Beyond Ethnic Tinge or Ethnic Fringe: The Emergence of New Israeli/Palestinian Musical Competences & Connections

Authors

  • Benjamin Brinner  University of California, Berkeley Author

Abstract

A musical scene emerged in Israel in the 1990s, around unprecedented interaction between Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Druze musicians in Israel and the West Bank.2 Most frequently marketed at home as musika etnit Yisraelit (Israeli ethnic music), it involves mixing elements of various Middle Eastern and non-Middle Eastern musical practices. Little of the music created in this scene is identifiable as specifically Israeli, Palestinian, Jewish, or Arab, but the confluence of people is uniquely Israeli-Palestinian, and much of the music they have produced is also unique to the particular experiences, desires, and understandings developed by these musicians in this milieu. While this scene has attained neither the stature of art music nor the market share of popular music, it has considerable significance within local and international political, social, and cultural frameworks. 

Author Biography

  • Benjamin Brinner , University of California, Berkeley

    Ben Brinner is a professor at U.C. Berkeley, where he is currently chair of the Department of Music. His research has focused on issues of musical cognition, particularly memory, competence, and interaction among musicians. His books include Knowing Music, Making Music: Javanese Gamelan and the Theory of Competence and Interaction (Chicago, 1995) and his new work, Playing Across A Divide: Israeli-Palestinian Musical Encounters (Oxford, 2009), based on one and a half decades of research on the ethnic music scene in Israel.

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Published

2024-05-28

Issue

Vol. 7 No. II (2009): Celebrating Israel's 61th Anniversary

Section

Articles