Overview

The connection of Judaism to music has been a lively discourse topic in recent years, and the musical awakening in religious circles is one expression of it. This book is the first comprehensive research project on the encounter of music and Judaism in the theological and philosophical realms, tracing the historical evolution of the music motif in Jewish thought. It describes the course of music as a tool serving religious, psychological, and instrumental goals until it developed into an independent aesthetic experience. Discussions also encompass various assessments of music in Jewish thought and the special connection of the Jewish people to music.

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Reviews

“Schwartz’s book is an invaluable and distinctive resource for those interested in the role of music in Jewish thought. It presents an intriguing assertion and is commendably well-written and extensively researched, offering a comprehensive overview and analysis of the subject. I highly recommend it to anyone seeking insight into the significance of music in Jewish life and thought.” — Guy Shaked, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies “Dov Schwartz’s “The Soul Seeks its Melodies”... is perhaps the first comprehensive analysis of the place of music in Jewish thought. Whereas Jewish musicology focuses largely on sounds, practices, and/or cultural boundaries, Schwartz’s formidable volume tracks the evolution of music as an idea which shaped, and was shaped by, the writings of great Jewish thinkers, including philosophers, theologians, and mystics. Transcending the historical soundscape of the Jewish people (though not without rich reference to it), Schwartz instead maps the Jewish musical mindscape of the past two millennia. As former head of both the Philosophy and Music Departments at Bar-Ilan University, he stands uniquely positioned to offer this wide-ranging and groundbreaking perspective. … Like a musicological superfood, Schwartz’s volume provides prodigiously rich intellectual nutrients in an incredibly concentrated form. … [T]he book is deceivingly light, yet with precise organization and scholarly girth that make it punch far above its physical weight.” — Matt Austerklein, Beyond the Music

“Dov Schwartz’s “The Soul Seeks its Melodies”... is perhaps the first comprehensive analysis of the place of music in Jewish thought. Whereas Jewish musicology focuses largely on sounds, practices, and/or cultural boundaries, Schwartz’s formidable volume tracks the evolution of music as an idea which shaped, and was shaped by, the writings of great Jewish thinkers, including philosophers, theologians, and mystics. Transcending the historical soundscape of the Jewish people (though not without rich reference to it), Schwartz instead maps the Jewish musical mindscape of the past two millennia. As former head of both the Philosophy and Music Departments at Bar-Ilan University, he stands uniquely positioned to offer this wide-ranging and groundbreaking perspective. … Like a musicological superfood, Schwartz’s volume provides prodigiously rich intellectual nutrients in an incredibly concentrated form. … [T]he book is deceivingly light, yet with precise organization and scholarly girth that make it punch far above its physical weight.” — Matt Austerklein, Beyond the Music

Author Information

Dov Schwartz, a former Dean of Humanities and former chair of the departments of Music and Philosophy at Bar Ilan University, currently teaches at the department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University and is a senior researcher at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem.

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