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Jemenitisch-Joodse familie in Jeruzalem (opname Sam Eskin)
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Jemenitisch-Joodse familie in Jeruzalem (opname Sam Eskin) · This is not an artist in the usual sense, but a Yemenite Jewish family in Jerusalem who were recorded in 1955 by Sam Eskin. The names of the singers have not been preserved in the available sources, so the text sticks to what is certain. Eskin was an American folk singer and collector who recorded songs from ordinary people rather than professional musicians.
Music and breakthrough
The recording contains the Hallel, Psalms 113 through 118. This is a series of psalms of praise that in the Jewish tradition are sung or recited on festival days. The Jews of Yemen have for centuries had their own, strictly preserved way of singing. After the founding of Israel, many Yemenite Jews came to the country and brought their liturgical singing tradition with them.
Influence
The singing is a communal prayer, not a performance. It is vocal music, often without instruments, with a melody that stays close to the spoken text and repeats in short phrases. Anyone who hears a recording like this hears how a religious text has been passed down orally through the centuries and how the melody carries part of the meaning. For the history of popular music such music matters because it shows that singing and rhythm in many cultures first found their place in community and prayer, long before the first records.
Listening
Hallel / Psalms 113-118 · Jemenitisch-Joodse familie in Jeruzalem (opname Sam Eskin), 1955