleries rose by one-third, the number of theaters doubled, and a variety of restaurants, nightclubs, and discothèques also emerged.
During this period, the Israeli music scene became increasingly open to global influences. Rock music, which had previously attracted limited interest and received little airtime on state radio, began to gain popularity. Mizrahi music began to receive broader recognition and legitimacy. Israeli musicians performed abroad more frequently, and international artists from Europe and the United States visited Israel to perform.
As musical diversity expanded, many Israeli compositions began to reflect international trends rather than a specific national style. The earlier focus on establishing a unique national musical identity diminished. Rock musician Shalom Hanoch remarked in an interview, "I don't like the attempt to be ethnic very much... I don't search for roots [in my music], my roots are within me... I don't have to add oriental flavor for people to know that I am from the Middle East."Shalom Hanoch, interview on Reshet Gimmel radio station, 1988, quoted in Regev and Seroussi (2004), p 157.
Despite this shift, many Israeli musicians in both popular and classical genres continued to engage with questions of national identity in their work.
Evolution of the music industry Following the decline of the Israeli military ensembles in the 1970s, institutions of higher musical education became central in cultivating new musical talent in Israel. These included the country's two principal classical music academies, the Rubin Academy in Jerusalem and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as well as two private institutions focused primarily on jazz and popular music: the Rimon School in Ramat Hasharon and the Hed School in Tel Aviv-Jaffa.
Between 1960 and 1980, Israeli radio and television promoted music through the Israel Song Festival. Success in these competitions was often a significant factor in establishing an artist's career during that period. Until the late 1980s, the Israeli government, primarily through its control of radio and television broadcasting, maintained a central role in influencing the musical preferences of the Israeli public.Regev and Seroussi (2004), p 37 In 1965, a dispute between rival concert promoters contributed to a decision by conservatives within the Israeli government to withhold the allocation of foreign currency needed to bring the Beatles to perform in Israel. Some rock and Palestinian musicians claimed that radio and television broadcasters discriminated against their music, thus limiting the commercial success of these genres despite their growing popularity.For example, Svika Pick: "They never played my music on the radio as much as they played other musicians. Fact." (in an interview on the Reshet Gimmel radio station, October 1986)
With the commercialization of Israeli radio and television in the 1990s, the influence of state-run media as the primary arbiters of musical taste diminished. In place of state-run media, recording companies, impresarios, and music venues gained increasing influence in discovering new talent and promoting musical careers, a model more characteristic of the European and American music industries.
Palestinian and Arab influences The earliest composers of Israeli Hebrew folk music were influenced by elements of local Palestinian musical traditions.Bohlman (1988), p 118. Subsequent influences on Israeli music came from Jewish immigrants from Middle Eastern and North African countries, including Morocco, Yemen, Iraq, and Egypt. These communities introduced various Arab musical traditions, contributing to the development of Mizrahi music.See below, Music of Israel#Muzika Mizrahit
The distinctive blend of Eastern and Western musical elements characteristic of Mizrahi music has influenced the broader landscape of Israeli popular music. A notable example is the song HaPerach BeGani ("The Flower in My Garden"), performed by Zohar Argov, with lyrics by Avihu Medina and music by Medina and Moshe Ben Mosh.Music sample is taken from www.songs.co.il
Contemporary Palestinian and Arab music
Palestinian citizens of Israel, who constitute over 20 percent of the country's population, have developed distinct musical styles.Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (2010) reports (in thousands) 1,450.0 Arabs out of 7,243.6 total. This does not include residents of the West Bank or Gaza. Until the early 1990s, little original music was produced by this community. Locally composed music began to gain traction among the Palestinian population in Israel during the 1980s.Regev (1993), p. 29 Prior to that, music performed at community gatherings typically consisted of repertoire originating from other Arabic-speaking countries.